Elizabeth Woodville was the protagonist of The White Queen as well as one of the main characters in several of the other Cousin's War novels. She was the oldest daughter and child of Richard and Jacquetta Woodville, the Queen Consort of Edward IV, and the mother of the Princes in the Tower and Elizabeth of York.
Elizabeth and her family were loyal to the House of Lancaster until her marriage to Edward IV, the heir of the House of York. Her previous loyalties and commoner status made her an unpopular consort, and she quickly gained enemies, especially in Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, and George, Duke of Clarence.
Despite her lack of popularity, Elizabeth still gave her all to the House of York: she was a faithful loving wife to her husband, an attentive devoted mother to all her children, and overall a strong, shrewd, and courageous Queen. She was also famed as the most beautiful Queen that England had ever seen, and was rumored by some - especially her enemies - to be a real witch with genuine supernatural powers. While she herself never verified these rumors to others, Elizabeth did possess magical powers due to her being a descendant of the Water Goddess Melusina, and she practiced these abilities in secret to aid herself and her family.
In the BBC television series adaptation of The White Queen, she is portrayed by Rebecca Ferguson.
The White Queen[]
After being widowed and losing her lands, Elizabeth decides to appeal to the new York king, Edward IV, to help her. Edward agrees to assist her in getting her lands back, but the pair are also strongly attracted to each other upon sight and eventually fall in love. Even though Elizabeth is a widow, a commoner, and belongs to a family originally loyal to Lancaster, Edward decides to marry her. Feeling that he cannot live without her and vice versa. The pair marry in secret, with only a priest, choir boy, a lady-in-waiting and Elizabeth's mother in attendance.
Elizabeth's brother Anthony is convinced that Edward tricked Elizabeth into a fake marriage just so he could sleep with her. Elizabeth refuses to believe this and despite underlying doubts, she is certain that Edward will be faithful to her. This is later proved true, as Edward announces that he has married Elizabeth and has her brought to court, where she is crowned Queen of England. Although Elizabeth is happy in her new marriage, her sudden rise to greatness earns her many enemies, including Duchess Cecily, her new mother-in-law, and Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, Edward's adviser. Some even whisper that she used witchcraft to make the king fall in love with her, though she pays little attention to these rumors. Elizabeth does her best to make her family powerful and wealthy, to protect them, and supports Edward in all that he does. She also bears him several daughters, the eldest of whom, named Elizabeth after her, she believes has the Sight.
Eventually, though, war breaks out again. Elizabeth is forced to flee into sanctuary at Westminster Abbey on a number of occasions, and actually gives birth to Edward's first son, Edward V, there. Elizabeth is devastated when she learns her father and brother John have been captured and beheaded on Warwick's orders, without trial. As a result, she places a curse on Warwick and George Duke of Clarence, whom she also holds responsible, praying to Melusina that they shall die and thus pay for the deaths of her family. Elizabeth also uses magic to 'make' a storm at sea to prevent Warwick's ships from escaping to Calais; this inadvertently results in his daughter, Isabel, suffering a miscarriage, for which Elizabeth feels guilty. Elizabeth bears Edward yet more children and encourages him to execute George after he is found to have plotting against his brother - George also accused Elizabeth of murdering his wife Isabel, and executed a servant woman whom Elizabeth had placed in George's household as a spy. However, she was innocent of playing any part in Isabel's death.
After Edward dies, Elizabeth's brother-in-law Richard Duke of Gloucester seizes the throne; he declares that Elizabeth's marriage to Edward was not legal - therefore, their sons are bastards and cannot inherit the throne, and Elizabeth is stripped of her title. Elizabeth goes into sanctuary and plots to protect her children and reclaim their inheritance. She is forced to send her sons with Edward, Edward and Richard, as hostages. Not trusting Richard, Elizabeth secretly sends a pageboy disguised as Richard in his place and sends the real Richard to a safehouse overseas. The boys later disappear and Elizabeth fears that Edward has been killed. She allies herself with Margaret Beaufort to fight King Richard, believing that he is responsible for her son's death; she also puts a curse on Richard that causes his sword arm to weaken. When Elizabeth learns from Richard that he didn't kill her son, she is unsure of what to believe. She and her daughter Elizabeth place a curse on whomever is responsible, that they and their first-born son and grandson should all die, leaving only girls to inherit (as it is implied that Margaret and her son Henry Tudor are responsible for Edward V's murder, this foreshadows the events of the Tudor Court novels, in which Henry's firstborn Arthur dies young from illness, Henry VIII's first son dies in infancy and his only living son dies without children, leaving only his daughters, Mary and Elizabeth).
The novel ends with Elizabeth hoping that Henry Tudor will be killed at the Battle of Bosworth and that she can bring Richard safely home and reclaim the throne for him.
The Red Queen[]
The Lady of The Rivers[]
Jacquetta takes a special mixture of herbs in order to conceive Elizabeth, her first child, resulting in her marrying her lover Richard. Jacquetta is certain that Elizabeth has inherited her gift of Sight and other powers from their water goddess ancestor, Melusina. Jacquetta teaches Elizabeth all that she knows about magic. Elizabeth later falls in love with Sir John Grey and marries him, becoming lady of Groby Hall. Jacquetta, however, 'Sees' that their relationship will have no future, but does not tell Elizabeth this. Elizabeth gives birth to two sons, Richard and Thomas. Her husband fights for the House of Lancaster in the Cousin's War. Unfortunately, John is killed during the battle of St Albans. Elizabeth's mother-in-law refuses to give her her dowry lands, forcing a now penniless Elizabeth and her sons to move in with her parents and live off their charity. Jacquetta, however, predicts that Elizabeth has a great destiny ahead of her yet.
The Kingmaker's Daughter[]
In the Kingmaker's Daughter, Elizabeth is a endless source of admiration, disdain and mistrust for the Neville Daughters. The novel opens in May 1465 as the Neville family arrive at the Tower of London to pay homage to the new queen consort Elizabeth Woodville. Edward’s choice in bride is met with disapproval by Warwick and as a wife and two daughters; Anne and Isabel. When presented to the new queen, Young Anne is mesmerized by her beauty and her open adoration for the queen is a source of embarrassment for her mother and sister who dislike Elizabeth immensely. Warwick and Duchess Cecily are notably absent and in their absence Jacquetta Woodville presides over the proceedings. Later that evening as they prepare for bed, Anne praises Elizabeth’s beauty while Isabel haughtily criticizes Elizabeth’s conduct and says if that she were queen she would be “a true Queen, a Queen of ice”. The girls make a game of playing “Queen of England” until a fight breaks out between the two and they are put to bed to get rest for Elizabeth’s coronation in the morning. By July, Anne and Isabel Neville are asked to join the Queen's household; an honor which Warwick turns down due to his enmity of Elizabeth.
Over the next two years, Elizabeth encroaches on Warwick’s influence over Edward and drives a wedge between the two cousins. Anne and Isabel are equally dismayed that the Woodville daughters are married to wealthy noblemen and this diminishes their own marriage prospects. Warwick intends for his daughters to marry the royal dukes, Richard and George, but Elizabeth is against the marriages for they would make the ambitious Warwick over mighty. This forces Warwick to marry Isabel to George without the king's permission and further the hostility between Edward and Warwick.
After the wedding, Warwick decides to go to war against Edward to rid England of the Woodvilles. Warwick is swift in his revolt against Edward: executing Elizabeth’s father and brother, placing her mother on trial for witchcraft and imprisoning Edward himself. Elizabeth goes into sanctuary while the Nevilles revel in their triumph over Elizabeth. Isabel alone is the only one that worries about there being multiple queen's in England. Her caution is warranted for Warwick restores Edward and so Elizabeth. The Nevilles are brought to court to show their loyalty to the restored queen Elizabeth. Anne and Isabel are apprehensive of approaching Elizabeth, who coldly regards them, and Jacquetta who is openly hostile swearing her enmity and blows a whistle that snuffs out a candle by Isabel’s side. Despite their treason and imprisonment of the king, the Nevilles must play the part of loyal subjects and take great pains to involve themselves at court with Isabel and Anne being invited into the queen’s household as ladies-in-waiting. While their appointment was a gracious gesture from Edward the girls are frightened by prospect of serving Elizabeth. Elizabeth’s treatment of the girls is intolerable for she openly ignores them. However Anne never faults Elizabeth for this for she is ashamed and knows that her family acting in the wrong. Anne’s unhappiness manifests into sickness and her mother informs her to stop complaining as they all are suffering because of Warwick’s miscalculated gamble. Anne hopes that they all will be happier when they leave court for Isabel’s confinement however upon arrival at Warwick castle they quickly discover that Warwick is planning to place George on the English throne. Warwick's plan fails and they must flee to Calais to spare their lives and regroup. The family make their way to Devon and are pleased to see that the weather is fair and the sea is calm which will aid their escape. However as they board the ship they see at Warwick’s horse, midnight, is nervous and Isabel herself is increasingly fearful and refusing to board the ship until Warwick sternly forces her. By nightfall a storm (implied to have been sent by Elizabeth Woodville) is gathering as Isabel goes into labor. The storm intensifies as Isabel’s labor becomes increasingly difficult and they are refused entry into Calais on the grounds that Calais has stayed loyal to York and not to Warwick. With no alternative and no means to fetch a doctor; Anne with her slender hands must reposition Isabel’s baby and deliver it. Isabel gives birth but to a stillborn son.
Miraculously the ship survives the storm and the family sail to Paris. Their mother removed the dead baby and they believe that it was tossed overboard. George is displeased with the news about the baby (particularly as Elizabeth is pregnant again) while Isabel firmly believes that her child would have lived had it not been for Elizabeth’s curse.
The White Princess[]
It is at Elizabeth's behest that Princess Lizzie and all the remaining royal York children are brought to London after the decisive battle of Bosworth. Elizabeth urges Lizzie to forget about her relationship with Richard and to focus on her future as the new king's intended bride. She delights at being reunited with her children though coolly deflects Cecily's comments about Henry rejecting Lizzie and her relationship with Richard. When Cecily is dismissed, Elizabeth informs Lizzie that Lady Margaret all but rules the court and they must endure her until Lizzie is crowned Queen.
The Yorks wait for invitation or visit from King Henry yet he pointedly holds court without them. Henry's invasion of England brought a mysterious new disease, the Sweating Sickness, that ravages England and delays Henry's coronation. Lizzie questions her mother on whether or nor the sickness was wrought by her powers which amuses Elizabeth. During the moment of intimacy, Elizabeth confirms that Prince Richard is safe but will say no more.
The White Queen (TV series)[]
Elizabeth was married to Sir John Grey, who died at the Second Battle of St Albans in 1461 fighting for the Lancastrian king, Henry VI. Elizabeth's father, Baron Rivers, also supported the House of Lancaster. Her mother Jacquetta was a relation to both Henry VI and his wife Margaret of Anjou.
One morning Elizabeth begged the new York king, Edward IV, for mercy and to have her late husband's land returned to her and her two sons. Edward – who had a reputation as a bit of a playboy – fell for her instantly.
Edward wanted Elizabeth to be his mistress, but she refused. She even put a knife to her own neck to ward off his advances. Edward went to battle and Elizabeth missed him terribly. When he returned he asked her to marry her and she agreed.
They had a secret wedding, and Edward announced their marriage to a shocked court and a furious Warwick.
When Warwick convinced George to fight for his brother's crown, the country was at war again. Elizabeth's father and brothers fought for the King and were executed by Warwick.
Elizabeth and her mother were heartbroken and vengeful. Jacquetta, who dabbled in witchcraft, helped Elizabeth curse Warwick and George.
Warwick was killed in battle when he tried to dethrone Edward again - this time with the support of the Lancastrian queen - he was killed in battle and Elizabeth's curse was almost fulfilled.
Peace was restored to England once more but George became frustrated and tried to cause trouble yet again - by accusing Elizabeth of cursing him and murdering his wife Isabel. He was tried for treason and found guilty.
Elizabeth regretted her decision to curse George - even though he executed her father - and merely wished for peace. However Edward could not appear weak and George chose to be executed by being drowned by Malmsey Wine - which was Elizabeth's favorite.
Personality[]
Elizabeth was shown to be a complex character. In The Lady of the Rivers, she was portrayed as a sweet, serene, and tactful young woman who was passionately devoted to her family, and harboured bright hopes for the future. Her deep intelligence and innate curiosity led her to secretly study the arts of magic and clairvoyance under her mother's guidance, though she is far more cautious about such things than her mother. She seemed to care little for power or wealth, and her greatest wish was for her family - especially her children - to be safe and secure.
In The White Queen, as a widowed mother of two sons, Elizabeth had grown wiser, more worldly, but also far more cynical, once describing herself as "far beyond loyalty to anyone" but her sons and herself. Though she still shared an exceptionally intimate relationship with her mother, she now expressed doubts in her mother's wisdom as well as in the magic of their goddess-ancestress, Melusina - something that she never would have done during her childhood and teenage years. She also demonstrated a rebellious streak that the then-patriarchal society would frown upon in a woman - declaring that she had loyalties and obligations that were "not at the beck and call of any man".
In the midst of this, however, Elizabeth still occasionally followed her heart instead of her head, as shown by her marrying Edward IV for love, and the fact that she had become Queen of England only occurred to her after they were wed.
Later in the novels, however, she becomes more fixated on reclaiming her children's "rightful" inheritance after it is stolen from them by Richard III. Elizabeth becomes less carefree after her brother and father are killed, showing a colder and more vengeful side. Elizabeth vows to bring down those who have harmed or threatened her loved ones, showing little remorse for it. However, she is shown to be disturbed or remorseful for some of her other morally questionable actions, such as supposedly creating a storm that inadvertently contributes to Isabel Neville's miscarriage, or standing by whilst her husband and brothers-in-law murder Henry VI.
Relationships[]
John Grey of Groby[]
Sir John Grey of Groby was Elizabeth's first husband, and as revealed in The Lady of the Rivers, their marriage was simultaneously a political alliance yet true love match that Jacquetta foresaw and arranged. Apparently, when Jacquetta sent Elizabeth to be trained by Lady Elizabeth Ferrers (John Grey's mother) on how to be a true lady of a vast estate, her other motive was her confidence that John would eventually fall in love with Elizabeth. Elizabeth herself was charmed by the handsome, kind-hearted, and well-mannered John, to the extent where she felt shy and foolish around him. Later on, on her mother's advice, she plucked an apple from the prettiest apple tree in his orchard, and gave him half to eat with honey, while she kept the other half for herself.
Just as Jacquetta foresaw, John and Elizabeth were eventually happily married, and even came to have two sons. Unfortunately, John was later killed during the Second Battle of St Albans, leaving Elizabeth widowed. Though she was truly devastated by his death, she still managed to bear her loss with dignity.
Edward IV of England[]
Elizabeth Woodville was the wife of King Edward. It is shown that she does truly love her husband the king, and that they both have a real desire for each other. She dislikes his whoring tendencies, but puts up with it.
Physical Appearance[]
"...hear the crowd murmur that I am a beauty beyond their imaginings."
"...You have that gift, which our mother had, of growing older and becoming more lovely. Your features have changed from being merely those of a pretty girl to being those of a beautiful woman with a face like a carving..."
Elizabeth was famed as and acknowledged to be the most beautiful woman England had ever seen: tall and voluptuous, with a thick silky mane of long silver-blond hair, striking deep grey eyes, clear pearlescent skin, an angelic smile, and perfectly regular features that made "statues look stodgy" and "painted Madonnas look coarse" in comparison. It was said that only her mother, Jacquetta, was able to match her for looks when she had been in her prime, and even Elizabeth's bitterest enemies (such as Margaret Beaufort) could not dispute her beauty and grace.
As Elizabeth aged, her ravishing beauty not only remained apparent, but also seemed to be enhanced by time - her brother, Anthony, commented that her loveliness actually increased with her age. Her daughter, Elizabeth of York, also once observed that even with blond hair streaked with grey, her mother was still "as beautiful as a timeless Angel".
Powers and Abilities[]
"I don't claim to be a witch," I say quietly, "But I have Melusina's inheritance. I am her heir. You know what I mean: I have her gift, just as Mother did. Just as my daughter Elizabeth has. The world sings to me and I hear the song. Things come to me; my wishes come true. Dreams speak to me. I see signs and portents. And sometimes I know what will happen in the future. I have the Sight."
As a descendant of the Water Goddess Melusina, Elizabeth possessed supernatural powers and arcane knowledge that had been honed by her mother's training and her own practice.
Examples of powers Elizabeth possessed are:
- Magic: As shown in The Lady of the Rivers, when she was only fourteen-years-old, Elizabeth was secretly trained by her mother, Jacquetta, in the art of manipulating supernatural or mystical energy to alter the fabric of reality and defy the laws of nature. Though Elizabeth never claimed to be a true witch like many of her enemies were quick to accuse her of being, she still emerged as a potent, if sometimes ineffective, practitioner of the mystic arts with time. Examples of abilities she derived from her magic are:
- Wishing/Reality Warping: Elizabeth had the ability to manipulate reality itself so that her wishes would come true, but she had to "put aside favour and indulgence" and be "pure in heart" in order to effectively use this ability.
- Cursing: Elizabeth had the ability to cast spells or magical enchantments that were designed to cause negative effects to occur. Despite her mother's wishes and warnings, the ability of cursing became one of Elizabeth's most commonly-employed powers due to her numerous enemies, her familial losses, and her frequent changes in fortunes. She was shown to use this ability in a variety of ways - causing Warwick and George to die shameful deaths, striking Richard down with a painful weakness in his sword arm and chest, and even - unintentionally, perhaps - bringing about the end of the Tudor line by causing it to ultimately produce only infertile daughters. Her curses were shown to be always ruthlessly effective on her intended victims, but they also had a tendency to spiral out of control and include other innocents in their negative impacts, and once they had been cast, they are irrevocable even by her own descendants.
- Divination: Elizabeth was skillful in the practice of predicting the future, having been secretly trained by her mother in the art of reading tarot cards. Another ability she derived from this province is:
- Divine Communication: Elizabeth had the ability to communicate with her ancestress, the Goddess Melusina, through rivers to either find answers to her questions or to appeal for supernatural help in pressing matters. While she initially appeared to have to use her mother's charm bracelet to utilise this ability, it was gradually revealed that she did not need to - all she had to do would be to write her "petition" on a piece of paper, fold it into a little boat, and set it flowing on any river that was nearby, which would lead it directly into Melusina's supernatural kingdom to be read and granted accordingly.
- Premonition: Elizabeth had the ability to see and experience events from the past, present, and future, which manifested itself in the form of dreams, or visions, or omens, or even a sensation of foreboding. Like her mother, she referred these supernatural glimpses as "Seeings".
- Atmokinesis: Elizabeth had the ability to control and manipulate the weather to various effects. This was also one of Elizabeth's most commonly-employed powers, and arguably the strongest offensive magical ability she possessed. She was shown to have used it to whistle up winds, breathe out heavy mists, and even conjure up terrible storms.
- Knowledge of Plants and the Otherworld: Elizabeth knew "the properties of a hundred plants and how to call the venom out of them", and was even knowledgeable in herbs that she would not find in a noblewoman's still room. She also knew how to utilize the forces of nature to find specific answers to certain questions, such as using a peeled wand to find water in underground springs, and her own wedding ring to determine the sex of her unborn child by watching the direction of its swing.
- Hypnosis/Persuasion: Elizabeth had the ability to affect or directly influence other people's minds to her commands. She used this power to dramatically reduce her daughter's childbirth pains and ensure that she made a safe successful delivery - looking at her daughter directly in the eye, holding her hands in hers, and speaking words of encouragement and love to her in a soothing whispering voice. Her daughter once reflected this magical effect as "it was almost as if the pains floated away on her words".
Historical Figure[]
Elizabeth Woodville was born in about 1437 at Grafton Manor, as the oldest child of Richard and Jacquetta Woodville. Despite the scandal of Jacquetta's marriage to a man of unequal rank, she continued to serve Margaret of Anjou as her chief lady-in-waiting, and it was possible that Elizabeth had been present at the Lancastrian court.
In 1452, Elizabeth married Sir John Grey, and had two sons: Thomas and Richard Grey. However, when John died at the Second Battle of St Albans in 1461, Elizabeth lost her lands and her children's inheritance.
In May 1464, Elizabeth married the York King of England, Edward IV, in secret, but it was revealed at a Privy Council meeting during which marriage negotiations for the King were discussed. The revelation of this marriage caused a rift between Edward and Warwick, and set in stone a mutual dislike between Elizabeth and Warwick as well. Elizabeth was officially crowned as the Queen of England on the 26th of May, 1465. With her coronation, the Woodville family was highly elevated, and sought ambitious marriages and titles, leading to the family being hated by many at court. In particular, Warwick and George Clarence disliked the Woodville family's growing influence so much that they revolted twice before fleeing to France to ally with Margaret of Anjou.
Warwick later returned to England with an army to restore Henry VI, which resulted in Edward fleeing to exile, and Elizabeth and her children seeking sanctuary. During her time in sanctuary, she gave birth to a son, Edward, and remained in Sanctuary until Warwick was killed in battle and Edward was restored to the throne in 1471.
Despite Edward's infidelities, he and Elizabeth were known to have a happy marriage that produced a total of ten children, which included Richard of Shrewsbury (the 1st Duke of York) and Elizabeth of York.
Elizabeth Woodville's portrait by unknown
In 1483, Elizabeth's fortunes changed again with Edward's death: her young son, Edward, became King Edward V of England, with Duke Richard of Gloucester (his uncle) acting as Lord Protector, and Elizabeth became Queen Dowager. However, Elizabeth distrusted Gloucester and took her children back into sanctuary. Shortly after, Gloucester took both of Elizabeth's sons and placed them in the Tower of London, where they mysteriously disappeared.
During this time, William Hastings was executed along with a few of Elizabeth's male relatives, for treason and apparently conspiring with Elizabeth. Gloucester was crowned on 25 June 1483 and one of the first acts he passed denounced Elizabeth and Edward's marriage as unlawful and their children disinherited and bastards. Elizabeth was stripped of her titles and was referred to as Dame Elizabeth Grey.
Elizabeth was not contented to be disregarded and made several plans to restore her son to the throne and overthrow Gloucester. When rumours of her son's death reached her, Elizabeth changed her plans and arranged the marriage between her eldest daughter Elizabeth and Henry Tudor the Lancastrian heir. During this time Elizabeth conspired closely with Margaret Beaufort. However on 1 March 1484, Elizabeth and her daughters came out of sanctuary after Gloucester publicly swore an oath not to harm any of them. The Woodvilles returned returned to court and outwardly reconciled with Gloucester. After the death of Gloucester's wife, Anne Neville, in March 1485, rumours arose that the King was going to marry his beautiful and young niece Elizabeth of York. Gloucester issued a denial and it is not known what Elizabeth thought of these rumours.
King Edward IV and His Queen, Elizabeth Woodville at Reading Abbey, 1464 by Ernest BoardIn 1485, Henry Tudor invaded England and defeated Gloucester at the Battle of Bosworth Field. As King, Henry VII married Elizabeth of York and had the Titulus Regius revoked. Elizabeth Woodville was accorded the title and honours of a queen dowager. However it was made clear that Elizabeth was not welcome at court and Elizabeth spent the last five years of her life living at Bermondsey Abbey. At Bermondsey Abbey, Elizabeth was treated with all the respect due to a queen dowager, lived a regal life. She also attended royal events and births. Henry VII briefly contemplated marrying his mother-in-law off to King James III of Scotland but James died before anything was arranged.
Elizabeth Woodville died at Bermondsey Abbey on 8 June 1492. Elizabeth Woodville's will specified a simple ceremony and surviving accounts of her funeral suggest that at least one source "clearly felt that a queen's funeral should have been more splendid" and may have objected that "Henry VII had not seen fit to arrange a more queenly funeral for his mother-in-law", despite the fact that the simplicity was the queen dowager's own wish. Elizabeth was laid to rest in the same chantry as her husband King Edward IV in St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle.
Trivia[]
Images[]
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