Edward IV
Biography
Edward IV was a towering and charismatic figure, renowned as an excellent military commander. After his father, the Duke of York, was killed in battle, young Edward took up the Yorkist cause. He decisively defeated the Lancastrian forces at the brutal Battle of Towton in 1461, successfully deposing Henry VI and claiming the throne.
Though a capable king, his reign was interrupted when he secretly married Elizabeth Woodville, a commoner, infuriating his greatest ally, the Earl of Warwick. Warwick's subsequent rebellion temporarily forced Edward into exile, but he quickly returned, crushing his enemies at the Battles of Barnet and Tewkesbury.
His second period of rule was relatively peaceful and prosperous, but his sudden death at age 40 plunged the realm back into crisis, leading to the usurpation of the throne by his brother, Richard III, and the mysterious disappearance of his two young sons.