Edward IV
Edward IV (1442–83) King of England (1461–70, 1471–83). On the death (1460) of his father, Richard, Duke of York, in the Wars of the Roses, Edward became the Yorkist candidate for the throne. He became king after the defeat of the Lancastrians at Towton. When the powerful Earl of Warwick changed sides, Edward was forced into exile, but returned to defeat Warwick at Barnet (1471). Edward accepted a subsidy to withdraw from a French campaign, encouraged trade, restored order, and enforced royal absolutism. He died leaving two young sons, ‘the Princes in the Tower’, but the throne was usurped by his brother, Richard III.
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Edward IV
