Editing Elizabeth of York (section)

==Ancestry and early life==

=== Birth ===
Elizabeth of York was born at the [[Palace of Westminster]] as the eldest child of King [[Edward IV]] and his wife, [[Elizabeth Woodville]].{{Sfn|Licence|2014|p=38}} Her christening was celebrated at [[Westminster Abbey]], sponsored by her grandmothers, [[Jacquetta of Luxembourg, Duchess of Bedford]], and [[Cecily Neville, Duchess of York]].

[[File:York Sisters.jpg|thumb|Elizabeth with her sisters. She is the first from the left.]]

In 1469, aged three, she was briefly betrothed to [[George Neville, 1st Duke of Bedford|George Neville]], who was created the [[Duke of Bedford]] in anticipation of the marriage. His father, [[John Neville, 1st Marquess of Montagu|John]], later supported George's uncle, the Earl of Warwick, in a rebellion against Edward IV, and the betrothal was called off.{{Sfn|Okerlund|2009|p=5}} In 1475, [[Louis XI]] agreed to the marriage of nine-year-old Elizabeth of to his son [[Charles VIII of France|Charles]], the Dauphin of France. In 1482, however, Louis XI reneged on his promise.{{Sfn|Okerlund|2009|pp=13–19}} She was named a [[Lady of the Garter]] in 1477, at the age of eleven, along with her mother and her paternal aunt [[Elizabeth of York, Duchess of Suffolk]].

=== Sister of King Edward V===
On 9 April 1483, Elizabeth's father died unexpectedly. Her brother Edward, still a child, ascended the throne as [[Edward V]], and her uncle [[Richard III of England|Richard, Duke of Gloucester]], was appointed regent and protector of his young nephew.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Richard III – King – Biography.com |url=http://www.biography.com/people/richard-iii-9457120 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029195426/http://www.biography.com/people/richard-iii-9457120 |archive-date=29 October 2013 |access-date=5 September 2016 |website=Biography.com}}</ref> Gloucester took steps to isolate his nephews from their Woodville relations, including their own mother.

Gloucester acted quickly to intercept Edward V while the latter was travelling from [[Ludlow]], where he had been living as Prince of Wales, to London to be crowned king. Edward V was placed in the royal residence of the [[Tower of London]], ostensibly for his protection, while his uncle [[Anthony Woodville, 2nd Earl Rivers|Anthony Woodville]] and half-brother [[Richard Grey]], who had both been escorting him, were arrested and sent to [[Pontefract Castle]].<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=Pontefract Castle – 15th Century |url=https://pontefractsandalcastles.org.uk/pontefract-castle-15th-century |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230113181056/https://pontefractsandalcastles.org.uk/pontefract-castle-15th-century |archive-date=13 January 2023 |access-date=13 January 2023 |website=Pontefract & Sandal Castles |language=en-GB}}</ref> Elizabeth Woodville fled with her younger son Richard and her daughters, taking sanctuary in [[Westminster Abbey]]. Gloucester asked [[Thomas Bourchier (cardinal)|Thomas Bourchier]], the [[List of archbishops of Canterbury|Archbishop of Canterbury]], to take Richard with him, so that the boy could reside in the Tower and keep his brother Edward company. Elizabeth Woodville, under duress, eventually agreed.{{Sfn|Okerlund|2009|pp=21–32}}

Two months later, on 22 June 1483, Edward IV's marriage was declared invalid. It was claimed that Edward IV had, at the time of his marriage to Elizabeth Woodville, already been married to [[Lady Eleanor Talbot|Lady Eleanor Butler]]. Parliament issued a bill, ''[[Titulus Regius]]'' ("Royal Title"), in support of this position.{{Sfn|Okerlund|2009|pp=21–32}} This measure legally bastardized the children of Edward IV, made them ineligible for the succession, and declared Gloucester the rightful king, with the right of succession reverting to the children of [[George, Duke of Clarence]], another late brother of Gloucester, who had been [[attainted]] in 1478. Elizabeth's uncle Anthony Woodville and her half-brother Richard Grey were executed on Gloucester's orders on 25 June.<ref name=":3" /> Gloucester was crowned king as Richard III on 6 July 1483, and Edward and Richard disappeared soon afterwards. Rumours began to spread that they had been murdered, and these appear to have been increasingly widely credited, even though some undoubtedly emanated from overseas.<ref>{{Cite web |title=BBC – History – Historic Figures: The Princes in the Tower |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/princes_in_tower.shtml |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210421131536/http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/princes_in_tower.shtml |archive-date=21 April 2021 |access-date=20 December 2019 |publisher=BBC}}</ref>

=== Niece of King Richard III===
According to [[Polydore Vergil]],<ref>{{Cite book |last=Vergil |first=Polydore |title=The Anglica Historia of Polydore Vergil A.D. 1485–1537 |date=1950 |editor-last=Hay |editor-first=Denis |location=London |translator-last=Hay |translator-first=Denis}}</ref> Elizabeth's mother made an alliance with [[Lady Margaret Beaufort]], mother of Henry Tudor, later King [[Henry VII of England|Henry VII]], who presented himself as the closest claimant to the throne among the Lancastrian party. Although Henry Tudor was descended from King [[Edward III]],<ref>Genealogical Tables in {{Harvnb|Morgan|1988|p=709}}</ref> his claim to the throne was weak, owing to Letters Patent of King [[Henry IV of England|Henry IV]] in 1407, which barred accession to the throne to any heirs of the legitimised offspring of Henry's great-great-grandparents, [[John of Gaunt]] and [[Katherine Swynford]]. Whether these Letters Patent had force of law is disputed. Furthermore, there were legitimate Lancastrian lines into the Royal Houses of Portugal and Castile. Whatever the merits of Henry's claim, according to Vergil, his mother and Elizabeth Woodville agreed he should move to claim the throne and, once he had taken it, marry Elizabeth of York to boost his feeble claim. In December 1483, in the cathedral of [[Rennes]], Henry Tudor swore an oath promising to marry her and began planning an invasion.{{Sfn|Chrimes|1972|pages=[https://archive.org/details/henryvii00chri/page/65 65]}}

In March 1484, Elizabeth Woodville and her daughters were persuaded, according to the ''[[Croyland Chronicle|Crowland Chronicle]]'', to withdraw from sanctuary under "frequent intercessions and dire threats".<ref>{{Cite book |last=Okerlund |first=Arlene |title=Elizabeth of York |date=2011 |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |isbn=978-0-230-12048-8 |edition=Transferred to digital printing |location=New York |pages=33}}</ref> Richard III additionally swore a public oath, promising that they would "not suffer any manner hurt" nor would he "imprison [them] within the Tower of London or other prison".<ref>{{Harvnb|Okerlund|2011|pp=33–34}}; {{Cite book |last=Horspool |first=David |title=Richard III: a ruler and his reputation |date=2017 |publisher=Bloomsbury |isbn=978-1-4729-4619-5 |location=London |pages=220}}</ref> It was rumoured that Richard III intended to marry Elizabeth of York because his wife, [[Anne Neville]], was dying and they had no surviving children. The ''[[Crowland Chronicle]]'' claimed that Richard III was forced to deny this unsavoury rumour.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last=Skidmore |first=Chris |author-link=Chris Skidmore |title=The rise of the Tudors: The family That Changed English History |date=20 January 2015 |isbn=978-1-2500-6144-7 |edition=first |publisher=St. Martin's Griffin |location=New York |pages=199–200 |oclc=881437225}}</ref> Soon after Anne Neville's death, Richard III sent Elizabeth away from court to the [[Sheriff Hutton Castle]] and opened negotiations with King [[John II of Portugal]] to marry his sister, [[Joan, Princess of Portugal]], and to have Elizabeth marry their cousin, the future King [[Manuel I of Portugal]].<ref>{{Cite journal |first=Barrie |last=Williams |title=The Portuguese Connection and the Significance of the 'Holy Princess' |journal=The Ricardian |volume=6 |issue=90 |date=March 1983}}</ref>

Henry Tudor and his army landed in Wales on 7 August 1485 and marched inland. On 22 August, Henry Tudor and Richard III fought the [[Battle of Bosworth Field]]. Richard III had the larger army, but was betrayed by one of his most powerful nobles, [[William Stanley (Battle of Bosworth)|William Stanley]], and became the last English king to die in battle. Henry Tudor took the crown by [[right of conquest]] as [[Henry VII of England|Henry VII]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Henry VII |url=http://tudorhistory.org/henry7 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221111042629/https://tudorhistory.org/henry7 |archive-date=11 November 2022 |access-date=15 November 2013 |website=tudorhistory.org}}</ref>