Lady Margaret Beaufort, the Countess of Richmond and Derby, later My Lady the King's Mother, was a Lancastrian heiress. Margaret was the mother of King Henry VII and is credited with maneuvering Henry onto the throne of England.
Biography[]
Early Life[]
Lady Margaret was born a Beaufort to John Beaufort and Margaret Beauchamp. Margaret was seemingly a disappointment to her mother that she was not a male heir, yet Margaret was still the sole heir of the Beaufort line when her father committed suicide in 1444.
The Beauforts are descendants of John of Gaunt, who was the founder of the House of Lancaster, making them strong Lancastrian allies. They were formally barred from succession as the Beauforts had been born out of wedlock, although John of Gaunt later married their mother, Katherine Swynford. Margaret's heritage is therefore the connection between the House of Lancaster and House of Tudor.
The White Queen (TV series)[]
A fierce Lancastrian supporter, Margaret was married to the half-brother of the Lancastrian King Henry VI. Her husband, Edmund Tudor, died in battle shortly after they were married. She had her only child, Henry Tudor, when she was just 13.
A wealthy heiress, she did not accept Edward as King, especially with Henry VI was still alive. She was disgusted with Jacquetta Woodville for switching loyalty to the House of York and did not accept her daughter Elizabeth, a commoner, as queen.
When Edward decided to take her son’s title away and bestow it upon his brother, George, she was distraught.
She was extremely devout and believed that God wanted a Lancaster on the throne, and that her son Henry would be king one day.
When her husband the Earl of Stafford died, she had a 'marriage of convenience' with Thomas Stanley who was the Lord High Constable of the court.
Although relations were initially frosty with Elizabeth, Margaret helped revive Elizabeth's newborn son which swiftly upgraded her to the role of confidant.
Books[]
The Red Queen[]
The White Queen[]
The White Princess[]
The Constant Princess
The novel begins in the winter 1501, on the eve of the wedding between Arthur Tudor of England and Catherine of Aragon. Margaret continues to run the English royal court absolutely inspiring awe in her favorite granddaughter and namesake Margaret Tudor. Margaret has made all the preparations for the upcoming wedding while planning the marriage between Margaret Tudor and King James of Scotland to further her own dynastic ambitions for the Tudors. Margaret's own traumatic birthing experience influences her decision that her granddaughter Margaret must wait two years until the age of fourteen before being allowed to join her husband in Scotland much to her granddaughter's dismay. While planning the futures of her grandchildren, it is Margaret that commands that Arthur and his new bride go to rule their principality in Wales.
After the death of Arthur, Margaret becomes fiercely protective of the last Tudor male heir: Prince Henry. Henry is forbidden to do anything that might endanger him and he's kept with the rest of the family at court. Shortly after Arthur's death, the queen Elizabeth of York dies giving birth to a daughter which Margaret takes as a lesson from God. After Elizabeth's death, Margaret asks her granddaughter to spy on the widowed Catherine of Aragon. Margaret thinks that Catherine has been advised by her mother Isabella to say that her marriage to Arthur was unconsummated in order that Catherine can try to marry her son Henry VII. Margaret makes sure that Henry VII does not marry Catherine but makes no agreement or opposition when Catherine is instructed to marry Prince Henry instead as it makes financial sense.
Margaret bids farewell to her granddaughter as she leaves England for Scotland. She bids her to take lesson for the saint of their name and when she was swallowed by a dragon, her crucifix tickled it's throat and it vomited her back up. The farewell is cold and emotionless in keeping with Margaret's character and preference for her male relations.
Physical Appearance[]
In The Red Queen, Margaret was described to be a tall and slim woman with brown eyes and hair that is "brown like a thick mane on a hill pony", and she always dressed like a nun. Her looks actually constantly fuelled her jealousy and envy of Elizabeth Woodville, for she knew that while she could be seen as "comely" and "pleasing", she could not compare to the beautiful and fashionable York Queen. In The White Princess, Elizabeth of York also once mocked Margaret's looks and fashion, even describing her to be "as ugly as sin".
Gallery[]
