Could the Titulus Regulus really topple the Tudor dynasty?
A. First things first. Titulus Regulus is not the act’s real name. The proper title is Titulus REGIUS. It was passed in parliament to legitimise Richard III’s accession to the throne. The real act claimed that the offspring of the marriage between Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville were illegitimate because the marriage was bigamous (not that she had been sleeping with a Kentish archer) and therefore Richard III was the rightful king. Edward and Elizabeth were married secretly on 1 May 1464. She was the widow of Sir John Grey, who died in 1461, by whom she had two sons. While petitioning in person for the restitution of her deceased husband’s lands, she caught the king’s eye. In return for the successful settlement of her suit, Edward wanted to go to bed with her. When Elizabeth refused, he was forced to marry her to get his way. Politically, the match was a disaster which is why it was conducted in secret and why Edward was reluctant to inform his council. His council had been tireless
