Elizabeth of York and the Birth of the Tudor Dynasty

Uniting the Roses

Beverley Adams

• Publisher: Pen and Sword
• Year: 2025
• eBook ISBN: 9781399044172
• Edition: 0
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: British History
• Index: History

Elizabeth of York, often overshadowed by her famous descendants, was a strong and influential queen who united the warring houses of York and Lancaster. Elizabeth of York has often been overlooked by Tudor historians in favor of her infamous son King Henry VIII and his six wives, as well as her glorious 'Virgin Queen' granddaughter Queen Elizabeth I. But Elizabeth, the daughter of King Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville, deserves far more recognition than she currently receives. She suffered the loss of her younger brothers, the Princes in the Tower, and lived through the reign of her maligned uncle King Richard III, who it has been suggested plotted to marry his niece. Elizabeth was born at a time when having women in power was not considered desirable, but if she had been able to rule then Elizabeth would have been England's first queen regnant. It was her position as the heiress to the House of York that solidified her husband's claim to the throne. When she married Henry VII they finally united the warring houses of Lancaster and York. It is often thought that Elizabeth was a weak, ineffectual and pious woman who was too meek to challenge her husband's rule, but in reality she held some sway over her husband and he often valued her opinion. If anything, Elizabeth was a resolute, well-respected and influential queen. Despite being of Plantagenet blood, Elizabeth of York was the mother of the Tudor dynasty, one of England's most powerful and ruthless monarchies. Yet she was a devoted mother and an adored queen to the people of England.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Dedication
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Acknowledgements
• List of Illustrations
• Timeline of Events
• Introduction
• Author’s Note on the Wars of the Roses 1377–1461
• Chapter One: A Clandestine Marriage
• Chapter Two: The Birth of a Princess of York
• Chapter Three: The Royal Nursery and the Beginnings of Trouble
• Chapter Four: Exile, War and Glory, a Princess in Sanctuary
• Chapter Five: The Glorious Court of England
• Chapter Six: The Downfall of Uncle Clarence
• Chapter Seven: A Jilted Bride
• Chapter Eight: The Fall of the House of York
• Chapter Nine: The Rise of the House of Tudor
• Chapter Ten: A Bride at Last
• Chapter Eleven: Elizabeth, the Wife
• Chapter Twelve: Elizabeth, the Mother
• Chapter Thirteen: Elizabeth, the Queen
• Chapter Fourteen: A Second Pretender
• Chapter Fifteen: Victory Again
• Chapter Sixteen: A Spanish Marriage
• Chapter Seventeen: Death Strikes the House of Tudor
• Appendix One: The Battles of the Wars of the Roses
• Appendix Two: The Children of King Edward IV and Queen Elizabeth
• Appendix Three: Titulus Regis
• Appendix Four: The Annulment of the Titulus Regis by Henry VII
• Appendix Five: Ordinances of a Royal Birth by Lady Margaret Beaufort
• Appendix Six: The Song of Lady Bessy
• Bibliography
• Plates