Margaret Beaufort – The Queen Mother

I’ll be honest, after reading The Red Queen, by Philippa Gregory (the first I read in the Cousin’s War series) I strongly disliked Margaret Beaufort. I felt she was the most evil religious person I had ever read about. Philippa Gregory doesn’t paint her in a very good light in The White Queen either.  She is very obviously the antagonist in her books.

Looking back at the history of Margaret Beaufort her life definitely made her into the woman she became and I cannot blame her for that. She was forced into marriage at the age of twelve when all she wanted was to become a nun. When I was twelve years old I was only beginning to think about boys – I can’t image being married and becoming pregnant at that age.  She was a strong woman who fought for what she thought belonged to her and her family. I can now say I respect her for her determination. She is responsible (with the help from Jasper Tudor) for her son becoming Henry Vll of England.

Courtesy of: Lady Margaret Beaufort – The King’s Mother

Margaret Beaufort was born on May 31, 1443, the daughter of Margaret Beauchamp and her second husband John Beaufort, 1st Duke of Somerset. John Beaufort was at the centre of a complicated royal family. His father, another John Beaufort, was the illegitimate son of John of Gaunt and his mistress Katherine Swynford whom he later married.  The children were legitimised, which resulted in an awful lot of contenders for the throne.

Courtesy of: History Today – Lady Margaret Beaufort

The foundation of the Tudor dynasty in 1485 reflected both the abilities and the good fortune of the new monarch, Henry VII. Henry’s success without doubt owed much to the remarkable determination of his mother, Lady Margaret Beaufort, who had helped arrange his prospective match with Elizabeth of York, sent him money and organised part of the 1483 rebellion. During the new reign Margaret had considerable influence with the King.

With Margaret’s son Henry being crowned king on the battle field (Battle of Bosworth) all of Margaret Beaufort’s dreams and ambitions had come true. She is the mother of all Tudors and deserves more recognition than she receives in the history books and historical fiction novels.