Editing Edward IV (section)

==Aftermath==
Edward IV's eldest son, also named Edward, was made [[Prince of Wales]] when he was seven months old and given his own household at the age of three. Based in [[Ludlow Castle]], he was supervised by his uncle, Anthony Woodville, 2nd Earl Rivers, who also acted as his regent for the [[Council of Wales and the Marches]].{{Sfn|Parry|1851|p=11}} The historical consensus is he and his brother Richard were killed, probably between July and September 1483; debate on who gave the orders, and why, continues, although their uncle Richard III was the beneficiary.{{Sfn|Penn|2019|p=497}}

By mid-August, Elizabeth Woodville was certain of the deaths of her sons; after her initial grief turned to fury, she opened secret talks with Margaret Beaufort. She promised her support in return for Henry's agreement to marry her eldest daughter Elizabeth.{{Sfn|Penn|2019|pp=504–505}} In December 1483, Henry swore an oath to do so, which he duly carried out after his coronation in October 1485.{{Sfn|Williams|1973|p=25}}

Prior to his succession, Richard III declared his nephews illegitimate, on the grounds his brother's marriage to Elizabeth Woodville was invalid.{{Sfn|Penn|2019|pp=504–505}} The ''Titulus Regius'' argued that the alleged pre-contract of marriage between Edward IV and Lady Eleanor Talbot rendered his marriage to Elizabeth Woodville void.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Horrox |first=Rosemary |url=https://www.worldcat.org/title/on1180238601 |title=Richard III: a failed king? |date=2020 |publisher=Allen Lane |isbn=978-0-14-197893-2 |series=Penguin monarchs |location=London |pages=38 |oclc=on1180238601}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Pollard |first=A.J. |title=Richard III and the Princes in the Tower |publisher=Alan Sutton Publishing |year=1991 |edition=2015 Endeavour Press Ltd |pages=78 |asin=B00SBBRGIE}}</ref> Both Eleanor and Edward were dead, but according to [[Philippe de Commines]], Robert Stillington, Bishop of Bath and Wells, claimed to have carried out the ceremony himself.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Horspool |first=David |title=Richard III: a ruler and his reputation |date=2017 |publisher=Bloomsbury |isbn=978-1-4729-4619-5 |location=London |pages=162}}</ref> Once secure on the throne, Henry VII annulled the ''Titulus Regius'' and arrested Stillington, who died in prison in 1491.{{Sfn|Crawford|2008|p=130}}

Despite this apparent resolution, the Yorkist cause continued well into the 16th century. The most famous are the pretenders [[Lambert Simnel]] and [[Perkin Warbeck]], but Yorkist challengers remained a concern for Henry VII and his son.