British Kings "Bullet Book, Edward IV 1461 - 1470 and 1471 - April 1483
BillJones
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Edward IV Groat (4 pence)
• Edward IV was a great warrior king whose weakness for the ladies and other pleasures undermined his reign.
• He was very tall for a man of this period, at 6 feet, 3 inches with light brown hair and attractive features. Women swooned over him, and he had many lovers, in and out of wedlock.
• Edward was the great-great grandson of King Edward III. His father, Richard, Duke of York had had the next claim to the crown after Henry VI, until Henry had a son, also named Edward in 1453.
• Edward first became king by defeating the forces of Henry VI in the Battle of Towton in 1461. His most important supporter was Richard Neville helped him both on the battlefield and in politics. Neville was known as “the king maker.”
• Richard Neville, whom Edward appointed to be Duke of Warwick, wanted Edward to form an alliance with France via marriage. Edward wanted an alliance with Burgundy, which was France’s bitter enemy.
• Edward secretly married Elizabeth Woodville, who was his social inferior, in 1464. He kept the embarrassing marriage a secret for several months. This marriage angered Warwick (Neville) and began the split that would ultimately cause trouble for Edward.
• Edward’s marriage did not stop his philandering ways. He had numerous mistresses and several illegitimate children.
• Edward’s marriage to the Woodville family produced offspring which further eroded Warwick’s royal claims to power and influence.
• Edward IV was deposed in 1470 but a force led by Warwick. Warwick wanted to become king, but his claims to the crown were not strong enough. Instead he brought back Henry VI who was in essence a figurehead.
• Edward IV won back the crown the following year on the battlefield. His smaller force defeated Warwick’s much larger army killing Warwick in the process.
• Edward never lost a military engagement and at one point had the rare good sense to avoid battle when he knew that the odds were heavily stacked against him.
• In peacetime Edward was an effective administrator who got the nation’s finances on an even keel.
• Unfortunately Edward’s two vices were women and food. He became very fat and unhealthy and that probably resulted in his early death at 41 years of age. Had he lived longer, he may have become one of the greatest British kings.
• Edward’s son and heir apparent was Edward V. He was only 12 years old when Edward IV died. His young age allowed Richard III to capture and imprison him at the Tower of London. Had Edward IV lived longer, Edward V might have been a successful king.
Edward IV Angel
• Edward introduced a new gold coin during his reign, the angel. The weight of the silver penny was reduced to 12 grains in 1464 and the value of the gold noble was raised to 8s, 4d. Later a Ryal or “Rose Noble” was introduced which had a value of 10s. Merchants continued to need a coin that had the value of the old noble which had been 6s 8d. Therefore a new gold coin, the angel, was introduced which had that value.
Comments
Thank you for these threads. I enjoy reading them.
ANA-LM, CWTS-LM, NBS, TAMS, ANS
When I purcahsed the Edward IV groat that is shown above, I was surprised to see that it was much smaller than then Henry VI groat I had owned for a couple years. I thought at first that I might have purchased a problem, but it wasn't. The size of the silver coins was reduced during Edward's reign which was reflected in the gold pieces as explained above.
His apparent gluttony reminds me of Vitellius. At least he wasn't disposed of by being thrown in the river.