Elizabeth of York is the main protagonist of The White Princess, as well as a prominent character in The Cousin's War and The Tudor series of books.
She is the oldest child of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville, the lover of the deceased Richard III, and the one uniting the warring factions of York and Lancaster by marrying the Lancastrian claimant, Henry VII, which founded the Tudor dynasty. She had numerous children: Prince Arthur of Wales, Henry VIII, Margaret Tudor, and Mary Tudor.
In The White Queen, she was portrayed by Eloise Webb as a child, and later by Freya Mavor as an adult. In the TV series of The White Princess, she is portrayed by Jodie Comer.
Historical Background[]
She was born at the Palace of Westminster, the eldest child of King Edward IV and his Queen consort, Elizabeth Woodville. In 1483, Edward IV died and Elizabeth's younger brother, Edward V, became King. Her uncle, Richard, Duke of Gloucester, was appointed regent and protector of his nephews. Shortly after his brother's death, Gloucester began taking steps to isolate his nephews from their Woodville relations. Edward V was placed in the royal residence of the Tower of London, ostensibly for his protection. Elizabeth Woodville fled with her younger son, Richard, and her daughters into sanctuary in Westminster Abbey. Gloucester requested Richard go to the Tower to keep his brother company and Elizabeth Woodville agreed. Two months later, on 22 June 1483, Edward IV's marriage was declared invalid (Edward, it was claimed, had at the time of his marriage to Elizabeth Woodville already been betrothed to Lady Eleanor Butler); this made the children of the marriage bastards and ineligible for the succession. Parliament issued a bill, Titulus Regius ("The Title of the King") in support of this position: it legally bastardised the children of Edward IV, and declared Gloucester the rightful king.
Gloucester then ascended the throne as Richard III on 6 July 1483, and Edward V and his brother disappeared shortly afterwards. Soon rumors began to spread that they had been murdered. Elizabeth's mother, Elizabeth Woodville, made an alliance with Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry Tudor, who had the closest claim to royalty of those in the Lancastrian party. Although Henry was descended from King Edward III, his claim to the throne was weak, due to the clause barring ascension to the throne by any heirs of the legitimized offspring of his great-great-grandparents, John of Gaunt (3rd son of King Edward III) and Katherine Swynford. Despite this, his mother and Elizabeth Woodville agreed Henry should move to claim the throne, and once he had taken it, he would marry Woodville's daughter, Elizabeth of York, uniting the two rival Houses.
In 1484, Elizabeth and her family left Westminster Abbey and returned to Richard III's court. It was rumoured that he intended to marry her; his wife, Anne Neville, was dying and they had no surviving children. However, on 7 August 1485, Henry and his army landed in Wales and began marching inland. On 22 August 1485, Henry and Richard fought the Battle of Bosworth Field. Richard, despite having the larger army, was betrayed by some of his most powerful retainers and died in battle. Henry took the crown by right of conquest as Henry VII. As the eldest daughter of Edward IV with no surviving brothers, Elizabeth had a strong claim to the throne in her own right - and may have been the rightful heir to the throne after the death of her uncle Richard III - but she did not rule as queen regnant. Henry acknowledged the necessity of marrying Elizabeth to secure the stability of his rule and weaken the claims of other surviving members of the House of York, but he insisted on being king due to a tenuous claim of inheritance from John of Gaunt, ruling in his own right, and not by his marriage to the heir of the House of York, and had no intention of sharing power. Henry had the Titulus Regius repealed, thereby legitimising once more the children of Edward IV and acknowledged Edward V as his predecessor, since he did not want the legitimacy of his wife or her claim as heiress of Edward IV called into question. Henry and Elizabeth married on 18 January 1486.
Despite being a political arrangement, the marriage proved successful and both partners appear to have cared for each other. As queen, Elizabeth did not exercise much political influence, but she was reported to be gentle and kind, and generous to her relations, servants and benefactors .On 14 November 1501, Elizabeth's eldest son, Arthur, married Catharine of Aragon, daughter of Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile, and the pair were sent to Ludlow Castle, traditional residence of the Prince of Wales. Five months later, Arthur died in April 1502. The news of Arthur's death caused Henry VII to break down in grief, as much in fear for his dynasty as mourning for his son. It is a testament to his love for Elizabeth - and her love for him - in the fact that she comforted him, telling him that he was the only child of his mother but had survived to become King, that God had left him with a son and two daughters and that they were both young enough to have more children. Elizabeth became pregnant once more, and in on 2 February 1503, Elizabeth gave birth to a girl named Catherine, but the child died a few days afterwards. Succumbing to a post partum infection, Elizabeth died on 11 February, her 37th birthday. Her husband appeared to severely mourn her death; according to one account, he "privily departed to a solitary place and would no man should resort unto him". Despite his reputation for thrift, he gave her a splendid funeral; she lay in state in the Tower and was buried in Westminster Abbey, in the Lady Chapel Henry had built.
The White Queen []
The Red Queen[]
The Kingmaker's Daughter []
Lizzie is first mentioned after her father is released from Warwick's imprisonment and restored to his throne. One of the conditions of his release is that Lizzie is betrothed to Warwick's nephew Jack.
The White Princess[]
The novel begins in the autumn of 1485 at Shreiff Hutton castle where the heirs to the defeated house of York are awaiting news as to what their future holds. Lizzie is tormented and pained by dreams of her uncle and lover Richard. In the days since his death, Lizzie has either slept or been too grief stricken to engage with those around her. Her grief is interrupted by a summons from her mother Elizabeth; reminding Lizzie that she was born to be a queen and must obligate her betrothal to the new king of England, Henry Tudor. Lizzie goes to the nursery to inform her siblings and cousins of the news that they are to be recognized as royals again and that Henry intends to make her his queen. As the Yorks make their way to London, Margaret is alarmed by the cries of support for her brother Teddy. She knows that Teddy is too naïve to see the danger in men supporting him, and shares her concerns with Lizzie. Margaret debates sending Teddy to their aunt Margaret in Burgundy, but Lizzie promises as queen she will keep Teddy safe.
They join their mother Elizabeth in London, though the reunion is marred by Cecily's jealous comments about Lizzie's suitability. When Cecily is dismissed, Elizabeth informs Lizzie that Lady Margaret all but rules the court and they must endure her until Lizzie is crowned Queen. The Yorks wait for invitation or visit from King Henry yet he pointedly holds court without them. Out of frustration and boredom, Cecily snidely comments on Lizzie having intercourse out of wedlock, and Lady Margaret's preference for herself over Lizzie. The Yorks continue to wait for invitation or visit from King Henry yet he pointedly holds court without them. Henry's invasion of England brought a mysterious new disease, The Sweating Sickness, that ravages England and delays Henry's coronation. Lizzie questions her mother on whether or not the sickness was wrought by her powers which amuses Elizabeth. During the moment of intimacy, Elizabeth confirms that Prince Richard is safe but will say no more.
The Constant Princess[]
She barely features in this novel, but the main character, Catherine of Aragon observes her as being kind, gentle and perhaps a little bit meek. Katherine is quite upset at her death from childbed fever, as she was one of the few people who were kind to her during her widowhood. This book implies that Elizabeth and Henry’s marriage was loveless, as Henry wants to marry Katherine almost immediately after her death, which he does not seem to mourn.
Three Sisters, Three Queens[]
In this novel, she tries to encourage the main character (her daughter, Margaret) to be kind to Catherine of Aragon. However, Margaret does not listen and dubs her "Catherine of Arrogant". Her five year old daughter, Mary begins repeating this nickname, and a displeased Elizabeth often has to correct her. She is deeply saddened by her son Arthur's death, and dies less than a year later from childbed fever, much to Margaret's devastation.
The White Queen Mini Series []
In the White Queen series, Elizabeth had been portrayed as a child up until the last few episodes. Elizabeth was describing as strawberry blonde with grey eyes.
The night her father died, she often joked with him. When forced to go into sanctuary, she often complained to her mother, telling her that her ambition will be the end of her. When taken into court, she was romanced by Richard, Duke of Gloucester, (whether the relationship was mutual or not is still under debate). Anne Neville quickly grows jealous and angry because of it. It is revealed later on that Lizzie had romantic feelings for her uncle Richard in spite of her betrothal to Henry Tudor. When Richard and Anne’s son dies, Richard seeks Anne’s comfort. A devastated Anne rebuffs her husband while Lizzie then holds his hand, humiliating the grieving Queen.
She is seen looking at the eclipse by the time Anne dies. In the funeral, Lizzie attempts to comfort her grieving lover only to be rebuffed and sent with Margaret Beaufort, who forces her to pray eight times a day. Later, the pair argue about Richard’s love toward Lizzie. Lizzie then says cooly that the Tudors do need her and that she will be queen of England no matter who wins. Afraid that Richard might not love her, Lizzie sneaks into Richard’s tent the night before the battle. She asks him of his intentions and whether he really does love her. Richard then informs her that he didn’t mean to love Lizzie, but he became in love with her. The pair later have premarital sex before the battle took place. After the battle she is seen crying in her room, suggesting she knows Richard is dead.
Appearance[]
"She looks like my daughter Elizabeth of York: a cool English beauty, a rose of England."
"...she has a sort of vulnerable appeal. She is like a young animal that you cannot see without wanting to pet: like an orphan fawn, or a long-legged foal."
"...the most complete combination of her mother's exquisite beauty and her father's warmth."
Elizabeth of York was described to be just as supremely beautiful as her mother and her maternal grandmother: tall, slender but voluptuous, with a tumble of curly golden-bronze hair that reminded one of a wheat-field, an oval face, straight brown eyebrows, wide deep grey eyes, and a creamy pale complexion that was as soft as a rose-petal. She was the most beautiful of her sisters and viewed as the loveliest woman in England after her mother.
Her mother, Elizabeth Woodville, thinks of Elizabeth as "the finest and rarest of all her children, the most beautiful and the most beloved". Her own uncle/lover, Richard III is taken aback by her beauty, describing her as "simply exquisite, like a statue in pearl" and "the most beautiful girl that has ever been born". Anne Neville, although having a deep dislike for her, admits that Elizabeth is "the most complete combination of her mother's exquisite beauty and her father's warmth". Thomas Stanley comments that she is "even more beautiful than her mother".
Even Margaret Beaufort, who was always prejudiced against her, observed that she had "an endearing charm her mother never had" - Elizabeth Woodville could "turn a head in every crowd", but Elizabeth of York "would warm a heart". Her own husband, Henry VII, also acknowledged her to be "more beautiful than any woman he had ever seen in his life before", and that she looked irresistible whenever she "wore red and spread out her hair". Her daughter-in-law, Catherine of Aragon, also remarked upon her beauty.
Personality[]
In The White Princess, Elizabeth of York was initially portrayed as a bold, outspoken, and passionate character, but throughout the novels, she matured into a loyal Queen as well as a loving and devoted mother to her children, especially after being forced to make heartbreaking decisions that taught her the virtues of forgiveness and understanding. In The Constant Princess and Three sisters, Three Queens, which show her during the years leading to her death, she is observed as quiet, graceful, and benevolent.
Quotes[]
Trivia[]
she was not in love with her FUCKING UNCLE
Gallery[]
