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Similar to Catherine of Valois (See Catherine of Valois: The KISS Edition), Elizabeth of York is a largely forgotten queen who is essential to the rise of the Tudors.
Elizabeth of York: The Daughter of the War of the Roses
Elizabeth was the first born child of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville. From the moment of her birth, she was celebrated and treated as a national treasure. (I hope I am not the only who just had a flashback of Nicholas Cage pretending to be Indiana Jones). For the first few years of her life, Elizabeth led a charmed life. This, of course, did not last long.
When Elizabeth was four, Edward IV was overthrown by the Lancasters (in what I like to refer to as Warwick’s hissy fit). He forced to flee England and abandon his wife and children. A heavily pregnant Elizabeth Woodville sought sanctuary at Westminster Abbey for her and her daughters. While they resided in comfort, the royal family lived in fear that Warwick and the Lancasters would storm the Abbey to “take care of” (AKA murder) of them.
Protecting the Fam
One of the first things that Edward IV did, after he defeated the Lancasters, was to liberate his wife and children from sanctuary. From that point on, Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville took several steps to ensure their family’s safety. Henry VI “died of grief” (AKA murdered) and Margaret of Anjou was declawed by the deaths of her husband and her son. As George of Clarence (Edward IV’s brother and Elizabeth of York’s uncle) continued to commit treason, he was killed, likely on Edward IV’s orders. (As much as George was a turd, brothers killing brothers is never a good thing in the long run). With the obvious threats taken care of, Elizabeth and her family were safe and happy.
Uncle Dick Comes to Town
This all ended when Edward IV died unexpectedly when she was seventeen. Her twelve year old brother, Edward V, became king and her uncle Richard III became Lord Protector. Richard III hated the Woodvilles (especially the new Queen Dowager, Elizabeth Woodville) and sought to take power for himself. (The men in the York family literally destroyed each other and themselves over being the King of England. I would love to ask them if it was all worth it in the end). He took custody of Edward V and arrested Elizabeth of York’s maternal uncle and half-brother. This action sent Elizabeth and her immediate family once again into sanctuary (AKA a very long sleepover at church). Everything seemed to go downhill from there.
With complete control over Edward V and the Woodvilles powerless, Richard III quickly secured more power for himself. He conducted a coup, executed and exiled Edward V’s supporters (without a trial, which is a big no no even then), and forced the Queen Dowager to release Richard (Edward IV’s second son) into his custody. Once the two biggest threats to his power were under his control, Richard III made the ultimate power move. He revealed (around the same time that the Princes “disappeared”) that Edward IV had already been married when he married the Queen Dowager, making the Princes and Princesses illegitimate. Of course, there was only one witness (the priest who could not actually be considered a legal witness), the supposed first wife was dead, and apparently, George knew? (You know, the traitor brother who literally called Edward IV, his own brother, illegitimate to get more power. There is no way he would have sat on this information.)
Richard III’s rule was rocked with rebellion and instability. His treatment of Edward IV’s children enraged many English citizens. As hated as the Woodvilles were, Edward IV was beloved. Despite Richard’s scheme to delegitimize Elizabeth and her siblings, her brothers were still considered the rightful heirs. After it was largely accepted that they were dead (as if they needed more family murder in the York family), Elizabeth became the rightful heir to the throne. This is the reason why Henry VII and Elizabeth were betrothed multiple times before they eventually married and why there were rumors that Richard III sought to marry Elizabeth after Anne Neville’s death. (Incest. So much incest. I definitely just threw up at little in my mouth.)
And Now We Have… The Tudors?
Moving away from potential royal incestual marriages (still so gross), Henry VII defeated Richard III and became the first Tudor king of England. This should have been a glorious time for Elizabeth. After all, she was the reason he won. Most of Henry’s supporters only fought for him because he promised to marry Elizabeth (and not in the creepy uncle way that Richard III tried to do). While Elizabeth waited for Henry to set a wedding date so that they could be crowned as King and Queen of England together, Henry had other plans.
Henry wanted to rule in his own right, not based on his wife’s claim to the throne. So he put off the wedding. He had his coronation and began to rule England as a King alone. (While I can see his point, the massive fan of Elizabeth in me is enraged on her behalf.) He did this for so long that his supporters began to get nervous that he was not going to marry Elizabeth. Finally, he chose a wedding date and they got married. Elizabeth became pregnant and then Queen (and yes, it is supposed to be the other way around). And so began the Tudor age.
Marriages Don’t Magically Solve All of the Problems
Unfortunately, her marriage to Henry VII did not end the clashes between her family and her husband. Her aunt, Margaret of Burgundy, promoted two different pretenders, including one who claimed to be Elizabeth’s youngest brother, (which was such a dick move. Talk about rubbing salt in the wound). After one of these rebellions,, Henry VII may have forced the Queen Dowager to relinquish her lands and retire to an abbey. (Some say it was her choice while others say Henry forced her into it.) Henry VII stole some of Elizabeth and her sisters’ inheritance (besides the throne) and refused to provide doweries for them. Elizabeth ended up financially supporting her sisters throughout their adult years.
While their marriage did not miraculously heal the wounds that the War of the Roses caused, Henry and Elizabeth had a solid marriage. They had multiple children (which indicated an active sex life). Neither were overly affectionate towards each other in public (and Henry was a total Mama’s Boy); however, multiple sources indicate that they cared for and supported each other. In fact, Henry VII only developed his cold and controlling reputation after Elizabeth passed away.
For the most part, Elizabeth stayed away from politics. Whether or not this was her choice or she was sidelined by Margaret Beaufort (the #1 Badass, clink link for more info), we will probably never know. Regardless, she gave birth to multiple children, including the infamous Henry VIII, Queen Margaret Tudor of Scotland and Queen Mary Tudor of France. Her main contribution politically was negotiating marriages for her children. While she worked with Margaret on these negotiations, Elizabeth made sure that she had a voice in who daughter- and son-in-laws would be.
At the end of the day, Elizabeth of York was critical to English history despite being overshadowed by her mother and mother-in-law. She was the Daughter of the War of the Roses and the first Tudor Queen.
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Sources:
| Author | Source Name |
| Alison Weir | The War of the Roses. |
| Mary McGrigor | The Sister Queens: Isabella & Catherine de Valois |
| Dan Jones | The War of the Roses: The Fall of the Plantagenets and the Rise of the Tudors. |
| Lisa Hilton | Queens Consort: England’s Medieval Queens from Eleanor of Aquitaine to Elizabeth of York. |
| Erin Lawless | Forgotten Royal Women: The King and I |
| Dan Jones | The Plantagenets: The Warrior Kings and Queens Who Made England |
