Survivor. Rebel. Conspirator. Margaret Beaufort survived the Wars of the Roses to become the most influential woman of the Tudor dynasty.
Survivor. Rebel. Conspirator. Mother and grandmother of kings. Margaret Beaufort was one of the most remarkable and influential women of the Middle Ages.
Margaret was born into a century of conflict. The daughter of the Duke of Somerset and a descendant of Edward III, she was married at twelve; a mother, orphan and widow at thirteen. She rode the vicissitudes of the Wars of the Roses, and two further marriages, to see her only son Henry ascend the throne of England as the first monarch of the Tudor dynasty. Margaret helped to bring about the marriage of Henry VII to Elizabeth of York, a union that helped heal the wounds of a bitterly divided nation.
During Henry’s reign, she exerted considerable influence at court and played a part in the upbringing of her grandson, the future Henry VIII. She was a lifelong artistic patron and supporter of academia. By the time of her death in June 1509, Margaret had outlived by two months the son whose birth had so nearly killed her.
Lauren Johnson’s life of Margaret Beaufort brings its subject vividly and memorably to life. She delineates the decades of political upheaval that were the backdrop to Margaret’s long and resilient career, but also tells her story with a profound and touching humanity. This was a woman who endured the trauma of childbirth when she was little more than a child herself; who saw her baby on only a handful of occasions before he reached manhood; who braved decades of danger and uncertainty, and who succeeded in guiding her son – through courage, political astuteness and sheer persistence – to the greatest prize of all: the crown of England.
"‘Not just a biography of Margaret, but a vivid portrait of the turbulent years of the Wars of the Roses. Though Margaret never personally stepped onto the battlefield, she was a constant presence in English politics. Lauren Johnson brings her triumphs and tragedies brilliantly to life’" - Catherine Fletcher
"'Lauren Johnson is among a growing group of young female historians determined to shine a light on the importance and political significance of women in the shaping of English history. In this highly readable biography, she reveals Margaret as she truly was – a shrewd political operator, calculated risk taker and successful dynasty builder. Margaret, as these pages assert, was the Mother of the Tudor dynasty, not because she birthed Henry VII, but because she put him on the throne, and with diligent counsel and unfailing support, maintained his place upon it'" - Annie Garthwaite, author of CECILY
"Rich, absorbing and compassionate ... Above all, Johnson's book is about the power a woman like Margaret could have in medieval England, and her love for her child." - The Times
"[Johnson] does a good job of portraying the mind-boggling complexities of English life during the dynastic Wars of the Roses ... [she] follows recent trends in scholarship by showing us a shrewd, pragmatic noblewoman who was no one's idea of a Borgia." - Mail on Sunday
"This deeply researched and highly readable biography is a powerful testimony to what a capable medieval woman could achieve." - Engelsberg Ideas
"Lauren Johnson's compelling new biography is a detailed and sensitive re-examination of Margaret's life, interwoven with the Wars of the Roses, and a revealing assessment of how women have been judged by history." - The Oldie
"Absorbing." - Country life