Margaret Beaufort: Mother of the Tudor Dynasty

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Many historians believe the departure from court of dowager queen Elizabeth Woodville in 1487 was partly at the behest of Henry's influential mother, though this is uncertain. Biographers Jones and Underwood claim the entirety of Beaufort's life can be understood in the context of her "deeply-felt love and loyalty to her son".

Finally, Licence explores the lives of the daughters of Catherine of Aragon, Frances Brandon, and Anne Boleyn, who would become queens themselves; Lady Jane Grey, Mary I, and Elizabeth I. She dispels the many myths surrounding Lady Margaret Beaufort and in their place creates an altogether more compelling portrayal of a woman of extraordinary courage, vision and passion. This wouldn’t have been a problem if Henry VI was as strong as his father, but alas, as king was very weak, which meant that he needed help to rule his kingdoms.His first act after marching into London was to retreat with her for two long weeks, to celebrate their triumph and to plan their future. Margaret’s journey through love, death, and court intrigue continues in Judith Arnopp’s second book in her Beaufort Chronicle, “The Beaufort Woman”. In this intricate and intimate work, Tallis manages to cut through the dizzying ties of royal ancestry to get at the steely personality of Lady Margaret Beaufort (1443-1509), a beleaguered mother whose single-minded purpose was to redeem the status of her son—and herself in the bargain. In 1993 the Margaret Beaufort Institute of Theology on Grange Road, Cambridge was founded and named in her honour.

Furthermore, various societies, including the Lady Margaret Society as well as the Beaufort Club at Christ's, and the Lady Margaret Boat Club at John's, were named after her. Surrounded by conspiracies in the enemy Yorkist court, Margaret remained steadfast, only just escaping the headman's axe as she plotted to overthrow Richard III and secure her son the throne. Over decades and across countries, Margaret had schemed to install her son on the throne and end the War of the Roses.With the sudden death of King Edward IV in 1483 and the mysterious affair with his sons, Edward’s brother becomes King Richard III and fortune’s wheel takes another turn for Margaret. Margaret's extraordinarily close relationship with Henry, coupled with her role in political and ceremonial affairs, ensured that she was treated — and behaved — as a queen in all but name. The author of several books, she has previously lectured at the University of Winchester and worked with Historic Royal Palaces and the National Trust. This was England’s triumph, this was her son’s triumph, but far more than that, this was her triumph – to have dragged this base-born bastard family back from disaster, to challenge the power of York, to defeat a reigning king, to capture the very throne of England against all the odds.