WAS EDWARD IV ILLEGITIMATE? | The life of Edward IV | The birth of Edward IV | History Calling

WAS EDWARD IV ILLEGITIMATE? This is a question which has been asked (and given various answers) since Edward’s own lifetime. Did his mother, Cecily Neville (or Cicely Neville), Duchess of York have an affair with an archer named Brayborne or was her eldest surviving son really the child of her husband, Richard, Duke of York? In this Plantagenet history documentary from History Calling, we look at the birth of Edward IV in France in 1442, at the evidence that his reputed father may have been separated from his mother 9 months earlier, at his supposedly low-key christening in Rouen Cathedral (though his younger brother Edmund, Earl of Rutland, had a much grander one the following year) and at the accusations of illegitimacy levelled at him in later years by his other brothers, George, Duke of Clarence and Richard, Duke of Gloucester (later Richard III). We’ll also hear about the apparent outburst from his mother (reported later by Domenic Mancini) that he wasn’t really the Duke of York’s son and the accusations that he looked nothing like his supposed father. At the same time, we’ll consider some other explanations for all of these pieces of ‘evidence’. For instance, was Edward IV born early (or indeed late) and might a premature birth account for a quick and quiet christening? Did he just look like other family members rather than his father and were his mother and brothers simply throwing shade at him for their own political reasons? Finally, when looking at the life of Edward IV more generally, we’ll ask, does it even matter if he was legitimate or not? Did it affect his claim to the throne? This video will examine the character of Duchess Cecily, who of all the women of the Wars of the Roses, is arguably rather overlooked but who lived through the conflict from start to finish and who was known as ‘Proud Cis’. It will question how likely it is that a woman of her character, famed piety and background would have ‘lowered’ herself to have an affair with a mere archer.

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Britain’s Bloody Crown Presented by Dan Jones (2016) [Documentary covering the Wars of the Roses. Historically accurate] https://amzn.to/2TPep8i (US LINK)

The White Queen (2013). [Depicts the story of the Wars of the Roses from Elizabeth Woodville’s point of view. Gets the broad strokes of history correct, but definitely not completely accurate] https://amzn.to/3dm7kBL (UK LINK) OR https://amzn.to/2VcbQO5 (US LINK)

The White Princess (2018). [Covers the marriage of Henry Tudor to Elizabeth of York. Again, gets the broad strokes of history correct, but definitely needs to be taken with a pinch of salt.] https://amzn.to/3ftrmNt (UK LINK) OR https://amzn.to/3C1NLdl (US LINK)

The King in the Carpark (2013). Documentary about the discovery of Richard III’s skeleton in 2012. https://amzn.to/3C0loMF (UK LINK)

READ MORE:

[FREE] Photo of supposed lock of Edward IV’s hair
https://www.sal.org.uk/collections/ex...

[FREE] Photo of supposed bones of George, Duke of Clarence
https://meanderingthroughtime.weebly....

[FREE] Discovery and analysis of Richard III’s remains by the University of Leicester
https://le.ac.uk/richard-iii

Michael Jones, Bosworth 1485: Psychology of a Battle (2014) https://amzn.to/33QAGXX (UK LINK) OR https://amzn.to/3ql3382 (US LINK)

J. L. Laynesmith, Cecily Duchess of York (Bloomsbury, 2019) https://amzn.to/3EjW4Bp (UK LINK) OR https://amzn.to/33QBb4h (US LINK)

Amy Licence, Cecily Neville: Mother of Kings (Amberley, 2015) https://amzn.to/3ppivke (UK LINK) OR https://amzn.to/3FDHINu (US LINK)

Phillipa Gregory, The Red Queen (2011). Fictionalised account of the Wars of the Roses told from Lady Margaret Beaufort’s point of view. Read for fun, but definitely don’t get your history from this. https://amzn.to/3rgXYfz (UK LINK) OR https://amzn.to/2V8IQa3 (US LINK)

Phillipa Gregory, The White Queen (2011). https://amzn.to/2PlPztQ (UK LINK) OR https://amzn.to/37bO9YK (US LINK)

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