John Woodville

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sir John Woodville (also Sir John Wydeville , * around 1445 in Grafton Regis , † August 12, 1469 near Coventry ) was an English nobleman.

Life

He was the son of Sir Richard Woodville , later 1st  Earl Rivers , and his wife Jacquetta of Luxembourg .

He was the younger brother of Anthony Woodville , later 2nd Earl Rivers, and Elizabeth Woodville , who had been Queen of England as Edward IV's wife since 1464 .

In the years that followed, Elisabeth consistently provided her family with key positions and sources of income. He was made Knight of the Bath on May 26, 1465 and in the same year a political wedding with Katherine Neville was arranged for the 20-year-old John , which was also considered scandalous at the time. Katherine Neville was a three-time widow, almost three times the age of the bridegroom by the age of 70, but she owned substantial estates and lands that came under the influence of the queen's family.

The Woodvilles' house policy brought them into a natural contrast with Katherine Neville's nephew Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick , one of Edward IV's closest advisers. The marriage between the king and Elizabeth had already been concluded without his knowledge, while he was a French marriage negotiated for Edward IV, and now he saw his influence waning in favor of the Woodville family, so that in 1469, together with a younger brother of the king, George, Duke of Clarence , he planned and carried out a coup d'état. When Edward IV was on the move in northern England because of a minor uprising, Warwick declared himself in favor of the rebels. While Eduard had to remain motionless in the face of larger enemy troops than expected, Warwick intercepted a royal relief army with John on July 26 at Edgecote Moor . The royal army was wiped out and John and his father were captured. When the king was arrested at Olney , John and his father were charged with abuse of power and eventually executed.

Web link

Individual evidence

  1. ^ William Arthur Shaw: The Knights of England. Volume 1, Sherratt and Hughes, London 1906, p. 134.
personal data
SURNAME Woodville, John
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Woodville, Johann; Wydeville, Johann
BRIEF DESCRIPTION English nobleman
DATE OF BIRTH around 1445
PLACE OF BIRTH Grafton Regis
DATE OF DEATH August 12, 1469
Place of death at Coventry