Margaret Of Anjou: The Ill-Fated Lancastrian Queen

 If you've ever read or watched Phillipa Gregory, you have probably heard of Margaret of Anjou. Gregory has a habit of referring to her as "The Bad Queen," which I don't think I agree with: Margaret was a lioness who had been dealt a bad hand, yet tried her best to secure her kingdom. She had a husband who wasn't well, a young son, and a country that fought itself for her crown. There is nothing bad about her; in fact, she is admirable.

Margaret of Anjou was born on the 23rd of March, 1430 in Lorraine, France. She was the daughter of Bon Roi René and his wife, Isabella, Duchess of Lorraine. She was baptised at Toul, and raised by her father's wetnurse, alongside many siblings. What records there are paints a happy picture: a little girl in a loving home, right in the middle of French politics. A good king and close knit family. Margaret would, sadly , leave this behind to marry into the English crown. 

King Henry VI was chosen to be her future husband: the son of the titular warrior King Henry V of Shakespeare legend, and his wife Catherine of Valois. Henry V had died very young, leaving a nine month old baby to inherit his legacy. Although Henry VI's grandfather had suffered severe mental health issues in his life, the young prince showed no signs yet that he, too, would have similar struggles. At the time, the match seemed perfect: the French had just won The Hundred Years' War, and the English wished for a swift peace to bury their embarrassing loss of what Henry V had won. The young princess was to sail across the narrow sea to meet her King, bear him children, and forget about all this mess. Margaret was an agent of peace, and officials looked to her to soothe the wounds of both countries. 

On the 9th of April, 1445, Margaret arrived at her new kingdom. So many large crowds turned out that rooves and other vantage points had to be inspected to prevent building damage. The progress lasted two days, and Margaret stayed at the infamous Tower of London in-between. 

On the 23rd of April, Margaret and Henry married, and seven days later, she was crowned Queen of England. 

The marriage of Henry VI and Margaret of Anjou

However, this happiness that had spread across the kingdom would not last: Rene suggested a lifetime peace in exchange for his daughter, along with the long-English owned county of Maine. The English complied, yet the choice left a bitter taste in peoples' mouths. Yet, Margaret and Henry were inseparable, and the country hoped that their marriage would soon begin producing children. 

Margaret soon began fulfilling her duty as Queen: she founded Queen's College in Cambridge, and she worked to mediate issues within her household. Margaret was largely apolitical at this time, which was expected of Queens. Yet, children had not been forthcoming, possibly a side effect of Henry's growing piety. It wouldn't be until 1453 that Margaret would become pregnant, and unfortunately disaster would soon follow. 

A contemporary portrait of Margaret of Anjou

At the end of summer 1453, after a streak of bad luck, Henry VI suffered some sort of mental health crisis. Historians often refer to what happened as "Sleeping Sickness," yet modern diagnoses range from depression, to catatonic schizophrenia, to some sort of neurodivergent paralysis. Nevertheless, Henry VI took to his bed, and did not re-emerge for months. During his absence, Richard, Duke of York became protector, and calls were made to depose the sickly King, and place the House of York on the throne. 

Thankfully, Henry VI came to sometime around Christmas day, 1454. Yet, this did not quell the treason at his court. Margaret, having just given birth to her son, Edward, and having been excluded from talks about her government, was vulnerable to losing everything. A year later in 1455, The Wars of The Roses broke out, and it became incredibly clear that Henry was not fit to rule. 

Margaret was forced to rise to the occasion: she took over as ruler, and arranged for armies to meet York in battle. This was exceptional for a female ruler of this time, yet she would be the first of many women who would have to act similarly under similar circumstance. Margaret would even go so far as to raise support in Scotland, where her French heritage would be respected and honored, thanks to a hundred year old treaty between Scotland and France. For the Lancastrian faction, things were looking up: The Battle of Wakefield brought a Lancastrian victory, as well as the heads of Richard, Duke of York and his son, Edmund of Rutland. Yet, behind the victory was a 17 year old boy who would prove to be the ultimate thorn in Margaret's side: Edward, Earl of March. 

Edward was handsome, young, and already a warrior. Standing something around 6'2, he had become heir to York on the death of his father. The Lancastrian armies behavior after the battle- placing the heads of father and son on Micklegate, the father with a paper crown on his head, had sent Edward into a rage, and he thirsted for revenge. 

His revenge came at The Second Battle of St. Albans, in 1461. Henry VI was captured. The Lancastrians scrambled to figure out how to beat this son of York, but to no avail. On the bloody snows of Towton in 1461, Edward became king of England, forcing Margaret to flee with her young son to the French courts. 

England seemed to breathe a sigh of relief under Edward: it was clear he wouldn't go mad, nor would he seemingly make terrible political mistakes like his forbear. Yet that sigh did not last into 1465, the year Edward announced his marriage to the common widow Elizabeth Woodville. Elizabeth did have some royal blood, however she was the wife of the late Lancastrian knight, Sir John Grey. This caused Richard Warwick, the "Kingmaker" and cousin to Edward IV, to swiftly change sides, as he had been negotiating a marriage with Bona of Savoy to destablise Margaret's place at court. Richard fled to Margaret and began plotting to marry one of his two daughters off to her son.

As the Woodville marriage grew more and more unpopular, Edward's brother George, Duke of Clarence ended up defecting and siding with Lancaster, which resulted in him being swiftly married to Isabel Neville, the eldest of Warwick's daughters. The marriage took place in Calais in 1469, and in secret, as Edward did not approve the match. George later fought at The Battle of Edgecote on the Lancastrian side, a loss for the Yorkists that resulted in the imprisonment of Edward. Yet, later that year, George would flee England with his heavily pregnant wife, resulting in the loss of the couple's first child. Yet, things would not stay bleak for them in France.

Shortly after their arrival, it was agreed that Richard Warwick's youngest daughter, Anne, was to marry Edward of Westminster, who had grown into a young man. Not much is recorded of Edward, unfortunately: his temperament, his wishes, and how he felt of the match have been lost to time. Yet, the marriage took place, and plots were laid to reinstate Henry VI; a move not yet seen in history. 

Unfortunately for Edward IV, it happened: King Henry VI was placed back on the throne, and he found himself in exile with his youngest brother, separated from his heavily pregnant wife, and his future uncertain. But, this would not last: Edward would only remain in exile for six months or so, and would face his enemies at The Battle of Barnet.  This battle would see the demise of the treasonous Kingmaker, as well as a reunion with George. Yet, Margaret was not present, and her absence set off a wild goose chase that ended in the midlands. On May 4th, 1471, the initial round of The Wars Of The Roses came to a close at Tewksbury: Edward of Westminster was slain in battle, aged just seventeen, and Margaret was arrested. Her daughter-in-law was quickly betrothed to the up and coming Richard, Duke of Gloucester, and shortly after the battle, Henry VI died under mysterious circumstances.  Margaret's grief must've been intense: her husband, son, and kingdom snuffed out like a rushlight. Edward exiled her back to France, never to see the shores of England again. 

Not much is known about Margaret's time in France, saved for she was disgraced. She lived in poverty for seven years before dying in 1482. She was buried with her parents, yet during the French Revolution, her remains were removed and scattered. Who had once been a conduit of peace, died disgraced and impoverished, having outlived her son and husband. Yet, with irony, she would be followed to the grave by her adversary, Edward IV, a year later, and the peace he had brought with her ruin would be upturned. Three years after she was laid to rest, Margaret's nephew, Henry Tudor, would put an end to The Plantagenet reign by the death of Richard III at Bosworth: a karmic justice too late for her to witness. 

Margaret of Anjou lived fifty-two years as a conduit of peace for The Hundred Years' War, as the warmaker for The Wars Of The Roses, as well as a disgraced Queen of England. She was a doting mother, a loyal wife, and a just queen during the tenure she had. She is not "bad" or anything of the sort: she was a woman, trying to keep a grasp on what was hers, what was owed to her son, while trying to play her role as well as she could. Although we do not remember her as similar to the likes of Isabella of Castile, they are very similar, and Margaret's reign predated Isabella's by twenty years. One day, hopefully, we will be able to hear more of her story.