Elizabeth of York: A Biography

Hidden throughout the middle ages are women like Joan of Arc and Eleanor of Aquitaine, women who made names for themselves by the things they stood for and the people they stood up to. It is often said that behind every great man is a an even greater woman and nothing could be further from the truth when you think of Elizabeth of York. Married to King Henry VII of England in the 1400s, all the descendants of British monarchy come from Elizabeth of York. She is the only English Queen to be known as wife, daughter, sister, niece and mother of English Kings.

Elizabeth, oldest daughter of Edward IV, was, like many women of royal blood at the time, a pawn in the great quest to claim the throne. Edward IV died when Elizabeth was 16 years old and left the throne to her younger brother Edward V. Due to the young King's age Edward IV's brother, Richard, acted as regent, and like a good uncle he locked Edward away for his protection. Richard, seeing that any sons of his deceased older brother would be a threat to his claim on the throne, had Elizabeth's youngest brother locked away as well. Shortly after placing the boys in the Tower of London they inexplicably disappeared. Richard then had Edward IV's marriage invalidated, claiming that Edward was already married before wedding Elizabeth's mother, thus making Elizabeth and her sisters bastards. As such Richard was now the only legitimate heir to the throne and thus became Richard III.

It was at this point that Elizabeth became one half of great plan to take the English crown from Richard III. Elizabeth's mother and Henry Tudor's mother schemed together to have Henry overtake Richard by force and make Elizabeth and Henry joint monarchs of England. In the Battle of Bosworth Richard III was struck down in battle and Henry claimed the crown as a right of conquest. Henry overturned the ruling that stated Elizabeth and her siblings were bastards and was crowned on October 30, 1585. Henry spent the next few months obtaining proper authority from the Pope to marry Elizabeth.

On January 18, 1486 Elizabeth and Henry were married and she accepted the title of Queen Consort. The pairing was a successful one as she became the mother of one king, grandmother to two kings and two queens, great-grandmother of a queen and great-great-grandmother of a king. Her son Henry VIII ruled over England and gave us Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I. Her daughter Margaret was married to James IV of Scotland and produced James V of Scotland and then Mary, Queen of Scots. Mary's son James united the kingdoms of England and Scotland becoming James I of England and James VI of Scotland.

Elizabeth was known to be a great lover of life, was very gentle in nature and was extremely generous with both her time and her money. Unlike many arranged royal marriages Elizabeth and Henry seemed to have a genuine love for one another. She was a very smart woman, handling her personal treasury accounts on her own. Elizabeth of York is said to be the basis of the Queen's picture in a standard deck of cards.