Margaret Beaufort: Mother of the Tudor Dynasty

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Lady Margaret Beaufort prayer book MS. 39. By kind permission of the Dean and Chapter of Westminster. Holinshed, a Tudor chronicler, claims King Edward IV later proposed a marriage between Beaufort's son and his own daughter, Elizabeth of York, intending to force Henry Tudor out of his safe haven on the continent. Poet Bernard Andre seems to corroborate this, writing of Tudor's miraculous escape from the clutches of Edward's envoys, allegedly warned of the deception by none other than his mother. [25] Reigns of Edward V and Richard III [ edit ] Statue of Margaret Beaufort, Chapel of St John's College, Cambridge

Philippa Gregory; David Baldwin; Michael Jones (2011). The Women of the Cousins' War. London: Simon & Schuster. All which thyngs according to your desire and plesure I have with all my herte and goode wille giffen and graunted unto you… I shall be as glad to plese you as youre herte can desire hit, and I knowe welle that I am as much bounden so to doe as any creture lyvyng, for the grete and singular moderly love and affection that hit hath plesed you at all tymes to ber towards me". [61]

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Despite this suggestion, no contemporary sources corroborate the implication, whilst most contemporary accounts outline "her outstanding qualities, her courage, presence of mind, family loyalty, and a deeply felt awareness of the spiritual responsibilities of high office," as clarified by Jones and Underwood. [29] Before Jones and Underwood, there was no consensus within the scholarly community regarding Margaret's role or character: historiographical opinions ranged from celebrating her to demonizing her. [30] The Royal Library, the contents of which were a foundation collection of the British Library, has several examples of them. There must have been a recognition that they were artistic objects of value – and if they had been Henry VIII’s that would certainly have helped them survive. Jessica Brain is a freelance writer specialising in history. Based in Kent and a lover of all things historical.

a b Gristwood, Sarah (2013). Blood Sisters: The Women Behind the Wars of the Roses. New York: Basic Books. p.32.

Further reading

Parliament (1483). "6. An Act for the Attaynder of Margaret Coutesse of Richmond". Rotuli Parliamentorum.