The protagonist of this book is Lady Margaret Beaufort (31 May 1443 – 29 June 1509), who was an extremely devout and cunning Lancastrian heiress. Her first marriage to John de la Pole was annulled after three years. She was married to Edmund Tudor when she was only 12. Soon after the marriage, Edmund died and Margaret is left pregnant and alone with her brother-in-law Jasper who she liked and respected more than her late husband. Aged 13, Margaret gives birth to her only son Henry Tudor. Margaret dotes on the boy but shortly after his birth she’s married off to Sir Henry Stafford. Though the marriage seemed happy enough, Margaret never fell pregnant again. Much to her regret, her son remained with his uncle Jasper. Margaret was convinced her son will be the King of England, and she will be called ‘My Lady the King’s Mother’ – a title that didn’t exist.
Aged 28, she is widowed again and merely a year later, she remarried to Thomas Stanley. Throughout her life, Margaret was obsessed with getting her son on the throne. At the end of the book, Henry has won the Battle of Bosworth and became King Henry VII.
I’ll be honest, I didn’t like Margaret Beaufort much. The woman would have been a nun if she’d had her own way but her father chose to have her married off as a small child to de la Pole, and as a 12 year old to Tudor. Yes, it was normal for the time but Edmund Tudor was twice her age and he had sexual relations with her as often as possible so she would get pregnant soon. I am quite appalled by that to be honest, so here’s this devout girl who I don’t like very much and who I feel bad for. She seemed to only have two thoughts in her head: religion and getting her son on the throne.
Read for the ShelfReflection Reading Challenge 2026
Prompt 17: A book about a historical event that’s not from WWII
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
