From the
time Henry Tudor defeated Richard III of England at Bosworth, he knew he would
have to secure his reign. One of the best ways was to bring an end to the Wars
of the Roses, which meant combining the Houses of York and Lancaster.
As the head
of the House of Lancaster, he needed to marry someone powerful in the House of
York. Who better than Edward IV’s daughter and Edward V’s sister, Elizabeth of
York? She was, after all, viewed as the York heiress, since her brothers were
believed dead, likely murdered while they were unofficially imprisoned in the
Tower of London.
The day to
marry Elizabeth of York finally came on January 18, 1486. After a couple of
years negotiating between Elizabeth Woodville and Margaret Beaufort and then
months of preparation for Henry VII, they became husband and wife. It would
take nine months for the birth of their first child, Arthur Tudor, suggesting
they had been intimate before their marriage (or it was just coincidental good
luck).
Henry VII
and Elizabeth of York married at Westminster Abbey, with Thomas Bourchier,
Archbishop of Canterbury conducting it. A dispensation was required and
granted, due to their familial link. This was part of the reason for the delay for
the wedding.
Another
reason was because Henry VII needed to rework some paperwork that had declared
Elizabeth an illegitimate daughter of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville.
Richard III’s court had arranged for Elizabeth and her brothers to be
illegitimate, allowing Richard to swoop in and claim the crown. Henry couldn’t
marry someone illegitimate, so had to void the previous bill and make it clear
that Elizabeth was the rightful heir to the Yorkist claim.
Of course,
this brought some problems. When Perkin Warbeck claimed he was Elizabeth’s
younger brother, Richard, there was the question of him being king. As the only
living son of Edward VI, he would have been the rightful king had he really
been Richard. Whether he was or not, we will never know. Elizabeth of York
believed he wasn’t and stood alongside her husband to protect their position as
King and Queen of England.
Main image: Photos in the public domain, image created by Alexandria Gunn
Other images from the public domain
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