Follow Elizabeth Woodville through 40 dated historical records for England.
A chronological timeline drawn from matching World History Database records.
Birth of Elizabeth Woodwvile, daughter of Richard Woodville, 1st Earl Rivers and Jacquetta of Luxembourg. The first-born child of a socially unequal marriage that had briefly scandalised the English court. Her father, Sir Richard Woodville, was merely a knight at the time of her birth
Role range: 1471-1483
Elizabeth Woodville marries Sir John Grey, 7th Baron Ferrers of Groby
Role range: 1471-1483
Death of John Grey, 7th Baron Ferrers of Groby, Elizabeth Woodvilles husband, killed at the 2nd Battle of St Albans
Role range: 1471-1483
Marries Edward IV, a secret wedding, only the brides mother and two ladies in attendance
Role range: 1471-1483
When the marriage becomes known, it causes considerable rancour on Warwicks part, and when Elizabeth's relatives, especially her brother, Earl Rivers, began to be favored he changes sides
Role range: 1455-1485 – 1471-1483
Crowned Queen of England
Role range: 1465-1492
Goes into sanctuary during Edward's flight
Role range: 1465-1492
Following Edward IVs sudden death, possibly from pneumonia, in April 1483, Elizabeth Woodville became Queen Dowager for 63 days as her young son, Edward V became king, with his uncle, Richard, Duke of Gloucester, acting as Lord Protector
Role range: 1465-1492
While in sanctuary at Westminster refuses to reitre & become Queen Dowager
Role range: 1465-1492
Richard enters London with the future Edward V as his captive. Elizabeth seeks sanctuary at Westminster
Role range: 1465-1492
Gloucester now moved to take the throne himself and on 25 June 1483 he had Elizabeth Woodvilles son and brother executed in Pontefract Castle, Yorkshire
Role range: 1465-1492
All of Elizabeth's children by Edward, including King Edward V, are declared illegitimate, and her brother-in-law, Richard III, accepts the crown.
Role range: 1471-1483
Elizabeth loses the title of Queen Mother and is referred to as Dame Elizabeth Grey.
Role range: 1471-1483
Her marriage to Edward is declared null and void by Parliament in the act Titulus Regius on the grounds that Edward had previously promised to marry Lady Eleanor Butler, which was considered a legally binding contract.
Role range: 1471-1483
Her marriage to Edward is declared null and void by Parliament in the act Titulus Regius on the grounds that Edward had previously promised to marry Lady Eleanor Butler, which was considered a legally binding contract
Role range: 1471-1483
Fearing the Woodvilles would attempt to monopolise power, Gloucester quickly moved to take control of Edward V and had Anthony Woodville, 2nd Earl Rivers, and Richard Grey, brother and son to Elizabeth Woodville, arrested. The young King was transferred to the Tower of London to await the coronation
Role range: 1465-1492
Seeks sanctuary. Richard accused Elizabeth of plotting to "murder and utterly destroy" him
Role range: 1465-1492
In an act of Parliament, the Titulus Regius, Gloucester declared his elder brothers children with Elizabeth Woodville illegitimate on the grounds that his brother had a precontract with the widow Lady Eleanor Butler, which was considered a legally binding contract that rendered any other marriage contract invalid
Role range: 1465-1492
Now referred to as Dame Elizabeth Grey, she and the Duke of Buckingham (a former close ally of Richard III) now allied themselves with Lady Margaret Beaufort and espoused the cause of Margaret Beauforts son Henry Tudor, a great-great-great-grandson of King Edward III.
Role range: 1465-1492
To strengthen Henrys claim and unite the two feuding noble houses, Elizabeth Woodville and Margaret Beaufort agreed that the latters son should marry the formers eldest daughter, Elizabeth of York, who upon the death of her brothers became the heiress of the House of York.
Role range: 1465-1492
In an act of Parliament, the Titulus Regius, Gloucester declared his elder brothers children with Elizabeth Woodville illegitimate on the grounds that his brother had a precontract with the widow Lady Eleanor Butler, which was considered a legally binding contract that rendered any other marriage contract invalid
Role range: 1465-1492
Henry Tudor agrees to the plan to unite the Houses of York & Lancaster and in December 1483 publicly swore an oath to that effect in the cathedral in Rennes, France
Role range: 1465-1492
Death of Richard Duke of York, assasinated, 1 of the 2 "Princes of the Tower"
Role range: 1465-1492
Richard III's first Parliament of January 1484 stripped Elizabeth Woodville of all the lands given her during Edward IV's reign
Role range: 1465-1492
Elizabeth Woodville and her daughters came out of sanctuary after Richard III publicly swore an oath that her daughters would not be harmed or molested and that they would not be imprisoned in the Tower of London or in any other prison. He also promised
Role range: 1465-1492
to provide them with marriage portions and to marry them to "gentlemen born". The family returned to Court, outwardly reconciled to Richard III
Role range: 1465-1492
Elizabeth Woodville leaves sanctuary after Richard III promises protection and marriage portions for her daughters.
Role range: 1465-1492
Elizabeth and her daughters came out of sanctuary and return to court
Role range: 1465-1492
Parliament declares Edward IV's marriage to Elizabeth invalid. Elizabeth's children are made illegitimate
Role range: 1465-1492
Henry Tudor invaded England and defeated Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field. As King, Henry VII married Elizabeth of York and had the Titulus Regius revoked. Elizabeth Woodville was accorded the title and honours of a Queen Dowager
Henry Tudor invaded England and defeated Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field. As King, Henry VII married Elizabeth of York and had the Titulus Regius revoked. Elizabeth Woodville was accorded the title and honours of a Queen Dowager
Role range: 1465-1492
Henry VII comes to the throne & marries Woodvilles eldest daughter & the Queen is reinstated
Role range: 1465-1492
Marries Henry VII. Elizabeth Woodvilles marriage to Edward IV is declared to have been valid, and thus their children are legitimised (because Henry wanted his wife to be the Yorkist heir to the throne, to cement his hold on. Elizabeth is accorded the title of Queen Dowager
Henry VII comes to the throne & marries Woodvilles eldest daughter & the Queen is reinstated
Role range: 1465-1492
Henry VII accuses Elizabeth Woodville of being involved in the Lambert Simnel rebellion
Henry VII banishes Elizabeth Woodville to Bermondsey Abbey and confiscates all her properties
Birth of Henry VIII, son of Henry VII & Elizabeth of York
Present at the birth of her grandson, the future Henry VIII, at Greenwich Palace
Death of Elizabeth Woodville
Laid to rest in the same chantry as her husband King Edward IV in St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle
These dates and descriptions come from the historical_events database. Exact duplicate records have been collapsed. Names are grouped by the country, Name 2 and Name 1 fields; records with missing Name 2 cannot be reliably assigned to an individual biography. Check the underlying sources before formal citation.