Margaret Beaufort

The fascinating, colorful life of Margaret Beaufort, who survived the Wars of the Roses to become mother of the Tudor dynasty. Born into a century of conflict, Margaret Beaufort, the daughter of the Duke of Somerset and a descendent of Edward III, was married at the age of twelve. She was a mother, orphan, and widow by thirteen. She survived 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. Skilled at navigating at dynastic and court politics, she helped to bring about the marriage of Henry VII to Elizabeth of York, a union that would help 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. In old age she founded a professorship of divinity and two colleges at Cambridge University.

In this memorable biography, Lauren Johnson brings Margaret Beaufort to vivid life. She delineates the decades of political upheaval that were the backdrop to her long and resilient career, and highlights the shrewdness that kept her afloat amid the churning waters of a brutal civil war. Johnson also tells Margaret’s story with a profound and touching humanity. This was a woman whose body had to endure the trauma of childbirth, which nearly killed her, when she was little more than a child herself; who saw her baby boy on only a handful of occasions before he reached manhood; who braved decades of danger and uncertainty, but succeeded in guiding her son—through courage, political astuteness and sheer persistence—to the greatest prize of all: the crown of England.

Author Biography

Lauren Johnson is a public historian and author of The Shadow King: The Life and Death of Henry VI, also available from Pegasus Books. Lauren received a degree in medieval historical research from the University of Oxford, and is currently working on doctorate in collaboration with Manchester Metropolitan University and the National Archives, UK. With a passion for restoring marginalized narratives to our history, she has worked in heritage for almost two decades and has been a historical consultant for Historic Royal Palaces, Wellcome Library, Sky History, BBC and the Royal Shakespeare Company.