The father and mother of the Tudor dynasty were Henry VII and Elizabeth of York.
Their marriage ultimately ended the Wars of the Roses, a civil war that saw the House
of York and the House of Lancaster at war for decades.
When Henry VII agreed to marry Elizabeth he was just seen as a rebel in many people’s
eyes, but he managed to defeat Richard III and then take the throne.
Elizabeth married Henry after his coronation, and the pair had four children who lived past
infancy.
But despite seemingly being enemies when they married, the pair were happily married and
were known to be very devoted to each other.
But on the 11th February 1503, Elizabeth of York died whilst inside the Tower of London.
In the following decades, at the orders of her son, two more queens would lose their
lives in the Tower of London, the same place where his mother passed away.
Elizabeth of York’s passing plunged Henry VII into Great Depression and upset.
In 1502, Elizabeth of York despite being happily married and the mother of a number of children
fell pregnant again and she then was forced into her confinement period.
This occurred inside the Tower of London, which was at the time regarded as a royal
palace and a residence, and not really a prison or feared place.
Her room inside the fortress was a beautiful one and had been decorated with rich curtains
and tapestries containing images of clouds, flowers and roses.
On the 2nd February 1503, she gave birth to a daughter who she named Catherine after Catherine
of Aragon, the widow of her son Arthur Tudor, and the future wife of her other son Henry
VIII.
However the child a few days old passed away, from an illness.
But 9 days after giving birth, Elizabeth of York died from a post partum infection.
Her death shattered the royal family, her husband the King of England was destroyed
by what had happened.
It was said that Elizabeth’s death ‘broke the heart,’ of her husband and shattered
him.
Another source says how Henry VII, ‘privily departed to a solitary place and would no
man should resort unto him.’
Elizabeth’s death and the reaction from Henry VII shocked his closest attendants.
The King who was rarely a man of emotion except when he was very angry was overwhelmed my
grief, and this surprised his attendants and he was sobbing openly.
Following Elizabeth’s death he shut himself away for a number of days and he refused to
speak to anyone.
Her death impacted him severely.
Following Elizabeth’s death, the King became very ill himself and would not allow anyone
but his mother Margaret Beaufort to care for him.
He even dismissed doctors, but he did recover.
The Tower of London was abandoned as a place of royal residence because of it being a place
where Elizabeth of York died, and following this it became more of a site of imprisonment,
especially during the reign of Henry VIII.
Henry VII after his wife’s death became more miserly, and was reluctant to spend money
and he lived a very basic life.
But he did organise a huge funeral for his wife.
Two council members organised the funeral, his treasurer the Earl of Surrey and the comptroller
of his household Sir Richard Guildford.
The citizens of London also helped to contribute.
When she died, the bells of St Paul’s Cathedral rang out and all of the other churches across
London rang their bells.
Elizabeth’s body was tended to in its chamber at the Tower, and was washed before it was
dressed in her estate robes and was laid out on her bed.
Her children were then brought to see her body, and they said their goodbyes.
On the same day, her remains were embalmed by the sergeant of the Chandlery.
He was given many things to perform the job, including cerecloth, balms, spices, sweet
wine and a great amount of wax.
Her body was washed with wine and rosewater, and rubbed with balm and perfumed spices.
Following this, her body was wrapped in cerecloth, and this had been broken down into strips
and dipped in wax and then placed on her body.
Her body was then enclosed in lead, and was then marked with a lead epitaph containing
her name.
This lead case was then made of holly wood and the coffin was covered in black velvet
and marked with a cross of white damask.
Elizabeth of York’s coffin was then carried by people of the highest rank, and it was
taken to the Chapel of St Peter ad Vincula within the walls of the Tower of London on
the 12th February.
Her ladies and maids of honour followed the coffin, and marched side by side and then
stayed inside the chapel with the coffin.
The chapel was lit by 500 tall candles, with the Windows being lined with black material.
The coffin was placed in front of the altar, and Elizabeth’s sister Katherine, the countess
of Devon took her place by Elizabeth’s body, and she stayed whilst mass was being celebrated.
She then went away, and the coffin remained in state where 6 ladies kept a vigil.
Katherine was the Queen’s chief mourner, and mass was said for 3 days straight.
At night the Lord’s prayer was said, and the coffin remained in the chapel until the
day of the funeral procession on the 22nd February.
Her coffin was placed on a carriage at noon, and then was taken out of the Tower of London.
The cart was lined with black velvet and blue cloth, and a lifelike effigy was placed above
her coffin and it was clothed in the robes of the estate of a queen, and it had a crown
on her head.
Her hair flowed down to her shoulders and she had a spectre in her right hand.
Her fingers had gold rings on them, and the procession travelled towards Westminster Abbey,
the place of her coronation.
Many of London’s people witnessed the procession and many weeped for their Queen.
200 poor people carried torches and were dressed in black cloth, and this had been paid for
by the King himself.
Behind them was a number of the Queen’s household and the Mayor of London, and six
horses drew the carriage on it’s final journey.
Behind Elizabeth’s carriage, 8 black horses with her ladies of honour rode, and each was
led by a man in a black gown.
These included the Queen’s four sisters, and other nobelewomen were in other carriages.
Many guilds provided mourning clothes, and some dressed in white and stood holding torches
in respect.
The lady mayoress of London arranged for 37 virgins, one for each of Elizabeth;s life
to hold burning tapers and to stand in Cheapside out of respect.
These women wore white linen and had wreaths on their heads.
More torches were given by parish churches, and all the city’s churches were draped
in black.
As the cortege went passed a church, a bell would ring.
There were many European ambassadors who attended the funeral, and along the route were 500
torches carried by citizens.
As it made its way to St Margaret’s Churchyard, Bishops greeted it.
The coffin and effigy were then placed onto a hearse which had black cloth of gold and
her motto, ‘humble and reverent in gold written on it.
Banners were draped in the corners of the coffin, and there were other emblems of Tudor
queenship displayed including a portcullis and gold roses.
The coffin then spent the night in Westminster Abbey surrounded by torchbearers and other
observers, and as the Coffin lay in state that evening, her sister Katherine presided
over a supper of fish inside of the Queen’s chambers at Westminster.
During the dinner, Knights heralds and squires kept a close vigils over the body all night
and over 1000 candles burned.
On the final day of the funeral and the mourning, candles around the coffin burned whilst the
black cloth hung from the roof.
There were a number of masses said, and the Bishop of Lincoln gave the final requiem mass.
Women were then led to offer their final goodbyes to Elizabeth’s body, and they presented
a number of offerings to her.
After the sermons, the pall and cloth that was draped over the coffin was taken off,
and then the final internment was made.
The effigy of Elizabeth was taken from the coffin, and the Bishop of London blessed the
grave before the coffin was lowered.
Elizabeth’s chamberlain and her gentlemen ushers broke their staves of office and threw
them in the grave.
As the creation of the Tudor tomb for Henry VII had just begun in the Lady Chapel extension
of Westminster Abbey, Elizabeth was buried in a vault specifically made for her in the
crossing of the abbey between the choir and the high altar.
She was then re-interred in a beautiful new tomb following the death of her husband Henry
VII in 1509.
Henry VII despite being a tight man who rarely spent much money spent lavishly on the funeral
of his Queen.
He spent 5 times more money on Elizabeth’s funeral than he did his son Arthur, and spent
in todays money around 1 and a half million on burying his wife.
The funeral was a huge ceremony that allowed for a memorable spectacle to occur, and with
this all of London joined in.
The nobility and the poor all came together to pay tribute to the Queen of England.
Elizabeth of York is remembered as the loyal wife of Henry VII who’s marriage ended a
civil war.
Her death was incredibly tragic and sad, and she was the first Queen to die inside the
Tower of London.
Later Anne Boleyn, Catherine Howard and Lady Jane Grey would also die inside the Tower
of London.
But Elizabeth of York is remembered as the matriarch of the Tudor dynasty, but her passing
was very sad.
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