Edward IV
(Reigned 1461-83)

Highly-gifted, and trained in Machiavellian statecraft by Warwick, who made him King, Edward, Duke of York, was unscrupulous in achieving his ambitions. Warwick soon discovered that he was no puppet, and was eventually killed fighting against hi pupil. Edward's rebellious brother, Clarence, was judicially murdered, a crime which haunted the King throughout life. When firmly established, Edward proved a capable despot, though lazy. He was over-reached in diplomacy by the wily Louis XI of France. A tall handsome man, he lived luxuriously, and patronized the New Learning (notably Caxton, the first English printer).

Edward V
(Reigned April to August, 1483)

This tragic little prince, the son of Edward IV, was carefully trained as the future King, but his father died before he was fourteen, and the boy-King was at the mercy of his unscrupulous uncle, Richard, Duke of Gloucester. Edward and his brother were thrown into the Tower, and never seen outside its walls again. Two centuries later, the bones of two children were discovered under the stairs of the White Tower and wee then properly buried in Westminster Abbey in 1933 an inspection showed that they were remains of boys of the right age and bore signs of strangulation.

Richard III
(Reigned 1483-1485)

So great were the losses in the Wars of the Roses that when Edward IV died, only two little princes stood between Richard Crouchback and the crown. Though small, ill-featured and deformed he was an excellent soldier and a capable administrator. England would have been well-content with his Regency, but insane ambition drove him forward. He executed his opponents, had his nephews murdered and proposed to marry their sister, his own niece. Richard paid the penalty of his crimes in continual agony of mind. He died at Bosworth Field, fighting with desperate courage, his redeeming quality.

Henry VII
(Reigned 1485-1509)

When Richard III fell at Bosworth Field, his crown was picked up and placed on the head of Henry Tudor. The new King was the son of a Lancastrian heiress and married Elizabeth of York, thus uniting the two "Roses." Henry devoted his reign to curbing the power of the nobles, aiding commerce and amassing wealth. He encouraged the Cabots to explore North America, and built his magnificent chapel at Westminster. His brilliant court was thronged, but he had few friends. He died at fifty-two leaving to his son, Henry VIII, a full treasury and a land at peace.

Elizabeth of York
(1465-1503)

Elizabeth, eldest daughter of Edward IV, was eagerly sought in marriage. When her two brothers were murdered in the Tower, she became her father's heiress. Her uncle, Richard III, proposed to strengthen his position by marrying her, but was compelled to disavow the intention. Elizabeth sympathized with Henry Tudor's rising and after Bosworth Field became his wife; their union ended the Wars of the Roses. Grief over the death of Prince Arthur drew the parents closer together; Henry VIII was their second son. Elizabeth was a well-loved Queen, and when she died, Sir Thomas More wrote a noble elegy for her.