Which king married Elizabeth of York in 1486?

Henry VII married Elizabeth of York in 1486. Their wedding took place on 18 January at Westminster Abbey, several months after Henry’s victory over Richard III at Bosworth Field.

Elizabeth was the eldest daughter of Edward IV and therefore an important Yorkist heir. Henry, meanwhile, claimed the throne through his mother’s descent from the Lancastrian Beaufort family. Their marriage was both a personal union and a political settlement intended to reconcile the rival houses.

Henry did not want his right to rule to depend entirely on marriage, so he presented himself as king by conquest and had his claim established before the wedding. Even so, marrying Elizabeth helped calm Yorkist opposition and inspired the Tudor rose, a symbol combining Lancaster’s red rose with York’s white rose.

The couple had several children, including Arthur, Prince of Wales, and the future Henry VIII. Elizabeth died in 1503, while Henry VII died in 1509. Their marriage laid the dynastic foundation for the Tudor monarchy.