Editing Edward IV (section)

===Illness and death===
Edward's health began to fail, and he became subject to an increasing number of ailments; his physicians attributed this in part to a habitual use of [[emetics]], which allowed him to gorge himself at meals, then return after vomiting to start again.{{Sfn|Penn|2019|p=431}} He fell fatally ill at Easter 1483, but survived long enough to add codicils to his will, the most important naming his brother as Protector after his death. He died on 9 April 1483 and was buried in [[St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle]]. His twelve-year-old son, [[Edward V]], was never crowned, Gloucester becoming King [[Richard III]] in July.{{Sfn|Penn|2019|p=494}}

The cause of Edward's death is uncertain; allegations of poison were common in an era when lack of medical knowledge meant death often had no obvious explanation. Other suggestions include [[pneumonia]] or [[malaria]], although both were well-known and easy to describe. One contemporary attributed it to [[apoplexy]] brought on by excess, which fits with what is known of his physical habits.{{Sfn|Ross|1974|pp=414–415}} Another theory is that Edward died of syphilis.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Salmon |first1=Marylynn |chapter=Deciphering Two Opaque Sources on the Death of King Edward IV of England. |title=Medieval Syphilis and Treponemal Disease |pages=23–52 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv2z0vvkm |publisher=Arc Humanities Press |year=2022 |doi=10.2307/j.ctv2z0vvkm |jstor=j.ctv2z0vvkm |isbn=978-1-80270-048-0 |access-date=4 August 2023}}</ref>

While the War of the Roses has been documented by numerous historians, Edward as an individual is less well known; 19th century historians like [[William Stubbs]] generally dismissed him as a bloodthirsty nonentity. The most comprehensive modern biography was written by [[Charles Ross (historian)|Charles Ross]] in 1974, who concluded the peace and stability of his later reign was squandered in short-term aggrandisement.{{Sfn|Ross|1974}} He further suggests that Edward "remains the only king in English history since 1066 in active possession of his throne who failed to secure the safe succession of his son. His lack of political foresight is largely to blame for the unhappy aftermath of his early death."{{Sfn|Ross|1974|p=451}}