Margaret Beaufort: Mother of the Tudor Dynasty

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From her principal residence at Collyweston she was given a special commission to administer justice over the Midlands and the North. The gilded bronze sculpture on the tomb depicts Margaret with her head resting on pillows and her hands raised in prayer, wearing garments characteristic of widowhood; the face was probably sculpted from a death mask. Margaret's husband Stanley, despite having fought for Richard III during the Buckingham rebellion, did not respond when summoned to fight at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485, remaining aloof from the battle, even though his eldest son, George Stanley (styled Lord Strange), was held hostage by Richard.

In 1540, funds she had bequeathed endowed a lectureship in divinity at the University of Oxford, first held by John Roper; it became the Lady Margaret Professorship of Divinity, held concurrently with a canonship at Christ Church, Oxford. In Original letters illustrative of English history; including numerous royal letters; from autographs in the British Museum, the State Paper office, and one or two other collections, edited by Sir Henry Ellis. Arnopp’s Margaret Beaufort is simply a human mother and grandmother who is just trying to do her best for her family. Since I read the first book, “The Beaufort Bride”, I knew that I wanted to continue Margaret’s adventure.This should be a happy time for Elysabeth, John, and the new King Edward V, but a sermon and a coup caused everything to come crashing down. It was her battle plan which left the usurper Richard to despair on the field at Bosworth, and it was her victory that she celebrated every day of her life. When it comes to royal families, their stories tend to be broadcast to the masses, and none more so than the Tudors, who have captured the imagination of history lovers for generations.

Margaret got along relatively well with kings like Henry VI and Edward IV, but to say that her relationship with Richard III was disastrous would be an understatement. Apart from encouraging book production and building her own library, Margaret also achieved considerable success as a translator, becoming the first English translator of the Imitation of Christ known by name, as well as translating the fifteenth-century Netherlandish treatise The Mirror of Gold for the Sinful Soul from a French intermediary. I think the way that Arnopp describes this relationship is thoughtful, considerate, and full of love. She wrote the Book of the Royal Household, determining how state and private occasions should be performed. Licence starts her book at the very beginning of the Tudor dynasty with the stories of Margaret Beaufort and Elizabeth Woodville.This clear, straightforward portrayal of Margaret Beaufort's complex world will appeal to fans of the Tudors and English history. This was likely to strengthen Edmund's claim to the throne should Henry be forced to designate Edmund his heir; the king was then without child or legitimate siblings. But if we focused on the story of the royal women in a specific dynasty, what could we learn about the dynasty? In her latest novel, “Princess of Thorns”, Saga Hillbom tells the heartbreaking tale of Cecily of York showing how deep her loyalty to her family was and how loyalty came with a cost.

She spoke to me of a mother’s love for her boy and how she would give anything to have him home again. In the earlier years of her son's reign, records indicate Margaret usually accompanied the royal couple when they traveled. As the third daughter of King Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville, Cecily of York can be the vivacious white rose of York, without the pressures that her brothers and her eldest sister have on their shoulders of one-day ruling a country. For a time the Staffords were able to visit Margaret's son, who had been entrusted to Jasper Tudor's care at Pembroke Castle in Wales. Meynnart Wewyck and the Portrait of Lady Margaret Beaufort in the Master's Lodge at St John's College, Cambridge', The Burlington Magazine 161 (April 2019): 314–19.

The painting, which measures 180 cm by 122 cm, is notable as the first large-scale portrait of an Englishwoman. When Arthur died, Margaret played a part in ensuring her grandson Henry, the new heir apparent, was raised appropriately by selecting some members of his new household.