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Tudor Minute May 31: Happy Birthday Lady Margaret Beaufort

Hey, this is Heather from the Renaissance English History Podcast, and this is your Tudor Minute for May 31.

Today is the birthday of one of my favorite women in Tudor history – Lady Margaret Beaufort, born today in 1443. The mother of Henry Tudor, she paved the way for his invasion of England, negotiating the marriage of Henry with Elizabeth of York’s mother, Elizabeth Woodville, and pretty much masterminding the whole thing.

Sadly, she is often remembered as being cold hearted, or even the mother in law from hell to Elizabeth. There was one comment in one record about her not walking properly behind Elizabeth, and suddenly that’s been woven into this drama. And that’s all it is – drama. There’s no evidence that she didn’t get along with Elizabeth of York, or that she was anything other than a loving mother and mother in law. Family was hugely important to her, having been without her son, and without much of a family her entire life as she tried to navigate her way through the Wars of the Roses. She was also a devout woman, and supported education, funding several colleges.

That’s your Tudor Minute for today. Remember you can dive deeper into life in 16th century England through the Renaissance English History Podcast at englandcast.com where there is an episode on Lady Margaret.

Links:

Lady Margaret Beaufort Episode