Mark Satchwill Art Historical Portraits: House of York

"Edward IV"

4 x 6 inches, watercolor, gouache and gold ink, 2008

Edward was born in 1442, the eldest son of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York. It was Richard's claim to the throne of England that began the Wars of The Roses. After Richards death in 1460, Edward inherited the claim. With the support of the Earl of Warwick, his cousin, he defeated Henry IV and declared himself King in 1461. Warwick planned for Edward to marry and ally with France but Edward secretly married Elizabeth Wydeville. The marriage alienated Warwick, especially after Edward began to show preference to his new Woodville relations. Warwick and Edwards younger brother the Duke of Clarence joined forces to try and defeat Edward but in 1470 were finally defeated and forced to flee to France. Later that year Warwick returned with French support and invaded, forcing Edward to flee and the weak Henry VI to be restored to the throne. Edward went to Burgundy with his brother Richard, Duke of Gloucester and there got support and with a small army returned to England. Clarence then changed sides and joined Edward and at the Battle of Barnet Warwick was defeated. Edward reclaimed his throne after the final decisive Battle of Tewkesbury. In 1475 he declared war on France but signed a treaty which gave him a yearly pension. With Elizabeth he had ten children. He died in 1483.

"Elizabeth Wydeville (Woodville)"

4 x 6 inches, watercolor, gouache and gold ink, 2008

Elizabeth Wydeville was the mother of Elizabeth of York and grandmother of Henry VIII. She had married Edward IV in 1464. She had previously been married and had two sons, and with Edward gave birth to ten more children. When Edward died in 1483 her brother-in-law Richard III took the throne, placing her two sons Edward and Richard in the Tower of London, after which they were never seen again. After Richard's defeat by Henry VII in 1485, her daughter Elizabeth of York married Henry and the Tudor dynasty was begun. Elizabeth spent her last few years living in a convent and died in 1492 aged 55.

"Richard III"

4 x 6 inches, watercolor, gouache and gold ink, 2008

Richard III is one of the most controversial monarchs in British History. After his brother Edward IV's death in 1483 the succession was to pass to Edwards elder son, Edward V, who was only aged 13. Richard executed Antony Wydeville, Earl Rivers, the child's guardian and took on the role of protector. Edward and his brother Richard were placed in the tower and by the end of the year had disappeared, presumed murdered. Richard had his brother's marriage to Elizabeth Wydeville declared illegitimate, thereby removing young Edward and Richard from the succession. He was crowned King in July of 1483. However, he only reigned for two years. A rebellion headed by Henry Tudor saw Richard defeated and killed at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485, ending the reign of the Plantagenet's and the House of York.
The fate of the Princes is still hotly debated - did Richard give the order for their deaths? A chest containing two children's skeletons was found buried under a staircase in the White Tower in 1674. It was presumed that these were the Princes. What is likely is that Tudor propaganda created the image of Richard as the hunchbacked and crippled villain of Shakespeare's play.

"Elizabeth Of York"

4 x 6 inches, watercolour and gold ink, 2008.

Elizabeth was born in 1466, the first child born to Elizabeth Wydville and King Edward IV (though Elizabeth had two children from a previous marriage). After her father's death in 1483, her younger brother briefly became King Edward V before their uncle Richard imprisoned and murdered him and proclaimed himself Richard the Third. Elizabeth, her mother and other siblings stayed in the Sanctuary of Westminster Abbey, her mother arranging a marriage with the exiled Henry Tudor through his mother Margaret Beaufort. In 1484 Elizabeth left sanctuary and joined the court of Richard. It was rumoured that Richard planned to marry her after the death of his wife Anne but nothing ever came of it. In 1485 Henry Tudor defeated Richard at the Battle of Bosworth and became King Henry VII. Elizabeth and Henry were married in early 1486. It was a successful marriage and produced eight children, among them the future Henry VIII. Their first son Arthur died aged 16 in 1502. They tried for another child and Katherine was born in 1503 but she died within hours of being born. Elizabeth herself died from infection 9 days later, aged 37.