Williamsburg Regional Library

The Woodvilles, the Wars of the Roses and England's most infamous family, Susan Higginbotham

eng

Includes bibliographical references and index

illustrationsplates

no index present

non fiction

The Woodvilles

899703038

Susan Higginbotham

the Wars of the Roses and England's most infamous family

From an acclaimed historical fiction author comes the first nonfiction book on the notorious and perennially popular Woodville family, investigating such controversial issues as the fate of the Princes in the Tower and witchcraft allegations against Elizabeth and her mother In 1464, the most eligible bachelor in England, Edward IV, stunned the nation by revealing his secret marriage to Elizabeth Woodville, a beautiful, impoverished widow whose father and brother Edward himself had once ridiculed as upstarts. Edward's controversial match brought his queen's large family to court and into the thick of the Wars of the Roses. This is the story of the family whose fates would be inextricably intertwined with the fall of the Plantagenets and the rise of the Tudors: Richard, the squire whose marriage to a duchess would one day cost him his head; Jacquetta, mother to the queen and accused witch; Elizabeth, the commoner whose royal destiny would cost her three of her sons; Anthony, the scholar and jouster who was one of Richard III's first victims; and Edward, whose military exploits would win him the admiration of Ferdinand and Isabella. This history includes little-known material such as private letters and wills

1. The duchess and the knight -- 2. The king and the widow -- 3. The black legend of the Woodvilles -- 4. Murder at Coventry -- 5. Witchcraft and sorcery -- 6. Exile and sanctuary -- 7. A Woodville abroad -- 8. Pomp and printing -- 9. The downfall of a duke -- 10. Before the storm -- 11. Welcome fortune! -- 12. Under the hog -- 13. Won and lost causes -- 14. The last of the blood

adult