Margaret of Anjou

Queen of England

• Born: March 23, 1430
• Place of Birth: Pont-à-Mousson, France
• Died: August 25, 1482
• Place of Death: Anjou, France

• Significance: Margaret of Anjou was Queen of England during a tumultuous period in English history that is sometimes called the War of the Roses (1455–1487). Margaret tried unsuccessfully to install her son, Prince Edward, as king.

Background

Margaret of Anjou was born near Pont-à-Mousson, France, on March 23, 1430. She was the daughter of René I of Anjou, who was a French nobleman who had claims to various European crowns, but he never ruled the areas. Margaret and Henry VI of England were put into an arranged marriage when Margaret was only fourteen years old. France and England had been fighting with each other for years in a conflict that would ultimately last from 1337 to 1453 and became known as the Hundred Years' War. The conflict was over who held the rightful claim to the English crown and other issues. Leaders in France and England believed a marriage between Margaret and Henry VI would help stop the fighting between the two countries; therefore, an agreement was made in 1444 that the two would marry.

Life as Royalty

Margaret, only a teenager at the time, traveled to England in 1445 to marry Henry VI. She arrived in London in April of that year to great fanfare. She married Henry VI days later, and she received her crown in Westminster Abbey in May of 1445.

Although Margaret had been greeted warmly, she did not have much support in her new home. Her French allegiances were obvious, and few people in the English court supported her. Margaret was seen as impulsive and self-interested. Henry VI was a quiet, ineffective leader, but Margaret was much more outspoken. She was intelligent and helped control the country while her husband was in power. She supported the peace process that had brought together her and her husband. She also encouraged her husband to give back some of the lands England had taken from France.

Margaret's life was further complicated by turmoil that had begun before she was even born. In England, the York family (whose badge was a white rose) and the Lancaster family (who became associated with a red rose) had been fighting since the end of the 1300s. The rivalry between the families traced back to King Edward III, who ruled England from 1327 to 1377. Edward had multiple sons, and both lines of the family, the Lancasters and the Yorks, claimed rights to the throne. Henry IV, who took power in 1399, was a Lancastrian king. His reign was filled with rebellion and disorder. The Yorks wanted to take power from the weakening king. But, Henry V, Henry IV's son, was a stronger, more effective leader. He helped capture lands from France. Nevertheless, Henry VI—Margaret's husband and Henry V's son—was not an effective leader, and he lost much of the land his father had gained.

Despite the power struggles, Margaret was determined to help her husband maintain power. Margaret understood that she needed to have children to have more power. She and Henry VI eventually had one son named Edward, born in October 1453. Even after Margaret and Henry had an heir to the throne, their troubles did not end. The king experienced bouts of mental illness, and many people still thought that Margaret and Henry's ties with France were too close.

Margaret gained a great deal of power as her husband became sicker. She wanted to see her son take power in the country, and she was aware that others wanted to displace the Lancasters with the Yorks. She wanted to stop that from happening. Yet, her brash political tactics lost her some support in the English court.

In May 1455, Henry VI called a meeting with his nobles. He decided not to invite Richard, Duke of York, who was a powerful nobleman and the leader of the Yorks. Richard—who realized the Yorks were being pushed out power by the Lancasters—amassed his own forces. Henry VI and the Duke of York fought a battle that came to be known as the first battle of St. Albans. The Lancasters lost that battle, which is considered the first major conflict in the War of the Roses. The War of the Roses, which is what the conflict between the Lancasters and the Yorks came to be known, lasted until 1487. After the battle at St. Albans, the Duke of York took over power in the English government. In 1456 Margaret had him removed from power, and he was later executed.

In the following years, tensions between the Yorks and the Lancasters mounted. Margaret was influential in her husband's decisions. When Henry VI was captured by Yorkists, Margaret made sure her son was installed as king. But, Edward of York, Richard's son, seized the throne for himself in 1461. Margaret, her husband, and her son fled to Scotland. Margaret attempted to gain back the throne for her family, but her forces were defeated in 1471. Her son was killed, and her husband was murdered in the Tower of London shortly after the defeat. Margaret was held as a prisoner, but the king of France eventually paid ransom to have her returned to her homeland. She died in poverty in France on August 25, 1482.

Impact

Margaret of Anjou has an important place in history and popular culture. The War of the Roses has been enshrined in literature for hundreds of years. This period in history captures people's attention because of its themes of family, loyalty, and power. Margaret's story is a very important one in the telling of the War of the Roses. Furthermore, Margaret is remembered because she gave her patronage to found Queen's College in Cambridge, England. The college was still open in the twenty-first century, and paintings and carvings of Margaret commemorate her contribution there.

Over the years, Margaret has also been portrayed in numerous forms of media, including several stage plays, television shows, and books, both fiction and nonfiction. A nonfiction treatment of her life, Margaret of Anjou: She-Wolf of France, Twice Queen of England, was published in 2023.

Personal Life

Margaret of Anjou married Henry VI of England in 1445. They had one son, Edward, in 1453.

Bibliography

Bennett, Elizabeth. "About King René and the Tournament Book." Princeton University, 4 Sept. 1998, www.princeton.edu/~ezb/rene/renenote.html. Accessed 2 Oct. 2024.

Brooks, Daniel. “The Bloody ‘She-Wolf’ Queen Shakespeare Turned Into a Panto Villain." Telegraph, 1 Apr. 2023, www.telegraph.co.uk/books/non-fiction/review-margaret-anjou-joanna-arman-she-wolf-queen-eng/. Accessed 2 Oct. 2024.

Hookham, Mary Ann. The Life and Times of Margaret of Anjou, Queen of England and France. Vol. 2, Tinsley Brothers, 1872.

"Hundred Years' War." History.com, 3 Sept. 2024, www.history.com/topics/hundred-years-war. Accessed 2 Oct. 2024.

Lawler, Jennifer. "Margaret of Anjou." Encyclopedia of Women in the Middle Ages. McFarland, 2001.

"The War of the Roses." History.com, 2024, www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-war-of-the-roses. Accessed 2 Oct. 2024.

Ward, Matthew. "Wars of the Roses." The Encyclopedia of Medieval Literature in Britain, edited by Sian Echard, Wiley, 2017.