The future Queen Elizabeth of York was born in the family of the ruler of England, Edward IV. When she was born in 1466, an internecine war had been going on in the country for 11 years between two dynasties claiming the throne - Yorks and Lancasters.
Ancestors
This conflict will affect the lives of all members of Elizabeth's family and her own destiny. In the meantime, she was the eldest daughter of the king, and her childhood passed in this status. The princess received her nickname "York", enshrined in historiography, by belonging to the dynasty of the same name.
The girl's mother was Elizabeth Woodville. She was a beautiful and strong-willed woman and belonged to the peer family - that is, she was a representative of the nobility of the middle hand. On the maternal side, the ancestors of the future queen were French counts from the province of Champagne.
Treachery and recognition as a bastard
Elizabeth of York unexpectedly lost her father in 1483. Until now, it has not become exactly clear what caused the death of Edward IV. There are versions of typhus, pneumonia, and even poison. The way the nobility behaved immediately after the death of the king,makes you think that the poisoning could really have taken place.
Elizabeth of York had two brothers, Edward and Richard. The eldest of them was declared king. At that time he was only 13 years old. Both brothers were sent to asylum in the Tower Fortress. The uncle of the children and their regent, Richard, believed that minor heirs should be isolated from maternal relatives who belonged to the Woodville surname.
However, things soon went awry. Parliament recognized that the marriage of Edward IV was illegal due to the fact that at that time the man had already promised to marry another woman. Everything would be fine, but this meant that both the princes and Elizabeth of York were recognized as illegitimate children (bastards), and therefore had no right to the throne. The brothers were immediately treacherously killed in captivity. The uncle was named king under the name of Richard III.
Heiress of a dynasty
The death of the brothers led to the fact that Elizabeth of York became a formal contender for the throne. Her mother was still alive and full of energy. She decided to protect her daughter and fled with her in an unknown direction. In exile, Elizabeth Woodville entered into an alliance with Margaret Beaufort, an aristocrat who was, among other things, the great-great-granddaughter of King Edward III of the Plantagenet dynasty, who ruled in the 14th century. This meant that her son Henry Tudor (paternal surname) also had legal rights to the throne.
Two mothers decide to betroth their children. This was done to make the young Tudor's claims even more legitimate. Tillbut Elizabeth and her mother decided to return to the court of Richard III. The king publicly declared that they were not in danger under his protection. The return took place in the spring of 1484.
Husband defeats uncle
However, Henry Tudor was not going to give up. At that time, he had already lived in continental Brittany for ten years. The applicant knew that the regular murder of heirs and other troubles led to the fact that the English nobility was opposed to Richard. Very soon, the closest associate of the king, Henry Stafford, rebelled against the overlord and sowed confusion in the state.
Tudor decided to recruit mercenaries in Europe and especially in France. He was already crossing the English Channel when he learned of the defeat of the rebels and the beheading of Stafford. Nevertheless, Henry did not change his plans and landed with an army in Wales. He had Welsh roots, so he managed to gain a lot of supporters in this province.
Richard met the challenger with an army on the Bosforth Field. The king divided his army into three parts, while Henry united the army into a single force.
The battle began with a successful attack by the rebels on Richard's vanguard. The king decided to act on the bash and, realizing that he could attack Henry's retinue, sent the whole army there. However, during the battle, some close associates betrayed him and left their regiments aside.
Attempt to hit Tudor directly failed. The army that remained loyal to the king was surrounded, and Richard himself was knocked off his horse and killed there.
At this time, Elizabethstayed in London. After the incident, it became clear that she would become the Queen of England.
Wedding
Elizabeth of York and Henry were still named. Their marriage was one of the conditions under which Parliament agreed to recognize and support the newly-made king. The wedding was successful, and even before that, the decree that the children of Edward IV was declared illegitimate was declared illegal. The paper was confiscated from all the archives of the country, and its copies were defiantly burned. Nevertheless, one of the copies of the document was preserved - now it is kept in the museum as a vivid symbol of the era of the War of the Scarlet and White Roses.
After the wedding, Elizabeth formally became a member of the Tudor family, although historiography remembered her as the last of the Yorks.
Queen's children
Marriage gave the couple seven children. Elizabeth, Edmund and Catherine died in infancy or at a very young age. Unfortunately, this was not uncommon even in such crowned families: the state of medicine in the Middle Ages left much to be desired. Later, the descendants of the three children of Elizabeth and Henry will fight to be on the throne of England.
Henry 7 and Elizabeth of York named their eldest son after the semi-legendary King Arthur, who was a popular character in local legends. The child received the title of Prince of Wales and was heir to the throne. In this regard, he was engaged to Infanta Catherine - the daughter of the founders of the Spanish state. It was a dynastic marriage, which was supposed to serve as the basis of the unionbetween countries. However, Arthur tragically died at the age of only 15. The cause turned out to be a rare medieval disease - prickly heat.
Daughter Margarita became the wife of the Scottish King James IV. For some time after the death of her husband, she even became the regent of the throne, but was displaced by the forces of the local nobility.
Son Henry will be one of the most famous English kings in the future. Following his father, he will receive serial number VIII. He will become known for the English Reformation and separation from the Catholic Church, as well as many marriages, which for the most part ended tragically for his own wives.
The youngest daughter Maria became the wife of King Louis XII of France by her first marriage.
Conclusion
Elizabeth of York, Queen of England, was the last member of her dynasty to have legal rights to the throne. Thus her children inherited this legitimacy, and the following Tudors could no longer be accused of being usurpers.
The marriage between the spouses was a happy one. However, Elizabeth of York, wife of Henry 7 Tudor, tragically died after giving birth to her last child. It was associated with infection. The husband could not survive such a loss and, remaining a widower, soon died.
