With March being Women’s History Month, we are continuing with our History posts with the wife of Henry VII, Elizabeth of York.
Elizabeth of York was Queen of England from her marriage to King Henry VII on 18 January 1486 until her death in 1503.
Elizabeth married Henry after his victory at the Battle of Bosworth Field, which was the battle and the marriage that ended the Wars of the Roses. Their marriage brought hope to the country. It reconciled the warring Houses of Lancaster and York, and began a new royal house and era: the Tudor dynasty, joining the roses together.
Roses were considered the pre-eminent flower of the plant kingdom and so they were common symbols of divinity and royalty. The white rose was one of the emblems of the House of York. The red rose was used by Lady Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry VII.
After marrying Elizabeth of York, Henry VII combined the two roses to form the Tudor Rose to symbolise the peace which he claimed his reign had brought to England.
