Elizabeth of York, Parts One and Two

Elizabeth of York:

This weeks subject is a powerful woman in her own right. Without her marriage Henry VII was unlikely to be able to hold his throne and it would have been highly unlikely for his children to have any chance of ruling. When Henry VII took the throne of England after the Battle of Bosworth (or retroactively the day before if you were on the wrong side) on the 22nd of August 1485, he had enough support to win the battle, but without his promise to marry Elizabeth of York he wouldn’t be king for long. He may have claimed the throne by ‘right of conquest’, but he remained on throne through his wife. Elizabeth was the oldest child of Edward IV and his consort, Elizabeth Woodville (fun fact, they are the only mother-daughter queen consorts, which is probably a good thing). Her marriage to a man who was, at least in theory, the long-term enemy of her house would protect his claim and those of their descendants. I’ll be using Alison Weir’s Elizabeth of York The First Tudor Queen, and Amy Licence Elizabeth of York, Forgotten Tudor Queen. Of course, all the earlier works I’ve used, especially for our last subject will come up. Oh, and because I can’t not fully research things  I also checked up on one important fact via the paper ‘Tuberculosis in the Female Genital Tract by Drs Kesharwani, Mohammad, and Pathak. These next two episodes will be a little longer because I couldn’t quite get three episodes, sorry. 

As you may have noticed in the first bit of this introduction there will be two Elizabeths in this episode, and they’re both important, just as they were in our last episode. For our subject I’ll refer to her mainly as Elizabeth, sometimes Princess Elizabeth, when she’s a child, and Queen Elizabeth once she’s queen. Her mother, I’ll use her full name, Elizabeth Woodville while she’s queen, but just know I acknowledge her being queen (and a good queen at that) and the Dowager Queen following the death of her husband. You may also realise there will be two important Henrys in this episode as well, for the elder I’ll refer to him as Henry Tudor until he becomes king and then King Henry or just Henry after. His and Elizabeth’s son will be called Prince Henry throughout, since spoilers, his mother will not be alive when he’s king. I considered calling Henry Tudor Henry Richmond, but I decided I’d go with the name expected by modern audiences. During his own lifetime, though, he would have been referred to as Henry of Richmond until he was king. 

Elizabeth was born on the 11th of February 1466 in Westminster Palace, she was the daughter of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville. She was the first shared child of her parents, but her mother’s third legitimate child. Her father, Edward IV might have had up to two illegitimate children at this point. She was also the first princess born to a king since Edward III’s youngest daughter, Margaret, in 1346, remember, Henry IV’s children had been born before he became king. 

The story of Elizabeth of York’s parent’s first meeting is often romanticised, two young, attractive people, meeting under an oak tree while Elizabeth Woodville came to beseech the young king for a return of her late husband’s properties and titles. The only problem, it’s probably not true at all. Elizabeth Woodville’s first husband, Sir John Grey was never attained and it appears that she had nothing to beg for. In all reality Elizabeth Woodville’s mother, Jacquetta of Luxembourg, had been an active member of court during her first marriage to John, Duke of Bedford, Henry VI’s uncle. Even after Bedford’s death Jacquetta had been active in court, you’ll remember me discussing Jacquetta’s second marriage in Richard 3rd Duke of York’s episodes. Jacquetta had scandalously married Richard Woodville, a squire. Now, I’d like to defend Richard Woodville, while not noble, he was a competent military leader who came from a family of competent political leaders who were also diplomates. While he didn’t have title he was perfectly popular in court and Henry VI eventually forgave his aunt (by marriage) for her impulsive decision. This means that the couple and their children would have been present in court. It’s possible that Edward, then Earl of March had met Elizabeth Woodville at a much earlier point, she was five years older than him after all. Maybe it was under an oak tree, but it likely wasn’t when she was begging her king, he was likely just the son of a duke when they met.

Elizabeth of York’s mother was unique. She was the first English queen-consort of England since Edith of Mercia, Harold Godwinson’s wife. Elizabeth Woodville was a descendant of Charlemagne, but that was all through her mother’s line. Her father was a lowly, common squire. Now, I might go on a little rant here, but I despise the word ‘grasping’. I think that people should try to better themselves if they want, especially if they can do so without hurting others. This squire was, according to nobility a nobody, but his father was actually a respected politician. I think calling someone grasping is just unnecessary, unless you want to call William the Bastard grasping because he used a dubious claim to England to invade and basically rip apart the functions of a country, that’s grasping. Elizabeth Woodville’s family was called grasping throughout Edward IV’s reign. Edward IV’s closest advisor,  Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, the king maker, was likely the first to make that accusation. Warwick, had been negotiating for Edward IV to marry a French princess to make peace between the two countries, but was blindsided by Edward IV’s marriage to Elizabeth. I do understand being upset about this, it wasn’t kind on Edward’s part, but Warwick taking it out on the Woodvilles was a bit unfair. 

I mean, we can also call Warwick grasping, his father was a younger son who had been married to a wealthy heiress who was lacking brothers. Warwick’s own marriage was just as grasping, I guess it’s only okay to do if you are descended from John of Gaunt. Edward IV’s own mother, Cecily Neville, was disgusted by her son’s marriage. 

Princess Elizabeth’s father had been king for five years and her parents had been married for a year and ten months prior to her birth. While the royal couple had hoped for a son as their first child, both parents were please with their healthy daughter. Like all the royalty of their time period the royal couple was described as beautiful, but for once we have realistic, contemporary or near-contemporary portraits that bear this out. Elizabeth’s mother appears to be attractive by the standards of the time (which, interestingly, included moving the hairline further back than would naturally occur and styling the eyebrows low). Elizabeth’s father has what can only be described as a rather Plantagenet look, with hooded eyes. 

Despite the controversy about her parents’ marriage her mother was actually a well-suited queen consort. She was religiously devout, supportive of her husband, charitable while being economic within her household, and even turned a blind eye to her husband’s many infidelities. As one of 13 siblings, she brought a large number of her sisters and brothers to court with her. While her family may have bumped heads with the established magnates, by all accounts Princess Elizabeth’s uncles were dedicated and loyal to the king and supportive of his aims. Elizabeth Woodville’s older sons were still boys at the time of her second marriage, but will eventually become part of this managing Woodville cohort. Princess’ Elizabeth’s older brothers Thomas and Richard, were eleven and nine years older than her. 

Princess Elizabeth spent a great deal of her childhood at Sheen Palace, her mother’s favourite residence. She would spend holidays at court or travelling with her parents. There are actually records of her daily routines, there was a lot of mass. Religion was a huge part of life during this time, and the higher classes were expected to show this both publicly and privately. The king and queen would have two further daughters, Mary and Cecily, in 1467 and 1469. Princess Elizabeth and her sisters would have been taught that they were the weaker sex, which was normal at the time. Women were expected to be meek, quiet, and conforming. If women didn’t meet these expectations they would be seen as domineering or going against god and nature. Despite this level of sexism, Elizabeth and her sisters were also taught to read and write in both English and French, though her spoken French was apparently mediocre. The princess, throughout her life, was shown to have a love a reading. Multiple books survive with her inscription on them, she appeared to regularly share books with her sisters and her mother.

The childhood of the royal children was all that was expected until July of 1469. This is when Warwick and King Edward’s brother, George Duke of Clarence, rebelled against the king. After the Yorkist loss to Neville forces at the Battle of Edgecote Moor Edward was held by Warwick. Weeks later, on the 12th of August Warwick summarily executed Richard Woodville, Princess Elizabeth’s grandfather, and John Woodville, one of her uncles. They originally tried to put Clarence on the throne in Edward’s place. When this failed they eventually reconciled with the king, well, they claimed they reconciled with the king. After his release Edward had Princess Elizabeth declared his heir apparent, the first time a daughter had been declared such since the Empress Matilda (other women had been heir presumptive, but not heir apparent). 

Queen Elizabeth was forced to greet Warwick in court over Christmas 1469. To try to put a stop to Clarence’s ambitions Edward offered to betroth Princess Elizabeth to Warwick’s nephew, George Neville. This betrothal was formalised in January 1470, young George was five at the time and Elizabeth was three. The young man was elevated to the Duke of Bedford (which oddly means his future grandmother-in-law, Jacquetta, could in theory use the female version of his title (I need to double check this)). This was the first of Elizabeth’s three engagements. The hope was that Warwick would be more likely to support his nephew over his cousin. While they had claimed to be loyal, in reality Warwick and Clarence well, were still scheming. Warwick and Clarence were trying to use the rumour that Edward IV was illegitimate due to the timing of his birth (you may remember this from his father’s episodes). Remember, Parliament has the say on who’s king, not blood, and for the moment Parliament was behind King Edward. Since they weren’t done scheming Warwick and Clarence continued to make plans. The pair fled to France in May of 1470. Warwick, king making, or attempting to, returned to England at the head of an army in September of that year. Hopefully you remember what happened in France from Edward of Westminster’s episode. King Edward was forced to flee to Bruges. Oh, and there’s one more huge thing I almost forgot to share with you. At some point while Warwick was in control in August of 1469, Jacquetta of Luxembourg, Princess Elizabeth’s grandmother was charged with witchcraft (I did say it would come up again). This would have been a terrifying accusation, for all the royal women. Part of the accusation included crediting Jacquetta’s magic with allowing her daughter to seduce King Edward. These charges were dismissed quickly, but they would have been embarrassing for the entire royal family. 

While Elizabeth’s father was fighting for his throne (well, running for his life and then fighting for his throne) she, her sisters, and their very pregnant mother, were in Westminster Abbey, in sanctuary. Originally they had been planning to stay in the Tower while the king was fighting his brother and cousin, but due to his forced evacuation from England they were forced to change plans. Since you know what happens from a battle standpoint from Edward of Westminster’s episode I’ll focus on Princess Elizabeth’s story. While ever historical fiction representation I’ve seen of sanctuary shows the Yorkist ladies living in a dirt-floored basement right next to the river, it appears that they were housed in the abbot’s rooms. These were well appointed. Had they been in the common area of sanctuary it would have been unsafe for them, due to the members of society who were in sanctuary. While they would have been terrified for the king, they would have been safe and well cared for. Her mother gave birth to Edward, the future Edward V, on the 1st of November 1470. Henry VI had been re-declared king on the 3rd of October 1470. His council, possibly acting at his request (remember, Henry had a kind streak that should never be overlooked), saw to it that sometime Queen Elizabeth’s medical needs were looked after. The prince was baptised at the Abbot’s house, he had been sickly, and waiting for a regal baptism probably wasn’t suggested. That Abbot, Thomas Mylling and the Prior, John Eastney, stood as Prince Edward’s godfathers. Not nearly as sumptuous as Princess Elizabeth’s christening. Thomas Mylling would be appointed the Bishop of Hereford in 1474, this was an unusually appointment, abbots usually stayed abbots, but Edward IV wanted to thank Mylling for his help during this period.

Edward IV defeated Warwick’s forces at the Battle of Barnet on the 14th of April 1471, and Princess Elizabeth, her mother, sisters, and baby brother were able to leave sanctuary. Elizabeth watched her mother overcome with emotions from her father’s return. While her father was back, things weren’t completely normal. On the 12th of May, Thomas Neville, Warwick’s cousin, but surprisingly a long-time supporter of Margaret of Anjou, known as the bastard of Fauconberg sailed up the Thames with 17,000 men. He claimed he was coming to free the ‘rightful king’ Henry VI. Fauconberg, burnt Southwark when his demands to allow his men to enter London were denied. His assault and bombardment of London failed, but he didn’t give up. Elizabeth’s uncle, Edward Woodville, was able to trick Fauconberg, and King Edward would eventually able to capture him. On the 21st of May, 1471, Henry VI died, of unknown means. Fauconberg was executed in September 1471. 

For a time Elizabeth’s life would be relatively stable, at least until right before adulthood. In probably the least shocking news ever, after her father’s win, her betrothal was called off. Her fiancé may have been five, but his father had rebelled against hers and you don’t really want that marrying into the family. Less than a year after her father’s return Elizabeth’s mother gave birth to another child, a girl, in April of 1472. Sadly, this would be the first of the royal couple’s children to die, she wouldn’t even make it to Christmas. The king and queen though, were likely already pregnant when their young daughter passed. Princess Elizabeth’s younger brother, Richard was born in mid-August 1473. Yes, this means that Elizabeth had an older brother named Richard and a younger one. In 1472 there was a wedding in the family. Richard of Gloucester, King Edward’s youngest brother married Anne Neville, the daughter of Warwick and the widow of Edward of Westminster on the 12th of July. Gloucester had grown up in Warwick’s house and was actually very close to his cousin. Due to Gloucester’s young age at the time of his father’s death, he was only eight, Warwick was a father-figure to Gloucester. Yes, the couple were first cousins, everyone is related, papal dispensation was received.

Elizabeth’s father had spent part of his exile in Bruges, which was controlled by the Burgundians. You’ll remember that his sister, Margaret of York had married Charles the Bold in July of 1468 (one of the many things that enraged Warwick). Charles the Bold (yes, I still love Burgundian soubriquets), will actually be alive for a few more years at this point in our story. The court of Burgundy was, well, glittering. It was everything one would expect of a medieval court of an early-Renaissance duke who was aiming to become a king. Charles was a lover of art, music, culture, learning, and life from everything I’ve read. Like his progenitors he wanted to make Burgundy a great place. And Edward’s time in his brother in law’s court is something he brought back with him on his triumphant return to England. He created a Black Book (no, not that kind) to govern the goings on of his household. This allowed him to create his own version of the Burgundian court. Princess Elizabeth’s future husband would follow a similar procedure. 

Like any princess one of the greatest concerns of Elizabeth’s life (and her parent’s lives) was who she would marry. Since her earlier betrothal had failed finding a new husband was a goal. Surprisingly, her sister Cecily was the next daughter to be officially engaged. Elizabeth was finally betrothed in August of 1475 to Charles, the dauphine of France, the son of Louis XI. Their betrothal was sealed with the Treaty of Picquigny, which awarded Edward IV a huge sum of money not to invade France and to give up his claim to the country. It also ransomed former Queen Margaret of Anjou for an equally huge sum of money. Elizabeth would receive, once she was married, and annual payment of 60,000 pounds, which was 30 million pounds in 2013. She was nine at the time, her future husband was five, but she wouldn’t be moving to France until she was 12. While girls were allowed by the church to be married at this age, the age for boys was 14, so Elizabeth would be 18 before she was actually married. While she wasn’t married yet, her family treated her as though she were the future queen of France. Had this marriage gone through she would have been the first post-conquest English princess to become a queen of France, or a French kingdom (the previous English princess was Eadgifu of Wessex, who was the daughter of Edward the Elder, Alfred the Great’s son and heir). 

Before I get too far into the further narrative, Elizabeth’s parents would have four further children after the birth of Richard. Anne, George, Catherine, and Bridget, between 1475 and 1480, George sadly died before the age of three.

Elizabeth, her mother, and an aunt, were made ladies of the Order of the Garter in 1477 at the age of 11. Elizabeth’s marriage plans were temporarily destabilised around the same time. In January of 1477 Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy died in Nancy during a seemingly minor battle. His death left his extreme wealth in the hands of his daughter, Mary the Rich, how’s that for a sobriquet? Mary was unmarried and in the care of Elizabeth’s aunt, Mary’s step-mother, Margaret of York. Margaret schemed to marry Clarence, who was a widow at this point, to Mary. This would have, without a doubt, led to war between well, a lot of Europe. It didn’t happen of course, but if it had Clarence could have used Mary’s distant Lancastrian claim to make an attempt of the English throne. Thankfully, Edward didn’t have to do much to stop it, because Louis XI invaded Burgundy and at least slowed things. Mary the Rich ended up marrying Archduke Maximilian of Austria who would eventually become the Holy Roman Emperor.

Clarence was upset with the death of his wife in 1476 (I mentioned his widowerhood earlier). In his grief he lashed out at his sister-in-law. Clarence was really good at stirring things. He was arrested in June of 1477, he was executed in February of 1478. This execution was private and the rumour started that he was drown in a butt of wine. It’s slightly supported by his daughter’s choice of jewellery, her portraits would include a bracelet with wine cask. With his death his two children, Edward (yes, another Edward) and Margaret were sent to Sheen Palace to be raised with Elizabeth and her siblings. Their father had been attained, so the young Edward would not become a duke, but he inherited the Warwick title from his mother. Elizabeth and her cousin Margaret were apparently close throughout their lives. 

Between Clarence’s arrest and execution the royal family celebrated the first marriage of their children. No, not Elizabeth’s, instead, her four year old brother, Richard (now Duke of York), was wed to Anne Mowbray, who was five. Anne was the heiress of the vast Norfolk fortune. The marriage was short-lived, the bride died at eight in 1481, which is a reminder of how risky life was at this time. 

And we’ve come to 1478, Elizabeth is now 12 and it’s time for her to go to France, right? Well, Louis, didn’t send for his supposed future daughter-in-law, he vacillated, looking for other options. He was likely worried that Edward would try to attack France. Edward sent a representative to France to get things moving, he wanted the wedding to go ahead. Edward also asked the Elizabeth be given her funds from France, her jointure, now. As far as I can find, their treaty did state she’d get it upon marriage. At the end of the day though, it looks like Louis was using the match with England not to land his son a bride, but to prevent England from assisting the successor to the Burgundian faction, the Hapsburgs, you might have heard of them. The marriage portion of the treaty wasn’t broken, yet, but Louis only offered to send a small portion of Elizabeth’s funding over, a little more than 1/30th. Louis began negotiations with James III of Scotland for his daughter Mary. Interestingly, in 14743 Cecily, Elizabeth’s younger sister, had been betrothed to James’ son, the future James IV of Scotland. While this marriage wouldn’t work out someone close to Elizabeth would eventually marry James IV. In what I find the most egregious part of this French-Scottish marriage negotiations, Louis XI’s first wife, Margaret Stewart, had been James III’s aunt and Louis had not been kind to her. It really shows that all around these marriage negotiations rarely took into account the actual emotions of those being negotiated for. Hostages married to their jailers and all.

While Elizabeth was waiting to hear what would happen with her planned marriage her younger sibling were getting engaged left and right. Prince Edward was engaged to Anne of Brittany, the heiress to the Duchy of Brittany. Mary was betrothed to Fredrick of Denmark. Cecily was requested to be sent to Scotland. Louis XI was still worried Edward would attack him, but he got lucky, instead Scotland made a move on England. In 1481 James III started leading raids over the border. Edward raised troops and was requested by the Hapsburgs to send them to Burgundy. Instead, Edward sent these troops to stop the Scots. Edward and Louis reconfirmed their treaty in autumn 1481. 

Sadly for the royal family 1482 would lead to the falling apart of many of Edward’s plans. In May Elizabeth’s sister, Mary, died at 15. It was heartbreaking for the family and would have been horrible for Elizabeth, this was her closest in age sibling and they had grown up together. Scotland threw a spanner in the works when James III’s brother, Alexander escaped from prison in Scotland and fled to England. He convinced Edward IV to support his attempts to overthrow his brother. Edward broke off Cecily’s engagement to James III’s son and she was betrothed to Alexander. This engagement was then called off once Alexander overthrew his brother and took him captive. While England would come to terms with James and Alexander, they got Berwick back, and Cecily was reengaged to Prince James. This engagement though would be called off in October. And in December the worst came. Much earlier that year Mary the Rich had died in a horrific riding accident. Her death led to her husband needing to shore up his alliances. He reached out to Louis XI and in December 1482 Elizabeth and Charles’ betrothal was officially ended and the Dauphin was betrothed to Margaret of Burgundy. In addition to not getting to be the queen of France Elizabeth’s father lost his lucrative French pension. It would have been embarrassing and hurtful for the princess, being a queen was pretty much the highest thing a princess aspired to.

Fourteen eight two ended on a nice note though. The entire royal family was together for Christmas. This would be bittersweet though, it was the last recorded instance of the royal York children being together, at least the children who had survived thus far. 

Princess Elizabeth’s life was thrown into turmoil in April 1483. In fact the entire English court and country were tossed into a mess. On the ninth of that month Edward IV died at only 40, well, just weeks away from being 41. Elizabeth was only 17. Elizabeth’s brother, Prince Edward, who was only 12, was declared king o the 11th of April. 

I’ve mentioned Elizabeth’s maternal uncles a few times in this episode, but I should go into them a bit more now, at least the surviving ones. Her oldest uncle, Anthony, had inherited the earldom of Rivers in 1469 when Richard Woodville was executed. His brother Lionel had been appointed the Bishop of Salisbury in 1482. The next, Richard, was the least well known, but had served Edward’s throne well. Her youngest uncle, Edward, was closest to their oldest brother and accompanied him on his many overseas trips. He had also helped with the Scottish campaign. Of the four the one I want to focus on is the oldest, Anthony. He had served as the governor of Prince Edward’s household in Ludlow. This meant that the future king was basically raised by his maternal uncle. From all I can find Anthony was a good military leader, a thoughtful man, educated, and a lover of tournaments, everything a man of his class should be. He was a great person to help raise Prince Edward. Most importantly, due to his position in the prince’s household, when Edward IV died he was in possession of the person of the new king. This meant that the royal children were all in possession of Elizabeth’s mother or her uncle. 

The plan was for Prince Edward, now Edward V, to be crowned on the 4th of May. Elizabeth’s only surviving paternal uncle, Richard of Gloucester, wasn’t informed immediately of the king’s death, which is an odd choice, because Edward IV had declared him the young king’s protector. Instead the leading councillors agreed to appoint a council to help the young king lead with Gloucester in a leading role. Gloucester learned of his brother’s death from his close companion, William, Lord Hastings. I don’t want to go into all the details that happen next. Gloucester and his men headed south to intercept young Edward, his uncle Anthony, and his half-brother Richard Grey as they were headed to London. He met them at Stony-Stratford on the 29th of April, after a perfectly cordial greeting and meal, overnight Gloucester had young Edward’s Woodville supporters arrested. He took the young king into his control. The young king ordered his uncle, half-brother, and other supporters freed, but his uncle Gloucester ignored his commands. 

News reached Elizabeth and her mother on the 30th of April. Her mother quickly packed. Elizabeth, her mother, and her siblings, save Edward of course, fled to Westminster Abbey. Thomas, her oldest half-brother and their uncle, Lionel, the Bishop of Salisbury, joined them not long after. Instead of the young king being crowned on the 4th of May he rode into the city with his uncle. At first Gloucester protected young Edward’s rights and made it appear as though he was to be crowned. Gloucester even saw to it that charters were issued in the young king’s name. Being in sanctuary, waiting to hear news of her brother, or see him again would have been a horrible wait. Gloucester set the young king’s coronation for the 24th of June 1483, as many of you know, this crowning would never happen.

The next bit doesn’t include much about Elizabeth, but it’s important to understand the part of her life that follows. She’s in sanctuary, questioning her own security and safety, likely worried about her brothers (remember, one is being held prisoner) and uncle. But, I need to share the next part. 

Instead of being crowned, the prince was moved to the Tower for his comfort on the 19th of May. Now, we hear ‘the Tower’ today and think it’s a bad thing, a place where people are taken to await execution, but it wasn’t in that day. Yes, there was a prison within its walls, but it was also a royal residence. At this time it was luxurious and a common place for the royal family to live. It was especially common to stay there before a crowning. The council was worried about the remainder of the royal family staying in sanctuary, but for the moment nothing was done about it. 

On the 8th of June someone informed Gloucester that he had witnessed the marriage of Edward IV and Lady Eleanor Talbot at some point before Edward and Elizabeth Woodville’s marriage in 1464. This likely source for this is Bishop Robert Stillington, so I’m going to go with that. There are countless rumours around this accusation, one is that Stillington was a big old liar. One is that he informed Clarence when they were both imprisoned and the Clarence threatened Edward IV with this information. And finally, that this accusation was true and that Stillington had told no one until now. We’re confident that Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville were married in 1464, had Edward been married, with a living wife, this would have been bigamous, both a sin and illegal. Now, Lady Talbot had died on 1468, had Stillington witnessed the wedding, he could have easily informed the king and the king could have corrected the issue of bigamy with both the pope and his wife before it became a legal issue. In fact, Edward could have just remarried Elizabeth Woodville, had their two oldest daughters legitimated by the pope and the rest of their children would have had nothing to worry about. If Stillington was lying, then that’s just evil, and not within the purview of this show. Had he informed Clarence and Clarence told the king why hadn’t Edward IV taken care of things then? What’s important though was at the time this accusation was made both Edward and Lady Talbot were deceased, the church didn’t recognise marriages without witnesses, and there were no witnesses other than Stillington. I don’t want to get too much into idle speculation, just to give the facts, so I’ll stop there, with the facts. This day also happens to be the day that no further royal grants were made in the young king’s name. This accusation though, will lead directly to the coming events. Due to this accusation there was a question of legitimacy over the royal children. I can’t find out when the dowager queen finds out about this accusation and not know this makes the next part more difficult. 

The timing of this next bit is questionable. We know when Richard, the younger son of Edward IV and Elizabeth’s youngest surviving brother, left sanctuary, the 16th of June 1483 if you’re curious, but we don’t know what his mother knew at the time. William Hastings, Baron Hastings, was one of Gloucester’s closest supporters, at least after the death of Edward IV. Prior to this he had been a loyal retainer of Edward, he was even married to Warwick’s sister, Katherine. He remained loyal to Edward IV when Warwick rebelled. But, he had a minor feud, possibly over a woman, with Elizabeth’s oldest brother, Thomas, and it appears he didn’t support the Woodville family having any control in government. After Edward IV’s death he was the one to inform Gloucester and encourage him to immediately come to London. Hasting was seemingly loyal to Gloucester, until on the 13th of June he was accused of treason by Gloucester. Some chroniclers have him executed that day, but others have him executed on the 20th of the month. This difference in execution date is telling, because Hastings may have changed sides to support the dowager queen immediately prior to being accused of treason. He was not attained. The reason I focus on the date of Hasting’s death is what happens next. 

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Bourchier, convicted the dowager queen to turn over her younger son, Richard. While Bourchier had made the request Gloucester had troops waiting outside of the Abbey, with the implication that he may use them to bring the children out using force. While Elizabeth hadn’t spent much time with her brother, Edward, she would have spent a great deal more time with Richard. She was, throughout the remainder of her life, very close to her surviving sisters. Had Hastings been executed on the 13th it’s likely the dowager queen would have heard about it, but had his execution not occurred until the 20th there’s a chance she thought she had a friend on her side in court still. There were still promises that the young king would be crowned on the 24th of June.

The day of Edward V’s planned coronation came and went with no crowns pulled out and no princes seen, the next day would be heartbreaking for Elizabeth and her family. On this day Elizabeth’s older, half-brother, Richard, her uncle Anthony and a few of their supporters were executed. Council had not approved of this. That day though, council did approve of something. The royal children, Elizabeth and her younger brothers and sisters were declared bastards. On that same day Gloucester was petitioned to take the throne. Gloucester was crowned as Richard III on the 6th of July 1483

Since this episode isn’t about Elizabeth’s brothers or uncles, either maternal or paternal, let’s get back to her. She, her sisters, and their mother were still in sanctuary. With their declaration of illegitimacy they would have been insulted and their wealth stripped from them. The dowager queen was no longer referred to as such, she was referred to by her previous married name ‘Lady Elizabeth Grey’. After Richard III’s accession a rumour spread the Elizabeth and her sisters had escaped the abbey and fled overseas. This rumour upset Richard III, who reinforced his troops that surrounded the abbey. 

I’m trying to be careful how I talk about Richard III. I’m not on board with the Ricardian movement, but I don’t think his choices in government were bad. He seems like a politically sound man who may have made a horrible decision with regards to his nephews. After Richard’s July coronation the overthrown young king and his brother were seen less and less. In early August one of Richard’s first supporters, Henry Stafford, Duke of Buckingham (the grandson of the one I discussed in Richard of York’s episodes) rebelled, along with a large number of supporters, including Thomas Grey, Elizabeth’s oldest brother, and Lionel Woodville, her uncle. This rebellion failed, but it did have an outside supporter I should mention, Henry Tudor. Granted, Henry Tudor was really a supporter in name only, he never actually made it to England. Buckingham’s Rebellion, as the event was called, failed, and we’ll never know why Buckingham rebelled. The most popular suggestion is that he knew Richard III was planning to kill the princes in the tower. Weir thinks the princes were killed around the 8th of September 1483. Other historians think the boys were killed sometime in mid to late summer 1483. Matthew Lewis, whose work I used for Richard, Duke of York, and other Ricardians don’t think they were killed at all. The only thing I can promise is that as of this recording both the princes in the tower are dead, and have been for at least 400 years, just saying. Buckingham’s Rebellion ended with his execution on the 2nd of November. The rebels who weren’t captured escaped to Brittany and Henry Tudor’s growing rebel court. 

During this time Elizabeth was in sanctuary with her mother and sisters. After Buckingham’s rebellion her remaining male family members, her uncles, and older half-brother, fled to Brittany. Her mother’s decisions around the rebellion, agreeing to marry her to Henry Tudor and for the couple to claim the throne, make it clear that the dowager queen thought her sons were dead. Alison Weir even suggests that Margaret Beaufort used their go-between to send Elizabeth of York a book to help her through her time in sanctuary. Knowing they had supporters on the outside who wanted to see their cause righted would have likely helped the once royal family through this time. When Buckingham’s rebellion failed the royal ladies must have worried for their future. They were bastards, at least socially, hiding in sanctuary, and their mother’s wealth had been expropriated because she was legally no longer the dowager queen. They would not have access to funds, their dowries would not be recognised, and they couldn’t be snuck out to the continent, because their guard had been increased. 

While Elizabeth, her mother, and sisters waited her suggested husband decided to make a bold move. He visited Rennes Cathedral at Christmas time and swore an oath to marry Elizabeth of York upon becoming king of England. This was public oath, which Richard III would become aware of quickly, this would be a threat to the king, but for Henry Tudor this was brilliant. He had publicly declared his plans and this would draw others to his banner. Anyone who didn’t fully support Richard III and any remaining Lancastrians had a clear choice of who to join. This also changed Elizabeth’s value. She was no longer the bastard daughter of the late king, she was instead the planned wife for the man threatening her uncle. What did Elizabeth think of all of this? I have no idea, Alison Weir notes that there is an outline of the name ‘Henry’ on a page of Elizabeth’s book of hours, that appears to have been erased. But this and their future relationship are all we really have. Henry also took the step of applying for papal dispensation for his planned marriage to Elizabeth.

And this that exciting development I’ll pause for this week. Please join me next week for the rest of Elizabeth’s story. 

Part Two:

Welcome back. This week I’ll be starting with some legal news, so I hope this won’t scare any of you away!

In January 1484 Richard III would make Elizabeth and her siblings’ social illegitimacy legal when he had the Titulus Regius passed in Parliament. This document outlines his claim to the throne and affirmed him as king. It also called her grandmother and mother witches. Legally Parliament couldn’t declare a marriage invalid, but it could declare that Elizabeth and her siblings were banned from inheriting. In the end it doesn’t matter, because regardless of Elizabeth’s status Parliament declared Richard III king, as was their right. While Richard III had won this he was losing the popularity contest that all rulers need to win to maintain power. He was accused by the Chancellor of France of killing his nephews. The French king, Louis XI, was recorded to believe that Richard had done so. For him to have any chance to recover he needed his nieces. While they were legally (at least spuriously) bastards, they were still recognised bastards and there was no question of their parentage. Richard might have even suggested, through intermediaries, that he would marry Elizabeth of York to his son and heir. 

Beginning not long after he had them declared illegitimate Richard began in earnest to tempt Elizabeth Woodville to allow her daughters out of Westminster Abbey. He could have forced them out, he did have the soldiers around the Abbey still, and his former sister-in-law would have known this. He sent his supporters to try to convince the family to return to court. Finally on the 1st of March 1484 he swore an oath publicly, at Council, that he would offer his niece’s his protection in they left sanctuary. He promised to find them good husbands, and to provide them with dowries. He also promised to never imprison them in the Tower. Interestingly, Richard III is never recorded making a similar oath about his nephews. With this religious promise made, it would have been next to impossible for Elizabeth and her sisters to remain in the Abbey. A king was deeply bound by his religious vows and if her mother kept them in the Abbey it would look like she didn’t trust an oath sworn before the peers of the realm. While Elizabeth’s mother may not have trusted her former brother-in-law she had to trust the other leading men of the country. 

Elizabeth of York and her sisters were placed in the Queen’s household at first. While being demoted from royal princesses to now bastards would have been difficult returning to court would have been amazing. Elizabeth and her sisters had been raised near court and were often there around the holidays, so finally leaving the Abbey would have been a relief even if they were possibly afraid for their future. Their mother left sanctuary at some point after them. It appears that the royal princesses joined her at Croyland when she did. By August of 1484 Elizabeth of York was residing in Sheen.

Fourteen eighty four also saw rumours in Europe that Richard III was going to marry Elizabeth of York to William, the bastard son of Bishop Stillington. Yes, the bishop who had possibly accused her father of marrying her mother while married to another woman, the person who she could blame for having her declared a bastard. Now, there are no English sources for this, so it’s likely just ideal gossip, but it shows how much Elizabeth’s status had dropped if this rumour could be started. Not only could people believe she was to be married off to the son of  a man who helped ruin her family, but an actual bastard, and not a royal one. Neither Elizabeth nor her mother would ever agree to this, so even if it were a true offer it doesn’t matter. In the end the young man was captured and taken to France as a prisoner, where he was starved to death. 

In April that year Richard III’s only heir, Edward of Middleham died. With his passing Richard’s chosen heir became his nephew, John de la Pole, a name you may remember from Lady Margaret’s episodes. For Elizabeth, loosing her cousin would have been sad. But it would have destabilised her uncle’s reign and possibly made her a more attractive heir to replace him. Richard’s ultimate goal, though, would have been to have more children of his own. There was one thing standing in his way, his wife. Richard had been married to his cousin, Anne Neville, the daughter of the Warwick the kingmaker and the widow of Edward of Westminster, the Prince of Wales, since 1472. They had only had one child and it appear that Anne was unable to conceive any further children because I can find no records of other pregnancies. Anne Neville had been ill for a while, her symptoms and statements at the time match tuberculosis. She was, as one could imagine, devastated by the death of her son. If she was ill with tuberculosis this could explain her only having one child, one of the complications of the disease is fertility issues. It’s important to note that a great amount of Richard III’s popularity in the north (where he was still popular) was based on his marriage to Queen Anne. 

With his queen ill Richard III may have been on the lookout for a replacement. A shocking rumour began to spread that Richard had set his eyes on Elizabeth. Yes, pulling one out of the Hapsburg playlist. There were further rumours that she was equally interested in her uncle. These rumours were shocking, uncle-niece marriage was uncommon among royalty at this time, and Richard’s wife was still alive. Oh yes, this suggestion was a scandal. Elizabeth and her sisters had been moved to Queen Anne’s service around Christmas of 1484, which brought her back to court. These rumours about her or her uncle’s mutual affection probably wouldn’t have started had she not been back at court. Queen Anne’s illness wouldn’t have helped either. It wouldn’t help that in addition to the queen being ill there were rumours that Anne had been unable to, well, perform her marital duties, for quite some time. The rumours really were flying throughout late 1484 and early 1485. These included Thomas Langton, the Bishop of St. David, sharing that the king’s appetites in that area were increasing. Yeah, I feel like this level of gossip is indicative of a messy court. It’s important to remember that for all Elizabeth of York knew, at that moment Richard III could have been king for another three or four decades. No one knows if she wanted to marry her uncle, until the 16th of March 1485, when Queen Anne died, they would have required an annulment and dispensation for this to even happen. The event that sent tongues wagging though happened at Christmas 1484, when Elizabeth of York wore the same outfit as Queen Anne. Sumptuary laws, allowing only people of certain rank or class to wear certain items of fashion, were in effect. Elizabeth of York was a royal bastard, not a princess, she shouldn’t have been wearing the same clothing as the queen. There were only two ways she would have been allowed to wear those clothes at court, either the queen had allowed it or the king had. Queen Anne was unwell, and it’s not known if she and Elizabeth were particularly close, there is a small chance that the queen wanted to support her niece. Most evidence though points that Richard III allowed or encouraged his niece to dress this way. What reason could he have had for wanting to suggest that he was going to marry Elizabeth? There are two obvious options, either he wanted to marry his niece and was hoping his wife would die soon, or he wanted to make people think he was going to marry her. Why would he want to make people think that? Well, a great deal of a woman’s value was in her virtue, an unmarried woman needed to be a virgin or it would be insulting to the man she eventually married. Even a widow need to protect her reputation. Yes, it’s toxic way to think, but it was the way things were then. Richard III could foul his niece by implying that she was close enough to him to have sexual relations. It would hurt any claim that was made through her. 

Why would I suggest that Richard III was doing this to mess with Henry Tudor? Why don’t I think he was actually planning to marry his niece? Well, legally his niece was still a bastard, in addition, the only thing she brought to his table was the possible ability to bear children. In addition, after his wife’s death, Richard III began to negotiate with the king of Portugal, John II for his sister, Johanna. Johanna may not have been interested in marrying anyone, but Richard it shows that Richard was trying to find a legitimate bride. This further indicates to me that this rumour was one sided, Richard towards his niece, and meant to stir up issues with and for Henry Tudor. I think at the end of the day this shows us much of Richard III’s character, he was willing to embarrass his wife and risk his niece’s reputation, currently her only currency, all to try to one-up Henry Tudor. Had he been originally planning to marry his niece it’s unlikely that his supporters would have stood by him. It would imply that he felt she was legitimate, regardless of anything he had pushed through parliament, and would would be everything short of admitting her brothers were dead. Regardless of what had happened to her younger brothers, her uncle was guilty of the death of one of her older brothers. To most of us that wouldn’t be our first or even second choice in spouse. There are 17th century discussions of a letter, that purports that Elizabeth was interested in her uncle. The only problem, there are no copies, and a summary of it, that is in the Cotton Collection, is damaged to a point where it’s near useless. The writer who summarised the original letter did claim that Elizabeth had written to the Duke of Norfolk to express her want that he help arrange a marriage between her and her uncle. This letter and its summary are the subject of a great deal of speculation and questioning. Some think the letter was asking Norfolk to assist Elizabeth in any royal marriage, possibly with a Spanish or Portuguese prince even. We cannot know what Elizabeth thought of all of this. Even if the letter to Norfolk is found (and there is a real chance it may be), we won’t know if she felt that or if she was told to write it. The truth is, women in this time had minimal agency when it came to marriage. Her mother and father and maternal grandparents were rare couples. In the upper classes most women married who they were told to, and so did most men. Amy Licence even suggest that Elizabeth may have been a spy for her mother and Lady Margaret Beaufort at Richard’s court. Eventually, the rumours that Richard was planning on marrying his niece scandalised court enough that he had to publicly declare, to Council, that he was not planning to do so. Interestingly, Elizabeth’s two most recent biographers each take a different stand on how she felt about her uncle, Alison Weir suggesting she wanted to marry him and Amy Licence suggesting she was just protecting herself. While Richard didn’t marry Elizabeth, he did see to it that her younger sister, Cecily, was married. Henry Tudor had declared her his second choice if Elizabeth was unavailable.

Whatever Elizabeth thought of her uncle’s manoeuvres, she had little say in her own life. She was a bird, in the cliche guided cage. She had once been the future queen of France, now she was a bastard with unflattering rumours all around her. But, things would be changing for her quickly. While the Song of Lady Bessy, written in the reign of Henry VII, paints Elizabeth of York as conspiring with her future step-father-in-law, Stanley, to bring Henry Tudor into England there isn’t a great deal of evidence that she played an active role in his return. Outside of being the rallying point for Woodville supporters and the disaffected Yorkist contingent there was little she could do, but survive.  

Henry Tudor would have heard the rumours from England, that Elizabeth may be made to marry her uncle and that the next oldest daughter of Edward IV, Cecily, had been married to a rather minor noble. Anne of York, the third surviving daughter of Edward IV was only 10, so not an option. While Henry Tudor was preparing ships and men for a trip to England and Richard III was planning what to do if he landed, Elizabeth was waiting. She had been sent to Sheriff Hutton, a village in North York, with her sisters and her cousins, Edward of Clarence, the Earl of Warwick, George of Clarence’s only surviving son, and John de la Pole, the Earl of Lincoln. 

As you all should know by now Henry Tudor, miraculously, defeated Richard III at Bosworth and was acclaimed king. He ruled that his reign had started the day before Bosworth, a shrewd legal manoeuvre which meant that all who stood against him at Bosworth were guilty of treason. He also declared his claim was by conquest. In theory he didn’t need to marry Elizabeth of York to claim his throne, after all, William the Bastard hadn’t married an Englishwoman when he conquered England. But, those who have listened to my first series know that William’s youngest son did marry a pseudo-Englishwoman as a further step to securing the English throne. The simple fact though is that no one wanted to go back to the days of the Conquest, to secure his throne Henry, now Henry VII, instead could marry the rightful heiress, and make most people in the kingdom happy. Not long after his win Henry VII sent an escort to bring Elizabeth, along with her sisters and younger cousins to London (de la Pole had fought at Bosworth on the Yorkist side). 

Henry was 28 at this point and Elizabeth was 19. The couple met for the first time in autumn of 1485, likely in Margaret Beaufort’s Coldharbour residence or at Elizabeth Woodville’s home. By planning to marry Elizabeth Henry wasn’t just taking advantage of her claim, he was taking advantage of her popularity. She was beloved by the common people of England. The oldest daughter of their hero king, Edward IV, the wronged sister of their (supposedly) slain king Edward V. The common people would have been angered that Richard III would have dared to besmirch her name with his scheming. When Henry VII became king he had to know that he couldn’t delay this marriage for long. 

Henry was crowned on the 30th of October 1485. It makes sense for him to be crowned before his wedding if he wanted to emphasise that his kingship was based on his win at Bosworth. But, he really would need Elizabeth to hold things. He had defeated Richard III with a small force. If his step-father and step-uncle hadn’t joined his side there’s no way he would have had a chance. If a force that small could take a kingdom then something more than force was needed to hold it. But, there was something delaying the wedding, papal dispensation. Henry had applied for it back in 1483 when he announced he would take the throne of England and marry Elizabeth. The problem was that the church did expect women to consent to their marriages, and needed Elizabeth to jointly request the dispensation. So, a second dispensation was requested. Henry also needed to hold his first parliament and repeal the Titulus Regius, that act that had made Elizabeth and her siblings bastards. Remember, he also ordered that all copies of this act be destroyed, including the copy in the parliamentary rolls, he wasn’t messing around. There was also an outbreak of the plague through the autumn of 1485. By delaying their wedding the couple was assuring that it couldn’t be challenged later. After watching her parent’s marriage be declared invalid this might have been somewhat of a relief to Elizabeth. 

This delay also gave the couple a chance to get to know each other. Yes, this marriage would be happening no matter what, both members needed it in many ways. Henry needed it to give is rule any chance of succeeding without constant warfare and Elizabeth needed it to have a place in society. She had known from a young age that she was meant to be a queen, yes, queen of England wasn’t what she had been raised to expect, but it was a good option when compared to being the wife of the bastard of a minor bishop. By spending time together before their wedding they could start to understand the person they would be living with. It is actually a good thing in the long run, because it turns out they actually cared about each other. 

Parliament publicly requested that Henry marry Elizabeth on the 10th of December 1485, the public really wanted this marriage to occur. There is a chance Elizabeth and Henry consummated their relationship prior to their marriage. The couple was married on the 18th of January 1486. The couple were likely to be well dressed, while her new husband had spent his life on the run he quickly figured out that displaying majesty was the first step to being seen as majestic. Their oldest son, Prince Arthur was born overnight on the 19th to 20th of September, 1486. Thirty eight weeks prior to that date is the 28th of December, which is the length of a normal pregnancy from conception to birth. Remember how horribly the accusations that her mother wasn’t Edward IV’s lawful wife had hurt both Elizabeth, her siblings, and her mother and seriously the accusations of Edward IV not being his father’s son had hurt him. Do you think for one moment that both Elizabeth of York or Henry VII would risk the legitimacy of their children if they were not sure they were to be married? Unless anyone finds evidence that the couple consummated their marriage before they were married we’ll just have to leave this as one of the mysteries for the ages. After Arthur’s birth Elizabeth’s churching, her ritual purification before her return to society, was delayed due to her being ill.

As I mentioned in Margaret Beaufort episodes, luxury was a large part of life at court. Elizabeth’s father, when taking hints from the Burgundian court had made his court beautiful. Henry Tudor did the same when he took control. And part of that was making sure the two women in his life were cared for materially. Something to remember when looking at the relationships between royal couples, money talks, a lot. We often won’t find the couple’s private letters, and were almost never privy to their private conversations, but we’ll see the funds that the powerful member of the couple gives the less powerful member. A king who cares for his queen will make sure she had funding. He will give her funds and gifts constantly. Remember, Isabella of France rebelled against her husband when he took away her funding, lands, and her children.

Elizabeth was finally crowned on the 25th of November, 1487. Her coronation had been planned by her husband and his mother. You’ll remember from Elizabeth’s first episode/earlier in this episode, and from Margaret Beaufort’s episodes that the two women knew each other well. Elizabeth’s mother-in-law had been a member of Edward IV’s court. While she may not have known her husband that well her in-laws were not strangers and it probably would have been helpful to have the older woman assisting her through things. Elizabeth’s mother was also involved in her life throughout Henry’s early reign. Watching her daughter be crowned would have been such a relief to Elizabeth Woodville. Remember, she had lost three sons (one for sure executed and two misplaced), plus had her marriage declared invalid and then declared valid. Knowing her daughter was queen would be amazing. In what was a rare occurrence of any coronation her grandmother, Cecily Neville, was present. Remember, most queens of England had been foreign and would have no family present, but this time one of the great matriarch of England, and a popular woman in her own right was there. The York and Woodville women knew how to gain the crowd. Henry VII and Margaret Beaufort watch Elizabeth’s crowing from behind a screen. It was rather important that she be the focus of the event. Her mother though wasn’t present, she had retired to Bermondsey Abbey, where she would live out the majority of the remainder of her life. 

There is not a lack of rumour when it comes to Henry VII’s treatment of Elizabeth’s mother. Historical fiction likes to paint him as punishing her for supposedly conspiring with Richard III or for spreading rumours that her royal sons were still alive. In reality, Elizabeth and her mother were free to meet regularly, Henry referred to his mother-in-law fondly in his papers, and she was a welcome guest at court. While her property was handed over to her daughter, this could simply be that maintaining a queen, a dowager queen, and his mother was a lot financially. It could also be that Elizabeth Woodville wanted to retire for public life and her needs were taken care of. Further evidence of this is seen in the marriages arranged for her younger daughters. Cecily was, as you know, married to Henry’s maternal half-uncle, her next daughter, Anne was married to Thomas Howard, the man who would eventually become the duke of Norfolk, and Catherine was married to William Courtenay, Earl of Devon. These were prestigious matches and of much more value to each of Elizabeth’s sisters than they like would have had under their uncle. 

Anyone who is a fan of Tudor history will know that Henry VII is described as a miser, hoarding money as though it were going out of style. Interestingly his books don’t actually point to this. Towards the end of his reign, yes, he was a bit more financially conservative, but early in his reign he used his funds to display his majesty. As I’ve mentioned, part of being a royal couple is bestowing gifts on each other. Henry’s books show that he was more than generous with his wife. The royal couple were richly dressed according to all accounts and Henry’s records show he regularly purchased jewellery for his wife. The royal couple regularly threw parties that included entertainers and sumptuous decorations. 

Throughout her marriage Elizabeth was regularly pregnant. This made her more active in London due to the difficulty in travelling while pregnant. She would have her second child, Margaret at the end of November 1489. Both her mother and mother-in-law were present. Apparently Princess Margaret’s birth wasn’t recored in most chronicles of the day, such is the life of a girl in the middle ages. Less than two years later, at the end of June 1491 Elizabeth gave birth to her third child, Henry, the spare for Arthur. Her oldest three children would survive into their teens, sadly their fourth wouldn’t, Elizabeth, named after her mother and grandmother was born in July 1492. Elizabeth of York’s mother had died not long before this child’s birth. Sadly little Elizabeth would die three years later. After her birth though there was a break in Elizabeth’s pregnancies. Within the time period of these pregnancies Elizabeth and Henry had to deal with the Lambert Simnel uprising that I discussed in Margaret Beaufort’s episodes. I promised I’d cover the other pretender of Henry VII’s reign in Elizabeth’s episodes, so here it is. 

In 1490 rumours began to circulate that the misplaced younger son of Edward IV, Elizabeth’s youngest brother, Richard, was alive and well. Now, there had been rumours circulating since Richard III misplaced the boys that they had survived. A young man from Tournaisis, in modern-day Belgium, Perkin Warbeck, presented himself as Richard of Shrewsbury, the younger of the two Princes in the Tower. This is an interesting choice, possibly caused by Perkin’s age. Richard, unlike his older brother, Edward V, had grown up in court. Edward V, as the heir, was raised away from court and most wouldn’t have known what he looked like, but Richard should be recognisable. Unlike Simnel, Warbeck had much less powerful support within England. Simnel had a few earls supporting him, on the other hand Warbeck only had a few lords, the most powerful being Henry’s step-uncle (you’ll remember that William Stanley was executed for this). Warbeck though, did have support outside of England. The king of France, Charles VIII had temporarily supported Warbeck, but a peace treaty with Henry VII ended that support. After leaving the French court Warbeck went to Burgundy. Margaret of Burgundy, the dowager duchess and Elizabeth of York’s aunt recognised him as her nephew in the early 1490s. When I say recognised I mean that in the formal way, as in acknowledging the existence of, she would have had almost no idea what her nephew would have looked like since she’d never met him. The duke of Burgundy, Philip of Habsburg ‘the Handsome’ (his portraits suggest this soubriquet is a bit of flattery) had started supporting Warbeck, as a result Henry VII placed a trade embargo on Burgundy. 

Warbeck landed in England in July of 1495, his trip was paid for by his purported aunt, Margaret of Burgundy. He had of course wanted support from the people, the goal was to present himself as a York heir, and the Yorks were popular with the people. But, the people did not come out for him, instead Kentish forces came out in support of Henry VII and ran Warbeck out of town. He then went to Ireland where he was again unsuccessful at launching an attack. After this failure Warbeck went to Scotland, where James IV decided to use this pretender to mess with his neighbour to the south, there was an ongoing Scottish-English rivalry. In 1495 Warbeck was married to Catherine Gordon, a step-cousin of James IV (yes, step-cousin). James IV was hoping to use Warbeck as leverage against England, and eventually tired of his expensive guest. By 1497 he was ready for Warbeck to leave, so he prepared ships for Warbeck’s second attempt at invading England. Warbeck was captured at Beaulieu Abbey on the 4th of October 1497. 

While Warbeck was in Scotland Elizabeth and Henry welcomed their third daughter and fifth child, Mary, in March of 1496. She was born a bit more than six months after her sister Elizabeth’s death. 

Upon his capture Warbeck confessed to his crime, of pretending to be a prince. He admitted that he was the son of a boatman, who just happened to look like he might be related to the York family. After Warbeck confessed Henry VII allowed him out of prison, and brought him to court. Elizabeth Woodville had died five years earlier, so she wasn’t around to identify her son, but Elizabeth of York had been raised with her brother. In addition her sisters who were living were occasionally at court. And it wouldn’t have just been then, plenty of people at court would have been there during the reign on Edward IV and could have seen his younger son. I can’t find records that anyone claimed to recognise him. In addition, the real Richard was nine or ten at this time of his supposed death. Despite being an age most can remember a great amount of detail Warbeck was unable to explain how he had escaped the Tower or how he had survived when most assumed his brother didn’t. In my humble opinion, he was an imposter who happened to look a lot like Edward IV. 

Now, I avoided this next part in Lady Margaret Beaufort’s episodes because I feel it has more to do with Elizabeth than her mother-in-law. Warbeck, as mentioned above, had a wife, Lady Catherine Gordon. Based on descriptions it sounds like Catherine would have given even Elizabeth Woodville a run for her money in the looks department. In addition she was apparently charming and kind. Chroniclers comment on both her beauty and King Henry’s interests in her. I do not think Henry cheated on Elizabeth, he had no illegitimate children during their marriage nor any known mistress, and Catherine Gordon may have been beautiful, but Henry likely knew how bad it would look to cheat on his wife with the wife of a pretender. In addition Catherine Gordon was moved to London as a member of Elizabeth of York’s household. I highly doubt Elizabeth would invite the woman her husband was having an affair with into her household. 

I do like the joke that Ali made on Rex Factor that had Warbeck been Richard it would have been a rather awkward time for Elizabeth. I think Henry and Elizabeth’s marriage was just as stable after Warbeck came into their lives as it was before. The couple’s third son, Edmund, was born in February 1499. Edmund would sadly die at 15 months in June 1500. In November that year Elizabeth’s purported brother and her actual cousin, Edward Plangent, Earl of Warwick were executed.

Elizabeth and Henry had been negotiating with joint monarchs of Spain, Isabella and Ferdinand for their youngest daughter as a bride for Arthur. I covered this in a bit of detail in Lady Margaret Beaufort’s episodes. Arthur had been sent to Ludlow Castle when he was six. The royal couple’s younger children though were raised closer to home. This means that Elizabeth had greater control over her daughters and younger son’s upbringing than Arthur’s.

At the same time negotiations were going on with Scotland for the hand of Elizabeth’s oldest daughter, Margaret. This may have reminded Elizabeth of her own betrothal to the French heir. Thankfully, unlike her early marriage plans this wedding would go ahead and by all accounts was a good marriage for her daughter. While her mother-in-law, Lady Margaret, may have had a great deal of input on this marriage Elizabeth still played a part. It is interesting the think that the man that would marry Princess Margaret was the first man who had been proposed as a husband to Elizabeth’s youngest sister, Cecily.

Elizabeth made her only trip overseas in 1500, but she stayed in England the whole time. She and Henry visited Calais to meet with Philip, Duke of Burgundy. The royal couple had successfully negotiated for the hand of Philip’s sister-in-law, Catherine, as a wife for their oldest son, Arthur. While they weren’t meeting with Philip to secure this, they may have been meeting with him to arrange Catherine’s trip to England. Catherine would arrive in October 1501. Elizabeth had been writing to Catherine’s parents regularly and had assured them that their daughter would be treated well. The two women met on the day before Catherine and Arthur’s marriage. Arthur and Catherine married on the 14th of November 1501. Elizabeth and Henry watched from behind a screen, much like Henry and his mother had when Elizabeth had been crowned earlier. This was done because the older royal couple were often more popular than the young bride and groom. Elizabeth would have participated in the festivities that went on over the two weeks following the wedding. 

At the end of November Arthur and Catherine travelled to Ludlow to start practicing being king a queen. On the 2nd of April 1502 Arthur died. His cause of death can only be guessed at, but Catherine had the symptoms of the Sweating Sickness, this disease is unknown to modern medicine. Catherine of Aragon, of course, recovered. 

I mentioned how Elizabeth and Henry attempted to comfort each other after receiving the news of their sons death in Lady Margaret’s episodes, but I thought I’d give more details here. They received the news on the 4th of April. Henry’s confessor was the one to bring the king the news after his council had heard from a messenger. This choice makes sense, the king’s confessor was the priest he trusted with his own soul, they would have been close. Henry sent for Elizabeth and told her the news. She attempted to comfort him. She then left the room, and broke down so badly in front of her ladies that they called for the king. He quickly came to her to try to calm her. So much had been put onto Arthur as the future of the family, and now they only had one son left.

The year of Arthur’s death Henry and the court traveled extensively, but Elizabeth didn’t join him as much as she had in the past. Elizabeth likely conceived her last child not long after Arthur’s death. She was 36 at the time, which I can personally tell you is not too old to have a child these days, but it appears it was difficult on her body. Iron infusions weren’t a thing then and she may have been struggling with a difficult pregnancy. It’s interesting that despite being in the public eye since her birth it’s this year, 1502 to 1503 that is the most recorded of her life. These accounts give a glance at the regular purchases that would have been made in other years. It’s a great indication of what her life was like and it appears that she was well cared for. I’m sure the next year would have been just as recorded, but Elizabeth wouldn’t be there for it. This baby came early, possibly like its oldest brother whose death had likely caused their conception. On the 2nd of February 1503 Elizabeth delivered a daughter. Catherine. The birth had left Elizabeth very unwell. She either became sick due to an infection she had contracted giving birth, a more common event in that day, or she had bleeding caused by a birth injury. Today these things are usually easy to deal with, but at the time there was no way to treat either effectively. Instead of celebrating the birth of her youngest child Elizabeth died on the 11th of February 1503, her 37th birthday. Her daughter would die not long after. Cathrine either died the day before her mother of the week after. I can imagine those keeping track were a bit busy planning the queen’s burial. 

As you can imagine Elizabeth’s death was devastating for her family. But they weren’t the only people who were heartbroken, the people of England were also devastated. Elizabeth had been a popular queen, she had been a beloved princess, and she was gone. I feel part of the reason her son’s reign started out so well was because he was her son. Her husband, Henry VII, would live for another six years. He would consider marrying again, but he couldn’t find the right woman. His first suggestion to marry the widow of his oldest son did not go well. After that he asked his ambassadors to start reaching out to look for a suitable royal bride. What’s interesting is that his requirements started sounding like a list of Elizabeth’s best qualities. It appears that the king wouldn’t accept a second wife unless she could compare with his first. 

Analysis:

I think Elizabeth of York is rather different from the other female subjects I’ve covered in this and the previous two series. Unlike, say the Empress Matilda or even Joan II of Navarre she was never meant to rule. She was momentarily her father’s heir until he had his sons. She was meant to have a life, at least in the beginning, like her three times great-grandmother, Isabella of France. She was to be a wife, the future mother to kings. Instead, due to the early death of her father and the actions of her uncle she became the face of resistance for those who thought Richard III was a usurper.

I mentioned it earlier, but I don’t think anything is wrong with Elizabeth being the woman her parents had raised her to be. I say this as a devout, woke feminist. Elizabeth didn’t live in the current era, had she I think she would have been queen regnant, not consort. She was intelligent and well-learned. She had a role to play that would see not just herself, but her mother, sisters, uncles, aunts, and half-brother safe, protected, and treated at the level they deserved (at least according to the social constructs of the day). She was the ideal queen consort, and she lived in her world perfectly. 

So, would she have made a better ruler than the person who ruled in her stead? Remember, there are two kings in this question, Richard III and Henry VII. In the case of Richard III, yes, because the simple fact is one of Edward IV’s children should have ruled, not his brother. Richard didn’t have the popularity to control things, he did in the north, but not the whole country. If Elizabeth had been a boy she would have had no trouble preventing her uncle from ruling, but she was a girl. As for her husband, Henry VII, I think she was a huge part of the reason his rule worked. Her being his wife cut off his opponents at the knees. People could rise up against him, but with her by his side they lacked a rallying point. Everyone else was a minor candidate. Could she have ruled better than him, probably, but without his military support it wouldn’t have worked. They needed each other. 

While Elizabeth wasn’t a queen like Margaret of Anjou or a pretender like the Empress Matilda, she made her own mark. She helped stop England from experiencing another generation of civil war, she helped secure the future for her children, and helped England regain footing. I don’t know if she would have made a great king, but she made an amazing queen and that shouldn’t be looked down on.