Edward IV

Edward IV was a central figure in the Wars of the Roses. This was a series of civil wars in England. These conflicts lasted from 1455 to 1487. They were fought between two factions: the Yorkists and the Lancastrians. Edward was a Yorkist leader who became King of England. He reigned from 1461 to 1470, and then again from 1471 until his death in 1483.

Edward's claim to the throne came through his father. His father was Richard, the 3rd Duke of York. Richard was a direct descendant of King Edward III. In 1447, the Duke of York became the heir to the childless King Henry VI. This gave the Yorkist family a legal path to the crown. However, the political situation was very unstable. In 1460, Richard, Duke of York, was killed at the Battle of Wakefield. This left eighteen-year-old Edward as the head of the Yorkist party.

Edward moved quickly to secure his power through military force. He first won a victory at the Battle of Mortimer's Cross in February 1461. Following this, he faced the Lancastrians at the Battle of Towton in March 1461. This battle took place during a heavy snowstorm. It is considered the bloodiest battle ever fought on English soil. Estimates suggest between 9,000 and 20,000 people died there.

After this decisive victory, Edward deposed King Henry VI and took the throne.

Edward was a very different kind of king than his predecessor. Henry VI was often seen as mentally and physically frail. In contrast, Edward was described as handsome, energetic, and affable. He was unusually tall for his time. He also wore very splendid clothes to show his strength.

He even used the "Sun in splendour" as his personal emblem. This emblem came from a weather phenomenon called a parhelion, or three suns, seen at Mortimer's Cross.

Internal politics eventually caused great trouble for Edward's reign. His chief advisor was Richard Neville, the Earl of Warwick. People called Warwick the "Kingmaker" because of his power. In 1464, Edward secretly married Elizabeth Woodville. She was a widow and did not come from a high-ranking noble family. This marriage angered Warwick significantly. It showed that the King was not following Warwick's political advice.

This tension led to a revolt in 1470. Warwick and Edward's brother, George, Duke of Clarence, helped reinstall Henry VI.

Edward did not stay away from power for long. He fled to Flanders to gather support. He invaded England again in March 1471. He won two major battles: Barnet and Tewkesbury. At the Battle of Barnet, the Earl of Warwick was killed. At the Battle of Tewkesbury, Edward of Westminster, the Prince of Wales, was killed. These victories allowed Edward to resume his throne. Shortly after, Henry VI was found dead in the Tower of London. Edward then ruled in relative peace for twelve years.

During his later years, Edward dealt with international diplomacy. In 1475, he invaded France. This nearly restarted the Hundred Years' War, which had been in abeyance since 1453. However, the conflict was settled by the Treaty of Picquigny. This was a diplomatic agreement with King Louis XI of France. It effectively ended the long-standing war between the two nations.

Edward died suddenly in April 1483.

Edward's death led to a period of great uncertainty. He was briefly succeeded by his son, Edward V. Before he died, Edward had appointed his brother, Richard, Duke of Gloucester, as Lord Protector. This was meant to govern while the new king was a minor. However, Edward V and his younger brother, Richard, Duke of York, disappeared. Their uncle then seized the throne and became King Richard III. This transition marked another major shift in English history.