(Cover image – © The White Queen)
Arguably one of the most renowned and controversial queens that the Kingdom of England has ever seen, Elizabeth Woodville sadly died on this date over five hundred years ago – 8th June 1492.
As the daughter and first-born child of Jacquetta of Luxembourg and Richard Woodville, in 1437 Elizabeth was born into controversy, as her parents had married without royal permission due to their imparity in social standing. Her mother, Jacquetta, was the daughter of a Count and, through marriage, was the uncle of Henry VI, making her one of the highest ranking women in England {1}. In contrast, Elizabeth’s father descended from the landed gentry rather than that of nobility, meaning that, despite his wealth and respectable reputation, he was simply not considered of suitable status or position to marry Jacquetta. However, upon Elizabeth’s birth and alongside a fine, the two did receive a pardon from the king {1}.
When Elizabeth was older, her first marriage was to John Gray of Groby, a knight who fought for the Lancastrian cause in the early 1450s. Elizabeth had two sons with John Gray between 1455 and 1457 called Thomas and Richard Gray, but John was unfortunately killed fighting at the Second Battle of St Albans in 1461, so he was never able to see his sons grow up.
As a young widow with two sons, Elizabeth’s prospects hung in the balance.
The fighting that took place during the Wars of the Roses saw the families of York and Lancaster (and those loyal to them) at odds, as they fought for who they believed should sit on the throne. The young Edward of York, only nineteen at the time, had been victorious at the Battle of Towton in 1461 and seemed to be a definite contender to win the crown for himself.
Rumour has it that Elizabeth and Edward met under an old oak tree in Whittlebury Forest {2} in Northamptonshire, where she had pleaded to the new king to restore her and her son’s fortunes that were held by the crown. However, other sources state that the two may have met in court, where she was appealing for assistance in dealing with a dispute with her mother-in-law {2}.
Edward was known to have had mistresses in the past, namely a woman called Jane Shore, and he did ‘not have a reputation for fidelity’ {3}. So when he married Elizabeth in secret some time in 1464, this was an incredible risk for her and her family. However, on 26th May 1465, Elizabeth was officially crowned queen - much to the dismay of some of Edward’s closest supporters.
Elizabeth and Edward were married for nineteen years and had ten children in total. Whilst their marriage was said to be mostly happy, the pair faced many difficulties during this time, from betrayals to rebellions; kidnappings and murders.
Upon Edward’s death in April 1483, Elizabeth became the queen dowager and the crown passed to her eldest son, Edward V {3}. Unfortunately, the conflict in court that had been brewing for many years finally reached a point of no return, and both Elizabeth and her son were under threat of imprisonment by Edward IV’s brother, Richard, who had ambitions of his own.
Elizabeth felt that she had no other choice but to flee from court with her youngest son and her daughters, seeking sanctuary away from those who would harm her. During this time, many of those loyal to Elizabeth (including her brother, Anthony) were executed and her children were declared as illegitimate. At this time, Richard declared himself as king and stripped Elizabeth of all her lands, titles, and allowances {4}.
Once again, Elizabeth had not only lost her husband, but her home, family, and all that she had known.
In rebellion, Elizabeth allied herself with Lady Margaret Stanley, the mother of the exiled Henry Tudor - the closest surviving male heir of the Lancastrian line. She agreed that her eldest daughter, also called Elizabeth, would marry Margaret’s son Henry, to strengthen his claim and ensure that her family’s fortune would once again be secure.
This promise did come to pass and Elizabeth’s titles were restored when Henry invaded England and defeated Richard at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485.
On 12th February 1487, Elizabeth retired to Bermondsey Abbey, where she could lead a quieter life rather than staying at court. It remains unknown as to why Elizabeth made this choice, and some historians believe that she may have been ‘forced’ to retreat from court by Henry VII due to rumours of her allying with rebels {3}. However, Elizabeth may have planned this retirement herself to live a more religious and contemplative life {5}.
Five years later, Elizabeth sadly died at Bermondsey Abbey. No cause of death was reported at the time {6} and her funeral was a modest one, attended only by her daughters.
Elizabeth’s will specified that she only wished for a small funeral and this is what she received. Her body was transported down the River Thames by just five people, taken into Windsor Castle in secret with no bells tolling, and immediately buried on arrival with ‘none of the usual funerary rites’ {6}.
This was uncommon for a woman of Elizabeth’s social standing and many at the time thought that Henry VII should have arranged a better send-off for his mother-in-law.
However, in 2019, a 500-year-old letter was discovered in the National Archives which revealed that Elizabeth may have died of the plague. Dated 1511, the letter stated that “the Queen-Widow, mother of King Edward, has died of plague, and the King is disturbed”. Whilst this is the only known reference to Elizabeth dying of plague, this would explain her small and hasty funeral, as this disease was highly contagious.
Whilst only fifty-five at the time of her death, Elizabeth’s life had been a turbulent one, and from an early age to the day that she died, she had known both happiness and sorrow. Not only had she lived as Queen of England for many years, she also watched her daughter follow in her footsteps as queen to a new king, and produce the next king, Henry VIII.
References:
Baldwin, David. (2002). Elizabeth Woodville: The Mother of the Princes in the Tower.
Licence, Amy. (2022). Did Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville Marry for Love?. History Extra. https://www.historyextra.com
Wikipedia. (2024). Elizabeth Woodville. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Woodville
Seah, Michele (2020). 'My Lady Queen, the Lord of the Manor': The Economic Roles of Late Medieval Queens. Parergon.
Okerlund, Arlene. (2006). Elizabeth: England's Slandered Queen. Stroud: Tempus.
Flood, Alison. (2019).'White Queen' died of plague, claims letter found in National Archives. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/apr/25/white-queen-died-of-plague-claims-letter-found-in-national-archives