Joan of York (Golden Roses)

Joan of York (14 October 1518 - 14 May 1570) was the eldest daughter of Edmund Tudor and his first wife, Isabella of Austria.

Early Life
Joan of York was born at York Palace early 14 October 1518, as the second child and first daughter of Edmund and Isabella, Duke and Duchess of York. Her maternal grandparents were Joanna of Castile and Philip the Handsome and her paternal grandparents were Henry VII of England and Elizabeth of York. From 1520, she was betrothed to Henry Percy. Her mother died in 1523, when she was five years old and two years later, she gained Anne Boleyn as a step mother. Her uncle, Henry VIII, wanted to betroth her to the Dauphin but her father refused, wanting to keep her near him in England. There was considerable tension between the King and the Duke until Anne Boleyn intervened, convincing the king to betroth one of her own daughters instead of Joan and Margaret, which Edmund was more inclined to agree to. The death of the Dauphin ended any marital alliance agreement.

Marriage
In 1533, Joan married Henry Percy, 6th Earl of Northumberland, a former admirer of her step mother Anne. The marriage was agreeable to both parties, although it is doubted that they ever fell in love. Joan bore her only child, Henry, in 1534 and doted on her son. In 1537, her husband died, making her the Dowager Countess of Northumberland.

Attempts at Remarriage
When Joan was widowed she was only 19 years old and her uncle tried to use her to barter with various nations. Joan herself did not wish to remarry, instead wanted to manage her son's estates until he came of age. However, she was offered to James V of Scotland twice, first in 1536 and again in 1537 and was refused both times. Henry VIII then attempted an Anglo-Portuguese alliance, attempting to make her the Duchess of Beja but the Duke refused. After the second rejected offer, Joan managed to persuade her uncle to allow her to remain unmarried and he relented.