Duke of York is a title of

nobility Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The character ...

in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Since the 15th century, it has, when granted, usually been given to the second son of

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

(later

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

) monarchs. The equivalent title in the Scottish peerage was

Duke of Albany Duke of Albany is a peerage title that has occasionally been bestowed on the younger sons in the Scottish and later the British royal family, particularly in the Houses of Stuart and Hanover. History The Dukedom of Albany was first granted ...

. However, King George II and

King George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...

granted the titles ''

Duke of York and Albany Duke of York and Albany was a title of nobility in the Peerage of Great Britain. The title was created three times during the 18th century and was usually given to the second son of British monarchs. The predecessor titles in the English and Sc ...

''. Initially granted in the 14th century in the Peerage of England, the title ''Duke of York'' has been created eight times. The title ''Duke of York and Albany'' has been created three times. These occurred during the 18th century, following the 1707 unification of the

Kingdom of England The Kingdom of England (, ) was a sovereign state on the island of Great Britain from 12 July 927, when it emerged from various History of Anglo-Saxon England, Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, until 1 May 1707, when it united with Kingdom of Scotland, ...

and

Kingdom of Scotland The Kingdom of Scotland (; , ) was a sovereign state in northwest Europe traditionally said to have been founded in 843. Its territories expanded and shrank, but it came to occupy the northern third of the island of Great Britain, sharing a l ...

into a single, united realm. The double naming was done so that a

territorial designation In the United Kingdom, a territorial designation follows modern peerage titles, linking them to a specific place or places. It is also an integral part of all baronetcies. Within Scotland, a territorial designation proclaims a relationship with ...

from each of the previously separate

realms A realm is a community or territory over which a sovereign rules. The term is commonly used to describe a monarchical or dynastic state. A realm may also be a subdivision within an empire, if it has its own monarch, e.g. the German Empire. Et ...

could be included. The current Duke of York is

Prince Andrew Prince Andrew, Duke of York, (Andrew Albert Christian Edward; born 19 February 1960) is a member of the British royal family. He is the younger brother of King Charles III and the third child and second son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince ...

, the younger brother of

Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person t ...

. The present Duke's marriage produced two daughters, and he has remained unmarried since his 1996 divorce. As long as Prince Andrew has no legitimate male heirs, the title Duke of York will again revert to the Crown upon his death. A future monarch would then have the ability to bestow the title as a royal dukedom, in what would be its ninth creation. Prince Louis, the second son of

William, Prince of Wales William, Prince of Wales, (William Arthur Philip Louis; born 21 June 1982) is the heir apparent to the British throne. He is the elder son of King Charles III and his first wife Diana, Princess of Wales. Born in London, William was edu ...

, is the most likely candidate to be the next Duke of York after the death of his great-uncle, Prince Andrew, and after William becomes King.

History

In the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

was the main city of the North of England and the see of the

Archbishop of York The archbishop of York is a senior bishop in the Church of England, second only to the archbishop of Canterbury. The archbishop is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of York and the metropolitan bishop of the province of York, which covers th ...

from AD 735.

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...

was England's largest shire in area. York under its Viking name "Jorvik" was a

petty kingdom A petty kingdom is a kingdom described as minor or "petty" (from the French 'petit' meaning small) by contrast to an empire or unified kingdom that either preceded or succeeded it (e.g. the numerous kingdoms of Anglo-Saxon England unified into ...

in the Early Medieval period. In the interval between the fall of independent Jorvik under

Eric Bloodaxe Eric Haraldsson ( non, Eiríkr Haraldsson , no, Eirik Haraldsson; died 954), nicknamed Bloodaxe ( non, blóðøx , no, Blodøks) and Brother-Slayer ( la, fratrum interfector), was a 10th-century Norwegian king. He ruled as King of Norway from ...

, last

king of Jorvik Northumbria, a kingdom of Angles, in what is now northern England and south-east Scotland, was initially divided into two kingdoms: Bernicia and Deira. The two were first united by king Æthelfrith around the year 604, and except for occasional ...

(d. 954), and the first creation of the Dukedom of York, there were a few earls of York. The title Duke of York was first created in the Peerage of England in 1385 for

Edmund of Langley Edmund of Langley, Duke of York (5 June 1341 – 1 August 1402) was the fourth surviving son of King Edward III of England and Philippa of Hainault. Like many medieval English princes, Edmund gained his nickname from his birthplace: Kings Lang ...

. His son Edward, who inherited the title, was killed at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415. The title passed to Edward's nephew

Richard Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'stro ...

, the son of

Richard of Conisburgh, 3rd Earl of Cambridge Richard of Conisbrough, 3rd Earl of Cambridge (20 July 1385 – 5 August 1415) was the second son of Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York, and Isabella of Castile, Duchess of York. He was beheaded for his part in the Southampton Plot, a conspiracy ...

(who had been executed for plotting against

King Henry V Henry V (16 September 1386 – 31 August 1422), also called Henry of Monmouth, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1413 until his death in 1422. Despite his relatively short reign, Henry's outstanding military successes in the Hu ...

). The younger Richard managed to obtain a restoration of the title, but when his eldest son, who inherited the title, became king in 1461 as Edward IV, the title merged into the Crown. The title was next created for

Richard of Shrewsbury Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'strong ...

, second son of King Edward IV. Richard was one of the

Princes in the Tower The Princes in the Tower refers to the apparent murder in England in the 1480s of the deposed King Edward V of England and Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York. These two brothers were the only sons of King Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville sur ...

, and, as he died without heirs, the title became extinct at his death. The third creation was for Henry Tudor, second son of

King Henry VII Henry VII (28 January 1457 – 21 April 1509) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizure of the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death in 1509. He was the first monarch of the House of Tudor. Henry's mother, Margaret Beaufo ...

. When his elder brother Arthur, Prince of Wales, died in 1502, Henry became heir-apparent to the throne. When Henry ultimately became King Henry VIII in 1509, his titles merged into the crown. The title was created for the fourth time for Charles Stuart, second son of

James I James I may refer to: People *James I of Aragon (1208–1276) *James I of Sicily or James II of Aragon (1267–1327) *James I, Count of La Marche (1319–1362), Count of Ponthieu *James I, Count of Urgell (1321–1347) *James I of Cyprus (1334–13 ...

. When his elder brother, Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales, died in 1612, Charles became heir-apparent. He was created

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...

in 1616 and eventually became

Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...

in 1625 when the title again merged into the Crown. The fifth creation was in favour of James Stuart, the second son of Charles I. New York, its capital Albany, and

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, were named for this particular Duke of Albany and York. In 1664, Charles II of England granted American territory between the

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...

and

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...

rivers to his younger brother James. Following its capture by the English the former Dutch territory of

New Netherland New Netherland ( nl, Nieuw Nederland; la, Novum Belgium or ) was a 17th-century colonial province of the Dutch Republic that was located on the east coast of what is now the United States. The claimed territories extended from the Delmarva P ...

and its principal port, New Amsterdam, were named the

Province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

and

City of New York New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

in James's honour. After the founding, the Duke gave part of the colony to proprietors

George Carteret Vice Admiral Sir George Carteret, 1st Baronet ( – 14 January 1680 N.S.) was a royalist statesman in Jersey and England, who served in the Clarendon Ministry as Treasurer of the Navy. He was also one of the original lords proprietor of the ...

and John Berkeley.

Fort Orange Fort Orange ( nl, Fort Oranje) was the first permanent Dutch settlement in New Netherland; the present-day city of Albany, New York developed at this site. It was built in 1624 as a replacement for Fort Nassau, which had been built on nearb ...

, north on the

Hudson River The Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south primarily through eastern New York. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York and flows southward through the Hudson Valley to the New York Harbor between N ...

, was renamed Albany after James's Scottish title.Miller, 44–45 When his elder brother, King Charles II, died without heirs, James succeeded to the throne as

King James II James VII and II (14 October 1633 16 September 1701) was King of England and King of Ireland as James II, and King of Scotland as James VII from the death of his elder brother, Charles II, on 6 February 1685. He was deposed in the Glorious Re ...

of England and King James VII of Scotland, and the title once again merged into the Crown. During the 18th century the double dukedom of York and Albany was created a number of times in the Peerage of Great Britain. The title was first held by Duke Ernest Augustus of Brunswick-Lüneburg, Bishop of Osnabrück, the youngest brother of King George I. He died without heirs, and the title reverted to the Crown. The second creation of the double dukedom was for Prince Edward, younger brother of

, who also died without heirs, having never married. Again, the title reverted to the Crown. The third and last creation of the double dukedom was for Prince Frederick Augustus, the second son of King George III. He served as Commander-in-Chief of the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

for many years, and was the original "The Grand Old Duke of York, Grand old Duke of York" in the popular rhyme. He too died without legitimate heirs, leaving the title, once again, to revert to the Crown. The sixth creation of the Dukedom of York (without being combined with Albany) was for Prince George, second son of the, then current, Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VII. He was created Duke of York following the death of his elder brother, Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale. The title merged with the Crown when George succeeded his father as King George V. The seventh creation was for Prince Albert, second son of King George V, and younger brother of the future King Edward VIII. Albert came unexpectedly to the throne when his brother abdicated, and took the name George VI, the Dukedom then merging into the Crown. The title was created for the eighth time for Prince Andrew, second son of Queen Elizabeth II. As of 2022, the only legitimate offspring are his two daughters from his marriage to Sarah, Duchess of York. Thus, if he has no future (legitimate) sons, the title will again become extinct—reverting to the Crown—upon his death. Aside from the first creation, every time the Dukedom of York has been created it has had only one occupant, that person either inheriting the throne or dying without male heirs.

Pretenders

In the late 15th Century, Perkin Warbeck unsuccessfully claimed the Crown by pretending the identity of Richard of Shrewsbury, 1st Duke of York. The pretend Dukedom was merged into the pretend Crown. In the early 18th century, the eldest son of the overthrown King James II & VII and thus Jacobitism, Jacobite claimant to the throne, James Francis Edward Stuart, known to his opponents as the Old Pretender, granted the title "Duke of York" (in the Jacobite Peerage) to his own second son, Henry Benedict Stuart, Henry, using his purported authority as King James III & VIII. Henry later became a cardinal in the Catholic church and is thus known as the Cardinal Duke of York. Since James was not recognised as king by English law, the grant is also not recognised as a legitimate creation.

Dukes of York

First creation, 1385–1415, 1425–1461

, Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York, Edmund of Langley
1385–1402
' , Edmund of Langley 2C Duke of York

, 5 June 1341
Kings Langley
4th surviving son of King Edward III and Philippa of Hainault , Isabella of Castile, Duchess of York, Isabella of Castile
1372
3 children

Joan Holland
no children , 1 August 1402
Kings Langley
aged 61 , - , Edward, 2nd Duke of York, Edward of Norwich
1402–1415
' , Edward of Norwich Duke of York

, 1373
Norwich
son of 1st Duke by his first wife Isabella of Castile, Duchess of York, Isabella of Castile , Philippa de Mohun
no children , 25 October 1415
Battle of Agincourt
aged 42 , - , Richard of York, 3rd Duke of York, Richard of York
1425–1460
' , Richard of York Talbot Shrewsbury Book

, 21 September 1411
Nephew of 2nd Duke and son of

(Attainder, attainted and executed for treason in August 1415) and Anne de Mortimer; restored in blood , Cecily Neville
1437
13 children , 30 December 1460
Wakefield
aged 49 , - , Edward IV of England, Edward Plantagenet
1460–1461
' , EdwardIVofEngland-Yorkist

, 28 April 1442
Rouen
son of 3rd Duke by his wife Cecily Neville , Elizabeth Woodville
1 May 1464
10 children , 9 April 1483
Westminster
aged 40 Edward Plantagenet seized the throne in 1461 as Edward IV and the title of duke merged in the crown.

Second creation, 1474

, Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York, Richard of Shrewsbury
1474–1483
' ,

, 17 August 1473
Shrewsbury
Second son of King Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville , Anne de Mowbray, 8th Countess of Norfolk, Anne de Mowbray
15 January 1478
no children , Disappeared in the Tower of London, with his older brother, the "

". Richard of Shrewsbury disappeared without known issue and the title of duke became extinct.

Third creation, 1494

, - , Henry VIII, Henry Tudor
1494–1509
' , HenryVIII 1509

, 28 June 1491
Palace of Placentia, Greenwich Palace, London
son of Henry VII of England, Henry VII and Elizabeth of York , Catherine of Aragon
11 June 1509 – 23 May 1533
(annulment)
1 surviving daughter, others stillborn or briefly-lived

Anne Boleyn
25 January 1533 – 17 May 1536
(annulment)
1 daughter

Jane Seymour
30 May 1536 – 24 October 1537
1 son

Anne of Cleves
6 January 1540 – 9 July 1540
(annulment)
no children

Catherine Howard
28 July 1540 – 23 November 1541
no children

Catherine Parr
12 July 1543
no children , 28 January 1547
Whitehall Palace, London
aged 55 Prince Henry succeeded as Henry VIII in 1509 upon his father's death and the title of duke merged with the crown.

Fourth creation, 1605

, - , Charles I of England, Charles Stuart
1605–1625
, Charles I (1625)

, 19 November 1600
Dunfermline Palace, Dunfermline
son of

and Anne of Denmark , Henrietta Maria of France
13 June 1625
9 children , 30 January 1649
Whitehall Palace, London
aged 48 Prince Charles succeeded as Charles I in 1625 upon James VI and I, his father's death and the title of duke merged with the crown.

Fifth creation, 1633/1644

James was styled Duke of York from birth and officially created as such in 1644. , James Stuart
1633/1644–1685Callow, John, The Making of King James II: The Formative Years of a King, Sutton Publishing, Ltd, Stroud, Gloucestershire, 2000. Page
' , James II & VII

, 14 October 1633
St. James's Palace, London
son of

and Henrietta Maria of France , Anne Hyde
3 September 1660
8 children

Mary of Modena
21 November 1673
7 children , 16 September 1701
Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Paris
aged 67 James succeeded as James II in 1685 upon Charles II of England, his brother's death and the title of duke merged with the crown.

Jacobite creation, 1725

, Henry Benedict Stuart
1725–1788
' , Circle of Anton Raphael Mengs, Henry Benedict Maria Clement Stuart, Cardinal York (ca 1750) -002

, 6 March 1725
Palazzo Muti
Rome
Papal States
son of James Francis Edward Stuart, "James III and VIII" (Jacobite Pretender) and Maria Clementina Sobieska , ____ , 13 July 1807
Frascati, Rome
aged 82 In the Jacobite succession, the Cardinal Duke of York succeeded to the thrones of England, Ireland and Scotland as Henry IX, but was not recognized as either Duke or King in the British peerage.

Sixth creation, 1892

, George V, George Frederick Ernest Albert
House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
1892–1910
' , George V of the United Kingdom01

, 3 June 1865
Marlborough House
son of Edward VII and Alexandra of Denmark , Mary of Teck
6 July 1893
6 children , 20 January 1936
Sandringham House, Sandringham, Norfolk, Sandringham
aged 70 , - , Colspan=5, George succeeded as George V in 1910 upon Edward VII, his father's death and the title of duke merged with the crown.

Seventh creation, 1920

, George VI, Albert Frederick Arthur George
House of Windsor
1920–1936
' , King George VI - NARA - 5730844

, 14 December 1895
Sandringham House, Sandringham, Norfolk, Sandringham
son of George V and Mary of Teck , Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon
26 April 1923
2 daughters , 6 February 1952
Sandringham House, Sandringham, Norfolk, Sandringham
aged 56 , - , Colspan=5, George VI succeeded the throne in 1936 upon Edward VIII, his brother's Edward VIII abdication crisis, abdication and the title of duke merged with the crown.

Eighth creation, 1986

, Prince Andrew, Duke of York, Andrew Albert Christian Edward
House of Windsor
1986–
' , The Duke of York in Belfast (cropped)

, 19 February 1960
Buckingham Palace
son of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh , Sarah, Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson
23 July 1986 – 30 May 1996
(divorce)
2 daughters ,
now old

Family tree

Places and things named after the dukes of York

Geographic features

Southern hemisphere

* Cape York Peninsula, Australia * Duke of York Island, Antarctica * Duke of York Island, Papua New Guinea * Duke of York Islands, Papua New Guinea

Canada

* Duke of York Archipelago, Canada * Duke of York Bay, Canada

Political entities

Canada

* York, Upper Canada, now Toronto, Ontario * York County, New Brunswick, Canada

United States

* New York, a U.S. state *

, the largest city in the state of New York.

Schools

* Duke of York's Royal Military School, Dover, Kent, United Kingdom * Duke of York School, Nairobi, Kenya, renamed Lenana School after Kenya attained independence in 1963.

Pubs

* Duke of York, Bloomsbury * Duke of York Inn, Elton * The Duke of York, Fitzrovia

Ships

*HMS Duke of York (1763), HMS ''Duke of York'' (1763), a 4-gun Cutter (boat), cutter purchased in 1763 and sold in 1776 *HMS Duke of York (17), HMS ''Duke of York'' (17), a ''King George V''-class battleship launched in 1940, and broken up in 1958 *Hired armed cutter Duke of York, Hired armed cutter ''Duke of York'' *Hired armed lugger Duke of York, Hired armed lugger ''Duke of York'' *TSS Duke of York (1894), TSS ''Duke of York'' (1894) *TSS Duke of York (1935), TSS ''Duke of York'' (1935)

Railroad Equipment

* ''Duke of York'' was one of the GWR 3031 Class locomotives that were built for and run on the Great Western Railway between 1891 and 1915.

References

Sources

* Miller, John (2000). ''James II'', 3rd ed. .

External links

The Duke of York
at the Royal Family website {{DEFAULTSORT:York Dukes of York, 1385 establishments in England 1892 establishments in the United Kingdom Dukedoms in the Peerage of the United Kingdom British and Irish peerages which merged in the Crown Noble titles created in 1385 Noble titles created in 1474 Noble titles created in 1494 Noble titles created in 1605 Noble titles created in 1644 Noble titles created in 1725 Noble titles created in 1892 Noble titles created in 1920 Noble titles created in 1986 Dukedoms in the Jacobite Peerage

History

Pretenders

Dukes of York

First creation, 1385–1415, 1425–1461

Second creation, 1474

Third creation, 1494

Fourth creation, 1605

Fifth creation, 1633/1644

Jacobite creation, 1725

Sixth creation, 1892

Seventh creation, 1920

Eighth creation, 1986

Family tree

Places and things named after the dukes of York

Geographic features

Southern hemisphere

Canada

Political entities

Canada

United States

Schools

Pubs

Ships

Railroad Equipment

See also

References

Sources

External links