Elizabeth of York was Henry VIII's mother—and their twisted relationship might explain why he was the way he was.

There were lots of interesting figures in the Wars of the Roses. Richard III was the most ruthless, Margaret of Anjou was the most conniving, and Elizabeth of York? She was the most beautiful—but there's so much more to her than that. From her precarious childhood to her life in captivity to her devastating end, Elizabeth of York's dark life story was one for the ages.