Rumours of illegitimacy surrounded King Edward IV of England throughout most of his life, and today it is still a matter of reasonable speculation within the historical community. The 2007 Channel 4 documentary "Britain's Real Monarch" by Tony Robinson presents these rumours of illegitimacy as facts, deciding that Edward IV was in fact an illegitimate child born as the result of an affair between his mother Cecily Neville and an archer. If true, this would not only have rendered Edward himself illegitimate, but his heirs and successors also.
But is there any real historical evidence to back up these claims?
Edward IV was born on 28th April 1442 in Rouen, Normandy; this would have placed the date of his conception nine months earlier - on or around 28th July 1441. In the early 21st century, historian Michael Jones, while conducting research at Rouen Cathedral, happened upon a 15th century manuscript which detailed the whereabouts of the occupants of the cathedral in the summer of 1441.
It clearly states that Edward IV's father, Richard, 3rd Duke of York was away heading a relief army of over 3,500 men at the siege of Pontoise between 14th July and 20th August 1441, while his mother Cecily Neville remained in Rouen. This shows that at around the time of Edward IV's estimated conception date, his father was absent. This fact acts as the basis for 2007's "Britain's Real Monarch", but is it really conclusive proof that Edward IV was illegitimate?
In my opinion, no. If we assume that Richard of York returned on 20th August 1441 and conceived Edward that week, Edward's birthdate of 28th April 1442 would mean that he was born only four weeks premature, at 36 weeks. Had Edward IV been conceived around 14th July 1441, before Richard of York left, his birth would have been less than two weeks late. This to me is not conclusive proof that Edward IV was not the son of the Duke of York.
 |
| Rouen Cathedral, Normandy |
A Personal Confession by Cecily Neville?
In 1482-1483, an Italian monk by the name of Dominic Mancini visited London. While there, he was a witness to the events surrounding Richard III's usurpation of Edward V, and he wrote down his experiences in a report titled "The Occupation of the Throne of England by Richard III" shortly after.
In this report, he describes Cecily Neville's horror at discovering that Edward IV was to marry Elizabeth Woodville, who she deemed to be an unsuitable bride.
It was said that upon hearing the news, Cecily:
..fell into such a frenzy that she offered to submit to a public inquiry, and asserted that Edward was not the offspring of her husband the Duke of York, but was conceived in adultery..
If this account is accurate, it is very damaging to Edward and his claim. However, there are a few things to bear in mind with this. Firstly, Mancini wrote about this outburst in 1483 - almost 20 years after it supposedly took place, and it is not clear how he heard about it. It should also be taken into account that in 1483, the soon to be Richard III was intent on discrediting the legitimacy of Edward V in order to strengthen his own position. By casting doubt on the legitimacy of Edward IV, Edward V's claim could too be disputed. It is therefore possible that this outburst was merely a fabrication of the propaganda of Richard III.
It is also worth bearing in mind that if Cecily Neville's outburst had actually happened, it would have been very damaging to herself. She would be admitting to an extramarital affair and conceiving a child out of wedlock, something that was seriously frowned upon at this time. It is hard to believe that Cecily would damage her own reputation in this way just because she disapproved in Edward IV's choice of bride.
 |
| Cecily Neville |
The second piece of evidence we will examine relates to the christening of Edward IV. It is said that Edward IV's christening was a scaled down, low key affair held in a small side chapel in Rouen Cathedral. In contrast to this, his brother Edmund, Earl of Rutland is said to have had a much larger christening - a high key, lavish affair held at the cathedral's main chapel.
Could this have been because Edward IV's birth was viewed as less significant by his parents, perhaps because they knew he was illegitimate?
Again, this is perhaps not as important as it might seem. Edward IV's christening, assuming that it was low key, could have been a quieter affair because of his possible prematurity. His parents Cecil and Richard of York could have been conscious of the fact that the child, in his weak state, might not survive and that celebrating the birth by having a lavish ceremony might itself be premature.
By the time Edmund was born in 1443, Edward was a year old and his parents, feeling more confident that he was going to survive, welcomed their second son in a ceremony that was more public and grand.
It should be noted that although the small size of Edward IV's christening is discussed a lot, there are little to no actual primary sources which back this claim up.
It is also worth raising the question of why, if Richard of York had suspected adultery, did he continue on with his marriage to Neville, and raise Edward as his son and heir?
 |
| Richard, 3rd Duke of York as depicted on the Talbot Shrewsbury Book |
Conclusion
Arguments for Edward IV's illegitimacy tend to lack primary sources and, in some cases, sense.
Cecily's disapproval of Edward's choice in wife would not have warranted an outburst that would leave her reputation in tatters. Edward's christening is poorly documented, and I have failed to find any credible primary source that mentions it being a low key affair, but even if it was, it would not necessarily have been because the child was illegitimate. Finally, Richard of York and Cecily could have conceived Edward either side of the the dates during which the former was away, and the resulting child would still have been no more than 4 weeks early, or 2 weeks late.
The debate as to whether Edward IV was legitimate or not continues, but to me there is no real evidence that he was anything other than a legitimate child of the Duke of York and Cecily Neville.
Sources
- https://erenow.net/biographies/elizabethofyork/4.php
- The Occupation of the Throne of England by Richard III, Dominic Mancini
- History Calling
- Britain's Real Monarch - Tony Robinson
Comments
Post a Comment