Back to news

Death of Elizabeth Woodville

8th June 2018

Today in 1492, Elizabeth Woodville died at fifty-five years old. She was the widow of Edward IV. The last five years of her life was spent at Bermondsey Abbey after she retired from court. While this was a respectable decision for a woman of Elizabeth’s status, it remains a matter of historical debate as to whether she chose to retire voluntarily, or whether she was banished by her son-in-law Henry VII for security or financial reasons.

Elizabeth had made her will just two months before her death, possibly having been unwell for some time. In her will she requested a simple funeral, asking only that she be buried at Windsor beside Edward. Despite the fact that she was dowager queen, Elizabeth died with very little material possessions, and spoke about this in her will:

‘Whereas I have no worldly goods to do the Queen’s grace, my dearest daughter, a pleasure with, neither to reward any of my children according to my heart and mind; I beseech Almighty God to bless her Grace, with all her noble issue, and with as good heart and mind as is to me possible, I give her Grace blessing, and all the aforesaid my children.’

Her wishes for a simple funeral were respected – to the extent that some wondered why Henry VII did not arrange a more suitably royal ceremony for the dowager queen. It was a quiet end for a woman who had been so active, and who had seen such highs and lows in her life.

One of the highs of Elizabeth’s life was undoubtedly her coronation in 1465. She and Edward had married in secret, but he had been expected to make a politically advantageous marriage to a foreign bride. Instead, he had married an English commoner for love, causing a scandal. Elizabeth, a widow, stood on the roadside outside her home in April 1464 to appeal to the new king, and they were married eighteen days later – according to the tradition which says their wedding took place on May Day. By all accounts, they were very happily married, and welcomed ten children, including the princes Edward and Richard who famously disappeared into the Tower and were never seen again. Edward arranged a grand coronation for Elizabeth, cementing her status as his queen and confirming the validity of their marriage – and therefore that of their children. In my novel about Elizabeth, The White Queen, I describe this event.

‘In the event, it is even richer than Edward predicted, richer than I could have imagined. My entrance to London is by London Bridge, but the dirty old highway is transformed with wagon on wagon load of sparkling sand into a road more like a jousting arena. I am greeted by players dressed as angels, their costumes made from peacock feathers, their dazzling wings like a thousand eyes of blue and turquoise and indigo. Actors make a tableau of the Virgin Mary and the saints, I am exhorted to be virtuous and fertile. The people see me indicated as the choice of God for Queen of England. Choirs sing as I enter the city, rose petals are showered down on me. I am myself, my own tableau: the Englishwoman from the House of Lancaster come to be the Queen of York. I am an object of peace and unity.’


Image: Elizabeth Woodville (1437?–1492) by unknown artist, British School, c.1550–1600, Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2018, RCIN 404744