King Henry VII is credited with ending the Wars of the Roses and returning political stability to England.
Henry’s marriage to Elizabeth of York, daughter of former King Edward IV, assisted Henry in achieving this stability, and the marriage produced possibly eight children, about half of whom grew to adulthood.
Elizabeth was the sister of the famously tragic “Princes of the Tower,” and while none of her children experienced such extensively unfortunate fates, her children’s lives were littered with unusual occurrences and misfortunes.
Continuing from “Royal Tudor Sons,” here are the short biographies of the daughters of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York.
Margaret, Queen of Scots (1489-1541)
Margaret was the eldest daughter and second child of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York, and she was born on November 28, 1489.
Margaret was most likely named in honor of Henry VII’s mother, Lady Margaret Beaufort, but the name “Margaret” also honored Scotland’s only royal saint, Queen Margaret.
In an attempt to strengthen his security on the throne and end Scottish royal support for pretender to the throne, Perkin Warbeck, Henry VII married Margaret to the Scottish king, James IV.
The marriage was held by proxy in 1502, but Margaret did not travel to Scotland until 1503. On August 8, 1503 a formal marriage ceremony was held for James and Margaret at Holyrood Abbey in Edinburgh.
The marriage produced six children, but only one, the future James V, who was born in 1512, survived babyhood.
On September 9, 1513, Margaret’s husband was killed at the disastrous Battle of Flodden Field against his wife’s country of birth, England. Following the death of James IV, Margaret gave birth to their final child, Alexander Stewart, Duke of Ross, who later died in 1515.
Margaret initially served as regent for her still baby son, James V, but Scottish political intrigue and Margaret’s poor romantic judgment deprived her from keeping the regency. However, throughout her later life, she did serve as a chief advisor to her reigning son.
By her second husband, Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus, Margaret mothered a daughter, Lady Margaret Douglas, who was born on October 8, 1515. Margaret Douglas, later Countess of Lennox, mothered Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley. Darnley later wed Margaret’s granddaughter by her son James, and Darnley fathered Scotland’s King James VI, who later also reigned as James I of England.
Margaret eventually divorced her second husband and wed a third husband, Henry Stewart, who also proved to be unfaithful and economically wasteful.
Margaret and her daughter-in-law, Mary of Guise, came to a respectful understanding of each other, and Margaret regularly appeared at the court of her son, who died in battale only a year after her death.
Margaret’s death resulted from a stroke on November 18, 1541.
Elizabeth Tudor (1492-1495)
Elizabeth was born on July 2, 1492, and she was the second daughter and fourth child of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York.
A marriage to the French prince, later Francis I, was suggested for Elizabeth, but she died of atrophy on September 14, 1495.
Mary, Queen of France (1496-1533)
Mary was born on March 18, 1496. She was the fifth child of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York, and she was the younger of Henry VIII’s surviving sisters.
Mary was close to her older brother, Henry, who later named the warship, Mary Rose, in his sister’s honor.
Considered one of the most beautiful princesses in Europe, Mary was sought as a bride for several royal males, but much to Mary’s displeasure, at age eighteen, she was wed to the fifty-two year old Louis XII of France on October 9, 1514.
Due to Louis XII having no living son, it is thought that he was eager to produce a male heir, but he died only three months into the marriage, which produced no issue.
Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk, came to France to bring Mary back to England in January 1515. Mary is thought to have probably already been in love with Brandon prior to her marriage, and wanting to prevent another marriage of state causing separation, the couple secretly wed on March 3, 1515.
This secret marriage was technically treason, but, Henry VIII’s affection for his sister and friend soon cooled his initial fury, so Mary and Charles Brandon were officially married on May 13, 1515.
Mary’s second marriage produced four children, but only her daughters grew to maturity. The elder daughter, Frances, later married Henry Grey, 3rd Marquess of Dorset, and mothered Lady Jane Grey.
During the 1520s, Mary argued with her brother about his desire to discard his wife, Katherine of Aragon. Mary disliked Henry’s heart’s desire Anne Boleyn, who Mary had first met when Anne served as a maid-of-honor to her in France.
Mary did not live to see the downfall of Anne because Mary died on June 25, 1533. Soon after her death, her husband wed their son’s fiancé, who was also their ward, Catherine Willoughby.
Katherine Tudor (1503)
Katherine was the youngest child of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York. She was born on February 2, 1503, but died soon after her birth.
Elizabeth of York had consoled her husband, following the death of their eldest son, by reminding him that they were still young enough to have more children, and Elizabeth soon became pregnant with what would be her final child.
Unfortunately, following the birth and death of baby Katherine, Elizabeth herself became ill from a post-pregnancy infection. Elizabeth of York died on February 11, 1503, which was her thirty-seventh birthday.
Sources and Further Reading
The Sisters of Henry VIII by Maria Perry, Da Capo Press (2000)
The Reign of Henry VIII by David Starkey, Vintage (2002)
The Tudors by G.J. Meyer, Delacorte Press (2010)
The Wars of the Roses by Alison Weir, Ballantine Books (1996)
Elizabeth Fredericks - Elizabeth Fredericks is a graduate of Oxford University, and she has worked as a freelance writer since her first paid assignment as a ...
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