Katherine de la Pole was the oldest daughter of Michael de la Pole, 2nd Earl of Suffolk

Michael de la Pole, 2nd Earl of Suffolk

Michael de la Pole, 2nd Earl of Suffolk was an English nobleman who supported Henry IV against Richard II. He died during the Siege of Harfleur in 1415....

 and Katherine de Stafford

Katherine de Stafford

Katherine de Stafford, Countess of Suffolk was a daughter of Hugh de Stafford, 2nd Earl of Stafford and his wife Philippa de Beauchamp...

.

She became abbess of Barking Abbey

Barking Abbey

The ruined remains of Barking Abbey are situated in Barking in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham in east London, England, and now form a public open space.- History :...

. In this capacity, she took care of Edmund

Edmund Tudor, 1st Earl of Richmond

Edmund Tudor, 1st Earl of Richmond , also known as Edmund of Hadham , was the father of King Henry VII of England and a member of the Tudor family of Penmynydd, North Wales.-Birth and early life:...

 and Jasper Tudor, the two eldest sons of Catherine of Valois

Catherine of Valois

Catherine of France was the Queen consort of England from 1420 until 1422. She was the daughter of King Charles VI of France, wife of Henry V of Monmouth, King of England, mother of Henry VI, King of England and King of France, and through her secret marriage with Owen Tudor, the grandmother of...

 (widowed queen of King Henry V of England

Henry V of England

Henry V was King of England from 1413 until his death at the age of 35 in 1422. He was the second monarch belonging to the House of Lancaster....

) by her second husband Owen Tudor

Owen Tudor

Sir Owen Meredith Tudor was a Welsh soldier and courtier, descended from a daughter of the Welsh prince Rhys ap Gruffudd, "Lord Rhys". However, Owen Tudor is particularly remembered for his role in founding England's Tudor dynasty – including his relationship with, and probable secret marriage to,...

. She persuaded King Henry VI

Henry VI of England

Henry VI was King of England from 1422 to 1461 and again from 1470 to 1471, and disputed King of France from 1422 to 1453. Until 1437, his realm was governed by regents. Contemporaneous accounts described him as peaceful and pious, not suited for the violent dynastic civil wars, known as the Wars...

 to take an interest in the boys, who were his half-brothers. Henry later ennobled them, thereby taking one of the important steps that would later enable Edmund's son Henry Tudor

Henry VII of England

Henry VII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the House of Tudor....

to claim the English throne.