![]() ![]() And Elizabeth could have continued her sheltered life as Henry's queen.Įlizabeth may or may not have known or understood anything about the numerous threats to the crown from Yorkist malcontents. Much of the life of late medieval young ladies could be a sheltered, even isolated existence if Elizabeth of York led a protected adolescence, that could explain a great deal of the silence. When Henry won the crown, we know little about how Elizabeth regarded the prospect of marrying him (he was King of England, so she may have liked the idea), or what went through her mind at the delay between his coronation and their wedding. We have no idea how Elizabeth felt or what she knew about her missing brothers, what her relationship with her uncle was really like, or how close she may have been to a mother who has been depicted through much of history as grasping and manipulative. ![]() Little was written about her during her lifetime, and most mentions of her in historical records are in relation to other members of her family - her father, Edward IV, and her mother, Elizabeth Woodville, who each negotiated for her marriage her mysteriously missing brothers her uncle Richard, who was accused of murdering her brothers and of course, later, her husband and sons. Elizabeth is holding the white rose of the House of York.Įlizabeth is a difficult figure for the historian to study. Queen and Mother Portrait of Elizabeth by an unknown artist, c. Henry married Elizabeth of York in January of 1486. They would have to be eliminated, as many other Yorkist supporters were, to secure Henry's kingship - if, that is, they were still alive. After all, if the boys were legitimate again, as a king's sons they had a better blood right to the throne than Henry. Henry did this without allowing the law to be read, giving Ricardian historians reason to believe the princes might have still been alive at this time. The joining of the House of York to the House of Lancaster was an important symbolic move, signifying the end of the Wars of the Roses and a unified leadership of England.īut before he could marry Elizabeth, Henry had to overturn the law that had made her and her brothers illegitimate. Richard was killed Henry claimed the throne by right of conquest and was crowned at the end of October.Īs part of his negotiations with his Yorkist supporters, Henry had agreed to marry the daughter of the late King Edward IV, Elizabeth of York. Richard's forces outnumbered Henry's, but at a crucial point in the battle, some of Richard's men switched sides. Henry's army landed in Wales and on August 22, 1485, met Richard at the Battle of Bosworth Field. Now, thanks to the French king, he had 1,000 French mercenary troops in addition to the Lancastrians and some Yorkist opponents of Richard. When the Yorkists had won the crown and the wars had grown particularly dangerous for Lancastrians, Henry's uncle Jasper Tudor had taken him to Brittany to keep him (relatively) safe. But at this stage in the Wars of the Roses, there were no Lancastrians left who had any better claim, so opponents of the Yorkist king Richard III threw in their lot with Henry Tudor. Furthermore, the bastard line (the Beauforts), though officially "legitimized" when their father married their mother, had been expressly barred from the throne by Henry IV. Henry's claim to the throne was as the great-grandson of a bastard son of a younger son of King Edward III. Under ordinary circumstances, Henry Tudor would never have become king. Henry is holding the red rose of the House of Lancaster. This is a work in progress! Check back soon for the next installment. Get an introductory history of the Tudor Dynasty by visiting the portraits below in order. In any case, the foundation of Richard's rule was shaky, and conditions were ripe for rebellion. Whether he had acted out of ambition or to stabilize the government is debated what happened to the boys is more hotly contested. Edward's brother Richard took custody of the boys, had their parent's marriage declared invalid (and the children illegitimate), and took the throne himself as Richard III. Most Lancastrian contenders were dead, exiled, or otherwise far from power, and the Yorkist faction was making an attempt at maintaining peace.īut then Edward died while his sons were not yet in their teens. The Wars of the Roses (a dynastic struggle between the Houses of Lancaster and York) had divided England for decades, but they finally seemed to be over when the popular King Edward IV was on the throne. The First Tudor King Portrait of Henry VII by Michael Sittow, c. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |