Biography of Elizabeth Woodville, Queen of England

Life story of Elizabeth Woodville, Queen of England Elizabeth Woodville (1437â€June 7 or 8, 1492, and referred to differently as Lady Gray, Elizabeth Gray, and Elizabeth Wydevill) was the normal person spouse of Edward IV, who had a keyâ role in the War of the Roses and in the progression fight between the Plantagenets and Tudors. She is most popular today as a character in Shakespeares Richard III (as Queen Elizabeth) and the title character in the 2013 TV series The White Queen. Quick Facts: Elizabeth Woodville Known For: An everyday person who was bound to become wife of Edward IV, mother of Edward V, sister-in-law of Richard III, relative of Henry VII and grandma of Henry VIIIBorn: About 1837 in Grafton, provincial NorthamptonshireParents: Jacquetta, Duchess of Bedford and Sir Richard WoodvilleDied: June 7 or 8, 1492.Spouse(s): Sir John Gray (ca. 1450â€1461); Edward IV (1464â€1483)Children: Two with John Gray (Thomas Gray (Marquess of Dorset) and Richard Gray) and 10 with Edward IV (Elizabeth of York who wedded Henry VII; Mary; Cecily; Edward V; Margaret; Richard; Anne who wedded Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey); George; Catherine who wedded William Courtney, Earl of Devon; and Bridget. The two rulers in the pinnacle were Richard and Edward V Early Life Elizabeth Woodville was likely conceived at Grafton in country Northamptonshire, England, around 1437, the oldest of the 12 offspring of Richard Woodville and Jacquetta de Luxembourg. Elizabeths mother Jacquetta was the little girl of a Countâ and a relative of Simon de Montfort and his significant other Eleanor, the little girl of Englands King John. Jacquetta was the well off and childless widow of the Duke of Bedford, sibling of Henry V, when she wedded Sir Richard Woodville. Her sister-in-law Catherine of Valois additionally wedded a man of lower station after she was bereaved. Two ages later, Catherines grandson Henry Tudor wedded Jacquettas granddaughter, Elizabeth of York. Jacquettas second spouse and Elizabeths father was the less aristocratic province knight Sir Richard Woodville. At 7 years old, Elizabeth was sent to another landed family unit (a custom of the period was to exchange kids with the goal that they would have social contacts later on), presumably Sir Edward Gray and his better half Elizabeth, Lady Ferrers. There, she had formal exercises in perusing, writing (in English, French, and Latin), and an establishing in law and arithmetic. The Woodville family was well off when Elizabeth was conceived, however as the Hundred Years War slowed down and the Wars of the Roses strife started, the familys funds became perplexed, and thus, Elizabeth wedded John Gray (seventh Baron Ferrers of Groby) in 1452 when she was around 14 years old. The as of late knighted Gray was killed at the Second Battle of St. Albans in 1461, battling for the Lancastrian side in the Wars of the Roses. Elizabeth appealed to Lord Hastings, Edwards uncle, in a contention over land with her relative. She organized a marriage between one of her children and one of Hastings little girls. Parentage Eleanor of Aquitaine, mother of King John of England, was the eighth distant grandma of Elizabeth Woodville through her mom Jacquetta. Her spouse Edward IV and child in-law Henry VII were, obviously, additionally relatives of Eleanor of Aquitaine. Elizabeth Woodville  Jacquetta of Luxembourgâ Margherita del Balzo Sueva Orsini Nicola Orsini Roberto Orsini Anastasia de Montfort Guy de Montfort Eleanor Plantagenet John of England Eleanor of Aquitaine Meeting and Marriage with Edward IV How Elizabeth met Edward isn't known for certain, however an early legend makes them request him by holding up with her children underneath an oak tree. Another story coursed that she was a sorceress who entranced him, yet she may have essentially known him from court. Legend makes them give Edward, a known womanizer, a final proposal that they must be hitched or she would not submit to his advances. On May 1, 1464, Elizabeth and Edward wedded furtively. Edwards mother, Cecily Neville, Duchess of York, and Cecilys nephew, the Earl of Warwick who had been a partner of Edward IV in winning the crown, had been masterminding a reasonable marriage for Edward with the French lord. At the point when Warwick got some answers concerning Edwards union with Elizabeth Woodville, Warwick betrayed Edward and reestablished Henry VI quickly to control. Warwick was slaughtered fighting as were Henry and his child, and Edward came back to control. Elizabeth Woodville was delegated Queen in Westminster Abbey on May 26, 1465; both of her folks were available for the function. Elizabeth and Edward had three children and six little girls Elizabeth of York who wedded Henry VII; Mary; Cecily; Edward V, quickly King of England (not delegated); Margaret; Richard, Duke of York; Anne who wedded Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey; George, Duke of Bedford; Catherine who wedded William Courtney, Earl of Devon; and Bridget. Elizabeth additionally had two children by her first spouse Thomas Gray, the Marquis of Dorset and Richard Gray. One was a precursor of the doomed Lady Jane Gray. Family Ambitions Her broad and, apparently, goal-oriented family was supported vigorously after Edward took the position of royalty. Her oldest child from her first marriage, Thomas Gray, was made Marquis Dorset in 1475. Elizabeth advanced the fortunes and headway of her family members, even at the expense of her prominence with the nobles. In one of the most outrageous occurrences, Elizabeth may have been behind the marriage of her sibling, 19 years of age, to the widowed Katherine Neville,â the affluent Duchess of Norfolk, 80 years of age. However, the getting a handle on notoriety was upgraded or made firstâ by Warwick in 1469 and later by Richard III, who had theirâ own explanations behind needing Elizabeths and her familys notorieties to be decreased. Among her different exercises, Elizabeth proceeded with her antecedents backing of Queens College. Widowhood At the point when Edward IV passed on unexpectedly on April 9, 1483, Elizabeths fortunes suddenly changed. Her spouses sibling Richard of Gloucester was selected Lord Protector since Edwards oldest child Edward Vâ was a minor. Richard moved rapidly to hold onto influence, guaranteeing obviously with the help of his mom Cecily Neville-that the offspring of Elizabeth and Edward were ill-conceived on the grounds that Edward had been already officially pledged to another person. Elizabeths brother by marriage Richard accepting the position of authority as Richard III, detaining Edward V (never delegated) and afterward his more youthful sibling, Richard. Elizabeth took asylum. Richard III at that point requested that Elizabeth additionally turn over care of her girls, and she went along. Richard endeavored to wed first his child, at that point himself, to Edward and Elizabeths most established little girl, known as Elizabeth of York, planning to make his case to the position of royalty increasingly strong. Elizabeths children by John Gray participated in the fight to oust Richard. One child, Richard Grey,â was decapitated by King Richardsâ forces; Thomas joined Henry Tudors powers. Mother of a Queen After Henry Tudor vanquished Richard III at Bosworth Field and was delegated Henry VII, he wedded Elizabeth of York-a marriage organized with the help of Elizabeth Woodville and furthermore of Henrys mother, Margaret Beaufort. The marriage occurred in January 1486, joining the groups toward the finish of the Wars of the Rosesâ and making the case to the honored position increasingly sure for the beneficiaries of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York. Rulers in the Tower The destiny of the two children of Elizabeth Woodville and Edward IV, the Princes in the Tower, isn't sure. That Richard detained them in the Tower is known. That Elizabeth attempted to organize the marriage of her girl to Henry Tudor may imply that she knew, or if nothing else suspected, that the sovereigns were at that point dead. Richard III is for the most part accepted to have been answerable for expelling the potential inquirers to the position of authority, yet some hypothesize that Henry VII was dependable. Some have even proposed Elizabeth Woodville was complicit. Henry VII re-declared the authenticity of the marriage of Elizabeth Woodville and Edward IV. Elizabeth was the adoptive parent of the primary offspring of Henry VII and her little girl Elizabeth, Arthur. Passing and Legacy In 1487, Elizabeth Woodville was associated with plotting against Henry VII, her child in-law, and her share was seized and she was sent to Bermondsey Abbey. She kicked the bucket there on June 8 or 9, 1492. She was covered in St. Georges Chapel in Windsor Castle close to her significant other. In 1503, James Tyrell was executed for the passings of the two sovereigns, children of Edward IV, and the case was that Richard III was capable. Some later students of history have pointed their fingers at Henry VI. In all actuality there isn't a certain proof of when, where, or by what hands the rulers kicked the bucket. In Fiction Elizabeth Woodvilles life has fit numerous anecdotal portrayals, however not frequently as the fundamental character. She may be, be that as it may, the principle character in the British arrangement, The White Queen. Elizabeth Woodville is Queen Elizabeth in Shakespeares Richard III. She and Richard are delineated as severe adversaries, and Margaret curses Elizabeth with having her significant other and kids murdered, as Margarets spouse and child were executed by Elizabeths husbands supporters. Richard can beguile Elizabeth into turning over her child and consenting to his union with her little girl. Sources Baldwin, David. Elizabeth Woodville: Mother of the Princes in the Tower. Gloucestershire: The History Press (2002). Print.Okerlund, Arlene N. Elizabeth of York: Queenship and Power. New York: Palgrave Macmillan (2009). Print.