Margaret Beaufort [31 May 1443* – 29 June 1509] was one of the most powerful women of the late medieval period. Daughter and sole heiress of John 1st Duke of Somerset, Margaret inherited great wealth. A prized bride, the young Margaret gave birth to Henry Tudor, the future King Henry VII, aged just thirteen. Her lineage made her a significant political asset and she is widely credited as being responsible for sons rise to the throne. Matriarch of the Tudor Dynasty, Lady Margaret Beaufort was one of the most significant and intriguing women of the era of the Wars of the Roses.
*The year of Margaret Beaufort’s birth is not entirely clear. Some historians have argued that she was born in 1441, most believe it to be 1443.
electrotype, 1875, based on a work of circa 1514. NPG 356
An Early Inheritance and Marriage for Margaret Beaufort
On 27 May 1444, John Beaufort 1st Duke of Somerset, Margaret’s father, died. As an only child, it left Margaret Beaufort as the heiress to his considerable wealth. Her lineage was also highly notable. John of Gaunt was her great grandfather. King Henry VI was a second cousin. Should there be a succession crisis, one potential claim to the throne was via her bloodline. It made the infant heiress hugely important.
As such, Margaret Beaufort was made a ward of the Crown following her fathers death. A marriage was arranged between her and John de la Pole, son of the Duke of Suffolk. Papal Dispensation was granted for the union on 18 August 1450, though it is possible that the marriage had already taken place before this date.
This marriage was annulled in 1453 and never acknowledged by Lady Margaret as being valid: which under relious laws was possible, only those contracted after the age of 12 were considered binding. That it was ever arranged illustrates the value of the young girl to the Crown and to senior magnates: William de la Pole Duke of Suffolk was one of the most influential courtiers at the time of the arrangement.
Marriage to Edmund Tudor
As plans were being made for the annulment of Lady Margaret’s marriage to John de la Pole, alternative arrangements were being made for her future. King Henry VI sought to provide for his half brother, Edmund Tudor. A marriage to Lady Margaret would bind the two lines and form a strong base of support for the King in court.
Margaret married Edmund Tudor on 1 November 1455. She was 12 years old, Edmund aged 24. The union took place as conflict broke out between the rival houses of Lancaster and York. Edmund, Earl of Richmond and loyal to his half-brother, was captured by Yorkist forces and held in captivity. He died on 3 November 1456, leaving Margaret a widow, and pregnant.
Margaret gave birth to a son, Henry, on 28 January 1457 when she was 13 years old. Following her recovery from labour and reintroduction to society, her son was placed into the care of Jasper Tudor, Earl of Pembroke, who was also a half-sibling to King Henry VI and brother of Edmund.
Marriage to Henry Stafford
The death of Edmund Tudor left Lady Margaret and her son, Henry, in a vulnerable position. To secure their future, Jasper Tudor arranged a third marriage for Margaret Beaufort. This union was to Sir Henry Stafford, second son of Humphrey 1st Duke of Buckingham. Again, there was a link between the families and another Papal Dispensation was required. Consent was granted on 6 April 1457 and Lady Margaret, aged 14, married her second cousin Sir Henry, on 3 January 1458. The couple remained married until the death of Sir Henry Stafford in November 1471.
The period of Lady Margaret’s marriage to Sir Henry saw the Wars of the Roses at their height. After the Yorkist victories of 1461 much of the lands Henry Tudor had nominally held by virtue of his father were handed to George Duke of Clarence. The revolts of the Duke of Clarence and Earl of Warwick in 1469/70 saw Lady Margaret negotiate on her sons behalf for the return of her sons lands.
Despite her husband fighting in the Yorkist army at Barnet in April 1471 [he was seriously wounded in the battle which led to his death in the November of the same year], the Yorkist restoration was a threat to Margaret’s son. This was because any future Lancastrian claim to the Crown could possibly be on the basis of the lineage of Lady Margaret Beaufort and her son. As a consequence, Henry Tudor travelled into exile alongside his uncle, Jasper. Mother and son would not see each other from his flight overseas in 1471 until after his victory at Bosworth in 1485.
A fourth marriage, to Thomas Lord Stanley
Lady Margaret married for a fourth time in June 1472. This marriage was to Thomas Lord Stanley. Stanley held the position of Lord High Constable at the time and was one of the main landholders in the north west of England and in northern Wales. Though the reasons for Margaret’s decision to marry Lord Stanley can only be speculated at, it is clear that marriage to a noble at the heart of government would provide Lady Margaret with security and opportunity.
Though married, the couple kept separate households. To all intents and purposes they married for convenience and for political gains. Margaret and Thomas did retain close ties throughout their union though, it was not just a solution to political problems.
Margaret Beaufort advances her son
During the second reign of King Edward IV, Margaret Beaufort took opportunities to advance claims of her son, Henry. This took the form of working within court circles to try and ensure his safety; To explore routes by which he could safely return to England; And used contacts to promote his cause overseas.
At the same time, Lady Margaret was fully integrated into Edward IV’s court, being one of the godmothers of one of the daughters of King Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville.
Death of Edward IV. Margaret Beaufort and opposition to Richard III
The death of King Edward IV in 1483 brought about a succession crisis. It saw Edward V and his siblings declared illegitimate. Dowager Queen Elizabeth was isolated from Richard’s court, and downgraded in status to being Lady Elizabeth Grey, reflecting her first marriage and effectively erasing her life as Queen.
The poltical fall out from the events following Edward IV’s death were great. Unrest became revolt, with the Duke of Buckingham being the most prominent of the nobility to side against Richard III. Lady Margaret Beaufort had identified opportunities for her son as the political landscape altered. Following the Buckingham Rebellion, she was found to have been complicit in the plots against Richard III.
Whilst the Duke of Buckingham was tried and executed for his part in the rebellion, Lady Margaret was spared. Despite being found to be implicated, there was no execution, no imprisonment, nor an attainder against the Countess of Richmond. Instead, Richard III opted to hold Lord Stanley responsible for her future actions, and placed restrictions upon Margaret’s assets.
Lady Margaret Beaufort’s alliance with Elizabeth Woodville
Though censured and now distrusted by Richard III and his household, Margaret Beaufort did not fade into the political background. Instead, she secretly forged an alliance with Elizabeth Woodville. The two women both had reasons to dislike the accession and actions of Richard III. Together they forged a plan to bond their families through marriage: between Henry Tudor and Elizabeth of York.
This plan included both parties giving support to Henry Tudor’s claim to the Crown. It bonded disgruntled Yorkists who were loyal, or sympathetic to, the wife and children of Edward IV with the Lancastrian nobility in exile. The move gave Henry more credibility as a prospective King. It also meant that any disgruntled by the events of summer 1483, or Richard III’s governance, had a cause to support.
That plot came to fruition in the summer of 1485. Henry Tudor invaded, aided by a coalition of Lancastrians, disgruntled Yorkists, and with aid from overseas. On 22 August 1485 Margaret’s son was victorious at the Battle of Bosworth and became King of England.
Lady Margaret Beaufort as My Lady the Kings Mother
Margaret Beaufort enjoyed considerable influence within Court following her sons victory at Bosworth. This took many forms, including a hands on role in the planning of royal marriages and the training of royal children and royal brides. Administrative roles were carried out by the Countess of Richmond and Derby, such as oversight of Justice in the midlands and north of England. Patronage of the arts, church, and education was important to the Kings Mother. Cambridge University Colleges in particular benefitted from investment by Margaret. Her endownments provided for the foundation of Christs College, re-foundation of the [Cambridge] Hospital of St. John the Evangelist, and saw gifts to other parts of the University such as St. John’s College.
Books about Lady Margaret Beaufort
Norton, Elizabeth. Margaret Beaufort: Mother of the Tudor Dynasty
Links: Lady Margaret Beaufort
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography – Beaufort, Margaret [known as Lady Margaret Beaufort], countess of Richmond and Derby. Biography by Michael K. Jones and Malcolm G. Underwood
Christ’s College, Cambridge – Biography of re-foundress, Margaret Beaufort, by Dr. Frank Woodman.
Westminster Abbey – Lady Margaret Beaufort Countess of Richmond. Items relating to Margaret’s burial within the Abbey along with items linked to her lifetime.
National Portrait Galley – 20 portraits of Lady Margaret Beaufort.
EBSCO – Research ‘starter’ on the life and significance of Margaret Beaufort.
Featured Image
Attributed to British School, 16th century – Lady Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Richmond and Derby (1443-1509) – RCIN 404749 – Royal Collection. Via Picryl.