Born: 31 May 1443, United Kingdom
Died: 29 June 1509
Country most active: United Kingdom
Also known as: Margaret Tudor, Margaret Stafford, Margaret Stanley
The following is excerpted from Infinite Women founder Allison Tyra’s book The View from the Hill: Women Who Made Their Mark After 40.
In times of turmoil, new dynasties have emerged, meaning that the new king’s mother will generally not have been a queen herself. But like any mother, she may still hold influence over her son, as seen in the case of Margaret Beaufort. As a descendent of King Edward III, she was at risk of becoming a political pawn from the day she was born in 1443, and became even more valuable when her father died not long after, leaving her a substantial fortune. Rather than allow her mother to take charge, King Henry VI gave the wardship of Margaret and her properties to a duke, who promptly “married” the toddler off to his own son to benefit his family. After several years, the wardship was given to Henry VI’s half-brothers Jasper and Edmund, instead, and her first “marriage” was dissolved so that Edmund could marry the girl for political reasons. She was 12 years old and twice married.
For anyone unfamiliar with the English War of the Roses, the two main factions were the Lancasters (Lancastrians) and the Yorks (Yorkists). Margaret, through no decision-making of her own, was a Lancastrian because Edmund Tudor and his family were. Edmund dragged the child Margaret into this mess and then died after being captured, leaving her widowed, in the “care” of her brother-in-law Jasper, and seven months pregnant at age 13. The subsequent birth of Henry Tudor, the future King Henry VII, was extremely difficult—both mother and child survived, but Margaret would be unable to bear any future children. Jasper promptly took the baby Henry and married Margaret off to her second cousin, Sir Henry Stafford, when she was 14. She was allowed to visit but had no control over her child’s life.
In 1461, a Yorkist victory in the Battle of Towton led to the crowning of a Yorkist king, Edward IV, who took Lancastrian lands—like those of Margaret’s son—and gave them to Yorkist allies. Margaret also lost another husband as Henry Stafford died in battle in 1471. That same year, Margaret urged Jasper to take her son out of the country for his own safety. He took the boy to Brittany, and she would not see her son again for 14 years.
Meanwhile, Margaret entered her fourth and final marriage in 1472, to the Yorkist nobleman Thomas Stanley, allowing her to essentially infiltrate the Yorkist royal court despite her well-known Lancastrian connections. She used the more than a decade of separation to build up a political power base for herself, and therefore her son. She was even named godmother to one of the York princesses and successfully navigated the transition of power when Edward IV died and Richard III seized power. While outwardly in the service of Richard’s queen, Margaret plotted with Edward’s widow, Elizabeth, whose sons Richard had imprisoned and who would later have disappeared—the mystery of the Princes in the Tower remains unsolved today. The women’s conspiracy led to the 1483 Buckingham rebellion, which failed and resulted in Margaret being stripped of her titles and estates, placed under house arrest, and banned from communicating with her son—which of course she did anyway and continued with her political machinations.
As with many other women in this book, her many years of effort finally paid off in her 40s, as her son was crowned King Henry VII in 1485. The Battle of Bosworth Field proved a definitive victory, not least because Richard III died in combat. The War of the Roses was done, and the Tudors had the throne, with a Yorkist princess married to Henry to help stabilize the country.
While some women may have been content to enjoy their victory and retire, this was not in Margaret Beaufort’s nature. In addition to her new positions as Countess of Richmond and Derby and Lady of the Order of the Garter, she was known as My Lady the King’s Mother. The woman who had been used as a pawn almost since birth was named a “feme sole,” granting her legal, political, and social autonomy despite being married. She also took a vow of chastity—an option never offered to 12-year-old Margaret.
In addition to her charitable works (including founding two colleges at Cambridge) and political maneuvering, she helped shape the next generation, as she was greatly involved in her grandchildren’s upbringing and arranging their marriages. Her influence only increased after the death of her daughter-in-law, Queen Elizabeth of York. Margaret also outlived her son, who left his mother in charge of his will when he died in 1509. She saw her grandson, Henry VIII, crowned before dying only two months after her son, and the day after her grandson’s 18th birthday.
In the long run, Margaret’s efforts arguably would prove to be for naught as the Tudor dynasty she’d hoped to build would end only a generation later with the death of Queen Elizabeth I. But she was succeeded by another descendant: Margaret’s great-great-great grandson, James VI and I, first of the Stuart kings. Margaret Beaufort likely would have died believing her legacy was secure. Or at least, as secure as any monarchy can be.