Edward IV

King Edward IV (1442-1483) was the King of England from 1461 to 1470 and from 1471 to 1483 after a brief interruption from former King Henry VI. Edward came from the Plantagenet line, which had a strong claim to the English Throne. His father, Richard Plantagenet asserted his claim to the crown in 1460 which lead to the Wars of the Roses. Through an alliance with the Earl of Warwick, Richard Neville, Edward IV was able to rout the opposing Lancastrian army and block Henry VI and his wife Margaret of Anjou from power. After ten years, Edward's alliance with Warwick fell apart and he had to resist another coup, this time from Warwick and his brother Clarence. After a year he successfully repelled them.

In the early years of his Kingship, Edward was highly regarded as an intelligent, witty, and talented man. He was a fair ruler and was admired for...