Elizabeth Woodville: The White Queen's Historical Journey Through the Wars of the Roses
Elizabeth Woodville, known as the White Queen, was a prominent English queen consort during the Wars of the Roses. Born in 1437 to Richard Woodville and Jacquetta of Luxembourg, she first married Lancastrian knight Sir John Grey, who died in 1461. She secretly married Yorkist King Edward IV in 1464, becoming queen consort despite court opposition. After Edward's death in 1483, her sons were imprisoned and disappeared, and she allied with Henry Tudor. Her daughter Elizabeth of York married Henry VII, founding the Tudor dynasty. Woodville died in 1492 and was buried at Windsor Castle.
Key facts
- Elizabeth Woodville secretly married King Edward IV in 1464, becoming queen consort of England.
- She took sanctuary twice at Westminster Abbey during political turmoil in the Wars of the Roses.
- Two of her sons, known as the Princes in the Tower, disappeared under mysterious circumstances in 1483.
- Her daughter Elizabeth of York married Henry VII, establishing the Tudor dynasty in 1485.
- She died on June 8, 1492, and was buried beside Edward IV at Windsor Castle.
Entities
Institutions
- Westminster Abbey
- Tower of London
- Bermondsey Abbey
- Windsor Castle
Locations
- Grafton Regis
- Northamptonshire
- England
- London
- Wales
- Leicestershire