She Wolves (26 page)
Elizabeth is unlikely to have taken objections to her marriage too seriously. She was already Edward’s wife and must have felt that they had presented objectors with a
fait accompli
. Edward also fully supported his wife and made plans for a lavish coronation for her. Attempts were made to stress Elizabeth’s grand continental connections. In January 1465 Edward sent envoys to the Duke of Burgundy to arrange for Elizabeth’s uncle, Jacques of Luxembourg and a Burgundian entourage to attend Elizabeth’s coronation.
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Elizabeth also adopted a coat of arms incorporating those of St Pol and other maternal connections. Elizabeth’s coronation was delayed in order to allow time for her foreign relatives to arrive and she was finally crowned in a glittering ceremony on 26 May 1465.
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In spite of this, most considered the new queen an upstart. Elizabeth, however, must have felt triumphant and she quickly set about sharing some of her good fortune with her relatives.
Elizabeth has always had a reputation for greed and much of this stems from the series of marriages that she arranged for her siblings once she was queen. Elizabeth’s sisters were married in quick succession to the Earls of Essex and Kent, the wealthy Lord Strange and the heir of Lord Herbert. Her youngest sister Catherine also secured one of the most prestigious matches in England when she was married in her infancy to the young Duke of Buckingham.
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She also arranged rich marriages for her brothers and in February 1467 Elizabeth paid Edward’s sister, the Duchess of Exeter, for the marriage of her daughter and heiress to her eldest son Thomas Grey. These marriages were resented by many of the nobility in England as the sheer number of Elizabeth’s siblings effectively flooded the aristocratic marriage market. Warwick in particular was angered by Thomas Grey’s marriage as the king’s niece had previously been betrothed to his nephew, George Neville.
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Elizabeth’s activity on behalf of her siblings and sons severely damaged her reputation amongst the jealous nobility. However, she could not have arranged these marriages without the support of other members of the nobility; Edward’s sister, the Duchess of Exeter, could hardly have been forced into treating Elizabeth the way she did on the marriage of her daughter. Elizabeth was fond of her family and it is natural that she would want them to share in her good fortune. The sheer number of her siblings however and the fact that many more established families saw the Woodvilles as upstarts led to an underhand campaign against the queen across much of the nobility.
Elizabeth had already proved herself able to bear healthy children before her marriage to Edward and she quickly conceived by him. Her eldest child by Edward, Elizabeth of York, was born on 11 February 1465 and was quickly followed by two other daughters.
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The sex of these children must have been a disappointment to their parents but Edward does not seem to have blamed Elizabeth. She was a fond mother who liked to keep her family around her, appointing a number of her relatives to her household staff. Her brother John Woodville was her master of horse and her sister-in-law, Lady Scales was a lady-in-waiting.
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These appointments caused further resentment but Elizabeth ignored the illfeeling, perhaps believing that with Edward’s protection no ill could befall her. She would have been well aware of the hostility of much of the nobility towards her and it is therefore not surprising that she chose to surround herself with friendly figures, regardless of the fact that this caused further discontent.
Elizabeth quickly took to her role as queen and her marriage with Edward was happy. Nevertheless she must never have been able to forget that Edward was a usurping king and that there were always factions in England working against him. Warwick and Clarence had always opposed her marriage. By 1469 their latent hostility had developed into outright rebellion. Elizabeth was visiting Norwich with her daughters when Warwick and Clarence launched an attack on the king. Events moved quickly and Edward’s forces were heavily defeated at the Battle of Edgecote on 26 July.
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Warwick seized the initiative that this victory afforded and quickly captured Edward IV near Nottingham, taking him as a prisoner to his castle at Middleham. This must have been a blow for Elizabeth and she was probably terrified about what would befall her husband. An even greater blow was dealt when news reached Elizabeth at Norwich that her father and brother John Woodville had been captured by Warwick’s forces near Coventry and executed without trial. Elizabeth must have plunged into mourning and she would have despaired for the future.
There can have been no doubt in anyone that Warwick and Clarence’s attacks were aimed against the Woodvilles. Soon after Elizabeth’s return to London, her mother was publicly charged with witchcraft.
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As the fate of Jacquetta’s own sister-in-law Eleanor Cobham had shown, such a charge could be disastrous and Elizabeth would have been aware of the dissent around London against both her and her mother. Some of the claims were of enchantments that Jacquetta used to persuade the king to marry her daughter, again highlighting Elizabeth’s extreme unpopularity and the suggestion that she was unworthy to be a queen. Elizabeth and Jacquetta must have spent a tense time until, finally, they heard that Warwick had been forced to release Edward. Elizabeth must have been glad to be reunited with her husband and to have his protection again. Any sense of triumph would have been short-lived. Following a brief exile, Warwick and Clarence returned to England allied with the Lancastrians in September 1470, with an army, and intent on deposing Edward IV.
Edward quickly realised that the Lancastrians were too strong and fled to Burgundy from Kings Lynn, abandoning his family. Elizabeth was in London when news reached her of Warwick’s invasion and it must have been with a sinking heart that she realised that Edward was once again unable to protect her. Unwilling to simply surrender, Elizabeth began to provision the Tower to withstand a siege.
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Warwick was too strong and by early October Elizabeth, her mother and daughters had entered the sanctuary at Westminster Abbey.
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Soon afterwards, Warwick entered the city and removed Henry VI from the prison in the Tower to the rooms Elizabeth had prepared in the same fortress for her own confinement. From inside the sanctuary, Elizabeth and her mother must have heard the commotion that the restoration of Henry VI entailed with despair. Elizabeth probably feared that she would be forcibly removed from the sanctuary at any time and must have been relieved to discover that the new regime had decided to leave her untouched. As a queen without strong foreign connections, there was little Elizabeth could do but wait and see what direction events took.
Elizabeth had been in sanctuary for several weeks when she gave birth to her first son by Edward.
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A small christening was arranged for the infant in Westminster Abbey with the Abbot and Prior of the Abbey standing as godfathers and Lady Scrope as godmother. These sponsors were a far cry from the foreign royalty the eldest son of a king could usually expect for his godparents. Elizabeth and Jacquetta appear to have made the best of their time in sanctuary and it is likely that Elizabeth relied on her mother considerably. The sanctuary was small and it must have been uncomfortable for the women sharing a space with three young girls and a newborn baby. They would have pinned all their hopes on Edward obtaining sufficient support abroad to try to win back his crown, or at the very least rescue his family.
Edward had been working hard to gain support on the continent and eventually on 11 March 1471 he sailed for England with an army. He made swift progress through England. On 11 April, he was admitted to London by the townspeople.
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Henry VI was quickly returned to the Tower and Elizabeth, her mother and children emerged from sanctuary. The meeting between Edward and Elizabeth must have been emotional, with Elizabeth proud to show Edward their baby son. She was probably relieved to be able to move freely around London for the first time in months and to assume her role as queen again. Despite her optimism, however, Elizabeth would have been aware that Edward had not yet won the country back. After capturing Henry VI and releasing Elizabeth, he again marched out of London at the head of an army, this time to confront Warwick at Barnet. Elizabeth must have had an anxious wait for news on the day of the battle and must have been relieved to hear of Edward’s victory. This was followed on 4 May 1471 by the defeat of Margaret of Anjou at Tewkesbury, leaving Edward secure once more on his throne.
Elizabeth appears to have quickly settled back into her role as queen. As before, she played a major role in the upbringing of her children and in 1473 she accompanied her son Edward to Ludlow so that he could rule as Prince of Wales.
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Edward was still only two years old and it was Elizabeth who effectively ruled the principality. She also appointed the Prince’s council while she was there, filling the leading positions with her brother, Earl Rivers, and son, Richard Grey. Elizabeth was back with her son in London in summer 1475 when Edward IV assembled an army to invade France. It is a mark of his confidence in her abilities that he appointed her as the effective ruler of England in his absence by placing their son, the nominal regent, in her care. Edward’s campaign in France proved to be brief, but Elizabeth must have been glad of the trust Edward placed in her.
Edward IV was a notorious womaniser and took numerous mistresses throughout his marriage which Elizabeth deliberately ignored. Elizabeth was five years older than Edward and it is a mark of her personal qualities and attractions that she was able to retain his love until his death. Elizabeth bore her youngest child, Bridget, in November 1480, when she was 43, demonstrating that she and Edward still enjoyed a close and loving marriage. It is possible that Edward enjoyed the happy family atmosphere that Elizabeth brought him when his own brothers were often at odds. By Christmas 1482 Edward’s health was deteriorating and it is likely that Elizabeth quickly became concerned about him. He died on 9 April 1483, a death hastened by his overindulgence in food and drink.
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Elizabeth must have been grief-stricken at Edward’s death yet realising that there was a great deal to be done to ensure the smooth succession of her son. According to the
Crowland Continuations
, Edward IV’s council attended Elizabeth at Westminster soon after Edward’s death in order to arrange Edward V’s journey to London.
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The Woodvilles were still perceived with suspicion in England. The council feared that Edward V would be brought to London with a large force in order to enforce the Woodville’s rule. This was put to Elizabeth at the council meeting and she agreed to write to Edward to instruct him to bring no more than 2,000 men.
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Elizabeth probably later came to regret her willingness to allay the council’s fears, but in April 1483 she had nothing to fear. Edward V’s accession had been uncontested and Elizabeth was content to wait in London for her son to arrive.
Edward V set out for London soon after news of his father’s death reached him in Wales. He made steady progress and on arriving in Stony Stratford his escorts heard that his uncle, Richard, Duke of Gloucester and the Duke of Buckingham had arrived at Northampton.
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Elizabeth’s brother Earl Rivers with Elizabeth’s son Sir Richard Grey rode out to meet the two dukes and the four spent a pleasant evening together, feasting and drinking.
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They agreed to spend the night at the dukes’ camp and in the morning were horrified to find that they had been placed under arrest in the night. With Rivers and Grey imprisoned, Gloucester and Buckingham rode to intercept the king at Stony Stratford. They told the young king that they had arrested his uncle and half-brother because they and his elder half-brother, Thomas Grey, Marquis of Dorset had planned to rule the country through him.
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The young king protested their innocence but there was little the boy could do. Gloucester and Buckingham took control of his progress to London.
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Elizabeth Woodville heard the news of Gloucester’s coup just after midnight the following day.
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She and Dorset immediately:
Began collecting an army, to defend themselves and to set free the young king from the clutches of the dukes. But when they exhorted certain nobles who had come to the city, and others, to take up arms, they perceived that men’s minds were not only irresolute, but altogether hostile to themselves.
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It must have been a shock to Elizabeth to realise just how unpopular she had become and she may have realised, perhaps for the first time, just how vulnerable Edward’s death had left her. Certainly, without the support of the people of London, there was little Elizabeth could do except gather her children and flee into sanctuary at Westminster. Elizabeth must have been appalled to find herself once again in need of the church’s sanctuary and conditions, which this time with two sons and near-adult daughters, must have been very uncomfortable. She must have felt alone and her contemporaries seem to have believed she was acting unreasonably. The following day, for example, the Chancellor visited her in sanctuary and gave her the great seal, to demonstrate that there was no threat to her position.
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This may have been some comfort to her, but soon afterwards the Chancellor came to her again. He had been sent by Gloucester to obtain the surrender of her youngest son, Richard, Duke of York.
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The Chancellor tried to persuade Elizabeth to acquiesce by arguing that Edward V needed his brother’s company. She replied that it would be better for both boys to be with their mother then attacked Gloucester verbally for keeping her son away from her. The Chancellor, clearly believing that Richard meant the children no harm, offered Elizabeth a pledge for her youngest son’s safety. According to Thomas Moore, Elizabeth replied that ‘each of these children is the other’s defence while they be asunder, and each of their lives lie in the other’s body. Keep one safe and both be sure, and nothing for them both more perilous than to be both in one place’.
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Elizabeth feared that Gloucester meant to gain control over her sons and kill them. The sanctuary had already been surrounded by soldiers, however, and Elizabeth must have feared that Gloucester would forcibly enter the sanctuary to remove them all. She therefore kissed her youngest son and, weeping, handed him over to the Chancellor.
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For a fond mother like Elizabeth, this must have been the most traumatic event of her life.