Richard of York - Descent

Descent

Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York, the son of Richard, Earl of Cambridge, and Anne Mortimer, was born 21 September 1411. His mother Anne was the great-granddaughter of Lionel of Antwerp, the second surviving son of Edward III, which arguably gave her and her family a claim to the throne superior to that of the House of Lancaster. Anne is said to have died giving birth to Richard. He had an only sister, Isabel, Countess of Essex.

On his father's side he was the grandson of King Edward III's fourth surviving son, Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York, and his first wife, Isabella of Castile. On his mother's side, he was the grandson of Roger Mortimer, 4th Earl of March, and Eleanor Holland.

Richard's father, Richard, Earl of Cambridge, was beheaded on 5 August 1415 for his part in the Southampton Plot against King Henry V. Although the Earl's title was forfeited, he was not attainted, and Richard, then aged four, was his father's heir.

Within a few months of his father's death, Richard's childless uncle, Edward of Norwich, 2nd Duke of York, was slain at the Battle of Agincourt on 25 October 1415. After some hesitation Henry V allowed Richard to inherit his uncle's title and (at his majority) the lands of the Duchy of York. The lesser title and (in due course) greater estates of the Earldom of March also became his on the death of his maternal uncle Edmund Mortimer, 5th Earl of March, on 19 January 1425. The reason for Henry's hesitation was that Edmund Mortimer had been proclaimed several times to have a stronger claim to the throne than Henry's father, Henry IV of England, by factions rebelling against him. However, during his lifetime, Mortimer remained a faithful supporter of the House of Lancaster.

Richard of York already had the Mortimer and Cambridge claims to the English throne; once he inherited the March, he also became the wealthiest and most powerful noble in England, second only to the King himself.

Richard of York is the subject of the popular mnemonic "Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain" to remember the colours of a rainbow.