Heathcock Genealogy Database - Person Sheet
Heathcock Genealogy Database - Person Sheet
NameRichard Woodville 1st Earl Rivers 
3150
3150Birth1405
Death12 Aug 1469, Beheaded at Kenilworth, England Age: 64
Notes for Richard Woodville 1st Earl Rivers
Richard Woodville (or Wydeville), 1st Earl Rivers, KG (1405 – 12 August 1469) was an English nobleman, best remembered as the father of Elizabeth Woodville, wife of Edward IV.
Born at Maidstone in Kent, he was the son of another Richard Wydeville, chamberlain to the Duke of Bedford. After the duke died, the younger Richard married the widowed duchess, Jacquetta of Luxembourg (1416–1472). This was initially a secret marriage, for which the couple were fined when it came to public notice.
Originally a mere squire from Grafton, Richard was considered "the handsomest man in England" and rose to become the squire of Henry V. At the Battle of Agincourt, he kept the king's lucky totem of a squirrel's tail tied to a lance "always within sight of the king" during the fighting, and was knighted afterwards. However, according to Kenneth Madison's dissertation on the Woodville family, it was Richard's father, also called Richard Woodville, who was squire to Henry V; Madison argued that the same man could not have been in battle in 1415 and the 1460s.
Richard Woodville was created Baron Rivers by Henry VI on 9 May 1448. In the Wars of the Roses, he was initially a Lancastrian, but he became a Yorkist when he thought that the Lancastrian cause was lost. He reconciled himself to the victorious Edward IV, his future son-in-law. On 1 May 1464, Edward married his daughter Elizabeth, widow of Sir John Grey of Groby. Richard was created Earl Rivers in 1466 and appointed Lord Treasurer in March 1466 by his new son-in-law.
The power of this new family was very distasteful to the old baronial party, and especially so to the Earl of Warwick. Early in 1468, the Rivers estates were plundered by Warwick's partisans, and the open war of the following year was aimed at destroying the Woodvilles. After Edward's defeat at the Battle of Edgecote Moor on 26 July 1469, Rivers and his second son John were taken prisoners at Chepstow. Following a hasty show trial, they were beheaded at Kenilworth on 12 August 1469. His eldest son Anthony succeeded him in the earldom.
Lord Rivers had a large family. His third son, Lionel (d. 1484) became the Bishop of Salisbury. All his daughters made great marriages: Catherine Woodville, the fifth child, was wife of Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham.3150
Born at Maidstone in Kent, he was the son of another Richard Wydeville, chamberlain to the Duke of Bedford. After the duke died, the younger Richard married the widowed duchess, Jacquetta of Luxembourg (1416–1472). This was initially a secret marriage, for which the couple were fined when it came to public notice.
Originally a mere squire from Grafton, Richard was considered "the handsomest man in England" and rose to become the squire of Henry V. At the Battle of Agincourt, he kept the king's lucky totem of a squirrel's tail tied to a lance "always within sight of the king" during the fighting, and was knighted afterwards. However, according to Kenneth Madison's dissertation on the Woodville family, it was Richard's father, also called Richard Woodville, who was squire to Henry V; Madison argued that the same man could not have been in battle in 1415 and the 1460s.
Richard Woodville was created Baron Rivers by Henry VI on 9 May 1448. In the Wars of the Roses, he was initially a Lancastrian, but he became a Yorkist when he thought that the Lancastrian cause was lost. He reconciled himself to the victorious Edward IV, his future son-in-law. On 1 May 1464, Edward married his daughter Elizabeth, widow of Sir John Grey of Groby. Richard was created Earl Rivers in 1466 and appointed Lord Treasurer in March 1466 by his new son-in-law.
The power of this new family was very distasteful to the old baronial party, and especially so to the Earl of Warwick. Early in 1468, the Rivers estates were plundered by Warwick's partisans, and the open war of the following year was aimed at destroying the Woodvilles. After Edward's defeat at the Battle of Edgecote Moor on 26 July 1469, Rivers and his second son John were taken prisoners at Chepstow. Following a hasty show trial, they were beheaded at Kenilworth on 12 August 1469. His eldest son Anthony succeeded him in the earldom.
Lord Rivers had a large family. His third son, Lionel (d. 1484) became the Bishop of Salisbury. All his daughters made great marriages: Catherine Woodville, the fifth child, was wife of Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham.3150
Notes for Jaquetta (Spouse 1)
Jacquetta of Luxembourg (1415/1416 – 30 May 1472) was the elder daughter of Peter I, Count of St Pol, Conversano and Brienne and his wife Margaret de Baux (Margherita del Balzo of Andria). She was the mother of Elizabeth Woodville, queen consort of King Edward IV of England.3151
Heritage: Through her daughter, Queen Elizabeth, Jacquetta was the grandmother of Elizabeth of York, Queen of Henry VII. As such, she is an ancestress of all subsequent English and British monarchs, including Elizabeth II, and seven other present-day European monarchs.3151
Heritage: Through her daughter, Queen Elizabeth, Jacquetta was the grandmother of Elizabeth of York, Queen of Henry VII. As such, she is an ancestress of all subsequent English and British monarchs, including Elizabeth II, and seven other present-day European monarchs.3151