Elizabeth of York, Duchess of Suffolk

Elizabeth of York
Duchess of Suffolk
Elizabeth Plantagenet, Duchess of Suffolk, detail from her effigy in St Andrew's Church, Wingfield, Suffolk
Born	22 April 1444 Rouen, Normandy
Died	after January 1503 (aged 58?) Wingfield, Suffolk
Spouse	John de la Pole, 2nd Duke of Suffolk
Issue	John de la Pole, 1st Earl of Lincoln Geoffrey de la Pole Edward de la Pole, Archdeacon of Richmond Elizabeth de la Pole, Lady Morley Edmund de la Pole, 3rd Duke of Suffolk Dorothy de la Pole Humphrey de la Pole Anne de la Pole Catherine de la Pole, Lady Stourton Sir William de la Pole Richard de la Pole
House	York
Father	Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York
Mother	Lady Cecily Neville

Elizabeth of York, Duchess of Suffolk (22 April 1444 – c. 1503) was the sixth child and third daughter of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York and Cecily Neville.^[1]

She was a younger sister of Anne of York, Duchess of Exeter, Edward IV of England and Edmund, Earl of Rutland. She was an older sister of Margaret of York, George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence and Richard III of England.^[1]

Marriage

Sometime before February 1458, Elizabeth was married to John de la Pole.^[1] John was the eldest son of William de la Pole, 1st Duke of Suffolk and Alice Chaucer.^[2] His maternal grandparents were Thomas Chaucer and Maud Burghersh.^[3]

Her father-in-law had served as the principal power behind the throne for Henry VI of England from 1447 to 1450.^[4] 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 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 in 1463.^[4] She remained the Duchess of Suffolk until his death in 1491/1492.^[4] 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. Her death is placed in the sixteen months in between the two reports.

Issue

With Suffolk, she had the following children:

• John de la Pole, 1st Earl of Lincoln (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). Died young.
• 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 (1471-30 April 1513). Yorkist pretender in succession to his brother John. Beheaded by order of Henry VIII.^[5]
• Dorothy de la Pole (b. 1472). Died young.
• Humphrey de la Pole (1474–1513). In Holy Orders.
• Anne de la Pole (1476–1495). Nun.
• 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 Tower of London, 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 (1480-24 February 1525). Yorkist pretender in succession to Edmund. Killed at the Battle of Pavia.

Ancestors

Ancestors of Elizabeth of York, Duchess of Suffolk

16. Edward III of England               8. Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York                       17. Philippa of Hainault               4. Richard of Conisburgh, 3rd Earl of Cambridge                             18. Peter of Castile               9. Isabella of Castile, Duchess of York                       19. María de Padilla               2. Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York                                   20. Edmund Mortimer, 3rd Earl of March               10. Roger Mortimer, 4th Earl of March                       21. Philippa Plantagenet, 5th Countess of Ulster               5. Anne de Mortimer                             22. Thomas Holland, 2nd Earl of Kent               11. Alianore de Holland                       23. Alice FitzAlan               1. Elizabeth of York, Duchess of Suffolk                                         24. Ralph Neville, 2nd Baron Neville de Raby               12. John Neville, 3rd Baron Neville de Raby                       25. Alice de Audley               6. Ralph de Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland                             26. Henry de Percy, 2nd Baron Percy               13. Maud Percy                       27. Idoine de Clifford               3. Cecily Neville                                   28. = 16. Edward III of England               14. John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster                       29. = 17. Philippa of Hainault               7. Joan Beaufort, Countess of Westmorland                             30. Paen de Roet               15. Katherine Swynford

References

1. Halsted, Caroline A. Richard III, as Duke of Gloucester and King of England. Philadelphia: Carey and Hart, 1844. 37.
2. Clutterbuck, Rev. Robert Hawley. Notes on the Parishes of Fyfield, Kimpton, Penton Mewsey, Weyhill and Wherwell in the County of Hampshire. Salisbury, UK: bennett Brothers, 1898. 101.
3. Weir, Alison. Mistress of the Monarchy: The Life of Katherine of Swynford, Duchess of Lancaster. New York: Ballantine, 2009. 296.
4. Wagner, John A. Encyclopedia of the Wars of the Roses. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2001. 210-211.
5. Spaltro, Kathleen & Noeline Bridge. Royals of England: A Guide for Readers, Travelers, and Genealogists. Lincoln, NE: iUniverse, 2005. 138.

External links

• A listing of the children of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York