Lady Margaret Beaufort was a woman ahead of her time. Educated and literate, she was the founding mother of a dynasty that was never meant to be, the Tudor dynasty.
Margaret was born at Bletso Castle, Bedfordshire, on May 31, 1443. She was the daughter of John Beaufort, Duke of Somerset, and Margaret Beauchamp of Bletso. On her mother's side, she was the great-granddaughter of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster and his mistress, Katherine Swynford. Because their children were conceived before their eventual marriage, the issue of Lancaster and Swynford was only made legitimate by a special Act of Parliament with the provision that none of their descendants would ever be heirs to the throne of England. Margaret, the second cousin of the king, was never in the official line of succession because of this.
Margaret's father, the Duke of Somerset, was involved in many campaigns in France. When she was three years old, he was killed in battle. The king gave her to the Earl of Suffolk as a ward, with the right to give her away in marriage. The guardianship of wealthy minors was a great honor in those times, and one in which Suffolk had the promise of great prosperity.
Primarily raised by her mother, Margaret was brought up in an exceptional way. She was taught the art of housekeeping and needlework, as was custom for girls of her day. However, her family took great pride in their girls being literate; thus young Margaret could read and write English, French, and some Latin. Her education was also spiritual in nature, per usual of the times, and she learned to devote herself to God and Church at a young age.
When she was nine years old, the question of who she would marry became a pressing matter. Suffolk wanted her to marry his son, who was one year her junior. The king's candidate for her marriage was his half-brother, Edmund, Earl of Richmond. Little Margaret was said to have beseeched St. Nicolas's help in choosing her future husband; however, her fate was already decided when Suffolk was charged with treason and executed, taking his son out of the running for potential husband.
At twelve years old, Margaret was married to the Earl of Richmond, who was in his early twenties at the time. The young bride quickly became pregnant before her husband left for war in France. Richmond never returned and Margaret was left behind in England, a thirteen-year-old widow who was seven months pregnant.
The birth was believed by historians to be very difficult; it's thought that the trauma of childbirth was so much for one so young, that Margaret was hence rendered infertile, explaining why she never had any more children. However, the delivery was successful and a healthy baby, Henry, was born on January 28, 1457.
Not much is known about Margaret's life during her son's childhood, for the country was gripped violently by the Wars of the Roses. What's known is that she did take a second husband, Lord Henry Stafford, while she was still a teenager. It seems that during this period, her son was in danger and the family stayed in their relative's homes in Wales, which was a Lancastrian stronghold. Through these times of danger, Margaret didn't express her desire to be crowned queen, though she had the strongest case of any Lancastrian claimant. Her only worries were for her son and her family. When Henry was fourteen years old, the situation grew so dire, she allowed him to be taken out of the country by his uncle, Jasper Tudor. She wouldn't see her son again for a decade and a half.
Stafford died during her son's absence when the couple was living at Woking in 1482. After his death, Margaret was obliged to marry a Yorkist, Thomas Stanley, Earl of Derby. This alliance began as one of a solely political nature; in time, Margaret convinced Stanley to join the Lancastrian cause. Shortly after her marriage to Stanley, Margaret was convicted of high treason due to a failed attempt to bring her son Henry home; because of Stanley's good-standing with King Richard III, the punishment was less severe and in no way detrimentally affected Stanley himself. Instead of the usual punishments of exile or execution, Stanley was given all of his wife's private lands and was to keep her under an effective house arrest.
In Brittany, Henry and his uncle Jasper gained many loyal followers. Henry's intent, upon gaining the crown, was to marry Elizabeth of York, the daughter of the deposed king. Elizabeth's uncle, King Richard III was very shrewd and thwarted several of Henry and Jasper's attempts to cross the Channel. However, Richard fell at the Battle of Bosworth and his crown was placed upon Henry's head as he was jovially proclaimed king of England.
Margaret was elated at her son's return. She hadn't seen him in fourteen years; his homecoming was something she had worked toward for so long. To see the crown upon his head must've been a dream come true; indeed, it's said that she wept tears of joy at the official coronation.
Though Margaret was the real contender for the English throne, she never made any attempts to unseat her son. By all accounts, she was very proud of him. However, rather humorously, Margaret would sign her name on documents as "Margaret R", the signature of a queen.
Margaret's years as Queen Mother were happy and productive. She wanted to build a free school and the year of her death saw the founding of Wimborne Grammar School in her name. She established the Lady Margaret's Professorship of Divinity at the University of Cambridge in 1502. Three years later, she worked to found Christ's College. St. John's college was founded two years after her death in her honor; Lady Margaret Hall at Oxford was also posthumously named after her.
As Queen Mother, Margaret saw the birth of four healthy grandchildren, the most famous being the future King Henry VIII. After Henry VII died, Margaret was chosen to be the regent for her teenage grandsons.
Margaret died shortly into Henry VIII's regency on June 29, 1509. Her legacy is that of religious piety and maternal love. It was her engineering that brought the Tudor family to power, a family who were secluded from the line of succession by law. That is, perhaps, her most enduring legacy.