Genealogical Tables
Charts
Timeline: Edward IV and the Wydevilles
1460
January
Lord Rivers, Jacquetta, and Anthony, Lord Scales captured at Sandwich and transported to Calais, where Salisbury, Warwick and Edward, Earl of March taunt their titles.
30 December
Richard, Duke of York killed at Wakefield. His son Edward, Earl of March becomes head of the Yorkist cause.
1461
2 February
Edward, Earl of March defeats Lancastrian forces at Mortimer’s Cross.
17 February
Sir John Grey, husband of Elizabeth Wydeville, killed at second battle of St Albans. Lancaster wins, but fails to take London.
4 March
Edward, Earl of March marches into London and is proclaimed King Edward IV.
29 March
Yorkist victory at Towton. Lord Rivers accompanies King Henry VI, Margaret and Prince Edward in retreat to Newcastle. Anthony, Lord Scales reported dead.
5 April
Edward IV leaves Towton for Sheen (in Richmond).
14 May
Edward IV confiscates all possessions of Richard Wydeville, knight.
1 June
Edward IV arrives at Sheen after two-day stopover at Stony Stratford.
12 June
Edward IV pardons Richard Wydeville, knight, Lord Rivers of all offences and trespasses.
12 July
Patent Rolls record pardon of Lord Rivers and restore his ‘possessions and offices’.
23 July
Anthony, Lord Scales is pardoned and his property restored.
31 July
Lord Rivers and Lord Scales are reported in a letter to the Duke of Milan to be Warwick’s prisoners in the Tower.
10 December
Jacquetta’s dowry as Duchess of Bedford is restored.
12 December
Lord Rivers is reappointed Chief Rider of the King’s forest of Saucy (rights initially granted by Henry VI).
1463
26 May
Property dispute of Lady Elizabeth Grey, née Wydeville, is settled in her favour.
1464
1 May
Edward IV secretly marries Lady Elizabeth Grey. He is aged twenty-two; she is twenty-seven.
The Wydeville Family
Sir Richard Wydeville (1405?–12 August 1469). Beheaded.
Knighted Palm Sunday, 19 May 1426.
Married Jacquetta, Duchess of Bedford between 6 February 1436 and 23 March 1437.
Created Baron and Lord de Rivers, 9 May 1448.
Created Earl Rivers, 24 May 1466.
Jacquetta, Duchess of Bedford (1416?–30 May 1472).
Daughter of Pierre, Count of Luxembourg and St Pol, and Marguerite del Balzo (whose father, Francesco del Balzo, was Duke of Andrea in Apulia, a dukedom in the kingdom of Naples).
Married (1) John of Lancaster, Duke of Bedford (1389–1435) in May 1433.
Lady of the Garter 1435.
Married (2) Sir Richard Wydeville, between 6 February 1436 and 23 March 1437.
Children
Elizabeth (1437–7 or 8 June 1492).
Married (1) Sir John Grey of Groby (1432?–killed 1461), c.1452.
Married (2) Edward IV, King of England, 1 May 1464.
Crowned Queen of England, 26 May 1465.
Anne (1438?–1489).
Married (1) William, Viscount Bourchier, eldest son of the Earl of Essex (killed 1471).
Married (2) Sir Edward Wingfield.
Married (3) George Grey, second son of Lord Grey of Ruthin, Earl of Kent (died 1503).
Margaret (1439?–before 1491).
Married Thomas, Lord Maltravers, Earl of Arundel (1450?–1524).
Anthony (1440?–25 June 1483). Executed.
Knighted by January 1460.
Married (1) Elizabeth, heir and daughter of Lord Scales (1436?–1473). At his marriage, sometime before July 1461 (possibly before March 1461), Anthony became Lord Scales in right of his wife.
2nd Earl Rivers, 1469.
Married (2) Mary, daughter of Sir Henry Fitz Lewis, before October 1480.
Mary (1443?–by 1481).
Married William, Lord Herbert, Earl of Pembroke, later Earl of Huntingdon (died 1491).
John (1445?–12 August 1469). Beheaded.
Married Katherine Neville, Dowager Duchess of Norfolk (1407?–after 1483).
Jacquetta (1445?–before 1509).
Married John, Lord Strange of Knockin (died 1479). Their daughter Joan married George, Lord Stanley’s eldest son, who was held hostage by Richard III at Bosworth.
Richard (before 1446–6 March 1491).
3rd Earl Rivers, 1485.
Lionel (1446?–1484).
Dean of Exeter, 1478.
Chancellor of Oxford University, 1479.
Bishop of Salisbury, 1482.
Edward (died 28 July 1488).
Admiral of the English Fleet, April–May 1483.
Died fighting for the Bretons in the battle of St Aubin du Cormier, 28 July 1488.
Katherine (before 1458–by 1513).
Married (1) Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham (1454–2 November 1483), 1466.
Married (2) Jasper Tudor, Duke of Bedford (c.1431–1495), before 7 November 1485.
Married (3) Sir Richard Wingfield (1468–1525), after 21 December 1495.
Eleanor, sometimes called Joan (died 1491).
Married Sir Anthony Grey de Ruthin, son and heir of Lord Grey of Ruthin, Earl of Kent (died 1480).
Martha.
Married Sir John Bromley of Bartomley and Hextall. Almost nothing is known of their life.
Lewis, died young.
John, died young.
Birth years are uncertain, but all children were born between 1437 and the coronation of Elizabeth in 1464.
Wydeville Marriages
Elizabeth, married (1) Sir John Grey, son of Lord Ferrers of Groby. Date of marriage unknown.
(2) Edward IV, King of England, 1 May 1464.
Anne, married (1) William, Lord Bourchier, heir to the Earl of Essex, before 15 August 1467.
(2) Sir Edward Wingfield
(3) George Grey, Earl of Kent, Lord Grey of Ruthin (brother of Eleanor’s husband), after 12 February 1483.
Margaret, married Thomas, Lord Maltravers, heir of the Earl of Arundel, October 1464.
Anthony, married (1) Elizabeth, daughter and heir of Thomas, Lord Scales, before July 1461 (possibly before March 1461).
(2) Mary, daughter of Sir Henry Fitz Lewis, before October 1480.
Mary, married William, Lord Herbert, 2nd Earl of Pembroke and later Earl of Huntington, September 1466.
John, aged twenty, married Katherine Neville, Duchess of Norfolk, aged over sixty, in January 1465.
Jacquetta, married John, Lord Strange of Knockyn.
Richard, 3rd and last Earl Rivers, died with no heirs, ending the Wydeville male lineage.
Lionel, never married. Entered the Church and became Chancellor of Oxford University and Bishop of Salisbury.
Edward, a naval officer, was killed at St Aubin du Dormier, 28 July 1488. He died with no heirs.
Katherine, aged ten?, married (1) Henry Stafford, Duke of Buckingham, Edward’s first cousin and ward, aged nine, in 1466.
(2) Jasper Tudor, Duke of Bedford, between 2 November 1483 and 7 November 1485.
(3) Sir Richard Wingfield.
Eleanor (also known as Joan), married Anthony, Lord Grey of Ruthin, eldest son and heir of the Earl of Kent.
Martha, married Sir John Bromley of Bartomley and Hextall, Shropshire, about whom nothing is known.
Two brothers, Lewis and John, died young.
The Cousins’ Wars: Battles and Events
22 May 1455
First battle of St Albans. Yorkist victory over Lancastrian troops, with Richard, Duke of York appointed Protector of the Realm, Lord Salisbury the Chancellor, and Warwick Captain of Calais. From 1450–
1460 Richard, Duke of York dominated the baronial faction including the Nevilles, Mowbrays and Bourchiers – all kinsmen – with Richard Neville, Earl Warwick, his principal lieutenant. After Prince Edward of Lancaster was born in October 1453, Queen Margaret begins to take an active interest in politics and will ultimately lead King Henry VI’s party.
23 September 1459
Yorkist forces, even though outnumbered two to one, defeat 3,000 Lancastrian troops at Blore Heath.
12 October 1459
York prepares to attack Queen Margaret’s army at Ludford Bridge, near Ludlow, but he is deserted by his followers and no battle is fought. York flees to Ireland. Salisbury, Warwick and Edward, Earl of March (York’s son) flee to Calais.
14 January 1460
Lancastrians Sir Richard Wydeville, Lord Rivers and his son Sir Anthony Wydeville, Lord Scales are captured in a surprise attack at Sandwich. Transported to Calais, they are imprisoned by Warwick.
June 1460
Warwick returns from France.
10 July 1460
Warwick crushes the Lancastrian army at Northampton and captures King Henry VI. Queen Margaret and Prince Edward take refuge at Durham. Richard, Duke of York returns from Ireland.
31 October 1460
Parliament at Westminster decides that Henry will retain his crown for life, but York and his heirs will succeed to the throne at Henry VI’s death. Edward, Prince of Wales, is disinherited, strengthening Margaret’s resolve to fight.
30 December 1460
Lancastrian troops surprise York’s men at Wakefield. Richard, Duke of York and his son, the Earl of Rutland, are slain in a Lancastrian victory.
2 February 1461
Edward, Earl of March defeats Lancastrian forces at Mortimer’s Cross.
17 February 1461
Second battle of St Albans. Lancastrian troops defeat Warwick. Sir John Grey, husband of Elizabeth Wydeville, dies leading the Lancastrian cavalry into battle. King Henry VI is reunited with Margaret.
4 March 1461
Edward, Earl of March enters London and is declared King Edward IV.
29 March 1461
Battle of Towton. Edward IV, who has pursued the Lancastrians northwards, destroys their troops in the bloodiest battle ever fought on English soil. Henry VI and family flee to Scotland.
25 April 1464
Yorkist victory in a minor skirmish with Lancastrians at Hedgeley Moor.
15 May 1464
Battle of Hexham destroys remnants of Lancastrian troops.
23 June 1464
Alnwick Castle captured after a long siege. Sir Anthony Wydeville fights with Edward IV and the Yorkist troops.
13 July 1465
Henry VI captured and imprisoned in Tower of London.
1467
Edward IV splits with Warwick. Edward IV dismisses George Neville as Chancellor and rejects a treaty with Louis XI of France negotiated by Warwick. Edward IV allies England with Burgundy.
April 1469
Warwick provokes armed protest in Yorkshire, led by ‘Robin of Redesdale’. Warwick marries his daughter Isabel to George, Duke of Clarence and invades Kent.
26 July 1469
Warwick defeats Edward’s army at Edgecote and takes the King prisoner. Edward is imprisoned at Coventry, 2 August, moved to Warwick Castle, 8–12 August, then to Middleham Castle, 25 August.
12 August 1469
Sir Richard Wydeville, Earl Rivers (the Queen’s father) and Sir John Wydeville (her brother) are beheaded by Warwick’s men without trial.
April 1470
Warwick, lacking support from the people, returns to Calais with Clarence. He allies himself with Margaret, Lancastrian Queen-in-exile.
September 1470
Warwick invades England.
1 October 1470
Queen Elizabeth enters sanctuary at Westminster Abbey.
3 October 1470
Edward IV flees to Holland. Henry VI restored to the throne. Warwick rules as Henry VI’s lieutenant for six months, with little trust from the Lancastrians who fear his previous Yorkist ties.
2 November 1470
Edward, V is born to Queen Elizabeth in sanctuary.
14 March 1471
Ravenspur. Edward IV lands, claiming his ancestral rights as Duke of York.
12 April 1471
Edward IV enters London and is reunited with Queen Elizabeth.
14 April 1471
Edward IV’s army fight the Lancastrian troops at Barnet and kill Warwick on Easter Sunday. Queen Margaret and her son Edward land at Weymouth and gather Lancastrian support in the west.
4 May 1471
Margaret’s army is crushed at Tewkesbury and her son, Edward, Prince of Wales, is slain. Edward IV begins twelve years of uninterrupted rule.
21–22 May 1471
Henry VI dies in the Tower of London. Richard, Duke of Gloucester is named as the assassin by historians André, Rous, Polydore Vergil and Pietro Carmeliano.
18 February 1478
George, Duke of Clarence is executed in the Tower of London.
9 April 1483
Edward IV dies. Edward V becomes King.
April/May 1483
Richard, Duke of Gloucester is recognised as Protector of Edward V, aged twelve.
30 April 1483
Edward V is seized at Stony Stratford by Gloucester and Buckingham. Anthony Wydeville, Earl Rivers; Sir Richard Grey; and Sir Thomas Vaughan, the King’s chamberlain, are arrested and sent north to prison.
1 May 1483
Queen Elizabeth, Prince Richard, and her daughters enter sanctuary at Westminster.
13 June 1483
William, Lord Hastings, is executed at the Tower.
16 June 1483
Prince Richard, Duke of York leaves Westminster Sanctuary.
25 June 1483
Anthony Wydeville, Earl Rivers; Sir Richard Grey; and Sir Thomas Vaughan are executed.
Late summer 1483
Last sighting of Edward V and Prince Richard at the Tower. Reports of their deaths circulate through London.
2 November 1483
Buckingham, after rebelling against Richard III, is executed at Salisbury.
Months following
Marriage between Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond and Princess Elizabeth is negotiated by Queen Elizabeth and Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Richmond.
25 December 1483
Richmond takes formal oath of betrothal to Elizabeth of York at Rennes Cathedral.
January 1484
Parliament declares the nineteen-year marriage of Edward IV and Elizabeth to be invalid and their children illegitimate because of a prior marriage contract between Edward IV and Lady Eleanor Butler.
c.9 April 1484
Richard III’s only son, Edward, dies.
7 August 1485
Richmond invades England, landing at Milford Haven. Joined by Welsh troops, he marches through Shrewsbury to meet Richard III’s army.
22 August 1485
Richard III is killed at Bosworth Field. Henry VII declared King.
Children of Elizabeth Wydeville (1437–8 June 1492)
Married (1) Sir John Grey, 2nd Baron Ferrers of Groby. Before 1453.
1.Thomas Grey, 1st Marquis of Dorset. Unknown date of birth–30 September 1501. Great-grandfather of Lady Jane Grey.
2.Richard Grey. Born 1453?–25 June 1483.
Married (2) Edward IV, King of England, on 1 May 1464.
(Edward IV born at Rouen, France, on 28 April 1442. Died at Westminster 9 April 1483.)
3.Elizabeth, born at Westminster, 11 February 1466. Died 11 February 1503.
Married Henry VII, 18 January 1486. Children:
Arthur, 20 September 1486–2 April 1502.
Margaret, 29 November 1489–18 October 1541.
Married (1) James IV of Scotland.
Great-grandmother of James I of England (VI of Scotland).
Married (2) Archibald Douglas, Earl of Angus.
Married (3
) Henry Stewart, Lord Methven.
Henry VIII, 28 June 1491–28 January 1547.
Married (1) Catherine of Aragon, mother of Mary Tudor.
Married (2) Anne Boleyn, mother of Elizabeth I.
Married (3) Jane Seymour, mother of Edward VI.
Married (4) Anne of Cleves.
Married (5) Catherine Howard.
Married (6) Catherine Parr.
Elizabeth, 2 July 1492–14 September 1495.
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