Duke of York facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Dukedom of York
Arms of Prince Andrew, Duke of York
Creation date	23 June 1986
Creation	Eighth
Monarch	Queen Elizabeth II
Peerage	Peerage of the United Kingdom
First holder	Edmund of Langley
Present holder	Prince Andrew
Remainder to	the 1st Duke's heirs male of the body lawfully begotten
Subsidiary titles	Earl of Inverness Baron Killyleagh
Status	Extant
Seat(s)	Royal Lodge

The Duke of York is a special title given to a royal family member in the United Kingdom. Since the 1400s, this title has usually been given to the second son of the King or Queen of England (and later, Britain). A similar title in Scotland was the Duke of Albany.

Sometimes, the title was combined as Duke of York and Albany. This happened three times in the 1700s. After England and Scotland joined in 1707, the combined title included names from both countries.

The title of Duke of York has been created eight times. The current Duke of York is Prince Andrew. He is the younger brother of Charles III, the current King. Prince Andrew has two daughters. If he does not have any sons, the title will go back to the Crown when he passes away. Then, a future King or Queen could give the title to someone else.

For example, Prince Louis is the second son of William, Prince of Wales. He might become the next Duke of York after his great-uncle, Prince Andrew, passes away and William becomes King.

History of the Duke of York Title

In the Middle Ages, York was a very important city in northern England. It was also the main church center for the Archbishop of York. Yorkshire is the largest county in England.

York was once a small kingdom called "Jorvik" during the Viking times. Before the first Duke of York, there were a few Earls of York.

First Duke of York

The first Duke of York was Edmund of Langley. He received the title in 1385. His son, Edward, inherited the title. Edward was killed in a famous battle called the Battle of Agincourt in 1415.

The title then went to Edward's nephew, Richard. Richard was able to get the title back after his father had been removed from his titles. Richard's oldest son became King Edward IV in 1461. When this happened, the Duke of York title joined with the Crown (meaning the King now held it).

Later Dukes of York

The title was given again to Richard of Shrewsbury. He was the second son of King Edward IV. Richard was one of the "Princes in the Tower" and passed away without children. So, the title ended with him.

The third time the title was created was for Henry Tudor. He was the second son of King Henry VII. When his older brother, Arthur, passed away, Henry became the next in line to the throne. He became King Henry VIII in 1509, and his Duke of York title again joined the Crown.

The fourth Duke of York was Charles Stuart. He was the second son of King James I. His older brother, Henry Frederick, passed away in 1612. Charles then became the next in line. He became King Charles I in 1625, and the title merged with the Crown.

The fifth Duke was James Stuart, the second son of King Charles I. Many places in America are named after him. For example, New York State, New York City, and Albany were named in his honor. In 1664, King Charles II gave land in America to his younger brother James. The Dutch land there was renamed the Province and City of New York. A fort to the north was renamed Albany. When his older brother, King Charles II, passed away without children, James became King James II. The Duke of York title then merged with the Crown.

Dukes of York and Albany

During the 1700s, the combined title of Duke of York and Albany was created several times.

The first was for Duke Ernest Augustus. He was the youngest brother of King George I. He passed away without children, and the title went back to the Crown.
The second was for Prince Edward. He was the younger brother of King George III. He also passed away without children, and the title returned to the Crown.
The third and last combined title was for Prince Frederick Augustus. He was the second son of King George III. He was a Commander-in-Chief of the British Army for many years. He is the "Grand old Duke of York" from the popular rhyme. He also passed away without children, and the title went back to the Crown.

Recent Dukes of York

The sixth Duke of York was Prince George. He was the second son of the future King Edward VII. He became Duke of York after his older brother, Prince Albert Victor, passed away. The title merged with the Crown when George became King George V.

The seventh Duke was Prince Albert. He was the second son of King George V. Albert unexpectedly became King when his brother gave up the throne. He took the name George VI. The Dukedom then merged into the Crown.

The title was created for the eighth time for Prince Andrew. He is the second son of Queen Elizabeth II. Prince Andrew has two daughters. If he does not have any sons in the future, the title will go back to the Crown when he passes away.

Except for the very first Duke, every time the Duke of York title has been created, it has only had one person hold it. That person either became King or passed away without any sons.

Pretenders to the Title

In the late 1400s, a person named Perkin Warbeck claimed to be Richard of Shrewsbury, the first Duke of York. He tried to claim the throne, but he was not successful.

Later, in the early 1700s, the son of the overthrown King James II, James Francis Edward Stuart, gave the title "Duke of York" to his second son, Henry. This was part of the Jacobite claim to the throne. Henry later became a cardinal in the Catholic church and was known as the Cardinal Duke of York. However, since James was not recognized as King by English law, this title was not officially recognized either.

Dukes of York

First creation, 1385–1461

Duke	Birth	Marriages	Death
Edmund of Langley 1385–1402	Born: 5 June 1341 Son of King Edward III	Married: Isabella of Castile (3 children), Joan Holland (no children)	Died: 1 August 1402
Edward of Norwich 1402–1415	Born: 1373 Son of 1st Duke Edmund	Married: Philippa de Mohun (no children)	Died: 25 October 1415 (at the Battle of Agincourt)
Richard of York 1415–1460	Born: 21 September 1411 Nephew of 2nd Duke Edward	Married: Cecily Neville (13 children)	Died: 30 December 1460
Edward Plantagenet 1460–1461	Born: 28 April 1442 Son of 3rd Duke Richard	Married: Elizabeth Woodville (10 children)	Died: 9 April 1483
Edward Plantagenet became King Edward IV in 1461. The Duke of York title then joined the Crown.

Second creation, 1474

Duke	Portrait	Birth	Marriages	Death
Richard of Shrewsbury 1474–1483		Born: 17 August 1473 Second son of King Edward IV	Married: Anne de Mowbray (no children)	Disappeared in the Tower of London with his brother.
Richard disappeared without known children, and the Duke of York title ended.

Third creation, 1494

Duke	Portrait	Birth	Marriages	Death
Henry Tudor 1494–1509		Born: 28 June 1491 Son of King Henry VII	Married: Catherine of Aragon (1 daughter), Anne Boleyn (1 daughter), Jane Seymour (1 son), Anne of Cleves (no children), Catherine Howard (no children), Catherine Parr (no children)	Died: 28 January 1547
Henry became King Henry VIII in 1509. The Duke of York title then joined the Crown.

Fourth creation, 1605

Duke	Portrait	Birth	Marriages	Death
Charles Stuart 1605–1625		Born: 19 November 1600 Son of King James I	Married: Henrietta Maria of France (9 children)	Died: 30 January 1649
Charles became King Charles I in 1625. The Duke of York title then joined the Crown.

Fifth creation, 1633/1644

Duke	Portrait	Birth	Marriages	Death
James Stuart 1633/1644–1685		Born: 14 October 1633 Son of King Charles I	Married: Anne Hyde (8 children), Mary of Modena (7 children)	Died: 16 September 1701
James became King James II in 1685. The Duke of York title then joined the Crown.

Jacobite creation, 1725

Duke	Portrait	Birth	Marriages	Death
Henry Benedict Stuart 1725–1788		Born: 6 March 1725 Son of "James III and VIII" (Jacobite Pretender)	____	Died: 13 July 1807
Henry was not recognized as a Duke by British law.

Sixth creation, 1892

Duke	Portrait	Birth	Marriages	Death
George Frederick Ernest Albert 1892–1910		Born: 3 June 1865 Son of King Edward VII	Married: Mary of Teck (6 children)	Died: 20 January 1936
George became King George V in 1910. The Duke of York title then joined the Crown.

Seventh creation, 1920

Duke	Portrait	Birth	Marriages	Death
Albert Frederick Arthur George 1920–1936		Born: 14 December 1895 Son of King George V	Married: Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (2 daughters)	Died: 6 February 1952
Albert became King George VI in 1936. The Duke of York title then joined the Crown.

Eighth creation, 1986

Duke	Portrait	Birth	Marriages	Death
Andrew Albert Christian Edward 1986		Born: 19 February 1960 Son of Queen Elizabeth II	Married: Sarah Ferguson (2 daughters, divorced)	– now 65 years, 115 days old

Places and Things Named After Dukes of York

Many places and things around the world are named after different Dukes of York.

Geographic Features

Southern Hemisphere

Cape York Peninsula, Australia
Duke of York Island, Antarctica
Duke of York Island, Papua New Guinea
Duke of York Islands, Papua New Guinea

Canada

Duke of York Archipelago, Canada
Duke of York Bay, Canada

Political Areas

Canada

York, Upper Canada, which is now Toronto, Ontario
York County, New Brunswick, Canada

United States

New York, a U.S. state
New York City, the largest city in New York state.

Schools

Duke of York's Royal Military School, Dover, Kent, United Kingdom
Duke of York School, Nairobi, Kenya, later renamed Lenana School.

Ships

HMS Duke of York (1763), a small ship
HMS Duke of York (17), a battleship launched in 1940
Hired armed cutter Duke of York
Hired armed lugger Duke of York
TSS Duke of York (1894)
TSS Duke of York (1935)

Railroad Equipment

A train called Duke of York was part of the GWR 3031 Class locomotives. These trains ran on the Great Western Railway from 1891 to 1915.

Military Music

There is a military march called "Duke of York." It is used for inspections or slow marches. The melody was composed in 1789 by John Gamidge. It is still used today as a regimental slow-march.