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Why Did Edward Iv's Death Cause A Bitter Power Struggle In 1483

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Why Did Edward Iv's Death Cause A Bitter Power Struggle In 1483
Why did Edward IV’s death cause a bitter power struggle in 1483?
Edward IV’s death caused many issues with regards to power shortly after he died because of many difficulties. This ranges from a complicated will, to the betrayal from his brother, Richard, Duke of Gloucester. Shortly before Edward IV’s death, he amended his will, and the only copy of the new will was ruined and nobody ever really knew what changes Edward IV made. Because of this, there was a bitter power struggle. This power struggle revolved around two competing factions, Woodville and Gloucester.
Firstly, because of the issues with the will, there was no direct heir to the throne, and it was either going to be Edward V on the throne or Richard of Gloucester, nonetheless Edward IV’s son Edward V had to take the throne. However, because Edward V was a minor, the two factions competed to control the country until Edward V was old enough where he could govern by himself, thus resulting in a bitter feud within the Yorkist family. This …show more content…
Richard, Duke of Gloucester always detested his brother Edward IV after his secret marriage to Elizabeth Woodville, as he was made to look a fool by him when he found out they was married. Furthermore, when society found out of this marriage, this almost put Gloucester at an advantage because in that century, the King was supposed to marry a person that would influence the Kingdom in a good way, not out of love. Nevertheless, Because of this, Gloucester revealed that it was rumoured that Edward IV was already married, when he was got married to Elizabeth Woodville. For this reason, the marriage was deemed illegitimate, thus making Edward V’s inheritance of the throne illegitimate. This was a very strong move from Gloucester, and ultimately, because of this, he gained the throne, and the power to
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