English Monarch. Born the son of Richard, Duke of York, a leading claimant to the English throne, and Cicely Neville at Rouen, France. As the then King, Henry VI, became increasingly less effective, the Duke pressed the claim of the House of York for the throne. He was then killed in 1460 at the Battle of Wakefield, and Edward succeed him in pursuit of the throne. Edward deposed his cousin, Henry VI, in 1461. The Earl of Warwick gained control of London and had Edward declared king. Edward strengthened his claim with a decisive victory at the Battle of Towton during which the Lancastrian army was virtually wiped out. Once on the throne, Edward proceeded to alienate his supporters by secretly marrying a Lancastrian widow, Elizabeth Woodville. They would have ten children. The queen and her large, ambitious family made themselves obnoxious to the nobility and were roundly disliked. As a result of Edward's actions, Warwick and the king's younger brother, George, Duke of Clarence, changed sides and led an army against Edward. Henry VI briefly regained the throne during this interlude, but was recaptured at the Battle of Barnet and returned to the Tower where he was quietly murdered. Warwick was killed at the same battle. The remaining Lancastrian resistance was crushed at the Battle of Tewkesbury in 1471. Edward never faced any further rebellion after his restoration. He revived the English claim to the French throne, and invaded France in 1475. He extorted a non-aggression treaty, the Treaty of Picquigny, from Louis XI that same year, which paid the English crown an annuity. Safely on his throne, the king allowed his brother, Richard, Duke of Gloucester, to govern the often fractious north of the kingdom, while he overindulged in drink and food and collected a string of mistresses. The king fell ill at Easter 1483, but lingered long enough to name his brother, Gloucester, as Protector after his death. Edward's death left behind two sons aged twelve and nine, five daughters, and a troubled legacy. He was succeeded by his twelve-year-old son, Edward V. His son was, however, barred from the throne by Parliament on charges of illegitimacy, and he was succeeded by Richard III.