EDWARD IV., son of Richard duke of York, and great-grandson of Edmund duke of York, who was the 5th son of Edward III., was b. at Rouen, 29th April, 1441 (or, according to another account, in Sept., 1442). His original title was that of earl of March. It would be quite impossible, in the short space at our disposal, to clear our way through the jungle of family relations by which Richard duke of York, the father of Edward IV., traced his right to the throne. Suffice it to say, that in 1460 the bloody struggle between the Yorkists (the party headed by Richard duke of York, who at first professed only a desire to remove from the king, Henry VI., his pernicious councilors) and the Lancastrians (the party of the sovereign) ceased for a moment. The Yorkists, on the whole, had been victorious on the battle-field, and their leader contrived to induce parliament to appoint him Henry's successor. Shortly after, however, Henry's wife— the brave queen Margaret—raised an army in the n., and on the 31st Dee., 1460, encoun tered and overthrew York on Wakefield Green, the duke himself being slain. But this reverse was compensated for by the success of his son Edward, who, after routing the royal or Lancastrian forces, under time earls of Pembroke and Ormond, at Mortimees Cross, near Hereford, marched towards London, which he entered on the 28th Feb., 1461. He immediately presented his claim to time crown to parliament, which admitted its validity, and on the 4th of Mar. ascended the.thrope as EdNxar4IV,, amid the accla mations of the citizens of Loudon, with whom he a three years he had to struggle bard to keep his position. His first victory over the Lancastrians was obtained at Towton, in Yorkshire, 29th Mar., 1461, hardly one month after his accession. Finally, in May, 1464, a few days after the victory at Hexham, Henry him
self fell into E.'s hands. This closed the war for a time. About this time, E. married Elizabeth Woodville, widow of sir John Grey. This marriage gave great offense to the earl of Warwick, by far the most powerful of E.'s adherents, who was at that time engaged in prosecuting an alliance between E. and the sister-in-law of Louis XI., king of France. In 1469, Warwick openly declared against him, joined queen-Margaret, and compelled E. to flee the country. King Henry was released from the Tower, where he had been a prisoner for six years, and once more invested with royal authority. But in the spring of 1471, E. landed at the Humber, proceeded swiftly to London, seized the person of Henry, and was again hailed king by the inhabitants. Warwick now gathered an army, and hurried to encounter him. The two met at Barnet, where Warwick was defeated and slain, April, 1471. In the course of the next month, E. routed the Lan castrians at Tewkesbury, capturing both queen Margaret and her son, prince Edward. The latter was murdered the day after the battle; the queen herself, after an imprison ment of four years, was ransomed by the French monarch. E. died 9th April, 1483, the later years of his reign presenting few political incidents of any moment. E. was an able commander, as his numerous victories show, but he was dissolute in the extreme. It was during his reign that printing was introduced into England, as also silk manufactures. In law, few notable changes occurred, but the practice of indirect pleading dates from this period, which is also illustrated with the names of distinguished legists, such as Littleton and Fortescue.