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The Wars of the Roses was a series of civil wars fought between two families for the right to sit on the English throne. Its complexity, its backstabbing, and its neverending twists would go on to inspire George RR Martin to write his series, Game of Thrones.

We’ll talk about The Wars, their many characters, and just how Edward IV found himself the victor of the real game of thrones.

0:00 Introduction
1:33 The Early Wars 1300s
6:59 King Henry VI and Richard of York
17:18 Edward IV
18:48 Edward becomes King
19:11 Defeat of Margaret of Anjou
22:09 Elizabeth Woodville
22:41 Edward Gets Betrayed
30:15 Legacy & Death
31:17 What did Elizabeth & Edward Look Like
34:53 Recreations Revealed

We’ll also reveal recreations of Edward, and his wife of legendary beauty, Elizabeth Woodville.

Edward and Elizabeth unfortunately come from a time of pretty cartoony portraiture. We are still one generation away from the wonderful Tudor portraits by Hans Holbein, and most of the portraiture made during the War of the Roses lacks a bit of skill.

Currently, there are no known contemporary portraits of either Edward or Elizabeth, so what we are left with are copies made from originals. We do have some pretty good descriptions of them both, which I’ll be using to inform my recreations alongside the portraits.

Let’s start with Edward we know he was a very tall man. Edward’s remains were exhumed in 1789, and they measured almost 6’4”, which was gigantic for the time. This examination also revealed some long brown hair, which matches his portraits.

Sir Thomas More, writing about 30 years after Edward’s death, says:
“He was…very princely to behold; of heart courageous, politic in counsel…in peace just and merciful, in war sharp and fierce.” Although, keep in mind Thomas More is a pretty biased source.

Edward was considered extremely handsome in his youth, although it sounds like his looks faded with time.

Thomas More also wrote that Edward was “Of body mighty, but in his latter days, with overliberal diet, somewhat corpulent and burly but nevertheless not uncomely.”

Regardless of his looks, Edward was always considered likable and charismatic. As we know from the history of the War, this really worked to his political advantage because his original opponent Henry VI was seen as weak and shy. You know, these are kings that actually fought and won the crown in battle, so his height and strength were huge advantages.

For Edward’s recreation, I’m going to use this portrait, which is generally agreed upon to be the most accurate, and shows him in his early 30s.

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