Edward IV dies in 1471

Been working on a timeline where Edward IV dies shortly after the Battle of Tewkesbury, leaving an infant Edward V as his heir. Just wondering what would happen next? Regents I have considered are
  • George, Duke of Clarence - Edward IV's younger brother would seem a natural choice if not for his prior rebellions against the King and his desire for the throne
  • Richard, Duke of Gloucester - Edward IV's youngest brother who has been loyal to the crown so far and played an important roll in the recent Yorkist victories, but is only 19 and inexperienced in state matters
  • Elizabeth Woodville - Edward IV's wife and mother to the new baby King. Her family are seen by some as upstarts and she may struggle to secure support for her regency
Or would another nobleman such as Norfolk or Hastings be given the job? Thanks
CP11
 
A Regency council is the likely outcome but remember Clarence hates the Queen and her family. In OTL they managed to kill him off but here I suspect he'll be able to pull a Richard III and set the young Prince aside, kill the mother and rule in his own right. England had had bad experience with child Kings which was one of the reasons why Richard III faced little opposition and House of York's position is far from secure.
 
A regency council would be interesting. I'm assuming that factions would form quickly on the council around the aforementioned candidates and even who gets a seat on the council may become contested. Could we see Clarence vs Woodville, perhaps with the likes of Gloucester and Hastings favouring neither side. I agree Clarence is likely to attempt to remove his nephew at some stage, I just doubt he could gather enough support due to his recent betrayals. Of course this confusion and in-fighting favours the Lancastrians but there forces have just been scattered and Henry Tudor is only 14 or so at the time.
 
I would not put it past George to try and take the throne for himself. With George and the Woodvilles not looked to highly upon by pretty much anyone else I don't see an infant Edward V lasting too long.
 
In 1471, Richard of Gloucester is not quite 20 and he hasnt married Anne Neville yet either so he doesnt have a powerbase. I would think he would end up on a council if there was one.

I would substitute Anthony Woodville instead of the Queen as a candidate for regent (especially as an alternate to George). He would definitely be on a council.

Hastings too would probably also be on a council.

Since the year is 1471, characters like Dorset are probably too young to interfere (which is a good thing for the Woodvilles).

I would expect George to try to become regent and if that doesnt happen try to take the throne on his own. He would pretty much have all of Warwicks vast estate, even if he doesnt go far (due to his own abilities). I would think he would try, at least on paper there arent too many other English candidates (with sufficient power) to oppose him.

I wonder if the Stanleys would play a role as well.
 
To clarify on the inheritance question mentioned above
Under normal circumstance Warwick and his brother John Neville would have been attainted and their properties taken by the crown.
Edward IV opted not to do that and initially George of Clarence took the lions share in right of his wife Isabella when Richard married Anne (whether legally or not) they fought.
In law Isabella and Anne would have been co-heiresses to their mother's Beauchamp inheritance and their father's Salisbury inheritance but much of the northern Neville holdings were entailed to his male heirs and rightly belonged to Warwick's nephew George Neville.
In the end a division was forced on them by Edward in an Act of Parliament that effectively stripped Warwick's widow of her rights to the Beauchamp Warwick inheritance (which would not have been affected by her husbands treatment)
The Act granted Richard the northern holdings "shall have, hold, possess and enjoy to him and his heirs lawfully begotten of his body, as long as there is any male heir begotten of the body of the said marquis (John Neville)."
Richard's difficulty was that George Neville died without issue in 1483. (it would to be fair have been unlikely that a new Act could have replaced the other one allowing Richard to keep the estates but it was a risk that he might face action on behalf of the next Neville heirs
 
Edward IV dying at this point will greatly destabilise the regime.
Many will have serious concerns about a long-minority and the effects of it - given the similar circumstances to Henry V's death and succession of Henry VI.
Few points:
The Queen's relationships were not as bad with her in laws as is usually claimed by Ricardians.
She is not nor was she particularly political despite common misconceptions - she was fairly conventional and the advancement of her family was as much Edward's doing as hers. (despite these alliances the family did not really act as a faction in any sense) - she is unlikely to want to be regent (it was unheard of a appointing a Queen Dowager as Regent in England)
Her mistrust of George of Clarence is probably going to be shared by most of the Yorkist peers who remained loyal to Edward IV in the recent final struggle with the Lancastrians.
George is going to consider himself default senior figure- the only question is whether he attempts to take the throne. (although he has great patronage through his wife's inheritance he has only been in charge of those estates for a short while perhaps not long enough to generate loyalty through his patronage)
Hastings is not greatly enamoured of the Queen but he was loyal and is likely to be loyal to Edward's infant son.
The Queen's brother Anthony 2nd Earl Rivers was widely respected and has been given care of the Prince by his brother in law.
Richard of Gloucester was loyal to his brother is unmarried and at this point does not have the same power as his brother George.
Key churchmen on the council will be Rotherham Bishop of Lincoln (later proved loyal to Elizabeth Woodville), Bourchier Archbishop of Canterbury, Stillington Bishop of Bath (close to George)
The Archbishop of York is absent have fled England after the readaption.
Few other people who will have influence
Earl of Essex (his wife is aunt to Edward IV) and his son is married to one of the Queen's sisters and Lord Treasurer in 1472
Thomas Marquess of Dorset - son of the Queen is in his late teens and wealthy through his marriage to the Holland heiress and his step father's niece (who didn't die until 1474)
Two options
George moves to invalidate his late brother's marriage and declare himself King (he might achieve it but his support within the council is going to be small and it is arguable whether he had the force to back it up in the same way Richard would do in 1483)
Council moves to govern in a similar way to what happened on Henry V's death creating itself into a regency council with George being given similar role to that of Bedford in the 1420s. Given the King's age I suspect he will be left in the Queen's care for a short period (in OTL his household was established in about 1473 under Rivers) and then perhaps to the care and education of either of his more respected Uncle's (Rivers or Gloucester) perhaps with his mother still living in his household (as Catherine of Valois had done until her secret relationship with Tudor)
The Queen will almost certainly retain custody of her daughter's Elizabeth (b1466) Mary (b1467) and Cecily (b1469).
Incidentally her daughter Margaret of York was born in April 1472 and died in December (so depending when the King dies his widow may be in her lying in chamber and unable to act with the council etc)
 
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