A lady of steel - the real force behind the first Tudor King
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Margaret was the daughter of John Beaufort, 1st Duke of Somerset. Through him she was the great-granddaughter of John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster and his mistress and third wife, Katherine Swynford, and she became the heiress of the house of Lancaster. But following Gaunt's marriage to Katherine, their children (the Beauforts) were legitimized, but the legitimation carried a condition: their descendants were barred from ever inheriting the throne. Despite this, every monarch after him,including Lady Margaret's own son King Henry VII, is descended from Gaunt and Swynford.
In 1455 she was married to Edmund Tudor, Earl of Richmond who died only a year later. Edmund was the eldest son of the king Henry VI's mother, Dowager Queen Catherine of Valois (the widow of Henry V) by her second marriage to Owen Tudor. Their only son was to become the first Tudor King of England, Henry VII. He claimed the throne of England through her, ignoring that she and not him should have claimed the crown. Margaret did not contest Henry's right to rule; however, she occasionally used the signature Margaret R, a form limited to queens regnant. She married twice more: Sir Henry Stafford and Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby. But she remained first of all The Countess of Richmond.
Margaret was instrumental in secretly conspiring against King Richard III and one if not the driving force to overthrow the king. After her son won the crown at Bosworth Field, Margaret was referred to in court as "My Lady the King's Mother." However, Margaret was reluctant to accept a lower status than the dowager queen consort Elizabeth Woodville or even her daughter-in-law, Elizabeth of York, the queen consort. She wore robes of the same quality as the queen consort and walked only half a pace behind her. Through her sons's reign she remained reign the main power and only true confident, largely overshadowing the Queen Consort.
Her last act was to oversee the transition from the rule of her son Henry VII who died 21.4.1509 to her grandson Henry VIII. She passed away on 29. June 1509.
This is the only real and well-researched biography of this complex, single-minded and energetic woman. There is an element of steel in her. In a world where females were absolutely dominated by males she stood out. She paved the way for many exceptional women of Tudor times and especially of her own family. In short she was an extraordinary woman.
Why she has attracted not much interest from biography writes seems to be strange. Therefore, Michael Jones and Malcolm Underwood book was long overdue. They have presented us with a scholarly biography, based on great research work. One learns and understands a lot about her and her times. But still it is a wee bit "wooden" and it seems to me that a real understanding of The King's Mother seems to escape me. There is something missing. Right now, it is the best book you can read about this fabulous woman, but I hope soon different kind of biography will be written in order to get a better understanding of The King's Mother.
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