Edward IV was the Duke of York who took the Crown of England back from the Lancastrian Henry VI. He had killed the last of the direct male descendents of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, so it seemed that York had won the Wars of the Roses. But that was not to be. When Edward died on April 9, 1483, his 12 year old son became Edward V. The dead king’s brother, Richard Duke of Gloucester, was supposed to be Protector of the King and Realm until the young king came of age.
Richard knew that his power would last only until Edward V was crowned. After that, the dowager Queen Elizabeth Wydville would soon arrange for parliament to pass an Act of Attainder, which meant execution for treason and the loss of his family property and titles. Therefore, Gloucester imprisoned Edward V and his younger brother the Duke of York in the Tower of London, and had himself crowned King Richard III on July 6, 1483.
The Lords and people of England were not happy with the story Richard invented to declare his brother’s children illegitimate, or the way he had usurped his nephew’s place. To keep the Princes from becoming the focus of rebellion, Richard secretly had them killed on September 4, 1483. This was the turning point for Richard III.
When the word got out that the Princes had been murdered, the Yorkist Lords who still supported Richard III joined the Lancastrians and Margaret Beaufort in supporting her son, an unknown Welshman named Henry Tudor. At Bosworth on August 22, 1485, Henry defeated Richard with the help of Lords like Stanley, who kept his troops out of the battle until the end, then joined Henry after it seemed he would win. Henry Tudor was crowned Henry VII, and married Edward IV’s daughter Elizabeth of York.
Edward IV gave so much power to his wife’s family that the realm was unstable after his death. Richard III attempted to grab and secure the throne, but ultimately caused the last battle of the Wars of the Roses, and the fall of the House of York.
