Bridget of York | |
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Born | 10 November 1480 Eltham Palace, London, England |
Died | bef. December 1507 (aged 26 or 27) Dartford Priory, Kent, England |
House | York |
Father | Edward IV of England |
Mother | Elizabeth Woodville |
Bridget of York (10 November 1480 – before December 1507) was the seventh daughter of King Edward IV and his queen consort Elizabeth Woodville.
Shortly after the death of her father and the usurpation of the throne by Richard III, Bridget, who was not even three years old, was declared illegitimate among the other children of Edward IV by Elizabeth Woodville. The girl's mother, fearing for the lives of the children, moved them to Westminster Abbey, where the family of the late king received asylum and spent about a year. After the king's promise not to harm his brother's family, the elder sisters of the princess went to the court; Bridget, along with another sister Catherine, presumably stayed with her mother.
When Richard III died, and Henry Tudor took on the throne under the name of Henry VII, the act recognizing the children of Edward IV as bastards was canceled. Henry VII married Bridget's eldest sister, Elizabeth. Bridget was considered as a possible bride of a Scottish prince, but in the end it was decided to send the princess to a nunnery, to which she herself was inclined. Bridget settled at Dartford Priory in Kent, leaving only once to attend her mother's funeral. After becoming a nun, she kept in touch with her sister the queen, who paid for her petty expenses. Bridget died and was buried in Dartford Priory, which was turned into a royal residence after the English Reformation.