Mary of York

Elizabeth was supposed to be the wife of the Dauphin Charles, heir of the French throne, with Mary as a replacement for her older sister in case of her premature death or other obstacle to marriage.The girls dressed in miniature versions of the lavish outfits worn by noble ladies, and also learned as they got older how to handle heavy fabrics, long trains, and elaborate headdresses.[9] The daily routine followed by Mary and Elizabeth was probably similar to that which was later set by the King for their brother Edward when he was three years old; it may also have been based on customs described in the household books of their paternal uncle George, Duke of Clarence.Dinner was served to the princesses at ten or eleven o'clock in the morning; the meal itself was a "noble service" of dishes "brought by revered people" and squires in livery, and could last up to two hours.While eating, the sisters were read instructive and noble stories;[10] in addition, King Edward IV insisted that there should be no "brawlers, hooligans, dangerous people or adulterers" in the homes of his children, and all conversation in their presence should be "virtuous, honest ... and wise".In 1469, a feud between Warwick and the royal couple led to an alliance between the Earl and the King's younger brother, George, Duke of Clarence, whose position as heir to the throne was threatened by the idea of Edward IV to appointed his eldest daughter as his successor.The Queen and princesses were settled in the house of the monk-preachers; here the royal family received news that Warwick had not only won the Battle of Edgcote, but also captured the King, and also executed without trial Mary's maternal grandfather and uncle, Earl Rivers and John Woodville.[21] In September 1470, as Edward IV prepared for an invasion by the combined forces of Warwick and Margaret of Anjou, Mary, her sisters, and her mother were moved to the Tower of London for their safety.Elizabeth Woodville was in her seventh month of pregnancy and a maternity ward was prepared for her, but she failed to use them: Warwick invaded England, and in early October news appeared in London that Mary's father, along with his younger brother Richard, Duke of Gloucester, had fled the country, having only an illusory hope for a return.[22] Having received news of her husband's fall, Queen Elizabeth, along with her mother and three daughters,[23] including Mary, hurriedly left the Tower in the middle of the night on a barge and arrived in search of refuge at Westminster Abbey, where she was known as a very pious woman.[24] Also, they were assisted by ordinary Londoners: the butcher John Gould donated half a cow and two sheep a week to the family of King Edward IV, and the fishmonger provided them with provisions on Fridays and fasting days.[22] While in hiding, the princesses spent most of their time with nannies, as Queen Elizabeth was busy with the birth and subsequent care of Prince Edward,[25] who was born in early November 1470.[32] At the end of 1474, Edward IV, who was preparing to invade France, signed a will, according to which Mary and her older sister Elizabeth were to receive a dowry of 10,000 marks,[25][34] on the condition that the princesses in the matter of marriage would be submissive to their mother and brother-King.[35] However, only two months later, Edward IV concluded a peace treaty with France, one of the conditions of which was the marriage of Mary's elder sister to the Dauphin Charles, heir of the French throne, when she reached the age of marriageable consent; in the event of the premature death of Elizabeth, Mary herself became the substitute bride of the Dauphin;[36] however, in 1481, she, apparently, was betrothed to Frederick, Duke of Holstein and Schleswig (youngest son of King Christian I of Denmark),[37] which meant that France's spare bride was no longer needed.
Daughters of King Edward IV. Stained glass window of the northwest transept of Canterbury Cathedral , 16th century. Mary is depicted in the far right. [ a ]
Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of HarewoodWindsor CastleBerkshirePalace of PlacentiaGreenwichLondonSt George's Chapel, Windsor CastleEdward IVElizabeth WoodvilleEnglish RoyaltyHouse of YorkArms of PlantagenetElizabeth, Queen of EnglandCecily, Viscountess WellesEdward V, King of EnglandMargaretRichard of Shrewsbury, 1st DukeAnne, Lady HowardGeorge Plantagenet, Duke of BedfordCatherine, Countess of DevonBridgetEdward IV of Englandqueen consortElizabeth of YorkEarl of WarwickDuke of ClarenceMargaret of AnjouWestminster AbbeyEdwardTower of LondonDauphin CharlesFrederickDuke of HolsteinSchleswigNational Portrait Gallery, LondonQueens' College, CambridgeJohn Grey of GrobyThomasRichard GreyRichard of York, 3rd Duke of YorkCecily NevilleRichard Woodville, 1st Earl RiversJacquetta of LuxembourgArchbishop of CanterburyCardinal Thomas BourchierSheen PalaceJohn Bourchier, 1st Baron BernersEdward IIIPresentation of the LordEasterSaint George's DayTrinityAll Saints' DayNativity of ChristMaundy ThursdayGood FridayGreat LentTwelfth NightchaplainWars of the RosesCecilyCharles, Duke of BurgundyIsabellaCalaisNorwichBattle of EdgcoteJohn WoodvilletriumphhusbandRichard, Duke of GloucesterCity of LondonBaynard's CastleAnthony WoodvilleBattle of BarnetBattle of TewkesburyHouse of LancastertranseptCanterbury CathedralChristian I of DenmarkJohn, Hereditary Prince of DenmarkEdmund, Earl of RutlandRichard, Duke of YorkAnne de Mowbray, 8th Countess of NorfolkLadies of the GarterBishop of NorwichJames GoldwellBishop of ChichesterEdward StoryBarons DacreDudleyBeauchampBishop of SalisburyRichard BeauchampSt George's ChapelGeorgeLady GreyBaroness DacreGeorge IIIRichard of Conisburgh, 3rd Earl of CambridgeAnne de MortimerRalph Neville, 1st Earl of WestmorlandJoan BeaufortSir Richard WydevillePeter I, Count of Saint-PolMargaret of BauxCatherineGairdner, JamesDictionary of National Biography