Category: Margaret Beaufort - Meandering Through Time

Margaret Beaufort in Boston Lincolnshire

7/6/2022

Margaret Beaufort has had links with the county of Lincolnshire since at least the middle of the 15th century, for instance she is known to have held the Manor of Bourne from about 1445. Following the fall of the House of York, she was granted other Lincolnshire estates such as the manor of Tattershall, which, along with its castle, had been forfeited to the crown in 1471. She also received the manor of Stamford following the death of Cecily Neville in 1495. She must have had some affection for the fenlands because she spent much of her time, when she was married to her third husband, at their castle in the aforementioned manor of Bourne.

Victorian Etching of Boston - After Joseph Mallord William Turner

She is also known to have spent some time in the market town of Boston, her account books show an entry of a payment to a child who played a song for her during a visit - maybe she was entertained in the household of Fredrick and Margaret Tilney in their Skirbeck home. She may well have even attended a service at the recently built St Botolph's Church and been shown the newly carved choir stalls and misericords. The Tilney's were an important family in Boston at the time of Margaret's visit, later their great granddaughter would become Henry VIII's fifth wife.

Despite what many think of Henry VII's mother, she was a generous benefactor to churches and abbeys and often kind to those less fortunate that herself and, this is why her emblem of the portcullis can be found dotted around the town.

She can also be seen immortalised, albeit quite recently, in a stained glass window in the at St Botolph's.

Birth of Henry VII

28/1/2021

On this day in 1457 Henry of Richmond, later Henry VII was born at Pembroke Castle the son of Margaret Beaufort and Edmund Tudor.

In 1455, at the age of just twelve years old Henry's mother, a wealthy heiress had married Edmund Tudor, the son of a commoner who had climbed into the bed of a queen of England. Margaret was soon pregnant. Henry was born into a country that was divided by conflict and civil war. Margaret Beaufort was just a child herself and Henry's birth did irreparable damage, this could account for the fact that she never gave birth again, however she turned out to be an influential and dominant figure throughout Henry's life. Margaret was also aware of her son's vulnerability and because of this sent him into the care of his uncle, Jasper Tudor. Following the Battle of Tewkesbury in the May of 1471 Jasper and Henry fled to Brittany and then finally into France. Henry spent, in total, fourteen years of his life in exile.

His return to England in 1485 has been much written about, and most of you will know that he was aided at the Battle of Bosworth by Thomas Stanley his mother's husband, and his brother William. Henry of Richmond became king of England on the 22nd August in 1485.

I, of course, am a Ricardian and see Henry as a usurper, whose claim to the throne is a tenuous one to say the least, however, Richard and Henry's stories are real and to understand Henry, Richard and the Wars of the Roses it is always best to read widely with the aim to gain an understanding of both sides of story, therefore I add this paragraph taken from the Henry Tudor Society about Henry.

"He is a king often accused of being parsimonious, miserly, ruthless, severe and avaricious to the extreme, cold to his wife and cruel to friend and foe alike. The study of Henry’s life, from his beginnings through to the exile, and from his early reign to the tragic end, put forward a different man. It is this man, the real Henry, not the mythical Henry, that we aim to bring to the fore. A man who had an astounding tenacity to survive, to cling to his throne and to pass his crown to his son in a peaceful manner, something which eluded several monarchs before him."

Here a link to the Henry Tudor Society -

https://henrytudorsociety.com/

Rene of Anjou

16/1/2019

On this day in 1409 the birth of Rene of Anjou at Angers Castle in Anjou. Rene was a French noble of the family of Valois and Anjou. Known as Good King Rene simply because he inherited the crowns of Naples, Sicily and Jerusalem, he controlled large areas of land, he was therefore, an important figure during the last years of Hundred Years War.

Rene was the father of Margaret of Anjou Queen of Henry VI. Rene played his part in the negotiations with the English at Tours in 1444 and the marriage of Margaret to Henry - the fall out of which (the loss of French territories of Maine and Anjou, that had formed part of the marriage contract) as you will know, was far-reaching.

A wonderful description of Rene is given by Conn Iggulden in his book Stormbird, the first of his Wars of the Roses series (read it if you haven't already, its a must) The description comes from the mouth of the teenage Margaret.

"He was just a great white slug of a man. His face was unnaturally pale, perhaps from his years languishing in prison. His eyes were grey and cold, half hidden by heavy, unwrinkied lower lids, so that he always seemed to be peering over them. He had clearly not starved in prison."

I would not be surprised if Conn Iggulden took his inspiration from the Matheron Diptych that it is pictured here. The painting, by French artist Nicolas Froment was given to Jean Matheron, statesman and later a French ambassador, by Rene himself. He is depicted with his second wife Jeanne de Laval it is held in the Louvre in Paris.

Elizabeth of York - Duchess of Suffolk

22/4/2018

Elizabeth of York, later Duchess of Suffolk was born on the 22nd April in 1444 at Rouen Normandy. She was the second daughter of Richard, Duke of York and Cecily Neville and the sister of both Richard III and Edward IV.

Elizabeth, Duchess of Suffolk's effigy at Wingfield Church Suffolk.

Elizabeth was born in France at the time when Henry VI was playing yo-yo with her father's career - the time between Henry appointing the Duke of York as Lieutenant of France and the death of John Beaufort the Duke of Somerset in the May of 1444.

Elizabeth marriage to John de la Pole was thought to have been arranged by de la Poles mother Alice, it took place three years after the first Battle of St Albans at a time that is often considered the beginning of the Wars of the Roses.

At the time of John de la Pole becoming Duke of Suffolk his family was one of the least wealthy titled families in the country -, although if his marriage to Margaret Beaufort (John Beaufort's daughter) had not been annulled John's life may have been a different one altogether. The fifteen-hundred pounds that Elizabeth brought to the marriage was not a patch on what Margaret would have brought, made little difference to his finances.

Although this marriage allied de la Pole to the Yorkist party he is noted as having not shown any true support for either side. However, in 1461 he had made his decision, fighting for the Yorkist at the second Battle of St Albans and at Towton.

Elizabeth assumed the title of Duchess of Suffolk in the May of 1450 when John became Duke of Suffolk following the murder of his father William de la Pole. Elizabeth gave birth to eleven children, she would outlive eight of them. The three son who did survive their mother were Edmund, William and Richard, all would suffer due to the Yorkist blood that ran through their veins.

Elizabeth of York, Duchess of Suffolk died in 1503/4 and is buried at Wingfield Church in Suffolk, alongside her husband.

Birth of Henry VII

28/1/2018

Henry of Richmond, later Henry VII was born at Pembroke Castle to Margaret Beaufort and Edmund Tudor on the 28th January in 1457.

In 1455, at the age of just twelve years old Henry's mother, a wealthy heiress had married Edmund Tudor, the son of a commoner who managed to climb into the bed of a queen of England.

Margaret was soon pregnant and when Henry was born it was into country that was divided by conflict and civil war.

Margaret Beaufort was just a child herself and Henry's birth did irreparable damage, this could account for the fact that she never gave birth again, however she turned out to be an influential and dominant figure throughout Henry's life. Margaret was also aware of her son's vulnerability and because of this sent him into the care of his uncle, Jasper Tudor. Following the Battle of Tewkesbury in the May of 1471 Jasper and Henry fled to Brittany and then finally into France. Henry spent, in total, fourteen years of his life in exile.

His return to England in 1485 has been much written about, and most of you will know that he was aided at the Battle of Bosworth by Thomas Stanley, his mother's husband whose family famously watched deciding at the last moment to take the side of the Lancastrian's against Richard III's Yorkist forces.

Henry of Richmond became king of England on the 22nd August in 1485

I, of course, am a Ricardian and see Henry as a usurper, whose claim to the throne is a tenuous one, to say the least, however, Richard and Henry's stories are real and to understand Henry, Richard and the Wars of the Roses it is always best to read widely with the aim to gain an understanding of both sides of story, therefore I add this paragraph taken from the Henry Tudor Society about Henry.

"He is a king often accused of being parsimonious, miserly, ruthless, severe and avaricious to the extreme, cold to his wife and cruel to friend and foe alike. The study of Henry’s life, from his beginnings through to the exile, and from his early reign to the tragic end, put forward a different man. It is this man, the real Henry, not the mythical Henry, that we aim to bring to the fore. A man who had an astounding tenacity to survive, to cling to his throne and to pass his crown to his son in a peaceful manner, something which eluded several monarchs before him."

Here a link to the Henry Tudor Society -
henrytudorsociety.com/

Birth of John de la Pole

26/9/2017

On the 27th September in 1442, John de la Pole, son of William de la Pole and Alice Chaucer was born.

John, known as the Trimming Duke, for reasons I am yet to fathom, was married in the February of 1450, at the age of seven, to the six year old to Margaret Beaufort, but this marriage was annulled. This was probably due to the disgrace of his father's downfall and exile, but there was more to it that that. In 1453 Henry VI deemed that Edmund Tudor, who was twelve years her senior, would be a better husband for Margaret. Her vast inheritance, her bloodline and a need to back up the succession were contributing factors.

When John became Duke of Suffolk three months following the murder of his father, his family was one of the least wealthy titled families in the country. In 1458 he married Elizabeth, the daughter of Richard Duke of York and Cecily Neville. The fifteen-hundred pounds that she brought to the marriage made little difference to his finances, and most certainly was not a patch on what Margaret would have brought.

Although this marriage allied de la Pole to the Yorkist party he is noted as having not shown any true support for either side. However, in 1461 he had made his decision, fighting for the Yorkist at the second Battle of St Albans and at Towton, but like others 'sat on the fence' at Bosworth and managed to survive under Henry VII rule at his home at Winglfield in Suffolk.

John and Elizabeth were parents to eleven children, he would outlive five of them. The three son who did survive their father were Edmund, William and Richard all would suffer due to their Yorkist blood and all would try their best to oust the Tudor king, but as you probably know they were unsuccessful.

On the 29th of April in 1450 at Wingfield John's father prepared himself for exile, in doing so he wrote a heartfelt and moving letter to his eight year son.

You can read this here:

meanderingthroughtime.weebly.com/wars-of-the-roses-blog/true-and-ever-loving-father

Medieval Parental Love

25/9/2016

The love that we give our children is unconditional and unchanging, it has no bounds, this love creates for them a foundation on which to build their own lives. The path that a modern child takes is, on the whole, that of its own choosing, and when those steps are eventually taken our children know that they have been, and still are, loved.

The path that the medieval child took was one that was forced on them by their parents, often for the benefit of that families
wealth and status. As soon as they could pick up a sword, sons were dispatched to learn the art of war, and the female child, who was betrothed in the cradle was married as a teenager, often to someone who was old enough to be their father. I wonder, did these medieval parents show any emotion when they used them as pawns, when one child was out of the door, were they planning how best they would benefit from the next?

Does this mean that the medieval parent did not care for, or show love to, their children?

In the medieval world the infant mortality rate was high, a parent could lose their baby at birth, a child could die from an awful illnesses such as the plague, their grown up sons could face an early death in battle, their teenage daughters could die in childbirth, with all this, it is easy to see why these parents would have hearts of stone.

The concept of love is totally different today than it was then, I think that the more realistic view of life in the medieval era comes across to us as indifference. Where we encourage our children, they promoted theirs. Where our young choose to live the single life, our elderly often a lonely one, and the rest of us conform to the 2.5 children average, the medieval family were an extended family. Kinship was formed through family ties, so perhaps we might use the term close or strong bond instead of love. This bond led to a sense of duty, responsibility and loyalty, all the things we come to expect from the medieval person. Although we respect these three things, they are not of paramount importance to us today.

We should look no further than Margaret Beaufort for an example of a medieval parent. History tell us she was a devoted mother, she plotted and schemed and let nothing stand in the way of getting her beloved Henry on the throne of England.

What was her motivation, was it the promotion of the Lancastrian cause or was it just the love of her son ?

Another good example is William de la Pole.

William de la Pole was an English commander and is remembered and blamed for the loss of French territories of Maine and Anjou, these lands formed part of the marriage contract of Henry VI to Margaret of Anjou that Pole had arranged. Pole was blamed for much, a scapegoat, who was exiled and murdered on route to Calais on the 2nd May 1450. Three days before, at the family home of Wingfield in Suffolk, William de la Pole prepared himself for exile, in doing so he wrote a heartfelt and moving letter to his eight year old son.

Effirgy of John de la Pole at Wingfield Church, Sussex

My dear and only well-beloved son,

I beseech our Lord in Heaven, the Maker of all the World, to bless you, and to send you ever grace to love him,
and to dread him, to the which, as far as a father may charge his child, I both charge you, and pray you to set all your spirits and wits to do, and to know
his holy laws and commandments, by the which ye shall, with his great mercy, pass all the great tempests and troubles of this wretched world.
And that also, weetingly, ye do nothing for love nor dread of any earthly creature that should displease him. And there as any frailty maketh you to fall, beseech his mercy soon to call you to him again with repentance, satisfaction, and contrition of your heart, never more in will to offend him.

Secondly, next him above all earthly things, to be true liegeman in heart, in will, in thought, in deed, unto the king our aldermost high and dread sovereign
lord, to whom both ye and I be so much bound to; charging you as father can and may, rather to die than to be the contrary, or to know anything that were against the welfare or prosperity of his most royal person, but that as far as your body and life may stretch ye live and die to defend it, and to let his
highness have knowledge thereof in all the haste ye can.

Thirdly, in the same wise, I charge you, my dear son, alway as ye be bounden by the commandment of God to do, to love, to worship, your lady and mother; and also that ye obey alway her commandments, and to believe her counsels and advices in all your works, the which dread not but shall be best and
truest to you. And if any other body would steer you to the contrary, to flee the counsel in any wise, for ye shall find it naught and evil.

Furthermore, as far as father may and can, I charge you in any wise to flee the company and counsel of proud men, of covetous men, and of flattering
men, the more especially and mightily to withstand them, and not to draw nor to meddle with them, with all your might and power; and to draw to you
and to your company good and virtuous men, and such as be of good conversation, and of truth, and by them shall ye never be deceived nor repent you of.
Moreover, never follow your own wit in nowise, but in all your works, of such folks as I write of above, ask your advice and counsel, and doing thus, with
the mercy of God, ye shall do right well, and live in right much worship, and great heart’s rest and ease.

And I will be to you as good lord and father as my heart can think.

And last of all, as heartily and as lovingly as ever father blessed his child in earth, I give you the blessing of Our Lord and of me, which of his infinite
mercy increase you in all virtue and good living; and that your blood may by his grace from kindred to kindred multiply in this earth to his service, in
such wise as after the departing from this wretched world here, ye and they may glorify him eternally amongst his angels in heaven.
Written of mine hand,
The day of my departing fro this land.
Your true and loving father

So did the medieval parent love their children?

I think the fact that William de la Pole sat down to write such a letter to his son is proof enough that they did.

Margaret Beaufort

29/6/2016

The inscription on the tomb of Margaret Beaufort composed by Erasmus reads:

"Margaret of Richmond, mother of Henry VII, grandmother of Henry VIII, who gave a salary to three monks of this convent
and founded a grammar school at Wimborne, and to a preacher throughout England, and to two interpreters of Scripture,
one at Oxford, the other at Cambridge, where she likewise founded two colleges, one to Christ, and the other to St John,
his disciple. Died A.D.1509, III Kalends of July [29 June]".

Margaret Beaufort's Funeral Effergy at Westminster Abbey by Pietro Torrigiani

In 1455, at the age of just twelve years old Margaret had married Edmund Tudor as her second husband. Margaret was soon pregnant and gave birth to the future Henry VII a year later. The birth of Henry, while Margaret was just a child herself, did irreparable damage, and this could account for the fact that she never gave birth again. Thirty years later, Henry was aided at the Battle of Bosworth by Thomas Stanley, her fourth husband whose family famously stood and watched the battle, deciding at the last moment to take the side of the Lancastrian's against Richard III's Yorkist forces. Although Margaret never recognised it as a marriage she was firstly married to John de la Pole, the son of William de la Pole and Alice Chaucer. This marriage was later annulled.

Margaret's third husband was Humphrey, Duke of Buckingham, their marriage was said to be a happy one. In Henry VII's court, Margaret liked to be referred to as 'My Lady the King's Mother' she intensely disliked the fact that she was of a lower status than both Elizabeth of York, Henry's queen and her mother Elizabeth Woodville, the widow of Edward IV. She also disliked the fact that she had to adhere to court protocol and walk behind the queen and was probably responsible for the banishment of Elizabeth Woodville in 1487. Henry was said to have been a devoted son, his death in the June of 1509 was probably the beginning of the end for Margaret as she was dead only two months later.

Margaret Beaufort is famous as much for her piety and gifts to churches and collages as she is for being domineering, pushy and intimidating, she was a force to be reckoned with, but her achievements prove that medieval women did not always take the back seat to men.

Love her or hate her she was a very strong and determined woman.

Birth of Margaret Beaufort

11/5/2016

On the 31st May 1443 Margaret Beaufort was born at Bletsoe Castle to Margaret Beauchamp and John Beaufort,
Duke of Somerset.

Margaret Beaufort's Funeral Effergy at Westminster Abbey by Pietro Torrigiani

In 1455, at the age of just twelve years old Margaret had married Edmund Tudor as her second husband.

Margaret was soon pregnant and gave birth to the future Henry VII a year later. The birth of Henry, while Margaret was just a child herself, did irreparable damage, and this could account for the fact that she never gave birth again. Thirty years later, Henry was aided at the Battle of Bosworth by Thomas Stanley, her fourth husband whose family famously stood and watched
the battle, deciding at the last moment to take the side of the Lancastrian's against Richard III's Yorkist forces.

Although Margaret never recognised it as a marriage she was firstly married to John de la Pole, the son of William de la
Pole and Alice Chaucer. This marriage was later annulled.

Margaret's third husband was Henry, son of Humphrey, Duke of Buckingham, their marriage was said to be a happy one.

In Henry VII's court, Margaret liked to be referred to as 'My Lady the King's Mother' she intensely disliked the fact that
she was of a lower status than both Elizabeth of York, Henry's queen and her mother Elizabeth Woodville, the widow of
Edward IV. She also disliked the fact that she had to adhere to court protocol and walk behind the queen and was probably responsible for the banishment of Elizabeth Woodville in 1487. Henry was said to have been a devoted son, his death in
the April of 1509 was probably the beginning of the end for Margaret as she was dead only two months later.

Margaret Beaufort is famous as much for her piety and gifts to churches and collages as she is for being domineering,
pushy and intimidating, she was a force to be reckoned with, but her achievements prove that medieval women did not
always take the back seat to men.

Love her or hate her she was a very strong and determined woman.