Edward Woodville, Lord Scales

Edward Woodville
Lord Scales (styled)
Arms of Sir Edward Woodville, KG.
Predecessor	Anthony Woodville, 2nd Earl Rivers
Father	Richard Woodville, 1st Earl Rivers
Mother	Jacquetta of Luxembourg
Born	c. 1454-8
Died	28 July 1488 Saint-Aubin-du-Cormier

Sir Edward Woodville KG (died 1488) was a member of the Woodville family during the Wars of the Roses. He survived the reign of Richard III in which several of his relatives were executed in a power struggle after the death of Edward IV. Exiled with Henry Tudor, he participated in Henry's capture of the throne. He was then appointed Lord of the Isle of Wight, the last person to be given that title.

An enthusiastic soldier, he has been called "the last knight errant" because of his devotion to the chivalrous ideal. Involved in many military adventures, he was finally killed in an ill-fated personal expedition to Brittany in support of Francis II, Duke of Brittany.

Woodville was referred to as Lord Scales after the death of his brother Anthony Woodville, 2nd Earl Rivers, who bequeathed the Scales lands to him. He is consistently referred to as Lord Scales in Spanish and Breton records, but he never officially held the baronial title.

Edward was the tenth child, and youngest son, of Richard Woodville, 1st Earl Rivers and Jacquetta of Luxembourg, who came to prominence when their daughter Elizabeth Woodville married King Edward IV. During the reign of his sister's husband, young Edward Woodville was among those who allegedly encouraged the king's licentious lifestyle as "promoters and companions of his vices", in the words of the Italian courtier Dominic Mancini.

In 1472 he accompanied his brother, Anthony Woodville, 2nd Earl Rivers, to Brittany. Francis II, Duke of Brittany had appealed to Edward IV for support against the French, who were threatening invasion. The king sent 1000 archers with the Woodvilles. Determined Anglo-Breton resistance forced the French to withdraw. In 1475, Edward IV made him one of the Knights of the Bath. In 1480 Edward was granted control of the town of Portsmouth and the stronghold of Porchester Castle.