Elizabeth of York

Elizabeth's parents: Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville

Elizabeth of York was born at the Palace of Westminster as the eldest child of King Edward IV and his wife, Elizabeth Woodville.[6] Her christening was celebrated at Westminster Abbey, sponsored by her grandmothers, Jacquetta of Luxembourg, Duchess of Bedford, and Cecily Neville, Duchess of York. Her third sponsor was her cousin Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick.[7]

In 1469, aged three, she was briefly betrothed to George Neville. His father John later supported George's uncle, the Earl of Warwick, in rebellion against King Edward IV, and the betrothal was called off.[8] In 1475, Louis XI agreed to the marriage of nine-year-old Elizabeth of York to his son Charles, the Dauphin of France. In 1482, however, Louis XI reneged on his promise.[9] She was named a Lady of the Garter in 1477, at age eleven, along with her mother and her paternal aunt Elizabeth of York, Duchess of Suffolk.

On 9 April 1483, Elizabeth's father, King Edward IV, unexpectedly died and her younger brother, Edward V, ascended to the throne; her uncle, Richard, Duke of Gloucester, was appointed regent and protector of his nephews.[10] Gloucester opted to take steps to isolate his nephews from their Woodville relations, including their own mother.

He intercepted Edward V while the latter was travelling from Ludlow, where he had been living as Prince of Wales, to London to be crowned king. Edward V was placed in the royal residence of the Tower of London, ostensibly for his protection. Elizabeth Woodville fled with her younger son Richard and her daughters, taking sanctuary in Westminster Abbey. Gloucester asked Archbishop Bourchier to take Richard with him, so that the boy could reside in the Tower and keep his brother Edward company. Elizabeth Woodville, under duress, eventually agreed.[11]

Two months later, on 22 June 1483, Edward IV's marriage was declared invalid. It was claimed that Edward IV had, at the time of his marriage to Elizabeth Woodville, already been betrothed to Lady Eleanor Butler. Parliament issued a bill, Titulus Regius ("Royal Title"), in support of this position.[11] This measure legally bastardised the children of Edward IV, made them ineligible for the succession, and declared Gloucester the rightful king, with the right of succession reverting to children of George, 1st Duke of Clarence, another late brother of Gloucester, who had been attainted in 1478. Gloucester ascended to the throne as Richard III on 6 July 1483, and Edward and Richard disappeared soon afterwards. Rumours began to spread that they had been murdered, and these appear to have been increasingly widely credited, even though some undoubtedly emanated from overseas.[12]

Elizabeth's mother made an alliance with Lady Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry Tudor, later King Henry VII, who had the closest claim to the throne among the Lancastrian party. Although Henry Tudor was descended from King Edward III,[13] his claim to the throne was weak, owing to an Act of Parliament of the reign of Richard II in the 1390s, which barred accession to the throne to any heirs of the legitimised offspring of Henry's great-great-grandparents, John of Gaunt and Katherine Swynford. Whether such an unprecedented act had force of law is disputed. Whatever the merits of Henry's claim, his mother and Elizabeth Woodville agreed he should move to claim the throne and, once he had taken it, marry Elizabeth of York to unite the two rival houses. In December 1483, in the cathedral of Rennes, Henry Tudor swore an oath promising to marry her and began planning an invasion.[14]

In 1484, Elizabeth of York and her sisters left Westminster Abbey and returned to court when Elizabeth Woodville was apparently reconciled with Richard III. This may or may not suggest that Elizabeth Woodville believed Richard III to be innocent of any possible role in the murder of her two sons (although this is unlikely owing to her involvement in Henry Tudor's failed invasion of October 1483). It was rumoured that Richard III intended to marry Elizabeth of York because his wife, Anne Neville, was dying and they had no surviving children. The Crowland Chronicle claimed that Richard III was forced to deny this unsavoury rumour.[15] Soon after Anne Neville's death, Richard III sent Elizabeth away from court to the castle of Sheriff Hutton and opened negotiations with King John II of Portugal to marry his sister, Joan, Princess of Portugal, and to have Elizabeth marry their cousin, the future King Manuel I of Portugal.[16]

Henry Tudor and his army landed in Wales on 7 August 1485 and marched inland. On 22 August, Henry Tudor and Richard III fought the Battle of Bosworth Field. Richard III had the larger army, but was betrayed by one of his most powerful retainers, William Stanley, and died in battle. Henry Tudor took the crown by right of conquest as Henry VII.[17]

An 18th-century copy of Elizabeth of York as queen: She holds the white rose of the House of York.

Copy of Hans Holbein the Younger's lost 1537 Whitehall painting of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York; Henry VIII and wife Jane Seymour

A posthumous family portrait (c. 1572) of Henry VIII showing three of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York's grandchildren: left to right Mary Tudor and her husband Phillip II of Spain; Henry VIII with his son Edward; Elizabeth is at right

As the eldest daughter of Edward IV with no surviving brothers, Elizabeth of York had a strong claim to the throne in her own right, but she did not assume the throne as queen regnant. There was no queen regnant until 1553, when her granddaughter, Mary I, acceded to the throne. Though initially slow to keep his promise[18] Henry VII acknowledged the necessity of marrying Elizabeth of York to ensure the stability of his rule and weaken the claims of other surviving members of the House of York. It seems Henry wished to be seen as ruling in his own right, having claimed the throne by right of conquest and not by his marriage to the heir of the House of York. He had no intention of sharing power.[19] He consequently chose to be crowned on 30 October 1485 before his marriage.

Henry VII had the Act of Titulus Regius repealed, thereby legitimising anew the children of Edward IV, and acknowledging Edward V as his predecessor.[20] Though Richard III was regarded as a usurper, his reign was not ignored. After procuring papal dispensation, Cardinal Bourchier, Archbishop of Canterbury, officiated at the wedding of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York on 18 January 1486 in Westminster Abbey.[20] Their first son, Arthur, was born on 20 September 1486, eight months after their marriage. Elizabeth of York was crowned queen on 25 November 1487. She gave birth to several more children, but only four survived infancy: Arthur, Margaret, Henry and Mary.

Despite being a political arrangement at first, the marriage proved successful and both partners appear to have grown to love each other.[21] Thomas Penn, in his biography of Henry VII writes that "[t]hough founded on pragmatism, Henry and Elizabeth's marriage had nevertheless blossomed throughout the uncertainty and upheaval of the previous eighteen years. This was a marriage of 'faithful love', of mutual attraction, affection and respect, from which the king seems to have drawn great strength."[22] Despite his reputation as a miser, Henry understood the importance of pageantry to the establishment of a new dynasty. Furthermore, much of the penny pinching image of Henry Tudor is not completely accurate because where and how he spent his money is easily traceable by surviving documents, some written by the king himself. Elizabeth received a grand coronation and their son Arthur's wedding in 1501 was lavish. Henry also frequently bought gifts for Elizabeth and their children.[23] The account books kept by Henry himself are crystal clear that he spent a great deal of gold on expensive cloth for both himself, his wife, and his children.[24]

Elizabeth of York did not exercise much political influence as queen due to her strong-minded mother-in-law Lady Margaret Beaufort, but she was reported to be gentle, kind, and generous to her relations, servants, and benefactors. One report does state that Henry VII chose to appoint Elizabeth's choice for a vacant Bishopric over his mother's choice, showing Henry's affection for, and willingness to listen to, Elizabeth.[25][26] She may have also significantly influenced the designs for the renovation of Greenwich Palace.[27] She seems to have had a love of books, patronizing the English printer William Caxton.[28] Elizabeth of York enjoyed music, dancing, and gambling; the last of these was a pastime she shared with her husband. She also kept greyhounds.[29]

As queen, Elizabeth made arrangements for the education of her younger children, including the future Henry VIII.[30] She also accompanied her husband on his diplomatic visit to Calais in 1500 to meet with Philip I of Castile, and she corresponded with Queen Isabella I of Castile before their children's marriage.[31]

On 14 November 1501, Elizabeth of York's 15-year-old son Arthur married Catherine of Aragon, daughter of King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile. The pair were sent to Ludlow Castle, the traditional residence of the Prince of Wales. Arthur died in April 1502. The news of Arthur's death caused Henry VII to break down in grief, as much in fear for his dynasty as in mourning for his son. Elizabeth comforted him, telling him that he was the only child of his mother but had survived to become king, that God had left him with a son and two daughters, and that they were both young enough to have more children. When she returned to her own chambers, however, Elizabeth herself broke down with grief. Her attendants sent for Henry who, in turn, comforted her.[32][33][34]

Elizabeth's painted wood funeral effigy (without clothes), 1503, Westminster Abbey

In 1502, Elizabeth of York became pregnant once more and spent her confinement period in the Tower of London. On 2 February 1503, she gave birth to a daughter, Katherine, but the child died a few days afterwards. Succumbing to a post partum infection, Elizabeth of York died on 11 February, her 37th birthday. Her husband and children appear to have mourned her death deeply. According to one account, Henry Tudor "privily departed to a solitary place and would no man should resort unto him."[35][36] This is notable considering that, shortly after Elizabeth's death, records show he became extremely ill himself and would not allow any except his mother Margaret Beaufort near him, including doctors. For Henry Tudor to show his emotions, let alone any sign of infirmity, was highly unusual and alarming to members of his court.[35]

Presentation miniature from the Vaux Passional

In 2012, the Vaux Passional, an illuminated manuscript that was once the property of Henry VII, was rediscovered in the National Library of Wales.[37] It depicts the aftermath of Elizabeth's death vividly. Henry VII is shown receiving the book containing the manuscript in mourning robes with a doleful expression on his face. In the background, behind their father, are the late queen's daughters, Mary and Margaret, in black veils. The red head of 11-year-old Prince Henry is shown weeping into the sheets of his mother's empty bed.[38]

Henry VII entertained thoughts of remarriage to renew the alliance with Spain — Joanna, Dowager Queen of Naples (daughter of Ferdinand I of Naples), Joanna, Queen of Castile (daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella), and Margaret, Dowager Duchess of Savoy (sister-in-law of Joanna of Castile), were all considered — but he died a widower in 1509.[39][40] The specifications that Henry gave to his ambassadors outlining what he wanted in a second wife described Elizabeth.[41] On each anniversary of her death, he decreed that a requiem mass be sung, the bells be tolled, and 100 candles be lit in her honour. Henry also continued to employ her minstrels each New Year.[42]

The Tower of London was abandoned as a royal residence, as evidenced by the lack of records of its being used by the royal family after 1503. Royal births in the reign of Elizabeth's son, Henry VIII, took place in various other palaces.[43]

Henry VII's reputation for miserliness became worse after Elizabeth's death.[44]

He was buried with Elizabeth of York under their effigies in his Westminster Abbey chapel.[45] Her tomb was opened in the 19th century and the wood casing of her lead coffin was found to have been removed to create space for the interment of her great-great-grandson James VI and I.[46]

• Arthur, Prince of Wales (20 September 1486 – 2 April 1502)
• Margaret, Queen of Scotland (28 November 1489 – 18 October 1541)
• Henry VIII, King of England (28 June 1491 – 28 January 1547)
• Elizabeth (2 July 1492 – 14 September 1495)
• Mary, Queen of France (18 March 1496 – 25 June 1533)
• Edward? (b. 1498 – d. 1499) Possibly confused with Edmund.[47]
• Edmund (21 February 1499 – 19 June 1500)
• Katherine (2 February 1503 – 18 February 1503)

According to folklore, the "queen ... in the parlour" in the children's nursery rhyme "Sing a Song of Sixpence" is Elizabeth of York, while her husband is the king counting his money. The symbol of the Tudor dynasty is the Tudor rose, which became a royal symbol for England upon Elizabeth's marriage to Henry VII in 1486. Her White Rose of York is most commonly proper to her husband's Red Rose of Lancaster and today, uncrowned, is still the floral emblem of England.

Elizabeth of York was a renowned beauty, inheriting her parents' fair hair and complexion.[15] All other Tudor monarchs inherited her reddish gold hair and the trait became synonymous with the dynasty.

Effigies of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York on their tomb in Westminster Abbey

Biography

• Elizabeth of York by Arlene Naylor Okerlund. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2009.
• Elizabeth of York: Tudor Queen by Nancy Lenz Harvey (out of print).[50]
• Elizabeth of York, the Lost Tudor Queen by Amy Licence. Amberley 2013.
• Elizabeth of York by Alison Weir. Jonathan Cape and Ballantine, 2013.
• The Last Medieval Queens: English Queenship 1445–1503 by J. L. Laynesmith. Oxford, 2004.

Theatre, television and film

• Elizabeth of York is frequently discussed in Shakespeare's The Tragedy of Richard III, but never appears on stage. Many productions give her an on-stage presence as a silent character, and she is played by Kate Steavenson-Payne in the 1995 film adaption Richard III with dialogue originally assigned to another character.
• Elizabeth of York was portrayed by Norma West in the 1972 BBC miniseries The Shadow of the Tower.
• Elizabeth of York was portrayed by Nadia Cameron Blakey in TV drama Princes in the Tower (2005).
• Welsh actress Caroline Sheen made a cameo as Elizabeth of York in the docudrama Henry VIII: The Mind of a Tyrant in the first episode covering the future monarch's early youth.
• Elizabeth of York was portrayed by Scottish actress Freya Mavor in the 2013 BBC drama, The White Queen.
• Elizabeth of York is portrayed by Jodie Comer in the 2017 Starz drama, The White Princess.
• Elizabeth of York is portrayed by Alexandra Moen in the 2019 Starz drama, The Spanish Princess.

Literature

• Elizabeth of York is the subject of Hilda Brookman Stanier's novel Plantagenet Princess, pub. Robert Hale, 1981.
• Elizabeth of York appears in five of Philippa Gregory's historical novels. The White Princess (2013) follows Elizabeth of York's life from the aftermath of the Battle of Bosworth Field. She is a leading character in Gregory's account of her mother's life, The White Queen (2009), which features Elizabeth of York from the time of her birth to the age of 18. She appears as a supporting character in The Red Queen (2010) and in The Kingmaker's Daughter and appears briefly in The Constant Princess (2005). In these novels, Elizabeth of York is portrayed as deeply in love with her uncle Richard, whom she hoped to marry rather than Henry Tudor, but eventually grows to love and care for her husband.
• Elizabeth of York also appears in The Tudor Rose by Margaret Campbell Barnes (1953, reissued 2009), Elizabeth the Beloved by Maureen Peters (1972), The Dragon and the Rose by Roberta Gellis (1977), The King's Daughter by Sandra Worth (2008), Uneasy Lies the Head (1982) (reissued as To Hold the Crown: The Story of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York (2008)) by Jean Plaidy and The King's Grace by Anne Easter Smith (2009).
• Elizabeth of York appears in Brenda Honeyman's novel Richmond and Elizabeth (1970) about the lives of Henry Tudor and Elizabeth of York before and during their marriage, which is complicated in the novel by Henry's resentment and coldness and by Elizabeth's incestuous love for her uncle, the dead King Richard III.
• Elizabeth of York appears in Sharon Kay Penman's first novel, The Sunne in Splendour, where she is portrayed as having loved her uncle, King Richard III, and briefly having false hopes of becoming his wife.
• Elizabeth of York appears in Anne Powers's novel Queen's Ransom, in three of four sections. This book is told from the point of view of each queen during the Wars of the Roses, so Elizabeth of York appears in her mother's (Elizabeth Woodville) and her second cousin's (Anne Neville) sections as well as her own.
• Elizabeth of York appears in Judith Arnopp's novel A Song of Sixpence: The Story of Elizabeth of York and Perkin Warbeck (2015).
• Elizabeth of York is the main character in Samantha Wilcoxson's Plantagenet Princess, Tudor Queen (2015). This novel begins during Elizabeth's childhood and follows her life through the turbulent years following her father's death and her marriage to Henry Tudor. Elizabeth is portrayed as a pious woman who is devoted to her husband, though she continues to search for the truth about her missing brothers, the Princes in the Tower.

• Morgan, Kenneth O., (1988), The Oxford History of Britain, Oxford University Press. (ISBN 0-19-285202-7)
• Okerlund, Arlene (2009). Elizabeth of York (1st ed.). New York: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-230-10065-7. OCLC 650310349.
• Williams, Neville, (1977), "Henry VII" in Fraser, Antonia (ed), The Lives of the Kings and Queens of England, Futura. (ISBN 0-8600-7449-8)