Elizabeth of York

NEW YORK TIMES BETSELLER • A poignant, suspenseful, and sometimes tragic biography of Elizabeth of York, the first Tudor queen and mother of Henry VIII, from the renowned author hailed as “the finest historian of English monarchical succession writing” (The Boston Globe)

“[Weir] is a meticulous scholar. . . . [She] sincerely admires her subject, doing honor to an almost forgotten queen.”—The New York Times Book Review

Elizabeth of York’s life spanned one of England’s most dramatic and perilous periods, inextricably caught up in the turmoil of the Wars of the Roses and the establishment of the Tudor dynasty.

The first child of King Edward IV, Elizabeth enjoyed all the glittering trappings of royalty. But after the death of her father, the disappearance and probable murders of her brothers, the Princes in the Tower, and the usurpation of the throne by her calculating uncle, Richard III, Elizabeth found her world turned upside-down.

Acclaimed historian Alison Weir addresses Elizabeth’s relationship with Richard and her covert support for—and subsequent marriage to—Henry Tudor, the exiled pretender who defeated Richard at the Battle of Bosworth and was crowned Henry VII. For centuries historians have asserted that, as queen, she was kept under Henry’s firm grasp, but Weir shows that Elizabeth proved to be a model spouse—pious and generous—who enjoyed the confidence of her husband, exerted a tangible and beneficial influence, and was revered by her son, the future King Henry VIII.

Drawing from a rich trove of historical records, Weir provides a long overdue and much-deserved look at this unforgettable princess whose line descends to today’s British monarchy—a woman who overcame tragedy and danger to become one of England’s most beloved consorts.