Having defeated the Lancastrians, Edward arrived triumphant at the city's gates and along with him, and heading for the tower was Margaret of Anjou. Before Edward could settle into his second attempt at kingship, there was the problem of what to do with the other man still holding that title, Henry VI, however, that problem was soon resolved. The matter of the incarcerated king was discussed at length and a decision made, it was probably Richard who was sent to inform the Constable of the Tower of the King's decision. Henry was more than likely smothered, however to all it would look like the king died in his sleep. Henry’s death is dated to the 21st of May, only seventeen days following Edward’s victory at Tewkesbury, historians still argue over who was responsible for this poor man's demise. The official line was “pure displeasure and melancholy,” which may be scoffed at, but it is possible for someone to die by simply giving up, however, few believed that was the case. Henry VI was most probably murdered on the order of Edward IV, his head caved in from a violent blow if the findings of the 1910 exhumation were anything to go by.
According to W. H. St. John Hope, the king's hair was
“brown in colour, save in one place where it was much darker and apparently matted with blood.”
A crushed skull and traces of red over four hundred years old do not add up to murder, but murder it probably was. Edward paid for Henry’s burial personally, records from the Exchequer state:
“In money paid to his own hands, for so much money expended by him, as well for wax, linen, spices, and other ordinary expenses incurred for the burial of the said Henry of Windsor”
According to W. H. St. John Hope, the king's hair was
“brown in colour, save in one place where it was much darker and apparently matted with blood.”
A crushed skull and traces of red over four hundred years old do not add up to murder, but murder it probably was. Edward paid for Henry’s burial personally, records from the Exchequer state:
“In money paid to his own hands, for so much money expended by him, as well for wax, linen, spices, and other ordinary expenses incurred for the burial of the said Henry of Windsor”
The twelve years of Edward's reign that followed Henry’s death were relatively stable, the city saw the redevelopment of St George's Chapel and a new great hall at Eltham Palace. Edward patronised the new invention of printing, the Recuyell of the Histoyes of Troye was the first book to be printed in England. Charles Ross, described Edward's court as "the most splendid in all Christendom." Edward developed a love of art for he had seen much of it in the home of Louis of Gruthuyse in Bruges. He made peace with France, reaching an agreement with Louis XI at Picquigny in the August of 1475, a move that greatly angered the Duke of Gloucester, his outrage is one of the first times we see the future Richard III vocally objecting to a decision made by his brother.
This era of peace brought new rewards for Thomas Vaughan, on the 8th July Edward appointed him to the prince's council and by 1475 he was a member of the Great Council of England. When Edward was eighteen months old it was Vaughan who held him in his arms to greet Louis of Gruthuyses when he arrived in England. Edward chose to reward Thomas Vaughan with a knighthood on the 18th April in 1475, the very day that the five year old heir to the throne was created Prince of Wales. In our mind's eye, we can visualise Vaughan, in a situation much like Edmund Blair Leighton's knight in his painting The Accolade, kneeling before his monarch who touches each of his shoulders with a double edged sword, a reminder to a knight that justice and loyalty were two sides of the knight's power.
In the last few months of 1482, Thomas Vaughan’s embarked on his last diplomatic mission abroad. On the 23rd of December the Treaty of Arras was signed, it was probably in connection to this that Vaughan was present at the Burgundian court. As the people of Burgundy were still troubled following the signing of the treaty the English were making the most of the peace Edward's new reign brought. However, this would be short-lived, Edward had not really succeeded in putting out the Lancastrian fire fully, for their embers still glowed, how long would it take before his people became aware that there was trouble brewing for Edward a little closer to home? Following his death, Warwick was not attainted, which was the usual practice and meant that estates would belong to the crown. Edward realised that this would complicate matters, instead he agreed to the marriage of Richard to Anne Neville making it easy to grant him Warwick’s northern estates and the castle of Middleham and Sheriff Hutton, a move that angered George. It is probable that Edward trusted George about as far as he could through him, granting him these estates and the military force that came with it was not worth thinking about. George was granted the Lancastrian flag waving lands of the Duke of Somerset in Cornwall and the Devon lands of the Courtenays, but this did not satisfy him. There can be no doubt that George was trouble, the Crowland Chronicles suggest that ill feelings had been brewing between the brothers for some time, the calming effect that Isabel is said to have over Clarence died along with her in 1476 and the death of the son Isabel had given birth destabilised him, George went off the rails. The medieval world was a superstitious world, later Edward would be concerned with a prophecy that someone whose name began with the letter G would take his kingdom and George had a long history of treachery. Edward began building up some sort of list of information to be used against Clarence, and the aforementioned prophecy served to add weight to the theory that George had his eye on his throne.
Edward was a different man to the one that left England in 1470, his return saw him less willing to tolerate the actions of those who did not act as he wished and George did not, it seems that there was reason enough for Clarence to be incarcerated in the Tower of London and charged. George was accused of rebellion, slander and allegiances with the enemy and the date set for his trial was probably around 20th January. The king was said to have attended stating that his brother was
' guilty of unnatural, loathly treasons'
Towards the end of the trial, in a desperate attempt at a chance of coming out of this affair with his life, Clarence offered to prove his innocence in personal combat, but in the end, a guilty verdict was read out by the Duke of Buckingham, and George, Duke of Clarence had to wait just under a month for his execution which was arranged for the 18 February 1478. There is no evidence of how Clarence met his end, but the barrel of wine story persists as these things do.
Edward IV would remain king of England for the next five years, the achievements he would be remembered for were equaled by the mistakes he made. He would be remembered for the peace that followed the chaotic reign of Henry VI, his victories at Towton, Barnet and Tewkesbury, however, his good looks, charm and charisma were a double-edged sword. He would also be remembered for his love of women, his hedonistic lifestyle and the indulgence of his wife's family which angered many in his court. The peace Edward achieved did not last long, for his death on the 9th April 1483, the cause of death wrote Mancini was that the king “allowed the damp cold to strike his vitals” whilst out fishing, led to chaos within his government, his court and within his family. Just as it was in 1427 when Edmund Beaufort and Owen Tudor were hanging around waiting to pounce, so there were a number of people in Edwards court too and they went under the name of Woodville.
Two important members of the widowed queen's family, who are important in Vaughan's story, were Anthony, Earl Rivers the brother of Edward’s queen and Richard Grey, the younger of her two sons.
During the time that Thomas Vaughan still favoured the Lancastrian cause, Anthony Woodville and Richard Grey were born. Woodville was born around 1442 and Grey in 1457. Woodville, by all accounts, was as clever as he was brave. He was knighted as a teenager and fought at the Battle of Towton. Militarily skilled and widely travelled, he was a brilliant jouster, a linguist and patron of William Caxton he was also a deeply religious man, at his death, according to Rous, he was found to be wearing a hair shirt. Grey, fifteen years younger than his uncle, was just three years old when his father, Sir John Grey of Groby, was killed fighting against the Yorkists at the second battle of St Albans in 1461. At seventeen he took part in celebratory jousting tournaments when his half-brother Richard was created Duke of York, he held some important administrative positions in at least seven counties. As Edward grew from a baby into a boy, Grey was given a role in his upbringing at Ludlow. Unlike Rivers, Grey never married, but we can be certain the Woodvilles would have had one wealthy heiress line up to be his wife. Woodville had married twice, his first marriage was to heiress Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas, Lord Scales and secondly to the daughter of Sir Henry Lewis, the potential coheir to the Beaufort estates. River’s only offspring was his illegitimate daughter Margaret, whose mother is thought to be of the Stradling/Herbert/Vaughan (Tretower) family.
Little is known of Grey's character, but Anthony Woodville is more often than not painted in a good light, not as holy as his brother Lionel, but not as debauched as his brother Edward, who was considered an unsavory, disreputable rogue. River's finer character traits are much written about, on the surface at least appearing to be noble, but little is mentioned about the fact he was a blackmailer, a claimer of lands that were not his, and a hard-hearted businessman, leaving nothing for his only child in his will. Woodville knew all these things himself, seeking, through his will, to right certain wrongs in an attempt to clear his pathway to heaven.
Other pursuing their own interests in the peripheries of the court were Henry Stafford, whose sole aim was power and the return of his lands, the Stanley/Beaufort brigade who were still pursuing the Lancastrian cause, their best hope to achieve this was the twenty-six year old Henry Tudor who followed meekly in their wake. However, William Hasting, a great and loyal friend of Edward IV’s and Richard, Duke of Gloucester, distrusted the Woodville family and feared the influence they would have over the boy king once he was returned to London and crowned.
Edward IV’s death lit the fuse on a giant powder keg, it finally exploded on the 29th April 1483
This era of peace brought new rewards for Thomas Vaughan, on the 8th July Edward appointed him to the prince's council and by 1475 he was a member of the Great Council of England. When Edward was eighteen months old it was Vaughan who held him in his arms to greet Louis of Gruthuyses when he arrived in England. Edward chose to reward Thomas Vaughan with a knighthood on the 18th April in 1475, the very day that the five year old heir to the throne was created Prince of Wales. In our mind's eye, we can visualise Vaughan, in a situation much like Edmund Blair Leighton's knight in his painting The Accolade, kneeling before his monarch who touches each of his shoulders with a double edged sword, a reminder to a knight that justice and loyalty were two sides of the knight's power.
In the last few months of 1482, Thomas Vaughan’s embarked on his last diplomatic mission abroad. On the 23rd of December the Treaty of Arras was signed, it was probably in connection to this that Vaughan was present at the Burgundian court. As the people of Burgundy were still troubled following the signing of the treaty the English were making the most of the peace Edward's new reign brought. However, this would be short-lived, Edward had not really succeeded in putting out the Lancastrian fire fully, for their embers still glowed, how long would it take before his people became aware that there was trouble brewing for Edward a little closer to home? Following his death, Warwick was not attainted, which was the usual practice and meant that estates would belong to the crown. Edward realised that this would complicate matters, instead he agreed to the marriage of Richard to Anne Neville making it easy to grant him Warwick’s northern estates and the castle of Middleham and Sheriff Hutton, a move that angered George. It is probable that Edward trusted George about as far as he could through him, granting him these estates and the military force that came with it was not worth thinking about. George was granted the Lancastrian flag waving lands of the Duke of Somerset in Cornwall and the Devon lands of the Courtenays, but this did not satisfy him. There can be no doubt that George was trouble, the Crowland Chronicles suggest that ill feelings had been brewing between the brothers for some time, the calming effect that Isabel is said to have over Clarence died along with her in 1476 and the death of the son Isabel had given birth destabilised him, George went off the rails. The medieval world was a superstitious world, later Edward would be concerned with a prophecy that someone whose name began with the letter G would take his kingdom and George had a long history of treachery. Edward began building up some sort of list of information to be used against Clarence, and the aforementioned prophecy served to add weight to the theory that George had his eye on his throne.
Edward was a different man to the one that left England in 1470, his return saw him less willing to tolerate the actions of those who did not act as he wished and George did not, it seems that there was reason enough for Clarence to be incarcerated in the Tower of London and charged. George was accused of rebellion, slander and allegiances with the enemy and the date set for his trial was probably around 20th January. The king was said to have attended stating that his brother was
' guilty of unnatural, loathly treasons'
Towards the end of the trial, in a desperate attempt at a chance of coming out of this affair with his life, Clarence offered to prove his innocence in personal combat, but in the end, a guilty verdict was read out by the Duke of Buckingham, and George, Duke of Clarence had to wait just under a month for his execution which was arranged for the 18 February 1478. There is no evidence of how Clarence met his end, but the barrel of wine story persists as these things do.
Edward IV would remain king of England for the next five years, the achievements he would be remembered for were equaled by the mistakes he made. He would be remembered for the peace that followed the chaotic reign of Henry VI, his victories at Towton, Barnet and Tewkesbury, however, his good looks, charm and charisma were a double-edged sword. He would also be remembered for his love of women, his hedonistic lifestyle and the indulgence of his wife's family which angered many in his court. The peace Edward achieved did not last long, for his death on the 9th April 1483, the cause of death wrote Mancini was that the king “allowed the damp cold to strike his vitals” whilst out fishing, led to chaos within his government, his court and within his family. Just as it was in 1427 when Edmund Beaufort and Owen Tudor were hanging around waiting to pounce, so there were a number of people in Edwards court too and they went under the name of Woodville.
Two important members of the widowed queen's family, who are important in Vaughan's story, were Anthony, Earl Rivers the brother of Edward’s queen and Richard Grey, the younger of her two sons.
During the time that Thomas Vaughan still favoured the Lancastrian cause, Anthony Woodville and Richard Grey were born. Woodville was born around 1442 and Grey in 1457. Woodville, by all accounts, was as clever as he was brave. He was knighted as a teenager and fought at the Battle of Towton. Militarily skilled and widely travelled, he was a brilliant jouster, a linguist and patron of William Caxton he was also a deeply religious man, at his death, according to Rous, he was found to be wearing a hair shirt. Grey, fifteen years younger than his uncle, was just three years old when his father, Sir John Grey of Groby, was killed fighting against the Yorkists at the second battle of St Albans in 1461. At seventeen he took part in celebratory jousting tournaments when his half-brother Richard was created Duke of York, he held some important administrative positions in at least seven counties. As Edward grew from a baby into a boy, Grey was given a role in his upbringing at Ludlow. Unlike Rivers, Grey never married, but we can be certain the Woodvilles would have had one wealthy heiress line up to be his wife. Woodville had married twice, his first marriage was to heiress Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas, Lord Scales and secondly to the daughter of Sir Henry Lewis, the potential coheir to the Beaufort estates. River’s only offspring was his illegitimate daughter Margaret, whose mother is thought to be of the Stradling/Herbert/Vaughan (Tretower) family.
Little is known of Grey's character, but Anthony Woodville is more often than not painted in a good light, not as holy as his brother Lionel, but not as debauched as his brother Edward, who was considered an unsavory, disreputable rogue. River's finer character traits are much written about, on the surface at least appearing to be noble, but little is mentioned about the fact he was a blackmailer, a claimer of lands that were not his, and a hard-hearted businessman, leaving nothing for his only child in his will. Woodville knew all these things himself, seeking, through his will, to right certain wrongs in an attempt to clear his pathway to heaven.
Other pursuing their own interests in the peripheries of the court were Henry Stafford, whose sole aim was power and the return of his lands, the Stanley/Beaufort brigade who were still pursuing the Lancastrian cause, their best hope to achieve this was the twenty-six year old Henry Tudor who followed meekly in their wake. However, William Hasting, a great and loyal friend of Edward IV’s and Richard, Duke of Gloucester, distrusted the Woodville family and feared the influence they would have over the boy king once he was returned to London and crowned.
Edward IV’s death lit the fuse on a giant powder keg, it finally exploded on the 29th April 1483
In 1475, Edward had dictated his will, leaving instructions that the care of his children should be left with their mother, he envisaged no problems. On his deathbed, however, things looked different, Edward most probably saw something in the eyes of those hovering over him that was other than distress and sensing trouble made changes to his will. Richard was made Lord Protector and as such responsible for the care of the royal children. Dominic Mancini writes that the Duke of Gloucester was much admired, and was praised for the decency of his private life as well as his military exploits, based on these attributes alone he was the perfect man for the job. However, there was a big difference of opinion. The Council of London was divided, with Hastings holding the view that the Lord Protector should govern alone. The queen and her party thought that the protector should only be at the head of a governing council. Richard wrote to the queen, assuring her that his allegiances were to his nephew, and pointing out that his position as Lord Protector was his by right, by law (recognised precedent) and by the will of his brother. The Woodville’s were in a state of panic, if the king, who was in residence at Ludlow, was not brought under their control they were in danger of losing everything, they understood that once the Prince of Wales was crowned Edward V, the Duke of Gloucester’s protectorate would lapse.
Following the news of Edward’s death on the 9th of April, the Duke of Gloucester left his castle at Middleham, probably on or about the 20th April. On the 23rd he was in York, on the 26th in Nottingham and on the 29th he arrived at Northampton.
On the 23rd the royal party was still at Ludlow, however, according to John Rouse in his Historia Regum Angliae, they left on the 24th and arrived in Northampton on the 29th and continued that day to Stoney Stratford.
Following the news of Edward’s death on the 9th of April, the Duke of Gloucester left his castle at Middleham, probably on or about the 20th April. On the 23rd he was in York, on the 26th in Nottingham and on the 29th he arrived at Northampton.
On the 23rd the royal party was still at Ludlow, however, according to John Rouse in his Historia Regum Angliae, they left on the 24th and arrived in Northampton on the 29th and continued that day to Stoney Stratford.
