Edward of Lancaster, Prince of Wales (1453-1471)

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1454-1471: Prince of Wales
1454-1471: Duke of Cornwall

Edward of Lancaster, Prince of Wales, Duke of Lancaster, Duke of Cornwall, was born 13 October 1453 in Palace of Westminster, London, England, United Kingdom to Henry VI of England (1421-1471) and Margaret of Anjou (1430-1482) and died 4 May 1471 Battle of Tewkesbury of unspecified causes. He married Anne Neville (1456-1485) December 1470 ^JL .

Biography

Edward of Westminster (13 October 1453 – 4 May 1471), also known as Edward of Lancaster, was the only son of King Henry VI of England and Margaret of Anjou. He was killed at the Battle of Tewkesbury, making him the only heir apparent to the English throne ever to die in battle.

Edward of Lancaster, also known as Edward Plantagenet, was the only son of King Henry VI of England and his wife Margaret of Anjou. He was born on October 13, 1453, at the Palace of Westminster in London. Edward was declared Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester at the age of six months, and he was later created Duke of Cornwall and Earl of Salisbury. As the only child of Henry VI and Margaret of Anjou, Edward was the heir to the throne of England, and he was raised with great care and attention.

During the Wars of the Roses, Edward's father was deposed and imprisoned by the Yorkist forces led by Edward IV. In 1461, Edward and his mother fled to Scotland and then to France, where they sought support from the French king, Louis XI. In 1470, Edward's father was briefly restored to the throne of England, and Edward was declared Prince of Wales once again. However, this restoration was short-lived, and in 1471, Edward's father was overthrown and killed in the Battle of Tewkesbury. Edward and his mother were captured by the Yorkists, and Edward was reportedly killed by the Yorkist prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester (later King Richard III) in the aftermath of the battle.

There is some controversy surrounding the circumstances of Edward's death, with some historians suggesting that he may have survived and gone into hiding, while others believe that he was indeed killed. In any case, Edward's death marked the end of the direct Lancastrian line of succession to the English throne, and it paved the way for the Tudor dynasty, which emerged a few decades later.

Exile in France

Anne Neville portrait — Anne Neville, wife of Edward of Westminster and later of Richard III

Margaret hesitated to advance on London with her unruly army, and subsequently retreated. They were routed at the Battle of Towton a few weeks later. Margaret and Edward fled once again, to Scotland.^[1] For the next three years, Margaret inspired several revolts in the northernmost counties of England, but was eventually forced to sail to France, where she and Edward maintained a court in exile. (Henry had once again been captured and was a prisoner in the Tower of London.)

In 1467 the ambassador of the Duchy of Milan to the court of France wrote that Edward "already talks of nothing but cutting off heads or making war, as if he had everything in his hands or was the god of battle or the peaceful occupant of that throne."^[1]

After several years in exile, Margaret took the best opportunity that presented itself and allied herself with the renegade Earl of Warwick. Louis XI of France wanted to start a war with Burgundy, allies of the Yorkist Edward IV. He believed if he allied himself to restoring Lancastrian rule they would help him conquer Burgundy. As a compliment to his new allies Louis made young Edward godfather to his son Charles.

Battles of Barnet and Tewkesbury

Warwick returned to England and deposed Edward IV, with the help of Edward IV's younger brother, the Duke of Clarence. Edward IV fled into exile to Burgundy with his youngest brother the Duke of Gloucester, while Warwick restored Henry VI to the throne. Prince Edward and Margaret lingered behind in France until April 1471. However, Edward IV had already raised an army, returned to England, and reconciled with Clarence. On the same day Margaret and Edward landed in England (14 April), Edward IV defeated and killed Warwick at the Battle of Barnet. With little real hope of success, the inexperienced prince and his mother led the remnant of their forces to meet Edward IV in the Battle of Tewkesbury. They were defeated and Edward of Westminster was killed.^[2]

According to contemporary sources, Edward was overtaken and slain in the battle during the rout of the Lancastrians, with some accounts attributing the deed to the Duke of Clarence, to whom the prince appealed to for help. Paul Murray Kendall, a biographer of Richard III, accepts this version of events.^[3] Another version states that Clarence and his men found the grieving prince near a grove following the battle, and immediately beheaded him on a makeshift block, despite his pleas.

Another account of Edward's death is given by three Tudor sources: The Grand Chronicle of London, Polydore Vergil, and Edward Hall. It was later dramatised by William Shakespeare in Henry VI, Part 3, Act V, scene v. Their story is that Edward was captured and brought before the victorious Edward IV and his brothers and followers. The king received the prince graciously, and asked him why he had taken up arms against him. The prince replied defiantly, "I came to recover my father's heritage." The king then struck the prince across his face with his gauntlet hand, and his brothers killed the prince with their swords.

However, none of these accounts appears in any of the contemporaneous sources, which all report that Edward died in battle.

Edward's body is buried at Tewkesbury Abbey. His widow, Anne Neville (1456-1485), married the Duke of Gloucester, who eventually succeeded as Richard III in 1483.

Marriage to Anne Neville

While exiled in France, Prince Edward was married to Anne Neville (1456-1485), Warwick's younger daughter, in December 1470, though there is some doubt as to whether the marriage was ever consummated. They have no children.

Siblings

Offspring of Henry VI of England (1421-1471) and Margaret of Anjou (1430-1482)
Name	Birth	Death	Joined with
Edward of Lancaster, Prince of Wales (1453-1471)	13 October 1453 Palace of Westminster, London, England, United Kingdom	4 May 1471 Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, England, United Kingdom	Anne Neville (1456-1485)

Allmand, Christopher (2013). Henry V. Association Pamphlets, General Series. 68 (revised ed.). London: Historical Association.
Allmand, C. (30 April 1982), "The Coronations of Henry VI", History Today 32 (5), http://www.historytoday.com/ct-allmand/coronations-henry-vi
"Henry VI, king of England". 28 July 1999. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Henry-VI-king-of-England.
Cheetham, A. (2000). Antonia Fraser. ed. [Edward of Lancaster, Prince of Wales (1453-1471) at Google Books The Wars of the Roses]. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-22802-3. Edward of Lancaster, Prince of Wales (1453-1471) at Google Books.
Craig, L. (2003). "Royalty, Virtue, and Adversity: The Cult of King Henry VI". Albion 35 (2): 187–209. DOI:10.1017/S0095139000069817.
Dicks, S. (1967). "Henry VI and the Daughters of Armagnac: A Problem in Medieval Diplomacy" ( ). The Emporia State Research Studies 15 (4: Medieval and Renaissance Studies): 5–12.
Duffy, E. (1992). The Stripping of the Altars: Traditional Religion in England 1400–1580. Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-06076-8.
Griffiths, R.A. (1981). [Edward of Lancaster, Prince of Wales (1453-1471) at Google Books The Reign of King Henry VI]. Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-04372-5. Edward of Lancaster, Prince of Wales (1453-1471) at Google Books.
Griffiths (28 May 2015). "Henry VI (1421–1471)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/. (subscription or UK public library membership required)
Kingsford (1911). "Henry VI.". In Chisholm, Hugh. Encyclopædia Britannica. 13 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 285–286.
McKenna, J. (1965). "Henry VI of England and the Dual Monarchy: Aspects of Royal Political Propaganda, 1422–1432". Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes 28: 145–162. DOI:10.2307/750667.
Tout, T. (1891). "Henry VI". In Sidney Lee. Dictionary of National Biography, 1885–1900. 26. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
Wolffe, B. (2001). [Edward of Lancaster, Prince of Wales (1453-1471) at Google Books Henry VI]. Yale English Monarchs series. Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-08926-4. Edward of Lancaster, Prince of Wales (1453-1471) at Google Books.
R. A. Griffiths, The Reign of King Henry VI (1981), especially the Epilogue. ISBN 0520043723
Alison Weir, Lancaster and York: The Wars of the Roses, London (1995) ISBN 0712666745

External Links

Ancestry Trees

Contemporary References

Here are some of the best contemporary references for his life:

"The Reign of Henry VI: The Exercise of Royal Authority, 1422-1461" by R. A. Griffiths - This book is a comprehensive study of Henry VI's reign, including his politics, religion, and military campaigns.
"Henry VI: A Good, Simple and Innocent Man" by James Ross - This biography provides a sympathetic portrayal of Henry VI, emphasizing his piety and lack of political skills.
"The Wars of the Roses" by Dan Jones - This book provides a detailed account of the Wars of the Roses, including the role of Henry VI in the conflict.
"The Hollow Crown" - This BBC television series adapts William Shakespeare's history plays, including "Henry VI, Part 1," "Henry VI, Part 2," and "Henry VI, Part 3." The series provides a dramatic interpretation of Henry VI's reign and the Wars of the Roses.
"The History of England" by David Hume - This classic history book covers the period from the Roman invasion of Britain to the death of George II, including a detailed account of the reign of Henry VI.

Royal Succession Charts

Edward of Lancaster, Prince of Wales (1453-1471) House of Lancaster Cadet branch of the House of Plantagenet Born: 13 October 1453 Died: 4 May 1471
Vacant Title last held by Henry of Monmouth	Prince of Wales Disputed with Richard Duke of York (Yorkist), 31 October – 30 December 1460 1454–1471	Vacant Title next held by Edward (V)
Vacant Title last held by Henry of Windsor	Duke of Cornwall Disputed with Richard Duke of York (Yorkist), 31 October – 30 December 1460 1454–1471

References

^ ^a ^b Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named griffiths
^ John Marius Wilson, Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (1870–72), entry for Tewkesbury
^ Paul Murray Kendall. Richard the Third (1956); pp. 118, 528–529 note

Footnotes (including sources)

‡ General

wikipedia:Edward of Westminster, Prince of Wales

Thurstan, MainTour

[griffiths-1] Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named griffiths

[2] John Marius Wilson, Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (1870–72), entry for Tewkesbury

[3] Paul Murray Kendall. Richard the Third (1956); pp. 118, 528–529 note

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