Elizabeth was born in Grafton Regis, Northamptonshire in 1437. Her father was a knight, Sir Richard Woodville, meaning that his family was middling gentry. Her mother was Jacquetta of Luxembourg, the daughter of the Count of Saint-Pol and widow of John, Duke of Bedford. Thus, she was a Plantagenet by marriage and when Bedford died, Jacquetta didn't retire to a convent or recycle back into the European marriage market. She fell for Richard Woodville and caused a major scandal at court when it was found out that she'd married far below her rank in life. King Henry VI fined the couple and banned them from court for awhile, then repealed the fine and continued to treat Jacquetta as an aunt and member of the Royal Family. She bore Richard 14 surviving children, one of whom would inherit Jacquetta's beauty, brains and penchant for trouble, her eldest daughter Elizabeth.
Elizabeth Woodville grew up to become rumored as the most beautiful woman in Britain, with heavy-lidded eyes likened to those of a dragon. In 1452, she married a staunch Lancastrian, Sir John Grey of Groby and bore him two sons. Thomas Grey, later Marquess of Dorset, and Richard Grey. Sir John Grey was killed at the 2nd Battle of St. Albans in 1461, leaving his wife a wealthy widow. It wasn't long before she'd attracted an admirer and possible lover, Edward IV, King of England. Edward's most powerful supporter, the Kingmaker Warwick, was attempting to arrange Edward's marriage with a French princess. Little did Warwick know that Edward's heart had been speared already by a pretty widow with dragon's eyes. Edward and Elizabeth were married in 1464. Elizabeth was crowned Queen on May 26, 1465 and scandal broke in the King's Council and among his staunchest supporters. The King's Council felt constrained to point out to him that Elizabeth, "was no wife for a prince such as himself."Edward didn't care. He loved Elizabeth Woodville. The couple had 7 daughters and 3 sons. Edward would have done anything for her and she didn't hesitate to make good on her hold over the king. Woodville relatives came to court in droves. Siblings, nephews, nieces, cousins, and stepchildren all had to be provided with lucrative marriages, titles, manors and properties, income-earning royal offices, positions at court, money, expensive gifts, and the lists went on. Elizabeth's oldest brother Anthony, 2nd Earl Rivers, soon began to challenge Warwick for power at court and that was the last straw. Warwick turned against Edward and began plotting to put Henry VI back on the throne. Edward was deposed in 1470 and had to flee for his life. He was soon back on the throne in 1471, after both Warwick, King Henry, and Edward of Westminster were dead. Elizabeth was undisputed Queen, though her husband had several mistresses. She and her relatives continued to bask in the royal favor, to the exclusion and annoyance of many of Edward's key supporters.
Then, tragedy struck. Edward died suddenly in 1483, leaving Elizabeth a widow with five unmarried daughters, two young sons, and a host of annoyed and alienated courtiers. Her opponent was an adult Plantagenet male with his own will to power, Richard of Gloucester. While Elizabeth, her daughters and her youngest son sought sanctuary in Westminster Abbey, Richard was busy consolidating his hold on power. He had the alliance of many of some of his brother's former friends, many of whom had been alienated by the Woodville faction. He quickly took young Edward V into custody and persuaded Elizabeth Woodville to part from her younger son in 1483. Likely, she had no choice. The boys were placed in the Tower of London in 1483 and, within months, never seen or heard from again.
Richard III tried to be decent. He allowed four of his nieces to return to Court, and began to locate suitable husbands for them. But Elizabeth was already a step ahead with regard to her oldest daughter, Elizabeth of York, who had inherited her beauty. Elizabeth Woodville made friends with an old rival and enemy, Margaret Beaufort, Lady Stanley, who was already working to further the cause of her son, Henry Tudor. If Henry could field an army and take the throne, Elizabeth of York, with her own Plantagenet bloodline, would be his wife. Henry landed in England in 1485, Bosworth happened, and he and Elizabeth were married. For awhile, Elizabeth Woodville was accorded the honors of a Queen Dowager. Then, in 1487, relations began to sour between Elizabeth Woodville, Margaret Beaufort, and Henry Tudor. Elizabeth Woodville retired to Bermondsey Abbey, where she lived in regal state, without taking the veil but definitely in retirement.
What caused the upset isn't clear. Did Henry know her penchant for plotting? An imposter, Lambert Simnel. claimed to be the son of Richard III's dead brother, Clarence and raised a revolt in 1487. Henry quickly put down the uprising, but did he suspect that Elizabeth Woodville had supported Simnel? The rivalry could have easily been between Elizabeth Woodville and Margaret Beaufort. Though Elizabeth of York was Queen, the de facto First Lady of England was Henry Tudor's mother, a proud and domineering woman who wouldn't have stood for a rival. Elizabeth Woodville died in 1492 and was given a simple funeral, being laid to rest in St. George's Chapel alongside her husband, Edward IV. At her request, the funeral was simple, without honors of state, though rumor-mongers insisted that Henry Tudor had slighted his mother-in-law out of dislike or miserliness. Elizabeth Woodville had lived long enough to see her grandson, the future Henry VIII born. The Plantagenet and Woodville families would continue, albeit under the Tudor name.
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