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In a richly illuminated manuscript, the Vaux Passional, in the National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth, there is an illumination showing\u00a0the presentation of a book to Henry\u00a0VII<\/a>, the first Tudor monarch. Behind the throne can be seen an empty black-draped bed, and kneeling beside it is a boy in a\u00a0green tunic, his red-haired head buried in\u00a0his arms. Almost certainly this image portrays the young Henry VIII <\/a>weeping for his mother, Elizabeth of York, who died in 1503 when he was 11.<\/p>\n This illustration suggests that Henry\u2019s closeness to his mother was well known. We have his own testimony to his grief at her loss: four years later, in a letter about the untimely demise of Philip I of Castile \u2013 whom Henry had grown to admire when the two met in England in 1506 \u2013 the young prince wrote: \u201cNever since the death of my dearest mother hath there come to me more hateful intelligence. It seemed to tear open the wound to which time had brought insensibility.\u201d<\/p>\n Elizabeth of York played an important role in the Wars of the Roses<\/a> and the early Tudor story. Born in 1466, she was the eldest daughter of the Yorkist king Edward IV<\/a>, sister of the princes in the Tower<\/a>, and niece of Richard III<\/a>, who had her and her siblings declared bastards so that he could claim the throne.<\/p>\n The probable murder of her brothers in the Tower of London in 1483 meant that, in the eyes of many, Elizabeth was the rightful queen of England. Richard III himself contemplated marrying her, but in 1485 Henry Tudor, who claimed to be the heir to the House of Lancaster and had sworn to marry Elizabeth, came from France with an army and defeated Richard at the battle of Bosworth<\/a>. Thus was founded the Tudor dynasty. The marriage of King Henry VII and Elizabeth of York was hugely popular, for the union of the white rose of York and the red rose of Lancaster was seen as bringing peace after years of dynastic war.<\/p>\n Elizabeth was intelligent and beautiful. A\u00a0Venetian report described her as \u201ca very handsome woman of great ability, and in conduct very able,\u201d beloved for her abundant \u201ccharity and humanity\u201d. The humanist scholar Erasmus described her in one\u00a0word: \u201cbrilliant\u201d.<\/p>\n That there was affection and tenderness between Henry and Elizabeth cannot be doubted. The pair shared what was apparently a happy marriage, giving each other little presents.<\/p>\n The couple\u2019s early years together may have been challenging, for Henry had to overcome his suspicions of his Yorkist bride and deal with her dangerous relations. Yet she was to leave him in no doubt as to where her loyalties lay. As time passed, Henry clearly grew to love, trust and respect Elizabeth, and they seem to have become emotionally close. There survives good evidence that she loved him, and a moving account of how they comforted each other when their eldest son, Arthur, died in 1502.<\/p>\n A Spanish envoy claimed in 1498 that Elizabeth \u201csuffered under great oppression and led a miserable, cheerless life\u201d. Yet there are many instances of the king showing genuine concern for her health and her happiness; and on this isolated occasion Elizabeth probably appeared subdued because she was newly pregnant and unwell.<\/p>\n In 1613 Sir Francis Bacon asserted that Henry\u00a0VII was \u201cnothing uxorious, nor scarce indulgent\u201d and \u201cshowed himself no very indulgent husband, though she was beautiful, gentle and fruitful\u201d. But there is little else to support his damning assessment of the marriage.<\/p>\n On the podcast | \u00a0Thomas Penn discusses the Wars of the Roses, the princes in the Tower and the start of the Tudor era as he reflects on the Yorkist dynasty on this episode of the HistoryExtra<\/em> podcast:<\/strong><\/p>\nDid Henry VII love Elizabeth of York?<\/h2>\n