| Elizabeth
of York was the daughter and eldest child of Edward
IV and Elizabeth Woodville. It was the fate of aristocratic
daughters to be used to make dynastic alliances to gain the
economic, political and/or military support of their husband's
country and/or family. Various matches were proposed
for Elizabeth. She was first betrothed to George Duke of Bedford,
the nephew of Warwick the Kingmaker, to link with the powerful
Neville family. Later to the French Dauphin, son of Louis
XI, to cement the treaty of Picquigny but the French
King had no intention of allowing this to proceed. It is suggested,
that subsequent to his disappointment, her father offered
Elizabeth's hand to the young Earl
of Richmond, afterwards Henry VII,
but that the Earl suspected it was merely a bait to induce
him to place himself in the King's power.
In 1483, when Elizabeth
of York's father Edward IV died,
her brother, now King Edward V, was still a child of 12 years
of age. Their uncle, Richard, Duke
of Gloucester became Lord Protector and securely installed
the young king in the palace lodgings in the Tower of London.
Her mother, Elizabeth Woodville, distrusting this move by
the Lord Protector, took her remaining son Richard Duke of
York and her five surviving daughters to Westminster Abbey.
However, the Queen dowager Elizabeth was convinced by the
eloquence of Cardinal Bourchier, to let the nine year old
Richard Duke of York join his brother at the Tower, believing
that the young king was lonely. It was at this time that
the princes in the tower "disappeared", and
the Lord Protector, brother of the late Edward IV became King
Richard III.
Richard III's
queen Anne Neville was very ill and in 1484 his only child,
Edward Prince of Wales, died. Elizabeth of York was considered
a possible wife, no doubt to secure the succession for their
son(s) to be. However, negotiations were again in place for
her marriage to Henry Tudor, Earl of
Richmond. The proposed marriage was communicated to the
the mother of Henry Tudor, the Countess dowager of Richmond,
by Sir Reginald Bray. She approved of the design, and sent
her physician, Dr. Lewis, to Westminster, to discuss the subject
with the former queen, Elizabeth Woodville. Elizabeth Woodville
promised that if Henry would solemnly pledge to marry her
daughter, she and her friends would support the attempt in
his favor. Elizabeth is credited for obtaining the support
of Lord Stanley for the cause of Henry
Tudor, Earl of Richmond.
After Richard III was defeated
by Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond,
at the Battle of Bosworth
Field in August 1485 Henry VII
and Elizabeth of York were married five months later, in 1486.
Their marriage brought an end to the "Wars
of the Roses" and as a symbol of this the Tudor Rose
was created - the joining of the white rose of York and the
red rose of Lancaster.
Of Elizabeth and Henry VII's seven
children, four survived childhood: Arthur,
Margaret, Henry
and Mary . Their marriage appears
to have been a happy one, something that was possibly unusual
in the days of dynastic arranged marriages.
The Queen was delivered of her first
child, Arthur Prince of
Wales, at Winchester on the 20th of September, 1486 and
on the Sunday following was baptized in Winchester Cathedral.
Her coronation was held on 23th Nov 1487
Elizabeth died in 1503 on her 37th birthday shortly after
the birth of another child. This was one of the consequences
that faced aristocratic women in those days. Her eldest son,
Arthur Prince of Wales
had recently died leaving only one son, Henry
VIII, to continue the dynasty. In order to strengthen
the succession, to ensure peace and avoid a return to the
days of the "Wars of the Roses" they needed to had
further sons. Noboby thought at this time that the succession
of a woman to the throne would be acceptable.
Although Henry
VII had a reputation of thrift he gave her a magnificent
funeral. She laid in state at the Tower of London and was
interred at Westminster Abbey. She and her husband lie together
in the chapel he had built at the Abbey. |