
S10 E9 | Kidnap
From THIS IS HISTORY — IN CONVERSATION by Sony Music Entertainment
July 21, 2026 · 35 min · Season 10 · Episode 9
About this episode
The episode discusses the life and untimely death of Edward IV, the implications for his young son Edward V, and the ambitions of Richard Duke of Gloucester.
Edward IV finally has it all. With his enemies vanquished, the Yorkist king can now focus on what really matters to him — pleasure. But, after one fateful fishing trip, he drops dead at 41. The kingdom is now left to his 12-year-old son, Edward V. It’s not like England hasn’t seen this before. After all, Henry VI ascended to the throne at nine-months-old. So the realm expects another royal council to steer things on Edward’s behalf until he gets older. And there’s a long list of nobles who are more than happy to shepherd the young king. This includes Edward IV’s brother, Richard Duke of Gloucester, who has other plans. Diabolical plans that will change the course of Plantagenet — and indeed English history — forever. – As always, Dan’s royal favourites can chime in anytime on the royal court on Patreon at patreon.com/thisishistory. It’s where you get your bonus episodes, and on this week’s episode Dan tells us about why Edward’s gluttony was his undoing, and just how much life the Yorkist king packed into his 41 years. Plus: Hear about what links Edward IV and Queen Elizabeth II in the afterlife. – A Sony Music Entertainment production. Find more…
People in this episode
Host: Dan Jones
Topics covered
- royal history
- Plantagenet
- Edward IV
- monarchy
- historical events
Keywords
- Edward IV
- Edward V
- Richard Duke of Gloucester
- Yorkist king
- monarchy
- historical fails
More episodes of THIS IS HISTORY — IN CONVERSATION
- S10 E8 | No Mercy · July 14, 2026 · 33 min
- S10 E7 | The Tribute Act · July 7, 2026 · 34 min
- S10 E6 | The Prophecy · June 30, 2026 · 32 min
- S10 E5 | King Henry’s Second Coming · June 23, 2026 · 32 min
- S10 E4 | The Kingmaker Strikes Back · June 16, 2026 · 30 min
- You may also like: Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford · June 11, 2026 · 45 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the THIS IS HISTORY — IN CONVERSATION podcast page.