The Yorkist Triumph and Edward IV’s Second Reign

By May 1471, Edward IV stood unchallenged as England’s king. His battlefield victories had silenced all claims to the throne – Henry VI and his Lancastrian heir Edward of Westminster were dead, while his former ally turned rival, the Earl of Warwick, had fallen at Barnet. The Yorkist dynasty appeared secure, with Edward’s infant son (born during his exile in November 1470) supported by uncles Richard, Duke of Gloucester and George, Duke of Clarence. The king could also rely on his wife’s influential Woodville relatives and loyal Yorkist retainers who formed an expanding network of political support.

Edward moved swiftly to consolidate power after his decisive victory at Tewkesbury. Only isolated Lancastrian holdouts like the Earl of Oxford mounted resistance, easily crushed by 1473. The king implemented a system of regional governance through trusted nobles, primarily family members or those connected through royal service. In Wales, William Herbert succeeded his father as the king’s representative before authority shifted to a council under Earl Rivers governing for Prince Edward. Similar arrangements saw the Howards dominate East Anglia, the Stanleys rule Lancashire, and Lord Hastings extend his Midlands influence.

However, cracks appeared in this Yorkist edifice. The division of Warwick’s vast estates between Clarence and Gloucester sparked bitter fraternal disputes. Clarence particularly resented being denied full inheritance of the Beauchamp lands through his wife Isabel Neville. By 1473, tensions nearly erupted into open conflict until Edward personally intervened. The Crowland Chronicle would later reflect that had the three brothers remained united, “no one could have withstood them.”

The Ill-Fated French Campaign and Domestic Strife

Against this backdrop of familial discord, Edward embarked on his ambitious 1475 French expedition. Parliament granted extraordinary taxation after impassioned speeches linking domestic peace to foreign war. Bishop Alcock’s address portrayed Edward as a warrior-king in the mold of Edward III and Henry V, contrasting his virtues with Louis XI’s treachery.

The campaign proved disastrous. Burgundian allies failed to provide promised support, forcing Edward to accept the Treaty of Picquigny – taking French pensions rather than military glory. Many soldiers felt betrayed, while French observers mocked England’s retreat. This knightly disappointment deepened in 1477 when Edward blocked Clarence’s proposed marriage to Mary of Burgundy, the wealthiest heiress in Europe. The king’s cautious diplomacy frustrated his more martial supporters, particularly Gloucester and Hastings.

Clarence’s subsequent rebellion and 1478 execution further weakened Yorkist unity. Though Edward’s authority seemed strengthened, the affair revealed dangerous fractures within the regime. Gloucester emerged as primary beneficiary, gaining Clarence’s offices and northern territories where he pursued aggressive policies against Scotland.

The Sudden Collapse: Richard III’s Usurpation

Edward IV’s unexpected death in April 1483 triggered Yorkist collapse. His twelve-year-old son Edward V was swiftly deposed by Gloucester, who seized the throne as Richard III. This astonishing reversal stemmed from tensions between Gloucester/Hastings and the Woodvilles over control of the young king.

Richard’s coup unfolded with ruthless efficiency. Key Woodville supporters were executed without trial, while Edward V and his brother disappeared in the Tower. Contemporary accounts suggest Richard came to believe in his own legitimate claim, possibly influenced by Bishop Stillington’s claims about Edward IV’s supposed pre-contract. However, the violent usurpation and probable murder of the princes alienated much of the political nation.

Buckingham’s Rebellion and Henry Tudor’s Opportunity

By autumn 1483, rumors of the princes’ fate sparked rebellion led by Richard’s former ally, the Duke of Buckingham. Though quickly suppressed, the revolt marked a turning point. Rebels pledged support to Henry Tudor, an obscure Lancastrian exile, promising him marriage to Edward IV’s daughter Elizabeth of York.

Henry’s claim was tenuous – through his Beaufort mother Margaret, descended from John of Gaunt’s third marriage. But Richard’s actions had created a vacuum Henry could fill. French support proved crucial, providing ships and mercenaries for his 1485 invasion. When Henry landed at Milford Haven, few initially joined his small force. However, key defections – particularly the Stanleys – proved decisive at Bosworth Field where Richard died in a reckless charge.

The Tudor Dawn: Ending the Wars of the Roses

Henry VII’s victory inaugurated the Tudor dynasty, but his position remained precarious. His 1486 marriage to Elizabeth of York symbolically united the warring factions, while the birth of Prince Arthur provided dynastic security. Early rebellions like Lambert Simnel’s 1487 imposture were crushed, demonstrating fading enthusiasm for continued conflict.

The Yorkist collapse resulted from multiple factors: Edward IV’s failure to secure lasting loyalty structures; Richard III’s disastrous usurpation alienating key supporters; and war-weariness after decades of instability. Henry VII learned from these mistakes, constructing a new political system that would define the Tudor century. The dramatic events between 1483-1485 thus marked not just a change of dynasty, but the end of medieval England’s bloody dynastic conflicts.