When Edward IV King of England was born on 28 April 1442, in Rouen, Seine-Maritime, Upper Normandy, France, his father, Richard of York, 3rd Duke of York, was 30 and his mother, Cecily Neville, Duchess of York, was 26. He married Elizabeth Woodville Queen of England on 1 May 1464, in Grafton Regis, Northamptonshire, England. They were the parents of at least 3 sons and 7 daughters. He registered for military service in 1461. He died on 9 April 1483, in Tower of London, Middlesex, England, at the age of 40, and was buried in St George's Chapel, Windsor, Berkshire, England.
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Wars of the Roses was a series of English civil wars for control of the throne of England between the royal families House of Lancaster and the House of York. The name of the war was derived as the red rose was the symbol of the Lancastrians and the white rose was the symbol of the Yorks.
From an Old English personal name derived from ēad ‘prosperity, riches’ + weard ‘guard’. This has been one of the most successful of all Old English names, in frequent use from before the Conquest to the present day, and even being exported into other European languages. It was the name of three Anglo-Saxon kings and has been borne by eight kings of England since the Norman Conquest. It is also the name of the youngest son of Queen Elizabeth II . The most influential early bearer was King Edward the Confessor ( ?1002–66 ; ruled 1042–66 ). In a troubled period of English history, he contrived to rule fairly and (for a time at any rate) firmly. But in the latter part of his reign he paid more attention to his religion than to his kingdom. He died childless, and his death sparked off conflicting claims to his throne, which were resolved by the victory of William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings. His memory was honoured by Normans and English alike, for his fairness and his piety. Edward's mother was Norman; he had spent part of his youth in Normandy; and William claimed to have been nominated by Edward as his successor. Edward was canonized in the 12th century, and came to be venerated throughout Europe as a model of a Christian king.
Dictionary of First Names © Patrick Hanks and Flavia Hodges 1990, 2003, 2006.
Possible Related NamesMysteries & Secrets - King Edward IV [- Mysterious Disappearance -] 0n April 9,1483, King Edward IV of England died suddenly just short of his 41 st birthday. His older son and heir was only 12, and …
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