Duke of York
The title
Duke of York is a title of
nobility usually given to the second son of the
British monarch, unless the title is already held by an earlier monarch's son who is still alive.
The current Duke of York is
The Prince Andrew, second son of
Queen Elizabeth II.
York was in mediæval times the main town of Northern England, and
Yorkshire was England's largest
shire.
Between the fall of Jorvik under
Eirik Bloodaxe, last
King of Jorvik and the first created Duke of York, there were a few
Earls of York.
The title was first created in the
Peerage of England for Edmund of Langley, the fourth surviving son of
King Edward III, and an important character in
Shakespeare's
Richard II. His son Edward was killed at the
Battle of Agincourt in
1415. The title passed to his nephew Richard, the son of
Richard of Conisburgh, 3rd Earl of Cambridge, who had been executed for plotting against
King Henry V. The younger Richard managed to obtain a restoration of the title, but when his eldest son became King in
1461 as
Edward IV, the title merged into the Crown.
The title was next created for Richard, second son of King Edward IV. Richard was one of the
Princes in the Tower, and as he died without heirs, the title became extinct at his death.
The next creation was for Henry Tudor, second son of
King Henry VII. When his elder brother
Arthur, Prince of Wales, died in
1502, Henry became heir to the throne, and ultimately
King Henry VIII, when his titles merged into the crown.
The title was for the fourth time created for Charles Stuart, second son of
King James I. When his elder brother, Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales, died in
1612, Charles became heir, and, eventually
King Charles I, and the title merged into the Crown.
The fifth creation was in favour of James Stuart, the second son of Charles I. Named for this particular Duke of York are the
city and
state of New York in what is now the
United States of America. When his elder brother,
King Charles II, died without heirs, James succeeded to the throne as
King James II, and the title once again merged into the Crown.
In the early 18th century, the
Jacobite claimant to the throne,
James Francis Edward Stuart, son of James II, granted the title "Duke of York" (in the
Jacobite peerage) to his own second son,
Henry. James Francis Edward Stuart was known to those who rejected his claims as "The Old Pretender"; his elder son
Charles was called "The Young Pretender", and "Bonnie Prince Charlie", and the younger son, Henry, who became a Roman Catholic cardinal, was known as the Cardinal Duke of York. To the Jacobites, they were Kings James III, Charles III, and Henry IX, respectively.
The next creations (the title changing to "York and Albany") were in the
Peerage of Great Britain. The title was first held by Duke Ernest Augustus of Brunswick-Lüneburg, Bishop of Osnabrück, the youngest brother of
King George I. He died without heirs.
The second creation of the Dukedom of York and Albany was for Prince Edward Augustus, younger brother of
King George III, who also died without heirs, having never married.
The third and last creation of the York and Albany title was for
Prince Frederick Augustus, the second son of King George III. He served as Commander-in-Chief of the
British Army for many years, and was the original "
Grand old Duke of York" in the popular rhyme. He too died without heirs.
The sixth creation of the Dukedom of York was for Prince George of Wales, second son of
Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VII. He was created Duke of York following the death of his elder brother,
Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence. The title merged with the crown when George succeeded his father as King George V.
The seventh creation was for Prince Albert, second son of King George V, and younger brother of
King Edward VIII. Albert came unexpectedly to the throne when his brother abdicated, and took the name George VI, the Dukedom merging into the crown.
The most recent creation was for Prince Andrew, second son of Queen Elizabeth II. As of the present day, he only has two daughters. Thus, if he has no future sons, which seems likely, the title will become extinct at his death. If the tradition of awarding the title to the second son of the monarch was to continue, the title would then be awarded to
Prince Harry of Wales, the younger son of
Charles, Prince of Wales, the current
heir apparent to the throne. Titles are traditionally given on marriage and if Harry's marriage predated Andrew's death, another title would have to be awarded instead (unless, following the precedent of the
Earldom of Wessex being awarded to the current Duke of York's brother,
Prince Edward, with the promise of the
Dukedom of Edinburgh being granted to him at a later date, Prince Harry is created an Earl with the expectation of being created Duke of York on his uncle's death).
Aside from the first creation, every time the Dukedom of York has been created it has had only one occupant, that person either inheriting the throne or dying without male heirs. This has fuelled the
rumor that there is a
curse on the title.
Dukes of York, first creation (1384)
*
Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York (
1341-
1402)
*
Edward of Norwich, 2nd Duke of York (c.
1373-
1415)
*
Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York (
1411-
1460) (did not inherit the title due to the treason of his father, the
3rd Earl of Cambridge; restored 1425)
*
Edward Plantagenet, 4th Duke of York (1442-1483) (became King Edward IV in 1461)
Dukes of York, second Creation (1474)
*
Richard of Shrewsbury, 1st Duke of York (
1473-
1483)
Dukes of York, third Creation (1494)
*
Henry Tudor, 1st Duke of York (
1491-
1547) (became King Henry VIII in 1509)
Dukes of York, fourth creation (1605)
*
Charles Stuart, 1st Duke of York (
1600-
1649) (became King Charles I in 1625)
Dukes of York, fifth Creation (1644)
*
James Stuart, 1st Duke of York (
1633-
1701) (styled Duke of York from birth; became King James II in 1685)
Dukes of York and Albany, first Creation (1716)
*
Ernest Augustus, 1st Duke of York and Albany (
1674-
1728)
Dukes of York and Albany, second Creation (1760)
*
Prince Edward Augustus, 1st Duke of York and Albany (
1739-
1767)
Dukes of York and Albany, third Creation (1784)
*
Prince Frederick, 1st Duke of York and Albany (
1763-
1827)
Dukes of York, sixth Creation (1892)
*
Prince George, 1st Duke of York (
1865-
1936) (became King George V in 1910)
Dukes of York, seventh Creation (1920)
*
Prince Albert, 1st Duke of York (
1895-
1952) (became King George VI in 1936)
Dukes of York, eighth Creation (1986)
*
Prince Andrew, 1st Duke of York (b.
1960)
*
Henry Benedict Stuart Created Duke of York by the titular King James III in
1725. Recognised as Duke of York by the
Papacy;
Modena;
France and
Spain. Died in
1807.
Other dukedoms generally awarded to male members of the Royal Family include:
*
Duke of Clarence*
Duke of Kent*
Duke of Gloucester*
Duke of Cambridge*
Duke of Sussex*
Duke of Connaught*
Duke of Edinburgh*
Duke of Cumberland*
Duke of AlbanyPlaces named after Dukes Of York:
*
Duke of York Island, Antarctica*
Duke of York Island, Papua New Guinea*
Duke of York Islands
