Uploaded June 2023 | Updated September 2026, 48 minutes ago
Did BIGAMY get Elizabeth Woodville a crown and who was King Edward IV married to really? Rumours have abounded for centuries that Elizabeth was nothing more than England’s fake Queen because her husband was already married to Lady Eleanor Butler when he exchanged vows with the widowed Dame Elizabeth Grey in 1464. It didn’t help that they were wed in a secret marriage ceremony attended by hardly anyone, save the bride’s mother, Jacquetta of Luxembourg and this along with Elizabeth’s fairly low birth made it one of the most scandalous royal marriages in history even before accusations of bigamy emerged. If those accusations were true it would also be one of the most famous royal scandals in general, but is there any real evidence to support this claim? Was Eleanor England’s secret queen? In today’s video from History Calling we go back to the fifteenth century to study the Plantagenet royal family and some of the twists and turns in the famous Wars of the Roses which marred their final decades in power. We’ll look at the primary sources to examine this tale of two wives and the devastating effects it had on the life of Elizabeth Woodville and her children after the death of Edward IV in 1483. Nowhere was this devastation more keenly felt than in the fate of her sons, Edward V and Richard, Duke of York. These two children were locked up in the Tower of London by their uncle, Richard, Duke of Gloucester, who promptly claimed that their parents’ marriage was fraudulent, they were illegitimate (as were their sisters, including Princess Elizabeth of York, future Queen consort of Henry VII,) and he was therefore King. Soon afterwards, the boys (known to history as the Princes in the Tower) disappeared, never to be seen again. Was he right though? Was Richard III really King or did he seize on this piece of slander directed against his dead brother and sister-in-law in order to steal the crown from his nephew? How Richard III took the throne is one of the most infamous events in English royal history, but have his motives been unfairly maligned?
BUY MY BOOK (Find Your Irish Ancestors Online): amzn.to/3Z2ChnG
Website (with 2 FREE DOWNLOADS): historycallingofficial.com
Patreon: patreon.com/historycalling
Amazon storefront: amazon.com/shop/historycalling
Instagram: instagram.com/historycalling
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:
THE WARS OF THE ROSES PLAYLIST youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLSjVq5Qtb0EVv2DJZOZT5ZyQwSJ4o7oZ
LIFE OF CECILY NEVILLE, PART 1
youtu.be/2yRxDJKronM
LIFE OF CECILY NEVILLE, PART 2
youtu.be/V0-mbw4MyRs
LIFE OF MARGARET OF ANJOU, PART 1
youtu.be/st0BaWyYXSE
LIFE OF MARGARET OF ANJOU, PART 2
youtu.be/PP2__8Z7Fwc
LIFE OF JACQUETTA OF LUXEMBOURG
youtu.be/6S9IlEW4w8U
ELIZABETH WOODVILLE PART 1
youtu.be/3JcONIQQV_o
ELIZABETH WOODVILLE PART 2
youtu.be/btl-S3Wz5pE
LADY MARGARET BEAUFORT, PART 1
youtu.be/bLoIgu-t_Us
LADY MARGARET BEAUFORT, PART 2
youtu.be/86i3a_G7gl4
BIZARRE EXECUTION OF GEORGE, DUKE OF CLARENCE
youtu.be/QjveCvqxiRo
WAS EDWARD IV ILLEGITIMATE?
youtu.be/Z4GzFxMNVV4
WHAT HAPPENED TO EDWARD V AND RICHARD DUKE OF YORK?
youtu.be/WQ6FIe4dLTo
GEAR USED
Apple MacBook Pro Laptop (for video editing): amzn.to/3S6IoRK
DJI Drone: amzn.to/38h1vXr (UK LINK) OR amzn.to/39hROZm (US LINK)
Go-Pro Hero 10 camera: amzn.to/3EPIK9U (UK LINK) OR amzn.to/3rTWScL (US LINK)
GoPro 3-Way 2.0 (Tripod/Grip/Arm): amzn.to/37CdC1r (UK LINK) OR amzn.to/3vaVxjU (US LINK)
Memory Card: amzn.to/36QvcOQ (UK LINK) OR amzn.to/3KeLZZs (US LINK)
Microphone: amzn.to/3MFtoaK (UK LINK) OR amzn.to/3rYtjH8 (US LINK)
BUY OR RENT:
Britain’s Bloody Crown Presented by Dan Jones (2016) [Documentary covering the Wars of the Roses] amzn.to/2TPep8i
The White Queen (TV show, 2013) amzn.to/3dm7kBL (UK LINK) OR amzn.to/2VcbQO5 (US LINK)
The King in the Carpark (2013). Documentary about the discovery of Richard III’s skeleton in 2012. amzn.to/3C0loMF (UK LINK)
NB: Links above may be affiliate links. This means if you make a purchase through one of these links, I earn a small commission. It in no way affects the price you pay.
Creative Commons licenses used see creativecommons.org/licenses
Did BIGAMY get Elizabeth Woodville a crown and who was King Edward IV married to really? Rumours have abounded for centuries that Elizabeth was nothing more than England’s fake Queen because her husband was already married to Lady Eleanor Butler when he exchanged vows with the widowed Dame Elizabeth Grey in 1464. It didn’t help that they were wed in a secret marriage ceremony attended by hardly anyone, save the bride’s mother, Jacquetta of Luxembourg and this along with Elizabeth’s fairly low birth made it one of the most scandalous royal marriages in history even before accusations of bigamy emerged. If those accusations were true it would also be one of the most famous royal scandals in general, but is there any real evidence to support this claim? Was Eleanor England’s secret queen? In today’s video from History Calling we go back to the fifteenth century to study the Plantagenet royal family and some of the twists and turns in the famous Wars of the Roses which marred their final decades in power. We’ll look at the primary sources to examine this tale of two wives and the devastating effects it had on the life of Elizabeth Woodville and her children after the death of Edward IV in 1483. Nowhere was this devastation more keenly felt than in the fate of her sons, Edward V and Richard, Duke of York. These two children were locked up in the Tower of London by their uncle, Richard, Duke of Gloucester, who promptly claimed that their parents’ marriage was fraudulent, they were illegitimate (as were their sisters, including Princess Elizabeth of York, future Queen consort of Henry VII,) and he was therefore King. Soon afterwards, the boys (known to history as the Princes in the Tower) disappeared, never to be seen again. Was he right though? Was Richard III really King or did he seize on this piece of slander directed against his dead brother and sister-in-law in order to steal the crown from his nephew? How Richard III took the throne is one of the most infamous events in English royal history, but have his motives been unfairly maligned?
BUY MY BOOK (Find Your Irish Ancestors Online): amzn.to/3Z2ChnG
Website (with 2 FREE DOWNLOADS): historycallingofficial.com
Patreon: patreon.com/historycalling
Amazon storefront: amazon.com/shop/historycalling
Instagram: instagram.com/historycalling
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:
THE WARS OF THE ROSES PLAYLIST youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLSjVq5Qtb0EVv2DJZOZT5ZyQwSJ4o7oZ
LIFE OF CECILY NEVILLE, PART 1
youtu.be/2yRxDJKronM
LIFE OF CECILY NEVILLE, PART 2
youtu.be/V0-mbw4MyRs
LIFE OF MARGARET OF ANJOU, PART 1
youtu.be/st0BaWyYXSE
LIFE OF MARGARET OF ANJOU, PART 2
youtu.be/PP2__8Z7Fwc
LIFE OF JACQUETTA OF LUXEMBOURG
youtu.be/6S9IlEW4w8U
ELIZABETH WOODVILLE PART 1
youtu.be/3JcONIQQV_o
ELIZABETH WOODVILLE PART 2
youtu.be/btl-S3Wz5pE
LADY MARGARET BEAUFORT, PART 1
youtu.be/bLoIgu-t_Us
LADY MARGARET BEAUFORT, PART 2
youtu.be/86i3a_G7gl4
BIZARRE EXECUTION OF GEORGE, DUKE OF CLARENCE
youtu.be/QjveCvqxiRo
WAS EDWARD IV ILLEGITIMATE?
youtu.be/Z4GzFxMNVV4
WHAT HAPPENED TO EDWARD V AND RICHARD DUKE OF YORK?
youtu.be/WQ6FIe4dLTo
GEAR USED
Apple MacBook Pro Laptop (for video editing): amzn.to/3S6IoRK
DJI Drone: amzn.to/38h1vXr (UK LINK) OR amzn.to/39hROZm (US LINK)
Go-Pro Hero 10 camera: amzn.to/3EPIK9U (UK LINK) OR amzn.to/3rTWScL (US LINK)
GoPro 3-Way 2.0 (Tripod/Grip/Arm): amzn.to/37CdC1r (UK LINK) OR amzn.to/3vaVxjU (US LINK)
Memory Card: amzn.to/36QvcOQ (UK LINK) OR amzn.to/3KeLZZs (US LINK)
Microphone: amzn.to/3MFtoaK (UK LINK) OR amzn.to/3rYtjH8 (US LINK)
BUY OR RENT:
Britain’s Bloody Crown Presented by Dan Jones (2016) [Documentary covering the Wars of the Roses] amzn.to/2TPep8i
The White Queen (TV show, 2013) amzn.to/3dm7kBL (UK LINK) OR amzn.to/2VcbQO5 (US LINK)
The King in the Carpark (2013). Documentary about the discovery of Richard III’s skeleton in 2012. amzn.to/3C0loMF (UK LINK)
NB: Links above may be affiliate links. This means if you make a purchase through one of these links, I earn a small commission. It in no way affects the price you pay.
Creative Commons licenses used see creativecommons.org/licenses
