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Margaret BeaufortMother of Henry Tudor (future King Henry VII of England)
Date of Birth: 31.05.1443
Country:  Great Britain |
Content:
Biography of Margaret Beaufort
Early Life and FamilyMargaret Beaufort was born to John Beaufort, 1st Duke of Somerset, and Margaret Beauchamp. She was the mother of Henry Tudor, who would later become King Henry VII of England. On her father's side, she was descended from John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster (son of King Edward III) and his mistress and later third wife, Katherine Swynford. The Beaufort family (descendants of Lancaster and Swynford) had no rights to the throne, but the interruption of the legitimate Lancaster line in 1471 made them the main contenders for leadership in the dwindling Red Rose party.
Life and Influences
After her son Henry Richmond and his uncle Jasper Tudor fled to Brittany in 1471, Margaret remained in England. Her fourth husband, Lord Constable Thomas Stanley, played a key role in resolving the Wars of the Roses by coming to the aid of his stepson in the decisive Battle of Bosworth. After her son's ascension to the throne in 1485, Margaret was surrounded by royal honors, but she did not hold the title of queen and was referred to as "Her Grace the King's Mother." Henry VII bestowed the title of Earl of Derby on her husband, making Margaret the Countess of Derby, but she preferred to use the title of Countess of Richmond in memory of her late husband. Margaret was an educated and devout woman and had a great influence on her son. She outlived him briefly and died during the reign of her grandson, Henry VIII.
Marriages and Children
Margaret was first formally married to John de la Pole, 2nd Duke of Suffolk (1449 - annulled in 1452), but as she was only 6-9 years old at the time, the marriage was purely political and remained fictitious. In her second marriage, she was the wife of Edmund Tudor, Earl of Richmond, son of Owen Tudor and Catherine of Valois, the half-brother of King Henry VI. Her third marriage was to Henry Stafford (killed in 1471), and her last husband was Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby, who held the honorary title of "King of Mann." Margaret had only one child, a son named Henry, from her second marriage. He would later become King Henry VII of England, born two months after his father's death from the plague. Margaret did not have any children with her subsequent husbands.
