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 a male descendant of an earlier Duke of York.

The current Duke of York is HRH The Prince Andrew, second son of Queen Elizabeth II.

Other dukedoms generally awarded to male members of the Royal Family include:

Table of contents
1 Dukes of York

Dukes of York

First creation (England) - 1384

  1. Edmund of Langley (1341-1402), the fourth surviving son of King Edward III. He is an important character in Shakespeare's Richard II. 1384-1402
  2. Edward, Duke of York (~1373-1415), son of Edmund of Langley -- he was the Duke of York who was killed at the Battle of Agincourt. As Duke of Aumerle, he is also a major character in Richard II. 1402-1415
  3. Richard, Duke of York (1411-1460), nephew of the 2nd Duke. He did not inherit the dukedom immediately, as his father, Richard, Earl of Cambridge, had been attainted as a traitor, but recovered it in 1425. He is a major character in Shakespeare's Henry VI, Parts Two and Three, and one of the main protagonists in the Wars of the Roses. 1425-1460
  4. Edward (1442-1483), eldest son of the 3rd Duke, he became king shortly thereafter as Edward IV. 1460-1461

Second Creation (England) - 1474

Third Creation (England) - 1494

Fourth creation (England) - 1604

Fifth Creation (England) - 1644

Named for this particular Duke of York are the city and state of New York in what is now the United States of America.

Sixth Creation (Great Britain, Dukedom of York and Albany) - 1716

Seventh Creation (Great Britain, Dukedom of York and Albany) - 1760

Eighth Creation (Great Britain, Dukedom of York and Albany) - 1784

Ninth Creation (United Kingdom) - 1892

Tenth Creation (United Kingdom) - 1920

Eleventh Creation (United Kingdom) - 1986

As one may have noticed, 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 gives rise to the idea that there is a curse of some sort on the title.