Elizabeth of York, Duchess of Suffolk also known as Elizabeth Plantagenet (22 April 1444 – 1503) was the sixth child and third daughter of

Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York Richard of York, 3rd Duke of York (21 September 1411 – 30 December 1460), also named Richard Plantagenet, was a leading English magnate and claimant to the throne during the Wars of the Roses. He was a member of the ruling House of Plantag ...

(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 from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring royal authority after t ...

) 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", becaus ...

. 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

Edward IV Edward IV (28 April 1442 – 9 April 1483) was King of England from 4 March 1461 to 3 October 1470, then again from 11 April 1471 until his death in 1483. He was a central figure in the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars in England ...

and

Richard III Richard III (2 October 1452 – 22 August 1485) was King of England from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the Plantagenet dynasty and its cadet branch the House of York. His defeat and death at the Battle of Boswor ...

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 Henry VI of England, and consequent ...

and

Alice Chaucer Alice Chaucer, Duchess of Suffolk (–1475) was a granddaughter of the English poet Geoffrey Chaucer. Married three times, she eventually became a Lady of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, an honour granted rarely to women and marking the ...

. 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 ...

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 is understood to ''de facto'' wield the power of a high-ranking official (originally, and hence the name, a monarch), or whose support must be maintained to continue in office. ...

for

Henry VI of England Henry VI (6 December 1421 – 21 May 1471) was King of England from 1422 to 1461 and 1470 to 1471, and English claims to the French throne, disputed King of France from 1422 to 1453. The only child of Henry V of England, Henry V, he succeeded ...

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 The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a conflict between the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of France, France and a civil war in France during the Late Middle Ages. It emerged from feudal disputes over the Duchy ...

. 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 citadel and castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamle ...

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, who had already been elevated to the ranks of earl and marquess, and was a powerful figure under Henr ...

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 is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

(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 The Battle of Stoke Field, which took place at East Stoke, Nottinghamshire, on 16 June 1487, may be considered the last battle of the Wars of the Roses, since it was the last major engagement between contenders for the throne whose claims deriv ...

. *Geoffrey de la Pole (b. 1464).

Holy Orders In certain Christian denominations, holy orders are the ordination, ordained ministries of bishop, priest (presbyter), and deacon, and the sacrament or rite by which candidates are ordained to those orders. Churches recognizing these orders inclu ...

. *Edward de la Pole (1466–1485).

Archdeacon An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in the Church of the East, Chaldean Catholic Church, Syriac Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion, St Thomas Christians, Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox churches and some other Christian denomina ...

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a city in the United States * Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...

. *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, Order of the Garter, KG (c. 147130 April 1513), Earl of Suffolk, Duke of Suffolk, was an English nobleman and soldier. The son of John de la Pole, 2nd Duke of Suffolk and his wife Eliz ...

(1471 – 30 April 1513). Yorkist pretender in succession to his brother John. Beheaded by order of

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...

. *Dorothy de la Pole (b. 1472). Died young. *Humphrey de la Pole (1474–1513). In

. *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, 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 Katherine Stourton, Baroness Grey of Codnor (c. 1455 – 1521) was an English noblewoman. Her life reflects the turbulence of English political life in the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries; her first husband was attainted for treason, ...

, 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 relativ ...

(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, Charles V, Holy Roman Empero ...

Ancestry

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Suffolk, Elizabeth of York, Duchess of 1444 births 1500s deaths People from Rouen House of York Daughters of English dukes

Suffolk Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county ...

16th-century English women 16th-century English nobility 15th-century English women 15th-century English nobility Children of Richard of York, 3rd Duke of York