Edward IV

Edward IV is a deceased king whose contested succession shapes the history recalled in the novel. His death leaves his young son as heir; his brother Richard III first holds the throne in trust, then claims it and places Edward’s sons in the Tower of London. With the princes’ fate unknown, the resulting uncertainty helps frame the dynastic struggle from which Henry VII emerges.

Identity and Family

Edward IV is identified as the father of Elizabeth of York. After his death, she is described as the oldest surviving princess: her brothers are gone, and the uncle who died in battle is also no longer alive. Although this makes her position in the succession a subject of discussion, the account does not present her as claiming the throne for herself.

Death and the Succession Crisis

The narrative summarizes Edward’s death as occurring while he was still young and in his prime, with only a young son to inherit. His brother Richard initially acts as guardian of the throne, but then takes it for himself and places Edward’s sons, the young princes, in the Tower of London. They never reappear, and the account leaves their fate unresolved: no one knows what happened to them.

Elizabeth of York and the Tudor Settlement

Arthur recounts the commonly known version of what followed. Elizabeth and her mother and sisters take sanctuary in a church, fearing that Richard III will arrest them and that Elizabeth’s brothers have disappeared into the Tower. At her mother’s direction, Elizabeth writes to Henry VII, offering marriage if he comes to England and promising that the union will end the feud between their families. Henry raises an army, comes to find her, marries her, and brings peace to England in the story’s public account. The narrative also signals that this is only one version: Arthur refers to another story, its shadow, whose truth remains inaccessible.