The Last Plantagenets

Edward IV emerged from the bloodshed of 1471 with something no English king had enjoyed for a generation: an apparently secure crown, defeated enemies and the chance to build a lasting peace.

Warwick the Kingmaker was dead. The direct Lancastrian royal line had been destroyed. Henry VI had died in the Tower, while Edward's young sons promised the house of York a secure succession.

For twelve years, the settlement appeared to work.

Edward rebuilt royal authority, strengthened crown finances, balanced powerful noble interests and restored England's standing abroad. His court became a centre of magnificence and culture, while the arrival of printing and the growth of commerce reflected a kingdom looking beyond civil war.

Yet beneath the stability remained unresolved tensions.

George, Duke of Clarence, remained ambitious and unpredictable. Richard, Duke of Gloucester, built formidable power in northern England. Elizabeth Woodville's family became deeply connected to the royal household, while Edward's eldest son grew up at Ludlow surrounded by men whose influence would later alarm his father's former servants.

When Clarence's defiance finally became intolerable, Edward destroyed his own brother. Gloucester, by contrast, was rewarded for loyalty and emerged as the most powerful adult prince in the kingdom.

Then, in April 1483, Edward IV died unexpectedly.

Within weeks his twelve-year-old son was intercepted on the road from Ludlow. The Woodville leadership was arrested. The queen entered sanctuary. William Hastings was executed. The young king's coronation was postponed, and questions suddenly emerged about the legitimacy of Edward IV's marriage.

By June, the Protector had become king.

The Last Plantagenets: Edward IV and the Dream of a United England explores the extraordinary peace created after the Yorkist victories of 1471, the family and political system upon which it depended, and the rapid succession crisis that transformed Richard, Duke of Gloucester, into Richard III.

It is the story of a monarchy that appeared stronger than ever, until the death of one man exposed how fragile that strength really was.