Richard Woodville (or Wydeville), 1st Earl Rivers (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 Sir Richard Wydeville or Wydevill, 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 ...
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Richard Woodville (or Wydeville), 1st Earl Rivers (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 Sir Richard Wydeville or Wydevill, 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.
He 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 was thought that the Lancastrian...
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