The Wars of the Roses were not a civil war but a dynastic struggle for the crown combined with regional disputes between landed magnates. During thirty years or so of upheaval England went through many complex social and political changes. In many ways the rise of the Woodvilles from common stock to landed gentry reflects these changes. The wars end with the rise of the Tudor dynasty and the dawning of the renaissance in England.
Here the story of the Woodvilles and of the Wars of the Roses will be shown together. The Woodvilles will be shown in yellow type and the wars will be shown in pale blue
The Characters
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Henry
VI |
Edward
IV |
Richard
III |
Elizabeth
Woodville |
Anthony
Woodville |
Richard
Neville (Warwick) |
Henry
VII |
The Beginning
Henry IV became King in 1399 upon the death of his cousin Richard II. Having
lost in conflict with Henry, Richard was confined to the Tower and died through
neglect. Henry IV was considered a usurper. Richard II was the son of the
famous Edward 'Black Prince of Wales', his grandfather being Edward III. Henry
IV's father was another son of Edward III, John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster.
On seizing the crown Henry IV also ignored the claims of the Mortimer family who were descended from another of Edward III's sons, Lionel Duke of Clarence. Lionel had a daughter called Phillippa who married Edmund Mortimer. Their son Roger married Eleanora or Alianore (daughter of the earl of Kent). Of their children, Edmund died childless whilst being held by Henry IV, and Anne married Richard Plantagenet, Earl of Cambridge (another of Henry IV's cousins). This gave the Mortimers claim through the female line from Lionel Duke of Clarence. Richard and Anne had a son who later became Richard Duke of York. This set the scene for many years of hostility.
Succeeding his father in 1413 Henry V led an invasion of France, finally defeating the French at Agincourt in 1415. It is during the reign of Henry V that our story begins.
Richard Woodville (Wydville)
The rise of the Woodville family begins with the promotion of Richard Woodville.
A squire to Henry V, Richard from Grafton Northamptonshire was a 'commoner'.
When Henry V unexpectedly died in 1422 the crown passed to his 9 month old
son (Henry VI). Serving Henry V, and John Duke of Bedford (Henry V's brother)
earned Richard the title of Constable of the Tower of London in 1425.
A good year for Richard Woodville, 1425 was also significant for Richard Duke of York. His claim to the crown through the Mortimers had come of age!
thanks to Walter Cassimon for help with this article