Page "Margaret of York" Paragraph 13

Her brother's overthrow lessened Margaret's dynastic worth ; this, together with regard for her brother, made her plead passionately to her husband that he support Edward and make measures to restore him.

Nonetheless, her husband paid little attention to her begging ; when he decided to support Edward, it was when he had decided for himself that it was in his best interests to oppose the Lancastrian rule of England, backed as it was by a France which had in early December 1470 been encouraged by the English situation to declare war on Burgundy.

Even so, by 4 January 1471, Charles had agreed to support the King-in-exile in regaining the English throne, and this renewal of friendship between the two men was followed by Edward visiting Margaret at Hesdin until 13 January, the first time the pair had seen one another since Margaret's departure from England.

By April, Edward was back in England: Margaret followed events carefully, requesting meticulous details of events in England, and was pleased to note the reconciliation between Clarence and Edward.

She also provided her mother-in-law, Isabel, with information on the progress of Edward's campaign to regain the throne: it was she, for example, who replied to Isabel's questions over alleged disrespectful treatment of the Earl of Warwick, by explaining that Edward had " heard that nobody in the city believed that Warwick and his brother were dead, so he had their bodies brought to St Paul's where they were laid out and uncovered from the chest upwards in the sight of everybody.

" Edward IV was successfully restored ; Edward of Westminster, the son and heir of Henry VI, had died in battle, and Henry VI, who had been briefly restored, died in his cell in the Tower of London two weeks later.

The two deaths brought to an end the direct line of the House of Lancaster.