Today in 1486 Henry VII married Elizabeth of York. Henry was the newly crowned King of England after defeating Elizabeth’s uncle, Richard III, at Bosworth Field. Elizabeth was the daughter of Edward IV, and for many, she was seen as the legitimate heir to the throne. Bringing together both houses in marriage, it was hoped, would put a final end to the Wars of the Roses, and provide stability in England.
The marriage was the brainchild of Elizabeth of York and Lady Margaret Beaufort. Elizabeth of York was Edward IV’s widow, and after the disappearance of the Princes in the Tower, Elizabeth wanted revenge on Richard III for usurping the throne of her son – and likely killing him to boot. She worked with Lady Margaret vowing to support Lady Margaret’s son, the Lancastrian heir Henry Tudor, in exchange for him promising to marry her oldest daughter, Elizabeth. And so, when Henry was still in exile, he promised to marry Elizabeth once he became King.
This marriage was the start of the Tudor dynasty, and it was successful in uniting York and Lancaster together.
That’s your Tudor Minute for today. Remember you can dive deeper into life in 16th-century England through the Renaissance English History Podcast at englandcast.com.
Suggested link:
Episode 73: Tudor Times on Elizabeth of York
From the shop:
“What’s a Queen without her King” mug
Note: All products are made on-demand and can take a few weeks to ship.
Heather Teysko is the creator, writer, and producer of The Renaissance English History Podcast,  the original Tudor history podcast, started in 2009. She's been writing about history online for over 25 years, since her first site on Colonial American history became number one in history on Yahoo in 1998. In 2019 she created Tudorcon, which is now a yearly event, in addition to writing books, and running TudorFair.com - a whimsical Tudor Merch shop.
She has been passionate about Tudor England since she first read Alison Weir's The Six Wives of Henry VIII 30 years ago, and subsequently moved to London after college to spend her time immersed in Tudor history (how exciting when she got to interview Alison for the first time!). In addition to history, she is passionate about travel, and has lived in 3 countries and 4 states (not counting her perpetual state of confusion), and her family (who help her host her YouTube channel occasionally).
