Edward of Middleham, 1st Earl of Salisbury (c. 1473 – 9 April 1484), was the only son of King Richard III of England

Richard III of England

Richard III was King of England for two years, from 1483 until his death in 1485 during the Battle of Bosworth Field. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty...

 and his wife Anne Neville

Anne Neville

Lady Anne Neville was Princess of Wales as the wife of Edward of Westminster and Queen of England as the consort of King Richard III. She held the latter title for less than two years, from 26 June 1483 until her death in March 1485...

. He was Richard's only legitimate child and died aged 11.

The exact year of Edward's birth is uncertain, but he is known to have been born at Middleham Castle

Middleham Castle

Middleham Castle in Wensleydale, in the county of North Yorkshire, was built by Robert Fitzrandolph, 3rd Lord of Middleham and Spennithorne, commencing in 1190. It was built near the site of an earlier motte and bailey castle...

, a former possession of his maternal grandfather, Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, between April 1473 and December 1474. In 1478, following the execution of George, Duke of Clarence, for treason

Treason

In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more extreme acts against one's sovereign or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife. Treason against the king was known as high treason and treason against a...

 the title Earl of Salisbury

Earl of Salisbury

Earl of Salisbury is a title that has been created several times in British history. It has a complex history, being first created for Patrick de Salisbury in the middle twelfth century. It was eventually inherited by Alice, wife of Thomas, Earl of Lancaster...

 was granted to Edward. The title became extinct upon Edward's death and was later restored to Clarence's family during the reign of Henry VII

Henry VII of England

Henry VII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the House of Tudor....

.

Edward was also invested as Prince of Wales

Prince of Wales

Prince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the 15 other independent Commonwealth realms...

 following his father's accession as king of England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 in 1483. The investiture ceremony took place at York Minster

York Minster

York Minster is a Gothic cathedral in York, England and is one of the largest of its kind in Northern Europe alongside Cologne Cathedral. The minster is the seat of the Archbishop of York, the second-highest office of the Church of England, and is the cathedral for the Diocese of York; it is run by...

, and contemporary records suggest it was arranged in a hurry. It is thought possible that the boy had been unable to travel to London for his parents' coronation because of ill-health, but that his condition had improved by the time they reached the north of England.

Edward died suddenly at Middleham in 1484, with the exact date being a matter of controversy, with some sources listing it as 31 March and others as 9 April. Edward was buried in the parish church at Sheriff Hutton

Sheriff Hutton

Sheriff Hutton is a village and civil parish in the Ryedale district of North Yorkshire, England. It lies about ten miles north by north-east of York...

, another of his family's estates. After his death, Richard designated his nephew, John de la Pole, Earl of Lincoln, as heir.

Ancestry

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