Why Did Edward Iv Lose the Throne in 1470, Yet Regain It in 1471?
- Submitted by: meganlouiseh
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- Category: History
- Date Submitted: 03/13/2011 12:42 PM
- Pages: 13
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There are many factors that contribute to Edward's loss of the throne in 1470, including his foreign policy, as Edward failed to secure alliance with Louis XII and France, failure to deal with problems in the North of England, his inability to see that nobles were turning against him and the fact that he didn't want to believe those such as Percy and Somerset were moving against him and his financial policies, though mostly effective were based on loans showing that Edward was unable to be a great monarch during his first reign, yet I believe that the most important factor that contributes to the loss of the throne for Edward was his broken alliance with the Earl of Warwick and it was also the decreasing power of Warwick that enabled Edward to restore the throne in 1471.
Edward’s relationship with the Earl of Warwick is a major factor when considering the loss of Edward’s throne. Warwick was the most influential and the largest landowner in the Kingdom after the death of his father at Wakefield in 1460, Warwick posed as a threat, as he could easily gain power over the king. Problems between Edward and Warwick began when Edward secretly married Elizabeth Woodville, destroying Warwick’s plans for Edward to marry a French Princess to acclaim a marriage alliance. The news that Edward had married a commoner spited Warwick as it was now evident that the King wasn’t listening to Warwick, he became increasingly worried. He had seemed to be incredibly influential during Henry VI’s reign as he had been able to excel the interests of York. Edward was unable to successfully take action at this early stage and was unable to see the frustration of Warwick and the dangers this would lead to. This would later cost Edward the throne.
The dealing with nobles such as Warwick can be used to show how ineffective Edward IV was during his first reign. Edward IV had to try and think of a way to suppress nobles’ power due to the corruption and problems caused by them during the time...
Edward’s relationship with the Earl of Warwick is a major factor when considering the loss of Edward’s throne. Warwick was the most influential and the largest landowner in the Kingdom after the death of his father at Wakefield in 1460, Warwick posed as a threat, as he could easily gain power over the king. Problems between Edward and Warwick began when Edward secretly married Elizabeth Woodville, destroying Warwick’s plans for Edward to marry a French Princess to acclaim a marriage alliance. The news that Edward had married a commoner spited Warwick as it was now evident that the King wasn’t listening to Warwick, he became increasingly worried. He had seemed to be incredibly influential during Henry VI’s reign as he had been able to excel the interests of York. Edward was unable to successfully take action at this early stage and was unable to see the frustration of Warwick and the dangers this would lead to. This would later cost Edward the throne.
The dealing with nobles such as Warwick can be used to show how ineffective Edward IV was during his first reign. Edward IV had to try and think of a way to suppress nobles’ power due to the corruption and problems caused by them during the time...