Eleanor, the secret queen: the woman who put Richard III on the throne

When Edward IV died in 1483, the Yorkist succession was called into question by doubts about the legitimacy of his son, Edward (one of the "Princes in the Tower"). The crown passed to Edward's undoubtedly legitimate younger brother, Richard, Duke of Gloucester. But those who believed in the legitimacy of Edward IV's children viewed Richard III's accession with suspicion. From the day when Edward IV married Eleanor, or pretended to do so, the House of York confronted an uncertain future. This book argues that Eleanor Talbot was married to Edward IV, therefore Edward's subsequent marriage to Elizabeth Woodville was bigamous, making her children illegitimate. It also offers a solution to one of history's great mysteries, by putting forward groundbreaking new evidence that calls into question the identity of the "bones in the urn" in Westminster Abbey, believed for centuries to be the remains of the "Princes in the Tower." --Provided by publisher When Edward IV died in 1483, the Yorkist succession was called into question by doubts about the legitimacy of his son, Edward (one of the'Princes in the Tower'). The crown therefore passed to Edward's undoubtedly legitimate younger brother, Richard, Duke of Gloucester. But Richard, too, found himself entangled in the web of uncertainly, since those who believed in the legitimacy of Edward IV's children viewed Richard III's own accession as a usurpation. From the day when Edward IV married Eleanor, or pretended to do so, or allowed it to be whispered that he might have done so, the House of York, previously so secure in its bloodline, confronted a contentious and uncertain future. John Ashdown-Hill argues that Eleanor Talbot was married to Edward IV, and that therefore Edward's subsequent marriage to Elizabeth Woodville was bigamous, making her children illegitimate. He thereby offers a solution to one of history's great mysteries. When Edward IV died in 1483, the Yorkist succession was called into question by doubts about the legitimacy of his son, Edward (one of the 'Princes in the Tower'). The crown therefore passed to Edward's undoubtedly legitimate younger brother, Richard, Duke of Gloucester. But Richard, too, found himself entangled in the web of uncertainly, since those who believed in the legitimacy of Edward IV's children viewed Richard III's own accession as a usurpation. From the day when Edward IV married Eleanor, or pretended to do so, or allowed it to be whispered that he might have done so, the House of Y