View source for Elizabeth of York

{{Short description|Queen of England from 1486 to 1503}}
{{For-multi|her aunt|Elizabeth of York, Duchess of Suffolk|Princess Elizabeth of York|Elizabeth II|Elizabeth, Duchess of York|Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother}}
{{Use British English|date=December 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox royalty
| image        = British School, 16th century - Elizabeth of York (1465-1503) - RCIN 403447 - Royal Collection.jpg
| caption      = Portrait of Elizabeth, attributed to [[Meynnart Wewyck]]
| succession   = [[Queen consort of England]]
| reign        = 18 January 1486 – 11 February 1503
| consort      = yes
| coronation   = 25 November 1487
| birth_date   = 11 February 1466
| birth_place  = [[Westminster Palace]], Middlesex, England
| death_date   = {{death date and age|1503|2|11|1466|2|11|df=y}}
| death_place  = [[Tower of London]], London, England
| spouse       = {{marriage|[[Henry VII of England]]|1486}}
| issue        = {{plainlist|
* [[Arthur, Prince of Wales]]
* [[Margaret Tudor|Margaret, Queen of Scots]]
* [[Henry VIII, King of England]]
* [[Elizabeth Tudor (1492–1495)|Elizabeth of England]]
* [[Mary Tudor, Queen of France|Mary, Queen of France]]
* [[Edmund Tudor, Duke of Somerset|Edmund, Duke of Somerset]]
}}
| issue-link   = #Issue
| issue-pipe   = more...
| house        = [[House of York|York]]
| father       = [[Edward IV of England]]
| mother       = [[Elizabeth Woodville]]
| burial_date  = 24 February 1503
| burial_place = [[Westminster Abbey]]
| signature    = Elizabeth Of Yorks Signature.svg
}}

'''Elizabeth of York''' (11 February 1466 – 11 February 1503) was [[List of English royal consorts|Queen of England]] from her marriage to King [[Henry VII of England|Henry VII]] on 18 January 1486 until her death in 1503.<ref name="Dalton">{{Cite book |last=Dalton |first=Hannah |title=A/AS Level History for AQA The Tudors: England, 1485–1603 |date=2016 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-3165-0432-1 |edition=Student Book |page=7}}</ref> She was the daughter of [[King Edward IV]] and [[Elizabeth Woodville]], and her marriage to Henry VII followed his victory at the [[Battle of Bosworth Field]], which marked the end of the civil war known as the [[Wars of the Roses]]. 

Elizabeth's younger brothers, the "[[Princes in the Tower]]", mysteriously disappeared from the [[Tower of London]] shortly after their uncle [[Richard III]] seized the throne in 1483. Although the 1484 Act of Parliament ''[[Titulus Regius]]'' declared the marriage of her parents as invalid, Elizabeth and her sisters returned to court under Richard III, after spending ten months in [[Right of asylum#Medieval England|sanctuary]] in [[Westminster Abbey]]. It was rumoured that Richard was plotting to marry Elizabeth. The final victory of the [[House of Lancaster|Lancastrian]] faction in the [[Wars of the Roses]] may have seemed a further disaster for the [[Yorkist]] princess. However, Henry Tudor knew the importance of Yorkist support for his invasion and promised to marry Elizabeth before he arrived in England. This may well have contributed to the haemorrhaging of Yorkist support for Richard,<ref>{{Cite book|last=Carson |first=Annette |title=Richard III. The Maligned King}}</ref> and her future husband had ''Titulus Regius'' repealed when he took the throne.

Elizabeth seems to have played little part in politics after coming to the throne. Her marriage appears to have been a successful and happy one,{{Sfnm|1a1=Penn|1y=2012|1p=[https://archive.org/details/winterkinghenryv00penn/page/97 97–100]|2a1=Chrimes|2y=1972|2p=[https://archive.org/details/henryvii00chri/page/302 302]}} although her eldest son, [[Arthur, Prince of Wales]], died aged 15 in 1502, and three other children died young. Her second and only surviving son became king of England as [[Henry VIII]], while her daughters [[Margaret Tudor|Margaret]] and [[Mary Tudor, Queen of France|Mary]] became the [[queens consort]] of [[Kingdom of Scotland|Scotland]] and [[Kingdom of France|France]] respectively.

==Ancestry and early life==

=== Birth ===
Elizabeth was born on 11 February 1466 at the [[Palace of Westminster]] as the eldest child of King [[Edward IV]] and his wife, [[Elizabeth Woodville]].{{Sfn|Licence|2014|p=38}} Her christening was celebrated at [[Westminster Abbey]], sponsored by her grandmothers, [[Jacquetta of Luxembourg, Duchess of Bedford]], and [[Cecily Neville, Duchess of York]].

[[File:York Sisters.jpg|thumb|Elizabeth with her sisters. She is the first from the left.]]

In 1469, aged three, she was briefly betrothed to [[George Neville, 1st Duke of Bedford|George Neville]], who was created the [[Duke of Bedford]] in anticipation of the marriage. His father, [[John Neville, 1st Marquess of Montagu|John]], later supported George's uncle, the Earl of Warwick, in a rebellion against Edward IV, and the betrothal was called off.{{Sfn|Okerlund|2009|p=5}} In 1475, [[Louis XI]] agreed to the marriage of nine-year-old Elizabeth to his son [[Charles VIII of France|Charles]], the Dauphin of France. In 1482, however, Louis XI reneged on his promise.{{Sfn|Okerlund|2009|pp=13–19}} She was named a [[Lady of the Garter]] in 1477, at the age of eleven, along with her mother and her paternal aunt [[Elizabeth of York, Duchess of Suffolk]].

=== Sister of King Edward V===
On 9 April 1483, Elizabeth's father died unexpectedly. Her brother Edward, still a child, ascended the throne as [[Edward V]], and her uncle [[Richard III of England|Richard, Duke of Gloucester]], was appointed regent and protector of his young nephew.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Richard III – King – Biography.com |url=http://www.biography.com/people/richard-iii-9457120 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029195426/http://www.biography.com/people/richard-iii-9457120 |archive-date=29 October 2013 |access-date=5 September 2016 |website=Biography.com}}</ref> Gloucester took steps to isolate his nephews from their Woodville relations, including their own mother.

Gloucester acted quickly to intercept 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, while his uncle [[Anthony Woodville]] and half-brother [[Richard Grey]], who had both been escorting him, were arrested and sent to [[Pontefract Castle]].<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=Pontefract Castle – 15th Century |url=https://pontefractsandalcastles.org.uk/pontefract-castle-15th-century |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230113181056/https://pontefractsandalcastles.org.uk/pontefract-castle-15th-century |archive-date=13 January 2023 |access-date=13 January 2023 |website=Pontefract & Sandal Castles |language=en-GB}}</ref> Elizabeth Woodville fled with her younger son Richard and her daughters, taking sanctuary in [[Westminster Abbey]]. Gloucester asked [[Thomas Bourchier (cardinal)|Thomas Bourchier]], the [[List of archbishops of Canterbury|Archbishop of Canterbury]], 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.{{Sfn|Okerlund|2009|pp=21–32}}

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 married to [[Lady Eleanor Talbot|Lady Eleanor Butler]]. Parliament issued a bill, ''[[Titulus Regius]]'' ("Royal Title"), in support of this position.{{Sfn|Okerlund|2009|pp=21–32}} This measure legally bastardized the children of Edward IV, made them ineligible for the succession, and declared Gloucester the rightful king, with the right of succession reverting to the children of [[George, Duke of Clarence]], another late brother of Gloucester, who had been [[attainted]] in 1478. Elizabeth's uncle Anthony Woodville and her half-brother Richard Grey were executed on Gloucester's orders on 25 June.<ref name=":3" /> Gloucester was crowned king 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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=BBC – History – Historic Figures: The Princes in the Tower |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/princes_in_tower.shtml |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210421131536/http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/princes_in_tower.shtml |archive-date=21 April 2021 |access-date=20 December 2019 |publisher=BBC}}</ref>

=== Niece of King Richard III===
According to [[Polydore Vergil]],<ref>{{Cite book |last=Vergil |first=Polydore |title=The Anglica Historia of Polydore Vergil A.D. 1485–1537 |date=1950 |editor-last=Hay |editor-first=Denis |location=London |translator-last=Hay |translator-first=Denis}}</ref> Elizabeth's mother made an alliance with [[Lady Margaret Beaufort]], mother of Henry Tudor, later King [[Henry VII of England|Henry VII]], who presented himself as the closest claimant to the throne among the Lancastrian party. Although Henry Tudor was descended from King [[Edward III]],<ref>Genealogical Tables in {{Harvnb|Morgan|1988|p=709}}</ref> his claim to the throne was weak, owing to Letters Patent of King [[Henry IV of England|Henry IV]] in 1407, 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 these Letters Patent had force of law is disputed. Furthermore, there were legitimate Lancastrian lines into the Royal Houses of Portugal and Castile. Whatever the merits of Henry's claim, according to Vergil, his mother and Elizabeth Woodville agreed he should move to claim the throne and, once he had taken it, marry Elizabeth of York to boost his feeble claim. In December 1483, in the cathedral of [[Rennes]], Henry Tudor swore an oath promising to marry her and began planning an invasion.{{Sfn|Chrimes|1972|pages=[https://archive.org/details/henryvii00chri/page/65 65]}}

In March 1484, Elizabeth Woodville and her daughters were persuaded, according to the ''[[Crowland Chronicle]]'', to withdraw from sanctuary under "frequent intercessions and dire threats".<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Okerlund |first=Arlene |title=Elizabeth of York |date=2011 |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |isbn=978-0-230-12048-8 |edition=Transferred to digital printing |location=New York |pages=33-34}}</ref> Richard III additionally swore a public oath, promising that they would "not suffer any manner hurt" nor would he "imprison [them] within the Tower of London or other prison".<ref name=":1" /> 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.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last=Skidmore |first=Chris |author-link=Chris Skidmore |title=The rise of the Tudors: The family That Changed English History |date=20 January 2015 |isbn=978-1-2500-6144-7 |edition=first |publisher=St. Martin's Griffin |location=New York |pages=199–200 |oclc=881437225}}</ref> Soon after Anne Neville's death, Richard III sent Elizabeth away from court to the [[Sheriff Hutton Castle]] 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]].<ref>{{Cite journal |first=Barrie |last=Williams |title=The Portuguese Connection and the Significance of the 'Holy Princess' |journal=The Ricardian |volume=6 |issue=90 |date=March 1983}}</ref>

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 nobles, [[William Stanley (Battle of Bosworth)|William Stanley]], and became the last English king to die in battle. Henry Tudor took the crown by [[right of conquest]] as [[Henry VII of England|Henry VII]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Henry VII |url=http://tudorhistory.org/henry7 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221111042629/https://tudorhistory.org/henry7 |archive-date=11 November 2022 |access-date=15 November 2013 |website=tudorhistory.org}}</ref>

== Queen of England ==
[[File:The Family of Henry VII with St George and the Dragon (cropped).jpg|thumb|Henry VII and Elizabeth with their children]]
[[File:Remigius van Leemput - Whitehall Mural.jpg|thumb|right|276px|Copy in oils of the 1536–37 Hans Holbein Whitehall mural, commissioned by [[Charles II of England|Charles II]], 1667. Left to right: Henry VIII, Henry VII, Elizabeth of York, Jane Seymour.]]

=== Marriage to Henry VII ===
Though initially slow to keep his promise,<ref>Williamson, Audrey. ''The Mysteries of the Princes''.</ref> 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 ''de facto'' heiress of the House of York. He had no intention of sharing power.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Blackstone |first=William |author-link=William Blackstone |date=1765 |url=http://www.lonang.com/exlibris/blackstone/bla-103.htm |title=Commentaries on the Laws of England |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140203001156/http://www.lonang.com/exlibris/blackstone/bla-103.htm |archive-date=3 February 2014 |location=Oxford |publisher=Clarendon Press}}</ref>

Henry VII had the Act of ''[[Titulus Regius]]'' repealed, thereby legitimising anew the children of Edward IV, and acknowledging Edward V as his predecessor.{{Sfn|Chrimes|1972|p=[https://archive.org/details/henryvii00chri/page/66 66]}} Though Richard III was regarded as a usurper, his reign was not ignored. Henry and Elizabeth required a papal dispensation to wed because of Canon Law frowning upon [[Affinity (law)|affinity]]: Henry and Elizabeth were descended from, respectively, [[John of Gaunt]] and his younger brother [[Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York|Edmund]] in the 4th degree, an issue that had caused much dispute and bloodshed as to which claim was superior.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Sprey |first=Ilicia J. |last2=Morgan |first2=Kenneth O. |year=2001 |title=The Oxford Illustrated History of Britain |journal=Sixteenth Century Journal |volume=32 |issue=3 |pages=867 |doi=10.2307/2671570 |issn=0361-0160 |jstor=2671570}}; {{Cite web |title=Why Lancaster DID have a better claim than York – at least according to Edward III – Royal History Geeks |date=12 March 2017 |url=https://www.royalhistorygeeks.com/why-lancaster-did-have-a-better-claim-than-york-at-least-according-to-edward-iii |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210113035406/https://www.royalhistorygeeks.com/why-lancaster-did-have-a-better-claim-than-york-at-least-according-to-edward-iii |archive-date=13 January 2021 |access-date=15 May 2020 |language=en-GB}}</ref> Two applications were sent, the first more locally, and the second one was slow in reaching Rome and slow to return with the response of the Pope. Ultimately, however, the marriage was approved by [[papal bull]] of [[Pope Innocent VIII]] dated March 1486 (two months after the wedding) stating that the Pope and his advisors "''Approveth confirmyth and stablishyth the matrimonye and coniuncion made betwene our sou[er]ayn lord King Henre the seuenth of the house of Lancastre of that one party And the noble Princesse Elyzabeth of the house of Yorke.''"<ref>{{Cite web |title=Text of Papal Bull on the Marriage of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York |url=https://tudorhistory.org/primary/h7marriagebull/text.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200923093956/https://tudorhistory.org/primary/h7marriagebull/text.html |archive-date=23 September 2020 |access-date=15 May 2020 |website=tudorhistory.org}}</ref>
[[File:Arms of Elizabeth of York.svg|thumb|Arms of Elizabeth as queen consort of England]]
Because the journey to Rome and back took many months, and because Henry as king wanted to be certain that nobody could claim that his wedding to Elizabeth was unlawful or sinful, the more local application was obeyed first—it was sent to the papal legate for England and Scotland, which returned in January 1486.{{Sfn|Okerlund|2009|p=48}} [[Cardinal Bourchier]], [[Archbishop of Canterbury]], officiated at the wedding of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York on 18 January 1486.{{Sfn|Chrimes|1972|p=[https://archive.org/details/henryvii00chri/page/66 66]}} Their first son, [[Arthur, Prince of Wales|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 Tudor|Margaret]], [[Henry VIII|Henry]] and [[Mary Tudor, Queen of France|Mary]].

=== Relationship with Henry Tudor ===
Despite their marriage being a political arrangement, records indicate both partners appear to have slowly fallen in love with each other.{{Sfnm|Okerlund|2009|1pp=99–118, 185–186, 203–204|Williams|1977|2p=143}} 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."{{Sfn|Penn|2012|pages=[https://archive.org/details/winterkinghenryv00penn/page/97 97]}}

In order to maintain stability and peace after ending a civil war that had lasted 32 years, the new Tudor dynasty needed to put an end to the quarrelling Yorkist and Lancastrian families. Elizabeth's sisters, [[Cecily of York|Cecily]] and [[Anne of York (daughter of Edward IV)|Anne of York]], and her cousin, [[Margaret Pole]], were married to Lancastrian men who were loyal to Henry. Similar strategies had been used before by [[Richard III of England]], though in that case the ''Titulus Regius'' had marred the status of Elizabeth and all of her sisters as illegitimate, and Richard had no intention of making it difficult for the two sides of the conflict to return to factionalism when two were married into one – his actions showed he was more interested in loyalty and eliminating rival claims by wedding them off to the inconsequential. Richard did this directly to Elizabeth's sister, Cecily, by wedding her to Richard Scrope. Elizabeth, therefore, had a motive to see to the successful welfare of her female relatives, but by no means could she foresee whether it would guarantee peace at last.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Society |first=Henry Tudor |date=23 April 2017 |title=Henry VII and the House of York |url=https://henrytudorsociety.com/2017/04/23/henry-vii-and-the-house-of-york |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210226184547/https://henrytudorsociety.com/2017/04/23/henry-vii-and-the-house-of-york |archive-date=26 February 2021 |access-date=15 May 2020 |language=en}}</ref>

Further complicating things is that the public image of Henry Tudor, handed down through time only accords with the last years of his reign. Where, when, and how he spent his money is traceable by surviving documents, some written by the king himself and many more having his signature "Henry R" to indicate his oversight of entries, both his personal and the realm's finances, documented in careful detail.<ref>{{Cite web |date=27 June 2015 |title=Domestic and foreign policy of Henry VII |url=http://faculty.history.wisc.edu/sommerville/123/123%20202%20hvii%20policy.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150627111129/http://faculty.history.wisc.edu/sommerville/123/123%20202%20hvii%20policy.htm |archive-date=27 June 2015 |access-date=15 May 2020}}</ref> Elizabeth was a very pious woman and one of her life passions was charity, one of the three [[theological virtues]] of the Catholic Church. She gave away money and alms in very large quantities, to the point she indebted herself on many occasions.{{Citation needed|date=August 2022}} She also gave generously to monks and religious orders.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ridgway |first=Claire |date=11 February 2016 |title=Elizabeth of York by Sarah Bryson |url=https://www.tudorsociety.com/elizabeth-york-sarah-bryson |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210112121324/https://www.tudorsociety.com/elizabeth-york-sarah-bryson |archive-date=12 January 2021 |access-date=15 May 2020 |website=The Tudor Society |language=en-GB}}</ref>

Elizabeth received a grand coronation where she was carried on a royal barge down the Thames. Henry VII was as much a builder as his son and granddaughter and Elizabeth had a hand in designing the new [[Greenwich Palace]]. The rebuilding at Greenwich commenced in 1498. In 1502, the master mason Robert Vertue was paid for working to a plan described as the "new platt of Greenwich which was devised by the Queen".<ref>[[Simon Thurley]], ''Royal Palaces of Tudor England'' (Yale, 1993), pp. 34–36.</ref> The Palace was well appointed for large scale entertaining.{{Sfn|Okerlund|2009|pp=178–179}} Records are very clear that Christmas was a raucous and special time for the royal family on the whole, evidenced by many surviving documents depicting a particularly lively court having a marvelous time, with copious amounts of imported wine, great amounts of money spent upon roasted meats, and entertainers. Henry also frequently bought gifts for Elizabeth and their children.{{Sfn|Okerlund|2009|pp=136–140}} The account books, kept by Henry, demonstrate that he spent a great deal of gold on expensive cloth for himself, his wife and his children.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Knapton |first=Sarah |date=1 June 2016 |title='Miserly' Henry VII was actually a shopaholic who spent £3 million on clothes |work=The Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2016/06/01/miserly-henry-vii-was-actually-a-shopaholic-who-spent-3-million |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2016/06/01/miserly-henry-vii-was-actually-a-shopaholic-who-spent-3-million |archive-date=12 January 2022 }}{{Cbignore}}</ref>

Elizabeth of York did not exercise much political influence as queen due to her strong-minded mother-in-law Lady Margaret Beaufort. Elizabeth 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.{{Sfnm|1a1=Okerlund|1y=2009|1p=136|2a1=Penn|2y=2012}} She seems to have had a love of books, patronising the English printer [[William Caxton]].{{Sfn|Okerlund|2009|pp=140–142}} Elizabeth of York, seemingly a patron of the [[English Votive Style|English votive style]], commissioned an antiphon in devotion to [[Mary, mother of Jesus|Mary]] and [[Elizabeth, mother of John the Baptist|St Elizabeth]] from [[Robert Fayrfax]], paying him twenty shillings for his work in 1502.<ref>Nicholas Harris Nicholas, ''Privy Purse Expenses of Elizabeth of York'' (London, 1830), p. 2.</ref> Elizabeth of York also enjoyed dancing and gambling; the last of these was a pastime she shared with her husband. She also kept [[greyhound]]s.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Routh |first1=Charles Richard Nairne |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MltmAAAAMAAJ&q=Elizabeth+of+York+gentle+kind+generous |title=Who's Who in Tudor England |last2=Holmes |first2=Peter |publisher=Shepheard-Walwyn |date=1990 |isbn=0-8568-3093-3 |location=London |access-date=25 July 2009}}</ref>

As queen, Elizabeth made arrangements for the education of her younger children, including the future Henry VIII.{{Sfn|Penn|2012|pages=[https://archive.org/details/winterkinghenryv00penn/page/101 101–102]}} She also accompanied her husband on his diplomatic visit to [[Calais]] in 1500 to meet with [[Philip I of Castile]]. She corresponded with Queen [[Isabella I of Castile]] before their children's marriage.{{Sfn|Okerlund|2009|pp=146–148}}

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.<ref>{{Harvnb|Chrimes|1972|pages=[https://archive.org/details/henryvii00chri/page/302 302–304]}}; {{Harvnb|Okerlund|2009|pp=203–211}}; {{Harvnb|Penn|2012|p=114}}; {{Cite book |first=Agnes |last=Strickland |first2=Elizabeth |last2=Strickland |title=Lives of the Queens of England |date=1852}}</ref>

== Death and aftermath ==
[[File:Elizabeth of york - funeral effigy.jpg|thumb|Elizabeth's painted wood funeral [[effigy]] (without clothes), 1503, [[Westminster Abbey]]|left]]
In 1502, Elizabeth became pregnant once more and spent her [[Estimated date of delivery|confinement period]] in the Tower of London. Her embroiderer Robynet made her a new rich [[bed hangings|bed with curtains]] decorated with clouds and roses.<ref>{{Cite book |first=Nicholas Harris |last=Nicolas |title=Privy Purse Expenses of Elizabeth of York |location=London |publisher=William Pickering |date=1830 |pages=55, 82–83 |author-link=Nicholas Harris Nicolas}}</ref> On 2 February 1503, she gave birth to a daughter, Katherine, who died a few days later.<ref name="Dalton"/>{{Sfn|Okerlund|2009|p=3}} Succumbing to a [[postpartum infection]], Elizabeth died on 11 February, her 37th birthday. Her family seems to have been devastated by her death and mourned her deeply. According to one biographer, the death of Elizabeth "broke the heart" of her husband and "shattered him". Another account says that Henry Tudor "privily departed to a solitary place and would no man should resort unto him".<ref>{{Harvnb|Penn|2012|pages=[https://archive.org/details/winterkinghenryv00penn/page/95 95–97], 114}}; {{Harvnb|Chrimes|1972|pages=[https://archive.org/details/henryvii00chri/page/304 304]}}</ref> Within a little over two years, King Henry VII had lost his eldest son, his wife, his baby daughter, and found himself having to honour the [[Treaty of Perpetual Peace]] by sending his eldest daughter, Margaret, to Scotland.

[[File:HenryVIITomb.jpg|thumb|Tomb effigies of Elizabeth of York and Henry VII by [[Pietro Torrigiano]], Westminster Abbey.]]
In 2012, the ''[[Vaux Passional]]'', an illuminated manuscript that was once the property of Henry VII, was rediscovered in the [[National Library of Wales]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=8 December 2015 |title=Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru – National Library of Wales: The Vaux Passional |url=https://www.llgc.org.uk/discover/digital-gallery/digitalmirror-manuscripts/the-middle-ages/the-vaux-passional |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208023658/https://www.llgc.org.uk/discover/digital-gallery/digitalmirror-manuscripts/the-middle-ages/the-vaux-passional |archive-date=8 December 2015 |access-date=5 December 2019}}</ref> 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.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Cunningham |first=Sean |url=http://archive.org/details/princearthurtudo0000cunn |title=Prince Arthur : the Tudor king who never was |date=2016 |publisher=Gloucestershire : Amberley Publishing |others=Internet Archive |isbn=978-1-4456-4766-1 |pages=225}}</ref>

Henry VII entertained thoughts of remarriage to renew the alliance with Spain—[[Joanna of Naples (1478–1518)|Joanna, Dowager Queen of Naples]] (daughter of Ferdinand I of Naples), [[Joanna, Queen of Castile]] (daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella), and [[Margaret of Austria, Duchess of Savoy|Margaret, Dowager Duchess of Savoy]] (sister-in-law of Joanna of Castile), were all considered <ref>{{Cite web |last=Bergenroth |first=G A |title=Calendar of State Papers, Spain: Supplement To Volumes 1 and 2, Queen Katherine; Intended Marriage of King Henry VII To Queen Juana |url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/cal-state-papers/spain/supp/vols1-2 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922105404/https://www.british-history.ac.uk/cal-state-papers/spain/supp/vols1-2 |archive-date=22 September 2020 |access-date=7 August 2020 |website=British History Online}}</ref>—but he died a widower in 1509.<ref>{{Harvnb|Chrimes|1972|pages=[https://archive.org/details/henryvii00chri/page/287 287–292]}}; {{Harvnb|Licence|2014|p=226}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Westminster Abbey: the Lady Chapel of Henry VII |date=2003 |publisher=Boydell Press |isbn=978-1-84383-037-5 |editor-last=Tatton-Brown |editor-first=T. W. T. |location=Rochester, NY |pages=175 |editor-last2=Mortimer |editor-first2=Richard}}</ref> Henry also continued to employ her minstrels each New Year.{{Sfn|Okerlund|2009|p=210}}

Henry VII's reputation for [[miser]]liness became worse after Elizabeth's death.{{Sfn|Okerlund|2009|p=220}} He was buried with Elizabeth under their [[Tomb effigy|effigies]] in his Westminster Abbey chapel.{{Sfn|Chrimes|1972|pages=[https://archive.org/details/henryvii00chri/page/305 305]}} 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]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Stanley |first=Arthur |title=Westminster Abbey |publisher=John Murray |date=1886 |location=London |page=499}}</ref>

== Issue ==
* [[Arthur, Prince of Wales]] (20 September 1486 – 2 April 1502)
* [[Margaret Tudor|Margaret, Queen of Scotland]] (28 November 1489 – 18 October 1541)
* [[Henry VIII]], King of England (28 June 1491 – 28 January 1547)
* [[Elizabeth Tudor (1492–1495)|Elizabeth]] (2 July 1492 – 14 September 1495), buried in St Edward's Chapel, Westminster Abbey<ref name=abbey/>
* [[Mary Tudor, Queen of France|Mary, Queen of France]] (18 March 1496 – 25 June 1533)
* [[Edmund Tudor, Duke of Somerset|Edmund, Duke of Somerset]] (21 February 1499 – 19 June 1500), buried in Westminster Abbey without a monument<ref name="abbey">{{Cite web |title=Elizabeth daughter of Henry VII |url=https://www.westminster-abbey.org/abbey-commemorations/royals/elizabeth-daughter-of-henry-vii |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170803045913/http://www.westminster-abbey.org/our-history/people/elizabeth-daughter-of-henry-vii |archive-date=3 August 2017 |access-date=9 December 2020 |website=Westminster Abbey}}</ref>
*Katherine (2 February 1503 – 10<ref name="Dalton" /> or 18{{Sfn|Okerlund|2009|p=3}} February 1503<ref>Or "c.18th February, 1503" according to {{Cite book |last=Weir |first=Alison |title=Britain's Royal Family: A Complete Genealogy |date=1996 |publisher=Random House |isbn=0-7126-7448-9 |edition=Revised |location=London |page=150}}</ref>), buried in Westminster Abbey<ref name=abbey/>

== Appearance and legacy ==
[[File:Henry VII in Mourning.jpg|thumb|[[Presentation miniature]] from the ''Vaux Passional'']]
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.

Henry VIII owned a version of her portrait, displayed with a silk curtain, described in [[inventory of Henry VIII|his inventory]] as a "table with the Picture of Quene Elizabeth with a Curten of yellowe & white sarceonet paned togethers". Her portrait may have been painted by [[Meynnart Wewyck]].<ref>[[Maria Hayward]], ''The 1542 Inventory of Whitehall Palace'', 2 (Illuminata Publishers, 2004), p. 91 no. 706.</ref> [[Pietro Torrigiano]] made bronze effigies of Elizabeth and Henry VII for their monument at [[Westminster Abbey]].<ref>Michael Wyatt, ''The Italian Encounter with Tudor England: A Cultural Politics of Translation'' (Cambridge University Press, 2005), p. 47.</ref> 

Elizabeth of York was renowned as a great beauty for her time, with regular features, tall in stature, and a fair complexion, inheriting many traits from her [[Edward IV of England|father]] and her mother Elizabeth Woodville, who was considered at one point the most beautiful woman in the British Isles.<ref name=":2" /> She inherited her father's height, most women of her generation being considerably smaller than {{Convert|5|ft|6|in|cm|spell=in}}.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Medievalists.net |date=12 December 2015 |title=Elizabeth of York, Queen of England |url=https://www.medievalists.net/2015/12/elizabeth-of-york-queen-of-england |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200923093225/https://www.medievalists.net/2015/12/elizabeth-of-york-queen-of-england |archive-date=23 September 2020 |access-date=15 May 2020 |website=Medievalists.net |language=en-US}}</ref>

== Depiction in media ==

=== Film ===
* ''[[Richard III (1995 film)|Richard III]]'' (1995), played by [[Kate Steavenson-Payne]]<ref>"[https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/kate-steavenson-payne/credits/3030011199 Kate Steavenson-Payne] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220724054521/https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/kate-steavenson-payne/credits/3030011199 |date=24 July 2022 }}". TV Guide. Retrieved 23 July 2022.</ref>

=== Television ===
* ''[[The Shadow of the Tower]]'' (1972), played by [[Norma West]]
* ''[[The White Queen (TV series)|The White Queen]]'' (2013), played by [[Freya Mavor]]<ref>"[https://www.bbc.com/mediacentre/latestnews/2012/white-queen The White Queen, a new ten-part drama for BBC One] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211214140730/https://www.bbc.com/mediacentre/latestnews/2012/white-queen |date=14 December 2021 }}". BBC. 31 August 2012. Retrieved 18 July 2013</ref>
* ''[[The White Princess (miniseries)|The White Princess]]'' (2017), played by [[Jodie Comer]]<ref>Jaafar, Ali (15 April 2016). "[https://deadline.com/2016/04/jodie-comer-white-princess-doctor-foster-bbc-starz-1201738300 Doctor Foster Star Jodie Comer Lands Lead Role In Starz Sequel The White Princess] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160613234130/http://deadline.com/2016/04/jodie-comer-white-princess-doctor-foster-bbc-starz-1201738300 |date=13 June 2016 }}". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 14 June 2016.</ref>
* ''[[The Spanish Princess]]'' (2019), played by [[Alexandra Moen]]<ref>"[https://www.vulture.com/2019/05/the-spanish-princess-review.html The Spanish Princess Is Worth Watching for the Hats Alone] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220724054051/https://www.vulture.com/2019/05/the-spanish-princess-review.html |date=24 July 2022 }}." Vulture. Retrieved 23 July 2022.</ref>

=== Theatre ===
* Willow Oliveira in Elm Shakespeare's 2024 production of Richard III

== Ancestry and family tree ==
=== Ancestry ===
{{Ahnentafel
|collapsed=yes |align=center |ref=<ref>{{Cite book |editor-link=Hugh Montgomery-Massingberd |editor-last=Montgomery-Massingberd |editor-first=Hugh |title=[[Burke's Peerage|Burke's Guide to the Royal Family]] |publisher=Burke's Peerage |location=London |date=1973 |pp=202-204 |isbn=0-2206-6222-3}}; {{Cite book |last=Allström |first=Carl M. |title=Dictionary of Royal Lineage |publisher=Almberg |location=Chicago |date=1902 |pp=140–142, 155–156}}</ref>
| boxstyle_1 = background-color: #fcc;
| boxstyle_2 = background-color: #fb9;
| boxstyle_3 = background-color: #ffc;
| boxstyle_4 = background-color: #bfc;
| 1 = 1. '''Elizabeth of York'''
| 2 = 2. [[Edward IV of England]]
| 3 = 3. [[Elizabeth Woodville]]
| 4 = 4. [[Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York]]
| 5 = 5. [[Cecily Neville]]
| 6 = 6. [[Richard Woodville, 1st Earl Rivers]]
| 7 = 7. [[Jacquetta of Luxembourg]]
| 8 = 8. [[Richard of Conisburgh, 3rd Earl of Cambridge]]
| 9 = 9. [[Anne de Mortimer]]
| 10 = 10. [[Ralph Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland]]
| 11 = 11. [[Joan Beaufort, Countess of Westmorland|Joan Beaufort]]
| 12 = 12. [[Richard Wydeville (died 1441)|Richard Wydeville]]
| 13 = 13. Joan Bedlisgate
| 14 = 14. [[Peter I, Count of Saint-Pol]]
| 15 = 15. [[Margaret of Baux]]
}}

=== Family tree ===
Elizabeth's father, uncle, brother, husband, and son were all Kings of England and two daughters were queens consort of other countries.

{{Chart top|collapsed=yes|Family tree of Elizabeth of York}}

{{Tree chart/start|align=center}}

{{Tree chart|border=0| | | | | | | | | |,|-|-|-|.| 
}}

{{Tree chart|border=1| | | | | | | | |Edward| |Richard
 |Edward=[[Edward IV]]<br/>1442–1483<br/>King of England
 |Richard=[[Richard III]]<br/>1452–1485<br/>King of England
}}

{{Tree chart|border=0| | | | | | | | | |)|-|-|-|.| 
}}

{{Tree chart|border=1| | | | |Henry|y|Elizabeth| |Edward
 |Elizabeth='''Elizabeth of York'''<ref name="royal.gov.uk">{{cite web |url=http://www.royal.gov.uk/pdf/stuarts.pdf |title=The Tudors (1485–1603) and the Stuarts (1603–1714) | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101203132356/http://www.royal.gov.uk/pdf/stuarts.pdf | archive-date=3 December 2010 |publisher=The official website of the British Monarchy |access-date=30 July 2010}}</ref><br/>Queen consort of England<br/>1466–1503
    |boxstyle_Elizabeth=border-width:2px
 |Henry=[[Henry VII of England|Henry VII]]<ref name="royal.gov.uk"/><br/>1457–1509<br/>King of England
 |Edward=[[Edward V]]<br/>1470–1483<br/>King of England
}}

{{Tree chart|border=1| | | | | |,|-|^|-|v|-|-|-|.|
}}

{{Tree chart|border=1|James|~|Margaret| |Henry| |Mary|~|Louis
 |Henry=[[Henry VIII]]<br/>1491–1547<br/>King of England
 |James=[[James IV]]<br/>1473–1513<br/>King of Scotland
 |Margaret=[[Margaret Tudor]]<br/>1489–1541<br/>Queen consort of Scotland
 |Mary=[[Mary Tudor, Queen of France|Mary Tudor]]<br/>1496–1533<br/>Queen consort of France and Naples
 |Louis=[[Louis XII]]<br/>1462–1516<br/>King of France and Naples
}}

{{Tree chart/end}}
{{Chart bottom}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

=== Works cited ===
* {{Cite book |last=Chrimes |first=Stanley Bertram |url=https://archive.org/details/henryvii00chri/page/302 |title=Henry VII |date=1972 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=0-5200-2266-1 |location=Berkeley, California |oclc=567203}}
* {{Cite book |last=Licence |first=Amy |title=Elizabeth of York: Forgotten Tudor Queen |date=2014 |publisher=Amberley Publishing |isbn=978-1-4456-3314-5 |oclc=885312679}}
* {{Cite book |last=Morgan |first=Kenneth O. |author-link=Kenneth O. Morgan |title=The Oxford History of Britain |date=1988 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=0-1928-5202-7}}
* {{Cite book |last=Okerlund |first=Arlene |title=Elizabeth of York |date=2009 |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |isbn=978-0-2301-0065-7 |edition=1st |location=New York |oclc=650310349}}
* {{Cite book |last=Penn |first=Thomas |author-link=Thomas Penn (historian) |title=Winter King: Henry VII and the Dawn of Tudor England |date=2012 |publisher=Simon & Schuster |isbn=978-1-4391-9156-9 |edition=1st Simon & Schuster hardcover |location=New York |oclc=741542832}}
* {{Cite book |last=Williams |first=Neville |title=The Lives of the Kings and Queens of England |date=1977 |publisher=Futura |isbn=0-8600-7449-8 |editor-last=Fraser |editor-first=Antonia |editor-link=Antonia Fraser |chapter=Henry VII}}

== Further reading ==
* {{Cite book |last=Okerlund |first=Arlene |title=Elizabeth of York |date=2011 |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |isbn=978-0-230-12048-8 |edition=Transferred to digital printing |location=New York |pages=}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category}}
* {{Cite DNB |wstitle= Elizabeth (1465-1503) |volume= 17 |last= Gairdner |first= James |author-link= James Gairdner | pages= 200-203 |short=1}}
* {{NPG name}}

{{S-start}}
{{S-hou
 | [[House of York]] | 11 February | 1466 | 11 February | 1503 | [[House of Plantagenet]]}}
{{S-roy|en}}
{{S-break}}
{{S-vac
 | last   = [[Anne Neville]] }}
{{S-ttl
 | title  = [[Queen consort of England]]<br/>Lady of Ireland
 | years  = 18 January 1486 – 11 February 1503}}
{{S-vac
 | next   = [[Catherine of Aragon]]}}
{{S-end}}

{{English consort}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Elizabeth of York| ]]
[[Category:1466 births]]
[[Category:1503 deaths]]
[[Category:15th-century English women]]
[[Category:16th-century English women]]
[[Category:15th-century English nobility]]
[[Category:15th-century English royal consorts]]
[[Category:16th-century English royal consorts]]
[[Category:Burials at Westminster Abbey]]
[[Category:Children of Edward IV]]
[[Category:Daughters of kings]]
[[Category:Deaths in childbirth]]
[[Category:English princesses]]
[[Category:English Roman Catholics]]
[[Category:Henry VII of England]]
[[Category:House of Tudor]]
[[Category:House of York]]
[[Category:Irish royal consorts]]
[[Category:Ladies of the Garter]]
[[Category:People from Westminster]]
[[Category:Mothers of English monarchs]]
[[Category:Children of Elizabeth Woodville]]