Elizabeth of York, Duchess of Suffolk also known as Elizabeth Plantagenet (22 April 1444 – c. 1503) was the sixth child and third daughter of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York (a great-grandson of

King Edward III Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring ...

) and

Cecily Neville Cecily Neville (3 May 1415 – 31 May 1495) was an English noblewoman, the wife of Richard, Duke of York (1411–1460), and the mother of two kings of England— Edward IV and Richard III. Cecily Neville was known as "the Rose of Raby", beca ...

.Halsted, Caroline A. ''Richard III, as Duke of Gloucester and King of England.'' Philadelphia: Carey and Hart, 1844. 37. She was thus a sister of King Edward IV and of King Richard III.

Marriage

Sometime before February 1458, Elizabeth was married to John de la Pole. John was the eldest son of

William de la Pole, 1st Duke of Suffolk William de la Pole, 1st Duke of Suffolk, (16 October 1396 – 2 May 1450), nicknamed Jackanapes, was an English magnate, statesman, and military commander during the Hundred Years' War. He became a favourite of the weak king Henry VI of England ...

and Alice Chaucer. His maternal grandparents were

Thomas Chaucer Thomas Chaucer (c. 136718 November 1434) was an English courtier and politician. The son of the poet Geoffrey Chaucer and his wife Philippa Roet, Thomas was linked socially and by family to senior members of the English nobility, though h ...

and Maud Burghersh. Her father-in-law had served as the principal

power behind the throne The phrase "power behind the throne" refers to a person or group that informally exercises the real power of a high-ranking office, such as a head of state. In politics, it most commonly refers to a relative, aide, or nominal subordinate of a poli ...

for Henry VI of England from 1447 to 1450.Wagner, John A. ''Encyclopedia of the Wars of the Roses.'' Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2001. 210-211. His three years in this position saw the near-complete loss of the English possessions in northern France, towards the end of Hundred Years' War. Suffolk could not avoid taking the fall for the failure. He had been imprisoned in the

Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is sep ...

and had been attainted. Consequently, John had not succeeded to his titles when his father was executed on 2 May 1450. Her older brother Edward IV of England restored his brother-in-law to the title of

Duke of Suffolk Duke of Suffolk is a title that has been created three times in the peerage of England. The dukedom was first created for William de la Pole, 1st Duke of Suffolk, William de la Pole, who had already been elevated to the ranks of earl and marquess ...

in 1463. She remained the Duchess of Suffolk until his death in 1491/1492. They were settled in Wingfield Suffolk. She survived her husband by almost a decade. She is last mentioned alive in January 1503. She was mentioned being deceased by May 1504. She is buried in the church in Wingfield, Suffolk.

Issue

With Suffolk, she had the following children: *

John de la Pole, 1st Earl of Lincoln John de la Pole, Earl of Lincoln (c. 1460 – 16 June 1487) was a leading figure in the Yorkist aristocracy during the Wars of the Roses. After the death of his uncle Richard III, de la Pole was reconciled with the new Tudor regime, but two year ...

(c. 1462 – 16 June 1487). He was designated heir to his maternal uncle Richard III. Married to Lady Margaret FitzAlan and had a son, Edward de la Pole, who died young. Rebelled against Henry VII and was killed at the Battle of Stoke Field. *Geoffrey de la Pole (b. 1464). Holy Orders. *Edward de la Pole (1466–1485). Archdeacon of Richmond. *Elizabeth de la Pole (c. 1468–1489). Married to Henry Lovel, 8th Baron Morley (1466–1489), without issue. *

Edmund de la Pole, 3rd Duke of Suffolk Edmund de la Pole, 3rd Duke of Suffolk, 6th Earl of Suffolk, KG (c. 147130 April 1513), Duke of Suffolk, was a son of John de la Pole, 2nd Duke of Suffolk and his wife Elizabeth of York. Although the male York line ended with the death of Edw ...

(1471 – 30 April 1513). Yorkist pretender in succession to his brother John. Beheaded by order of Henry VIII. *Dorothy de la Pole (b. 1472). Died young. *Humphrey de la Pole (1474–1513). In Holy Orders. *Anne de la Pole (1476–1501). Seventh Prioress of Sion Abbey p. 117. *Catherine de la Pole (c. 1477–1513). Married to William Stourton, 5th Baron Stourton, without issue. *Sir

William de la Pole William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...

, Knight, of Wingfield Castle (1478–1539). William was kept in the

, his date of death is generally regarded as being during late 1539, either October or November. Married Katherine Stourton, no issue. *

Richard de la Pole Richard de la Pole (died 24 February 1525) was a pretender to the English crown. Commonly nicknamed "White Rose", he was the last Yorkist claimant to actively and openly seek the crown of England. He lived in exile after many of his relatives w ...

(1480 – 24 February 1525). Yorkist pretender in succession to Edmund. Killed at the

Battle of Pavia The Battle of Pavia, fought on the morning of 24 February 1525, was the decisive engagement of the Italian War of 1521–1526 between the Kingdom of France and the Habsburg empire of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor as well as ruler of Spain, ...

Ancestry

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Elizabeth Of York, Duchess Of Suffolk 1444 births 1500s deaths People from Rouen House of York Daughters of English dukes Suffolk 16th-century English women 16th-century English nobility 15th-century English women 15th-century English people Wives of knights