Post-classical history

The Woodvilles: The Wars of the Roses and England's Most Infamous Family

The Woodvilles: The Wars of the Roses and England's Most Infamous Family

In 1464, the most eligible bachelor in England, Edward IV, stunned the nation by revealing his secret marriage to Elizabeth Woodville, a beautiful, impoverished widow whose father and brother Edward himself had once ridiculed as upstarts. Edward’s controversial match brought his queen’s large family to court and into the thick of the Wars of the Roses.

This is the story of the family whose fates would be inextricably intertwined with the fall of the Plantagenets and the rise of the Tudors: Richard, the squire whose marriage to a duchess would one day cost him his head; Jacquetta, mother to the queen and accused witch; Elizabeth, the commoner whose royal destiny would cost her three of her sons; Anthony, the scholar and jouster who was one of Richard III’s first victims; and Edward, whose military exploits would win him the admiration of Ferdinand and Isabella.

Introduction

Chapter 1. The Duchess and the Knight

Chapter 2. The King and the Widow

Chapter 3. The Black Legend of the Woodvilles

Chapter 4. Murder at Coventry

Chapter 5. Witchcraft and Sorcery

Chapter 6. Exile and Sanctuary

Chapter 7. A Woodville Abroad

Chapter 8. Pomp and Printing

Chapter 9. The Downfall of a Duke

Chapter 10. Before the Storm

Chapter 11. Welcome Fortune!

Chapter 12. Under the Hog

Chapter 13. Won and Lost Causes

Chapter 14. The Last of the Blood

Appendix: The Wills of the Woodvilles

Bibliography

Notes

Plate Section

If you find an error or have any questions, please email us at admin@erenow.org. Thank you!