Elizabeth of York and Henry Tudor
The 15th century English Civil Wars known as the Wars of the Roses culminated
at Bosworth Field in 1485, and a battle took place between Richard the third
and Henry Tudor. Henry was triumphant and assumed the throne. His next quest
now was to find a queen. For 17 years they were together and built the mighty
Tudor dynasty. We now look at the lives of Elizabeth of York, and Henry the seventh.
Elizabeth of York was the eldest daughter of Edward the fourth, she had no
surviving brothers. However, she did have a solid claim to the throne. But
Queen regnant was one post that she possibly thought was not a good move.
Seeing as the last attempt by a woman to rule the roost ended in disaster.
It would be a great granddaughter Mary the first who would one day claim that
prize. Henry Tudor knew that to create a stable rule he must marry quickly.
Doing so would certainly weaken any opportune members of the House of York from
scuttling his plans. He wanted to rule in his own right, since he claimed the
throne by winning a battle. Although the war was over sharing power was simply
not an option. On the 30 October 1485, Henry was crowned and would now
be the new King of England, Henry the seventh. Henry moved quickly to make
changes he renewed the children of Edward the fourth and acknowledged Edward
the fifth as his predecessor. Although Richard the third was classed as a
usurper. Henry did not ignore his reign. Now that was out of the way his next
step was marriage, and Elizabeth was the lucky girl to win his hand.
A dispensation from the Pope was required because they had both descended from John
of Gaunt. The reason being that the church often frowned upon what is known as
affinity. These two hit it off immediately, their marriage was flourishing,
and there was an ever deepening love between them. You could say they
blossomed as much as their red and white roses, and gained much affection and
respect for each other, over the coming years. The marriage was eventually
approved. Although the papal bull came through one month after the event.
However, all went well. And on the 18th of January 1486, the happy couple tied
the knot at Westminster Abbey. Just eight months after their big day came
another when Arthur their first son was born on the 20 of September 1486.
Finally, Elizabeth was crowned Queen The following year, on the 25th of
November. Elizabeth would also go on to have more children, but sadly, only four
survived, including Arthur, there would be Margaret Henry and Mary. Henry had
often been described as a bit of a miser and he was never one for spending his
hard earned. Yet this would have to change. He quickly came to realise that
being king wasn't just about a figure of importance, and he had to flaunt it
from time to time. You see, Henry was a bit tight, he wasn't used to handouts,
and his cash belt probably stayed relatively close to his armour. But the
wallet would have to be loosened if he wanted ambassadors and other foreign
dignitaries to take him seriously. Spain and France were big nations with
bigger appetites for power. And the last thing he needed right now was being
forced from the throne. He had fought so hard to get.
Step Up Elizabeth, she
had the brains to put in place a court that would be the talk of Europe. She
had grown up in such an atmosphere and knew exactly how they operated. This
was great news for Henry. Elizabeth had seen power before and realised what
influence could achieve and nothing would stand in her way. This royal couple
now started to plan and they knew the success was achievable. Still for
Elizabeth the need was quite possibly somewhat greater. In heading up this new
Tudor dynasty. The War of the Roses had been a thorn within England for many
years. And even now, it was not sure if these two unsuspecting heroes could
patch up and make better all the differences that had gone before. But it
wouldn't be without trying. One tactic used to create a peaceful harmony was
marrrying opposites. I mean red and white rose bearers. Elizabeth's sisters, Cecily,
Anne of York along with Margaret Pole, had all jumped over the fence to see
these new Lancastrian red bearing men. However, Elizabeth knew she had to
speculate to accumulate, she threw her money around like confetti, but don't
get me wrong, she did this with kindness and a heart of gold. Elizabeth was
known to be pious, she would often help with charity work and evident passion
in her life, and one of the leading theological virtues of the then Catholic
Church. She gave so much money away that she ended up herself in debt on
numerous occasions. I know I joke about Henry and his ideas of money, but to
be fair, behind the scenes, Henry was just as honourable. The purse would come
out regularly and gifts were strewn across this family. Yet Henry didn't just
purchase personal items. Parties were held dances, music and all other
medieval merriment took place. Despite the fact he had many enemies at the
end of the Wars of the Roses. Even they came to love this man for his
generosity and trust.
Their children would grow into capable adults. At Elsyng Palace, which
which was one of two nurseries. You would frequently see Elizabeth caring for them.
Thomas Lovell renovated the palace, new apartments added inner courts and many
areas for the children to play. Thomas said it was a gift and the royal
family loved it, and over time, it would become a much loved residence for
them and their grandchildren. Records from this period can sometimes be a
little short of the truth! And propaganda was one exercise put to great use by
Henry the Eighth when he eventually came to power. However, Elizabeth and
Henry were different. A different class even. It's known that both had an
interest in building and it seems that Elizabeth may have had a hand in
designing the old Greenwich palace. It was their home from home and certainly
well used when large scale entertaining was to be carried out. The records are
clear on one thing, come Christmas time. The royal court made sure everyone
celebrated. Some documents have survived, which show that large amounts of wine
were imported, and they also spent large amounts of money on food and
entertainers. The Bank of mum and dad was there for everyone to see and enjoy.
But after all this partying, there were, of course, official times and times to
get serious. Henry ruled the political arena, whereas his wife took a step
back from this. But on one occasion, Henry was said to have opted for his
wife's choice over his mother in selecting a new bishop. Again, this showed
loyalty Henry had for his wife, and a willingness to listen and not to be
swayed by others.
In 1500 the royal family set out for France. Calais was
the port they would arrive and engage with the then Philip the 1st of
Castille. He'd married the king and queens daughter of castille, Joanna. The
meeting was to discuss further after initial correspondence between Elizabeth
and Queen Isabella plans to marry their children in the future. Another
diplomatic triumph for this ambitious and level headed couple. Their son Arthur
who was now 15, had been betrothed to the daughter of King Ferdinand II of
Aragon and his wife Isabella of Castille. The wedding took place on
14th of November 1501. The young 15-year-old prince Arthur would wed Catherine of
Aragon. The newlyweds took off to Ludlow castle, but catastrophe would strike
him 1502 when Arthur died suddenly. Henry broke down at the news; he was grief-
stricken and very concerned about the ongoing Tudor dynasty. Elizabeth was
distraught at this sad occasion but had to think on her feet as to what was
next. She reminded Henry that although he had been an only child, he had
survived and one that went on to become king. And God had given them a further
three children, a son and two daughters, and that they were still capable of
turning around this dreadful situation. Elizabeth left Henry and returned to
her rooms where it said she broke down and cried. The grief of losing a son
was all too much. Her attendants sent for Henry, who came and comforted her.
Elizabeth once again became pregnant in 1502. By February the
following year, she gave birth to a daughter. Her name would be Catherine, but
she died after a few days. Elizabeth struggled and gained an infection from
the birth, and it would be this that would also take the life of the Queen. She
died on the 11th of February on the same day as her 37th birthday.
Elizabeth was mourned deeply, and a wholly devasted family found it difficult to hide their
sorrows. Henry's heart was broken, his duet with the white rose Queen was
shattered. He became a recluse locking himself away from everyone. To the
point he was almost in the last days of life himself. His mother, Margaret
Beaufort, and Doctors were the only people allowed to see him. Henry Tudor
was a proud man and his emotions would come to the fore now, it was unusual
for his court as they had never seen him this way. But for Henry it was the
end of an era. In just over two years, he lost his eldest son, his wife, and
baby daughter. Over the coming years on the anniversary of Elizabeth's death,
Henry made sure that there was a requiem mass, the bells are tolled, and 100
candles would be lit in her honour, but life was never the same again. Seven
years later, Henry died on the 21st of April 1509, and was buried in the
chapel he had specially commissioned in Westminster Abbey, next to his wife and
the true love of his life, Elizabeth.