Facial Reconstructions of Elizabeth Woodville & King Edward IV - What did they really look like?

Welcome to the mini of the Wars of the Roses video we posted last week:    • The True Story That Became "The Game ...  

Today we will reveal re-creations of Edward, and his wife of legendary beauty, Elizabeth Woodville, for those that don't want the full history.

Edward and Elizabeth unfortunately come from a time of pretty cartoon-y portraiture. We are still one generation away from the wonderful Tudor portraits by Hans Holbein, and most of the portraiture made during the War of the Roses lacks a bit of skill.

Currently, there are no known contemporary portraits of either Edward or Elizabeth, so what we are left with are copies made from originals. We do have some pretty good descriptions of them both, which I’ll be using to inform my re-creations alongside the portraits.

Let’s start with Edward - we know he was a very tall man. Edward’s remains were exhumed in 1789, and they measured almost 6’4”, which was gigantic for the time. This examination also revealed some long brown hair, which matches his portraits.

Sir Thomas More, writing about 30 years after Edward’s death, says:
“He was…very princely to behold; of heart courageous, politic in counsel…in peace just and merciful, in war sharp and fierce.” Although, keep in mind Thomas More is a pretty biased source.

Edward was considered extremely handsome in his youth, although it sounds like his looks faded with time.

Thomas More also wrote that Edward was “Of body mighty, but in his latter days, with over-liberal diet, somewhat corpulent and burly but nevertheless not uncomely.”

Regardless of his looks, Edward was always considered likable and charismatic. As we know from the history of the War, this really worked to his political advantage because his original opponent Henry VI was seen as weak and shy. You know, these are kings that actually fought and won the crown in battle, so his height and strength were huge advantages.

For Edward’s re-creation, I’m going to use this portrait, which is generally agreed upon to be the most accurate, and shows him in his early 30s.

0:00

Find us here:
Instagram: @Royalty_Now_
Tik Tok: @RoyaltyNow
Patreon: Patreon.com/RoyaltyNow
RoyaltyNowStudios.com

This video creation and final image are ©Royalty Now.