The House of York was one of the three lines descending from
Edward III to rule England. Edmund Langley, son of
Edward III, was created Duke of York in 1385. Of his two sons, both died in 1415, one killed at Agincourt and the other beheaded. The elder son's son was Richard, Duke of York, who led the opposition to Queen Margaret, wife of
Henry VI, until he fell at the Battle of Wakefield in 1460. His eldest son ascended as
Edward IV in 1460. He was followed by
Edward V and
Richard III, who died at
Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485, ending the Yorkist dynasty as an independent line.
Henry VII married Elizabeth, daughter of
Edward IV, thereby uniting the main Lancastrian and Yorkist lines.
The title of Duke of York has traditionally been given to the sovereign's second son. Several dukes of York became king, including Henry VIII, Charles I, James II, George V, and George VI.
