Edward IV Biography

Birth of Edward V

Birth of Edward IV, son of Richard, Duke of York

Invested as the Prince of Wales

Richard Duke of York is killed & succeeded by his son Edward who becomes Duke of York

Wins the battle, enters London & is accepted as King in Westminster Hall, 4th March. Takes up the Yorkist claim & is supported by the Earl of Warwick

Wins the battle, enters London & is accepted as King in Westminster Hall, 4th March

Wins the battle, enters London & is accepted as King in Westminster Hall, 4th March

Crowned King after the Battle of Towton & founds the House of York, 1461-85

Succeeds as King of England. Declared King of England by Parliament

Heads up to the north at the head of a Yorkist force

Leads Yorkists out of Pontefract to engage Lancastrians

This record states: Edward turns his attention to consolidating his rule over the country, winning over the people and putting down the rebellions raised by the few remaining Lancastrian diehards.

This record states: He knighted several of his supporters and elevated several of his gentry supporters to the peerage; Fauconberg was made the Earl of Kent.

This record states: The Battle of Towton Moor put an end (for the time being) to disputes over the countrys state of leadership since the Act of Accord.

This record states: The English people were assured that there was now one King.

Redesdale is backed by Warwick & Edgcott near Bicester. Edward IVs troops are defeated by Redesdales rebels

Edward IVs troops are defeated by Redesdales rebels

Signed at Ardtornish Castle, the Isle of Mull. Makes John of the Isles a vassal of Edward

Captures Warkworth castle from Margaret of Anjou

Splits the Yorkist Party & provoking a 2nd War of the Roses. Marries Elizabeth Wydville

Birth of Mary, 2nd daughter

Arranges a marriage between Margaret his sister & the Duke of Burgundy

Captured by Archbishop George Neville of York, the Earl of Warwicks brother

Birth of Ciceley, 3rd daughter

Warwick cannot keep order, the rebels make peace & Edward returns to London

Edward IV falls into Warwick's custody, temporarily weakening his control of the kingdom.

Surrenders to the Earl of Warwick

Edward Neville plots in France for the Duke of Clarence to become King. A force advancing on Nottingham to relieve the King is cut to pieces

The Battle pitted the forces of Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick, against those of King Edward IV, the battle is considered to be an important turning point in the course of the war

Edward Neville plots in France for the Duke of Clarence to become King

Escapes from the captivity of Archbishop George Neville of York

The Earl of Warwick is forced into exile

Edward IV defeats a rebellion in Lincolnshire

Edward IV defeats a rebellion in Wales

The Earl of Warwick & the Duke of Clarence are declared traitors by Edward IV

Edward reaches the Hague after crossing Lincolnshire

Leaves the south coast unprotected & Warwick & his rebels land at Dartmouth

Birth of Edward V, eldest son of Edward IV

Henry VI dies in the Tower & Edward reclaims the throne

Returns from Alkmar with the help of Charles of Burgundy to re-conquer his realm

Escapes to Burgundy after the Earl of Warwick restores Henry VI

The Duke of Burgundy, Edward's brother-in-law, supplies a fleet & troops

Returns from Alkmar with the help of Charles of Burgundy to re-conquer his realm

Although Warwicks force had more men than Edward's army, the Earl refused the challenge. Edward sent Gloucester to entreat Clarence to return to the House of York, an offer that Clarence readily accepted. Reconciled, the royal brothers moved towards Coventry, and Clarence urged Warwicks surrender.

Infuriated with his son-in-laws treachery, Warwick refused to speak to Clarence. Unable to fight the Earl at this time, Edward turned again towards London

Reinforced by Montagu, Oxford, and Exeter a few days later, Warwick followed the Yorkists trail. He hoped that London, under Somersets control, would close its gates to Edward, allowing him to catch the Yorkist army in the open.

The city, however, welcomed Edward warmly; Somerset had left the city, and the London populace preferred the young Yorkist king to Henry V. Fighting off Exeters and Oxfords attacks, Edward IV besieged Warwick at Coventry, hoping to engage the Earl in battle.

Sets sail from The Netherlands to reclaim his throne

Sals with an army of Burgundians & Englishmen & 14 ships provided by Hanseatic towns

Lands with the pretense he has returned to reclaim the Duchy of York, heads for York

Reaches Coventry where he is able to offer Battle to the Earl of Warwick

George the Duke of Clarence deserts the Earl of Warwick & joins Edward IV

Clarence's submission strengthens Edward IV by adding about 4,000 men to the Yorkist army.

Marches Yorkists on London while Warwick is in Coventry

Clarence submits to Edward & increases the Yorkist army by 4,000

Edward & his brothers enter London & capture Henry VI

Edward IV is restored to the throne

Although he had defeated the Neville brothers, Edward had little time to rest; Margaret landed at Weymouth on the day of the battle.

At around 4 o'clock in the morning, both armies woke. Edward had planned for an early attack, however, and quickly roused his men to engage the Lancastrians. Both sides fired their cannon and arrows before laying into each other with polearms.

Despite the defeat at Barnet, Lancastrians who fled from the battle looked to the queen to restore their house to the throne

Edward exhibited the brothers naked corpses in St. Pauls Cathedral for three days to quell any rumours that they had survived, before allowing them to be laid to rest in the family vault at Bisham Abbey.

He brought Henry VI along to prevent the Lancastrians from retaking their king. The bodies of the two Neville brothers were brought back to London. They did not suffer the customary fate accorded to traitors quartering and display at the city gates.

Lancastrian scouts probed Barnet, which lay 19 kilometres (12 mi) north of London, but were beaten off.

On 13 April their main army took up positions on a ridge of high ground north of Barnet to prepare for battle the next day.

She feigned a march to London while augmenting her army with recruits from Wales and the Welsh Marches. The Lancastrian queen was disheartened by the news of Warwicks demise, but Somerset suggested that they were better off without the earl.

The morning fog was thick and the night movements of the two forces had displaced them laterally with each other. Neither group was facing the other; each was offset slightly to the right.

This displacement meant that the right end of either army could outflank the other by wrapping around the opposing left end. The Lancastrians were the first to exploit this advantage; Oxfords group quickly overwhelmed Hastings.

Warwick arrayed his army in a line from east to west, on either side of the Great North Road running through Barnet. Kills the Earl of Warwick & Lord Montagu, the Lancastrians are defeated. Kills the Earl of Warwick.

Warwicks army heavily outnumbered Edwards, although sources differ on exact numbers. Lancastrian strength ranges from 10,000 to 30,000 men, with 7,000 to 15,000 on the Yorkist side. Facing this disadvantage, Edward hurried to meet the Lancastrians with a surprise attack.

The Yorkists win the battle for access to London

This record states: Although he had defeated the Neville brothers, Edward had little time to rest; Margaret landed at Weymouth on the day of the battle.

This record states: Despite the defeat at Barnet, Lancastrians who fled from the battle looked to the queen to restore their house to the throne.

This record states: She feigned a march to London while augmenting her army with recruits from Wales and the Welsh Marches.

This record states: The Lancastrian queen was disheartened by the news of Warwicks demise, but Somerset suggested that they were better off without the earl.

King Edward had learned of Margarets landing only two days after she arrived. Although he had given many of his supporters and troops leave after the victory at Barnet, he was rapidly able to muster a substantial force at Windsor, just west of London

Edward IV has George Neville the Archbishop of York arrested

However, the Lancastrians made a feint towards Little Sodbury, about 12 miles (19 km) north-east of Bristol.

King Edward reached Cirencester.

Nearby was Sodbury Hill, an Iron Age hill fort which was an obvious strategic point for the Lancastrians to seize.

On hearing that Margaret was at Bristol, he turned south to meet her army.

When Yorkist scouts reached the hill, there was a sharp fight in which they suffered heavy casualties

The most dangerous Lancastrian force however, was that commanded by the Bastard of Fauconberg. As anticipated, he had landed at Sandwich and rapidly recruited a force from among the pro-Neville Kentishmen. Together with exiled Lancastrians and freebooters from several countries, his army may have numbered 16,000 or even 17,000 in total

This record states: He sent urgent messages to the Governor, Sir Richard Beauchamp, ordering him to bar the gates to Margaret and man the citys defences.

This record states: King Edward realised that the Lancastrians were seeking to cross the River Severn into Wales.

This record states: The nearest crossing point they could use was at the city of Gloucester.

This record states: When Margaret arrived in the morning of 3 May, Beauchamp refused Margarets summons to let her army pass, and she realised that there was insufficient time to storm the city before Edward's army arrived.

By contrast, King Edward's army was composed mainly of mounted men, who nevertheless dismounted to fight on foot as most English armies did during this period.

Hearing from his "prickers" or mounted scouts of Margarets position, Edward drove his army to make another march of 6 miles (9.7 km) from Cheltenham, finally halting 3 miles (4.8 km) from the Lancastrians.

Most of their army were footmen, and unable to continue further without rest, and even the mounted troops were weary.

The Lancastrians knew they could retreat no further before Edward attacked their rear, and that they would be forced to give battle

The Yorkists crush Margaret of Anjou whose son & heir, Prince Edward, is killed. The Yorkists capture Margaret of Anjou after the Battle of Tewkesbury. At Tewkesbury, the tired Lancastrians halted for the night.

Death of Henry VI, assassinated, Edward reclaims the throne

Edward IV is deposed

Death of Edward IV

Louis XI backs the Earl of Oxfords invasion of England

Birth of Edward IV, 2nd son the future Duke of York

Signs the Treaty of Utrecht with the Hanseatic League.

The Earl of Oxford is forced to surrender to Edward IV

Restores Hanseatic trading priveliges in London so he can use their ships to invade

Prepares to invade France to settle after Louis XIs support for the Yorkists

Prepares to invade France to settle after Louis XIs support for the Yorkists

Signs the Treaty of Utrecht with the Hanseatic League.

Lands an expeditionary force of 1,200 men-at-arms & 11,000 archers in France

First year of the construction of St George's Chapel in Windsor

The Duke of Burgundy fails to support the English & attacks Champagne

Count St Pol closes the gates of St Quentin to the English

Opens negotiations with Louis XI

Edwards Army leaves France for England

Birth of a 5th daughter

Edwards ally, the Duke of Burgundy, dies without an heir, Louis XI claims his lands. Burgundys daughter Mary & stepmother Margaret of York turn to Edward for help

Birth of daughter, 6th daughter

Birth of Edward's 7th daughter

The Duke of Albany will marry Edward's daughter Cicely & pay homage for Scotland

The Duke of Albany will marry Edward's daughter Cicely & pay homage for Scotland

Edward IV names Richard as the Protector for his son Edward V. Death of Edward IV, from a chill caught during a fishing trip

Leaves the crown to his 12 yr old son Edward Prince of Wales & names Richard protector

Leaves the crown to his 12 yr old son Edward. Appoints Richard of York as Protector because of his wifes unpopularity

Buried at St George's Chapel Windsor

Burgundys daughter Margaret is pledged to the Dauphin