Elizabeth of York

Front Cover
Palgrave Macmillan, Sep 15, 2009 - Biography & Autobiography - 263 pages

This book tells the story of the queen whose marriage to King Henry VII ended England’s Wars of the Roses and inaugurated the 118-year Tudor dynasty. Best known as the mother of Henry VIII and grandmother of Elizabeth I, this Queen Elizabeth contributed far beyond the act of giving birth to future monarchs. Her marriage to Henry VII unified the feuding houses of Lancaster and York, and her popularity with the people helped her husband survive rebellions that plagued his first decade of rule. Queen Elizabeth’s gracious manners and large family created a warm, convivial Court marked by a rather exceptional fondness between the royal couple. Her love for music, literature, and architecture also helped inspire England’s Renaissance.

About the author (2009)

Arlene Naylor Okerlund is Professor Emerita of English, retired after a career of teaching Renaissance literature at San José State University in California. Her earlier biography Elizabeth Wydeville: The Slandered Queen is now available in paperback as Elizabeth: England’s Slandered Queen. Her biography of Elizabeth of York, daughter of Elizabeth Wydeville and mother of Henry VIII, continues the story of England’s royal court at the beginning of the Renaissance. At San José State University, she served six years as Dean, College of Humanities and the Arts, and seven years as Academic Vice President. In retirement, she teaches with the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute and continues her research in medieval and Renaissance studies. The author of scholarly articles on Shakespeare, Spenser, Marlowe, Donne, and Dryden, she also writes for popular audiences, including the newsletter of the Peninsula Banjo Band with which she plays tenor banjo.