Edward Woodville, Lord Scales: Was He The Last Englishman To Represent The Ideals of Knighthood?

In the present days, it's commonly associated a romanticized idea of brave, romantic knights to an specific period in History, Middle Ages. But these characteristics were not the only ones that formed a knight back to those days. Honour, loyalty, vowing to God, to keep the faith and protect the weakest ones were part of these code defended by many.

To be a knight was, to many, another way out of the situation a man was born into. For example: in a family of ten children, it was usually a primer concern to the destiny of the oldest children, by keeping the lands to the oldest and heir, sending the other to the Church, marrying another... However, what was the destiny of the youngest ones who survived infancy and sometimes became the problem to their parents concerning their future? Most became errant knights, wandering around, waiting to be paid and join a battle or even so defending a cause and protecting the poor.

And naturally, there were not only mercenaries in this social category called "Knighthood." But dutiful, men of words who lived for battles. It was the case of the Black Prince, Edward of Woodstock, oldest son of King Edward III of England or even Emperor Charlegmane, both princes known for their battle skills, war-like profiles and honourable men who carried hope and went far from the stereotype of "saving damsels". But this social imaginative idea of great men, entitled socially as saviors, that for centuries inspired poems and tales, supposedly came from King Arthur and his Knights. As said below:

"The ideals described in the Code of Chivalry were emphasised by the oaths and vows that were sworn in the Knighthood ceremonies of the Middle Ages (...). These sacred oaths of combat were combined with the ideals of chivalry and with strict rules of etiquette and conduct. The ideals of a Knights Code of Chivalry was publicised in the poems, ballads, writings and literary works of Knights authors. The wantering minstrels of the Middle Ages sang these ballads and were expected to memorize the words of long poems describing the valour and the code of chivalry followed by the Medieval knights. The Dark Age myths of Arthurian Legends featuring King Arthur, Camelot and the Knights of the Round Table further strengthen the idea of a Knights Code of Chivalry. The Arthurian legend revolves around the Code of Chivalry which was adhered to by the Knights of the Round Table - Honour, Honesty, Valour and Loyalty."

That being said, certainly it can be said that this romanticized concept of an honourable man, fighting bravely, rescuing damsels, promoting their faith against heretics stayed in popular imaginary for long. But how long? Back to the 15th century, especially in England, after the death of Edward of Woodstock, not many men were seen embodying seriously this kind of Knight, few being able to fit in such descriptions and by then this was not as popular as was in High Middle Ages and Centre Middle Ages.

But Edward Woodville would prove to be the exception. Born probably in 1450's, he was the tenth child of Richard Woodville and Jacquetta of Luxembourg, previously Duchess of Bedford. Their marriage was a scandal at the court of King Henry VI, as Jacquetta was married to the king's uncle and her second match was for love. However, she soon received the royal pardon and remained the second lady in kingdom until the death of Katherine de Valois, Queen Dowager. 

Edward is commonly known as the younger brother of his famous sister, Queen Elizabeth Woodville. But he is rarely mentioned in documents and it's Anthony who is regarded for the role he participated in many of the events inside Edward IV's reign, though Edward was probably a young boy at that time.

Few is known about this young handsome man and the photo here we used it is attributed to him, though it's hard to find a portrait of him. In his lifetime, he is described according the whole medieval's social concept of a Knight. Edward followed his duties with honour, faith and truth. He never turned back to his enemies or allies.

When he was sent to Scotland with Richard, the Duke of Gloucester, even then he was recognized as a man of word and brave man, bestowed by the duke with a knight banneret. He also escorted the future Duchess of Burgundy, Margaret, King Edward IV's sister, to Burgundy. And was sent to the Southampton to stop the French threat.

All this and more, Edward's role in Edward IV's reign is few documented. He took part of the King's funeral when he died in 1483, but was forced to take exile when Richard of Gloucester became King Richard III. In fact, Edward Woodville was one of the men Edward IV trusted along with Anthony, his older brother, to manage the household of Prince Edward with the Queen. But with the struggle of power between the Plantagenets and the Woodvilles, Edward had to flee away and met Henry Tudor in exile. In this fragment below, we can perceive how Edward and Henry, different in each one's belief, were drawn close to a common goal:

"It is more than a year before we hear of Sir Edward Woodville again: and in the interim it is obvious that he had joined his fortunes to another foe of Richard III;, far more formidable than himself, Henry, Earl of Richmond, the future Henry VII., who since 1471 had been in hiding in Brittany; Richmond was of course as strongly Lancastrian in his sympathies as Woodville was Yorkist: but the two men, both exiles in a foreign land, were drawn close together by a common detestation of Richard III."

Returning to fight Richard III in the Battle of Bosworth in 1485, with the victory of Henry VII, Edward was part of the Knight of the Garter in 1487 and also entitled with the Captaincy of the Isle of Wight. But his career was also spent in Spain, where he was known as Señor de Scales, a title he took to himself upon Anthony Woodville's execution. There, he fought away the Moors along side Isabel of Castilla and Fernando de Aragon, as we can see here:

"Woodville, who though a personal enemy of Richard III. was also (as we must not forget) Yorkist in sympathy, soon tired of the peaceful and essentially Lancastrian court of the first Tudor king, and longing to return to that restless, warlike career which had become a second nature to him, went abroad in search of adventure—possibly at the suggestion of Henry VII. himself. The eyes of all Christendom were at that moment turned on Granada, where the Moors were making their last desperate stand in Western Europe against the armies of the Catholic Kings. Thither Woodville turned his steps, intent on bearing a hand in the capture of this last stronghold of the infidel."

And, through the eyes of a contemporary man of the name Andrez Bernaldez, chaplain of the archbishop of Seville, we have an account of the presence of Edward at the Spanish court:

"Bernaldez tells us that one day in the month of May in the year 1486, the King Don Fernando, with a mighty host, and many Castilian nobles, left Cordova and encamped near the town of Loja: and there came with him an English lord, a relative of the English Queen, who called himself Lord Scales.(...) Bernaldez goes on to tell us that this noble lord came to Spain to serve God and make war on the Moors, with three hundred valiant soldiers and archers in his train. The Moors issued forth from Loja in large numbers, to prevent the Christian camp from being pitched before the town, and a vigorous action with arrows and small ordnance ensued between them and the Castilians and the followers of Lord Scales. The latter, seeing that the encounter had begun, desired leave to fight after the manner of his country; and, dismounting from his horse, and armed with sword and battle-axe, he charged forward at the Moorish host before them all, with a small company of his men, armed like himself, slashing and hacking with brave and manly hearts, killing and dismounting right and left. The Castilians, seeing this charge, rushed on to support it, following on the heels of the Englishmen with such valor that the. Moors turned tail and fled, the Christians chasing them into the suburbs of Loja, which they captured and did not lose again. Many Moors were killed in this encounter, and some Christians as well, and the English lord was struck with a stone which broke his teeth, and three or four of his men were slain"

And finally...

"Peter Martyr, taking up the tale where Belnaldez leaves off, tells us further that Lord Scales waL brought back senseless to his tent, where his life was saved by the extraordinary skill of the surgeons, though it was found impossible to replace his broken teeth. As soon as he was permitted to leave his tent, he went to pay his homage to the Queen, who testified her sympathy for his misfortune. But the youth spoke lightly of his wound. "Christ, who reared this whole fabric,", said he, "has merely opened a window, in order more easily to discern what goes on within." A witty response, concludes Martyr, which so pleased the Spanish sovereigns that shortly afterwards they sent him home to his native land in England, laden with many splendid gifts."

He left, indeed, a great mark on the Spanish monarchs and perhaps gaining some favour from Henry VII, since Edward was Captain of the Isle of Wight. In 1488, however, his last adventure came to happen. To aid the Duke of Brittany to keep its independence from the French crown, without royal permission, Edward used his authority in the Isle of Wight to raise army to defend the duchy of Brittany. This was a policy that Henry VII was unsure whether to get himself involved or not, mainly because he was looking for arrange peace deals, but to get his oldest son Prince Arthur married to Infanta Catherine of Aragon, he had to aid as well the Spanish monarchs to get their lands back, so eventually he sent his forces to Brittany, but, unfortunately it was too late for Edward, who had participated in such negotiations and fought bravely until his last breath against the French. In the excerpt below, it's said that:

"In 1488 trouble flared in Brittany and, despite not receiving royal approval or permission, Sir Edward raised an army of 440 men from the Isle of Wight and set off for France in May of that year.  In July 1488, at St Aubin, battle was joined between the force commanded by Sir Edward, a group of Bretons who had joined his company and the French.  The Bretons apparently abandoned the fight and the French soldiers killed Sir Edward and all his men, apart from one.  This poor young man had the task of returning to the Island with the sad tale of the many losses."

Based on what's said about Knighthood, especially inside England's history and its characters, perhaps it's fair to point out that Edward Woodville, uncle to Queen Elizabeth of York, younger brother to Queen Elizabeth Woodville, was the last man standing inside the proper medieval standards. After all, as the tenth son of a big family, what career would he have had outside the battlefields? A hero he was, and as such he died. Like Edward, the Black Prince, was in his time, Edward Woodville was the knight errant that History unfortunately blacked out from its pages.

Sources:http://www.americanantiquarian.org/proceedings/44806496.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Woodville,_Lord_Scales
http://www.oneinspecyal.com/html/edward_woodville.html
http://www.susanhigginbotham.com/subpages/edwardwoodville.html
http://www.ibtauris.com/Books/Biography%20%20True%20Stories/Biography%20general/Biography%20historical%20political%20%20military/The%20Last%20Knight%20Errant%20Sir%20Edward%20Woodville%20and%20the%20Age%20of%20Chivalry.aspx?menuitem=%7B13CD56BD-E765-4110-9D61-F310B0367CAB%7D
http://www.lordsandladies.org/knights-code-of-chivalry.htm