Lady Margaret Beaufort: Survivor, Kingmaker, Powerhouse

Introduction

The Wars of the Roses are a complex period of English history, with much of the focus placed on particular men in the main roles such as Henry VI, Edward IV, Richard III, the Princes in the Tower and Henry VII. One of the primary players, however, must be given the mainstream attention she deserves: Lady Margaret Beaufort. Despite being essential to the Tudors’ rise to power and a pioneer for women’s autonomy, she is often left out of the histories. A descendant of Edward III and a wealthy heiress, Margaret was initially used by the men in her life to secure their own power. She faced the hardships of child marriage, pregnancy trauma, separation from her child, the threat of execution and outliving four husbands, yet, she persevered to become one of the richest and most influential people in the English medieval period in her own right and left behind a powerful legacy.

Marriages and childbirth

Margaret was born to Margaret Beauchamp and John Beaufort, members of the House of Lancaster, probably on the 31st of May 1443. John, the Duke of Somerset, would die likely by suicide before her first birthday after a disastrous military campaign in Brittany. This left Margaret an incredibly wealthy heiress whom many men aspired to control. This, along with her royal roots tracing back to Edward III and her controversial claim to the throne (being descended from an illegitimate line by John of Gaunt and Katherine Swynford), made her a target. Soon after her father’s death, King Henry VI placed Margaret into the wardship of William de la Pole, Duke of Suffolk. Pole betrothed Margaret to his son, John, and had them married when she was around three years old. The marriage was later dissolved as it was never consummated and Margaret was moved into the wardship of Henry’s half-brothers, Edmund and Jasper Tudor. 

Henry arranged for Edmund to marry Margaret, despite Edmund being 24 and Margaret only 12. The aim was to strengthen Edmund’s claim to the throne using Margaret’s lineage so that Henry, currently childless, could name him his heir. Margaret was an incredibly young bride: even younger than the norms of the day. The custom for a child bride of this juvenility was to not consummate the marriage until the girl was physically mature enough to bear children, however Edmund would not wait. The sooner he had an heir, the sooner he could access his wife’s property. Edmund would never meet his child, however, as he died when Margaret was six months pregnant after contracting the bubonic plague.

Now a widow at just 13, Margaret gave birth to her son and named him Henry, after the king. The birth is thought to have been traumatic for her small body, and both mother and baby nearly died in the process. This may have resulted in Margaret’s inability to conceive later, as Henry was her only child. Alternatively, she may have proactively chosen not to get pregnant again after this occurrence. Nevertheless, she was quickly remarried in 1458 to Henry Stafford, 1st Duke of Buckingham, choosing him for her family’s security as he had wealth and an army. She even travelled more than 100 miles to negotiate the marriage contract, despite having given birth only 2 months previously. To keep Margaret’s wealth in his hands, Henry VI soon removed her son from her custody and into Jasper’s. Margaret would negotiate for her son’s return multiple times, but to no avail. Stafford would die during the Battle of Barnett in 1471, but would name Margaret as the chief executor of his will, citing her “discretion and wisdom.” As the Lancastrian king fell to the Yorkists, Edward IV was crowned.

End of the Wars of the Roses

Widowed again at just 28, Margaret would choose her fourth husband, the Yorkist Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby, to protect her interests in Edward’s government. As Henry Tudor was a threat to Edward’s position, the king sought to eradicate him; consequently, Henry fled with Jasper to France after Margaret begged them to leave, and they narrowly escaped capture on multiple occasions. Margaret continued to tirelessly advocate for her son at court, but negotiations were unsuccessful with both Edward IV and, later, Richard III. Now desperate to be reunited with her son, Margaret took advantage of Richard’s unpopularity and resorted to conspiracy. There is some evidence to suggest that she was involved in a failed rescue attempt of the Princes in the Tower, but this is not confirmed. Equally, there is no proof that she orchestrated their murder to make room for Henry, as she has sometimes been accused of.

Around this time, Margaret began secretly communicating with dowager Queen Elizabeth Woodville, widow of Edward IV and mother to the Princes in the Tower. Together, the women betrothed Henry Tudor to Woodville’s daughter, Elizabeth of York, hoping to end the Wars of the Roses once and for all. Margaret then conspired with the Duke of Buckingham to replace Richard with her son, in what is now known as ‘The Buckingham Rebellion.’ This rebellion featured in Shakespeare’s Richard III, however The Bard fails to mention that Margaret was the mastermind. The plan failed and Buckingham was executed for treason. Margaret was also found guilty of treason, but avoided execution only due to Richard’s reliance on Stanley’s loyalty: Margaret chose her fourth husband well. She was put under effective house arrest and stripped of her titles and properties, which were moved into Stanley’s control. Margaret was forbidden from communicating with her son yet continued to do so, most likely with the knowledge (and perhaps assistance) of Stanley.

When Henry landed to conquer England in 1485, Stanley did not answer Richard’s call to arms. Instead, he supported his stepson, crowning him Henry VII on the battlefield of Bosworth. Margaret and Henry were reunited almost immediately at their ancestral home in Woking, where they spent time catching up after over a decade of being apart.

My Lady, the King’s Mother

One of Henry’s first commandments as king was to have Margaret declared a feme sole: i.e. a single woman in control of her own property. This was an unusual move, as Margaret was still married to Stanley. All of her properties and lands were restored to her and she was once again established as one of the most powerful people in England. In 1485, Margaret was officially the “Dowager Countess of Richmond and Countess of Derby,” but also adopted the titles “My Lady, the King’s Mother,” “Margaret of Lancaster,” “Lady of the Order of the Garter” and most controversially, “Margaret R”. The ‘R’ being inserted at the end of a signature is usually reserved for reigning kings and queens (‘Elizabeth R’, for example) however, as Margaret was the Dowager Countess of Richmond, she could claim that she was signing her documents as Margaret Richmond, while simultaneously hinting at queenship.

Although Margaret was technically heir to the throne, being a generation older than Henry, she would have been aware that she could not rule in her own right due to her sex. Three hundred and fifty years previously, the heir apparent, Empress Matilda, was effortlessly usurped by her cousin Stephen due to a preference of male leadership. Queenship was restricted from Margaret by the misogynistic normalities of the day, but knowing that she deserved it and was more than capable of ruling, she aspired to come as close to being queen as she could. She would wear dresses as expensive and elaborate as Queen Elizabeth’s and is famously reported as walking only half a pace behind her, when as sovereign, Elizabeth should have been allowed more room to make her entrances.

Margaret would have a great influence on Henry as a ruler, much to the disdain of some contemporaries. Eventually, she would administer justice on behalf of the king in the Midlands as an unofficial lieutenant. Around this time, she took a vow of chastity and lived separately from her husband, maintaining a good relationship with him. She created protocol regarding her granddaughters’ marriages, resisting Margaret Tudor’s marriage to the Scottish king when she was a child, so that little Margaret would not have to go through the trauma of giving birth as a child that older Margaret did. 

Domina Fundatrix

Margaret made use of her new-found wealth by becoming a philanthropist. Alongside her confessor and friend, Bishop John Fisher, she founded Christ’s College and St. John’s College at the University of Cambridge, the first of which she donated many of her own books to. In around 1497, Margaret created the Lady Margaret Professorships for Divinity for Oxford and Cambridge Universities, which were the very first professorships established in England. She also assisted in the rebuilding of Cambridge’s church and refounded the Godshouse at Christ’s College. Later, she founded a Grammar School in Dorset, Wimborne School, became patroness of William Caxton’s printing press and personally translated the Imitation of Christ, among many other texts.

Margaret was not always the philanthropist, however. At one point, she took back some lands that one of her relatives had donated to a hospital, citing ancestral heritage. She also spent much of her fortune on personal luxuries, including highly decorated religious books, jewels, wine and entertainment. She also had Westminster Abbey celebrate her birthday: unusual for a person who is not monarch.

Family tragedy and death

Margaret would sadly go on to outlive most of her family members. Arthur Tudor, eldest son of Henry and Elizabeth, died of the sweating sickness 1502 soon after his marriage to Katherine of Aragon. Margaret had been instrumental in organising their union and did the same with Katherine’s new marriage to Arthur’s brother, the soon to be Henry VIII. Elizabeth and Henry VII tried to have more children after Arthur’s death but tragically, both Elizabeth and their baby daughter died in childbirth in 1503. Stanley would die in 1504, and Margaret’s greatest loss came with the death of her son Henry, who died of tuberculosis in 1509.

Now, the last senior member of the dynasty, Margaret continued to work for the family legacy, fulfilling her duties as executor of her son’s will and organising Henry and Katherine’s coronation. Just five days after the coronation and one day after Henry’s 18th birthday, Lady Margaret Beaufort died on the 29th of June 1509. She is buried in the Lady Chapel in Westminster Abbey, with her second husband, Edmund Tudor. Her plaque, composed by Erasmus, commemorates just some of her many achievements.

Legacy

Margaret’s legacy did not halt when she died. Lady Margaret Hall, established in 1879, was the first college at the University of Oxford to admit women. In 1993, the Margaret Beaufort Institute was founded as a Roman Catholic house at Cambridge, where women can study theology. The Institute was put up in Lady Margaret House for many years, a Grade II listed building renamed in her honour. Her professorships of divinity still exist today, with Carol Harrison being the current professor at Oxford and George van Kooten at Cambridge. Furthermore, the Portcullis of the Beaufort family is now the official symbol of the Houses of Parliament and was originally dispersed during Henry VII’s reign to remind MPs of his royal lineage.

Margaret began life as a pawn for the ambitious men in her life during the Wars of the Roses, yet it was she who brought about its end. She continuously advocated for her son, assisted in his conquest and constantly put her life on the line for him. She was dedicated to her family, wearing motherhood like a badge of honour. She could be domineering, ruthless and a little self-regarding in her actions, but she used her wealth and power to establish a lasting Church and Tudor legacy. Her perseverance is inspiring, her resilience uplifting and she should be remembered not as the contriving mother-in-law that some have written her out to be, but rather, as one of the greatest female survivors, kingmakers and powerhouses of the medieval period.

Written by Annon Ford (with special thanks to Samantha Ann Ford)

References

Cawthorn, Ellie. “Margaret Beaufort: Mother of the Tudors.” Spotify: History Extra podcast. Podcast audio. Nov 21, 2019. Accessed Apr 19, 2025. https://open.spotify.com/episode/6g1344grl5QaPbgFwaEOA8?si=65fcaeb4454a412f 

History Calling. “LADY MARGARET BEAUFORT, mother of Henry VII | The real red queen | winning the Wars of the Roses.” YouTube video. Posted by “historycalling.” Mar 31, 2023. Accessed Apr 28, 2025. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86i3a_G7gl4.

History Calling. “LADY MARGARET BEAUFORT | My Lady the King’s Mother | The real red queen | mother of Henry VII.” YouTube video. Posted by “historycalling.” Apr 7, 2023. Accessed Apr 28, 2025. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGM_auVPcTc

Royal Bastards: Rise of the Tudors. Sky HISTORY. Nov 26, 2021. Television Broadcast.

The People Profiles. “Lady Margaret Beaufort – Matriarch of the Tudors Documentary.” YouTube video. Posted by “PeopleProfiles.” Mar 12, 2023. Accessed Apr 28, 2025.

Snow, Dan. “Margaret Beaufort: Mother of the Tudors.” Spotify: Dan Snow’s History Hit. Podcast audio. Oct 30, 2020. Accessed Apr 19, 2025. https://open.spotify.com/episode/3hjCEQhhgXKkkHMe4MuF0Y?si=c76ce2914cf34c8a 

Unknown Author, “Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Richmond.” Westminster Abbey. Accessed Apr 30, 2025. https://www.westminster-abbey.org/abbey-commemorations/commemorations/margaret-beaufort-countess-of-richmond

Unknown Author, “Lady Margaret Beaufort, ‘Domina Fundatrix’.” St John’s College, University of Cambridge. Accessed Apr 30, 2025. https://www.joh.cam.ac.uk/lady-margaret-beaufort-domina-fundatrix 

Unknown Author, “Our History.” The Margaret Beaufort Institute. Accessed Apr 30, 2025. https://www.mbit.cam.ac.uk/who-we-are/our-history/ 

Unknown Author, “Lady Margaret Hall.” LMH, University of Oxford. Accessed Apr 30, 2025. https://www.lmh.ox.ac.uk

Unknown Author, “Lady Margaret School: A Church of England School for Girls.” Accessed Apr 30, 2025. https://ladymargaret.lbhf.sch.uk/our-school/house-system/ 

Unknown Author. “Painting of Lady Margaret Beaufort smuggled to Cambridge to protect it from King Henry VIII’s henchmen unveiled.” St. John’s College, University of Cambridge. June 30, 2023. Accessed Apr 30, 2025.

“Which were the first professorships in the UK?” University of Leeds Professors. Accessed Apr 30, 2025. https://professors.leeds.ac.uk/what-is-a-professor/which-were-the-first-professorships-in-the-uk/ 

“International Women’s Month | Lady Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Richmond.” Stonyhurst. Mar 10, 2022. Accessed Apr 30, 2025.

Images (in order of appearance) 

Margaret Beaufort, by follower of Maynard Waynwyk. 16th century. Oil on panel. 43 x 35.5 cm. Private Collection. 

Cowper, Frank Cadogan. Erasmus and Thomas More Visit the Children of King Henry VII at Greenwich, 1499. 1910. Oil on canvas. 205.7 x 210.8 cm. Parliamentary Art Collection, London.

Lady Margaret Beaufort depicted in a stained glass window in St Botolph’s Church, Boston, Lincolnshire. 2014. Photograph of stained-glass window. St Botolph’s Church, Lincolnshire.

Weywyck, Maynart. Lady Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Richmond and Derby. 1510. Oil on panel. 180 cm x 122cm. National Portrait Gallery, London. 

Sodacan. Beaufort Portcullis Badge of the Tudors. 2013. Digital illustration. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Beaufort_Portcullis_Badge_of_the_Tudors.svg 

Westminster Abbey. Tomb of Margaret Beaufort. 2025. Photograph of effigy. The Lady Chapel, Westminster Abbey, London.https://x.com/wabbey/status/1906320388679704695