1.c.1.f.a.7 War of the Roses King Henry VII and his wife Elizabeth of York - cousins

   

Elizabeth of York (11 February 1466 – 11 February 1503) was queen consort of England from 1486 until her death. Throughout her lifetime, she was daughter, sister, niece and wife of English monarchs – Edward IV, Edward V, Richard III and Henry VII, respectively. She was also the mother of Henry VIII, and grandmother to his children Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I.
Through her daughters Mary and Margaret, she was the ancestor of Lady Jane Grey, who was Queen regnant of England for nine days, and of James VI and I, who reigned in England after the death of Elizabeth I and who united the Scottish and English crowns

Elizabeth of York was born at the Palace of Westminster, the eldest child of King Edward IV and his Queen, Elizabeth Woodville. Her christening was celebrated at Westminster Abbey, sponsored by her grandmothers Jacquetta of Luxembourg, Duchess of Bedford and Cecily Neville, Duchess of York. Her third sponsor was her cousin, Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick.^[3]
She was named a Lady of the Garter in 1477, along with her mother and her paternal aunt Elizabeth of York, Duchess of Suffolk.

In 1469, she was briefly betrothed to George Neville, son of John Neville, Earl of Northumberland, who initially supported Edward IV against the rebellion of his elder brother Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick, but later joined Warwick's rebellion. As a result, the betrothal was called off. In 1475, Louis XI agreed to the marriage of Elizabeth of York and his son, Charles, the Dauphin of France. In 1482, however, Louis XI reneged on his promise.

King Henry VII married Elizabeth of York and they had several children.

Roland de Velville of Tudor        b  1474  d 1527
Anne Tudor                               b  1484  d  1526
Arthur Prince of Wales               b 1486  d  1503  married Catalina Trasamara D'Aragon
Margaret Queen of Scotland       b 1489   d  1541 married King James IV of Scotland
Henry VIII  King of England       b  1491   d  1547  married 8 times *
Elizabeth Tudor                          b  1492   d  1495
Mary Tudor                               b  1496  d  1533   married Charles Brandon 1st Duke of Suffolk
Edmund Tudor Duke of Somerset  d  1499  d  1500
Katherine

In 1502 Elizabeth of York became pregnant once more, and went for her confinement period to the Tower of London. On 2 February 1503, she gave birth to Katherine, but the child died a few days afterwards. Succumbing to a post partum infection, Elizabeth of York died on 11 February, her 37th birthday. Her husband and children appear to have deeply mourned her death. According to one account, Henry Tudor "privily departed to a solitary place and would no man should resort unto him. This is notable considering that, shortly after Elizabeth's death, records show he became extremely ill himself and would not allow any except his mother Margaret Beaufort near him; for Henry Tudor to show his emotions, let alone any sign of infirmity, was highly unusual and alarming to members of his court.

Henry VII and his children after the death of Elizabeth of York: Young Henry VIII is in the top left corner. His father, Henry VII, remained in seclusion for six weeks following her death and likely wore robes like these for quite some time.

The Henry VII Lady Chapel, now more often known just as the Henry VII Chapel, is a large Lady chapel at the far eastern end of Westminster Abbey, paid for by the will of Henry VII. It is separated from the rest of the abbey by brass gates and a flight of stairs.

A painting by Canaletto - The Interior of Henry VII's Chapel in Westminster Abbey

The structure of the chapel is a three-aisled nave composed of four bays. The apse of the chapel contains the altar, and behind that, the tombs of Henry VII and his wife as well as of James I. There are five apsidal chapels.




* King Henry VIII married 8 times and through his wife Anne Boleyn he had a daughter Queen Elizabeth I of England.

King Henry lived at Hampton Court, a magnificent building in London.  Life in his day was very opulent as we found when we visited.

 The lives and time of these King and Queens are well documented, but before Queen Elizabeth I came to the thrown, another lady Jane Grey was crowned Queen and she ruled for just 9 days.  Then she was beheaded by Queen Elizabeth I.



Poor Jane, her mother was the daughter of Charles Brandon and Mary Tudor, Lady Frances Brandon.  Lady Frances married Henry Grey 1st Duke of Suffolk 3rd Marquis of Dorset and they had a daughter Lady Jane Grey.   She married John Dudley



John Dudley and Lady Jane Grey-Dudley. The image above is that of Lady Jane, John Dudley and the members of The Privy Council, when Lady Jane was being offered the Crown of England in the Tower of London, where later she would become imprisoned and then beheaded.