c. 1442–1483
Anthony Woodville, 2nd Earl Rivers was a historical figure associated with 2nd Earl Rivers and Lord Scales. The record associates Anthony Woodville, 2nd Earl Rivers with Kingdom of England. Anthony Woodville, 2nd Earl Rivers belonged to the Woodville family.
Anthony supported the Yorkist cause, became a trusted member of Edward IV’s court and served as governor of the king’s eldest son, the future Edward V. Known for chivalric interests and literary patronage, he translated moral and devotional works associated with William Caxton’s early English printing. After Edward IV’s death, Richard, Duke of Gloucester, arrested Anthony while taking control of the young king; he was executed at Pontefract in June 1483.
Anne Easter Smith’s Daughter of York gives Anthony Woodville a prominent fictional relationship with Margaret of York before dynastic policy carries her to Burgundy. As Elizabeth Woodville’s brother, Anthony belongs to the newly powerful Woodville family surrounding Edward IV, and the novel uses Margaret’s imagined attachment to him to personalise the tensions between private desire, Yorkist family politics and the marriages required by international diplomacy.
