Margaret Plantagenet (better known as Margaret of York) was born to Richard Plantagenet, 3^rd Duke of York and Cecily Neville, on 3 May 1446. This powerhouse of a female was the sister of not one, but two kings of England: King Edward IV and King Richard III. She was born in Fotheringhay Castle in Northamptonshire.

 

Margaret of York, Unknown, 1468

    Margaret grew up in England during a tumultuous time. King Henry VI was the reigning monarch of her youth, along side his queen, Margaret of Anjou. Henry VI proved to be a weak king. He consistently forgave those who rebelled against him, had poor policy and his mental instability drove the country into near constant power struggles. During his comatose episodes Queen Margaret of Anjou would attempt to rule in his name, but she had favorites. A subject who was not one of those favorites was Richard Plantagenet, 3^rd Duke of York. Richard and Margaret did not get on, to say the least.  Richard was a capable nobleman who brought the country in balance while Henry VI was indisposed and, therefore, Margaret feared his power and ability. When Henry VI regained his senses, Richard’s regency was no longer necessary.

     Richard decided to act. As a descendant of King Edward III, through Edward’s second son (on his mother’s side) and his fourth son (on his father’s side), Richard decided to lay claim to the throne of England. What would ensue would become known as the Wars of the Roses, a bitter rivalry between the houses of Lancaster and York. Eventually Richard, Duke of York, would be killed in battle, but his eldest son, Edward, would take up the claim. Edward ended up victorious and was crowned King Edward IV of England.

King Edward IV, Unknown, c. 1540 

   

    Margaret was a valuable bride now she was of the royal house of England. Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, sent his advisors to England to negotiate with Edward IV  for the hand of his sister in marriage. Edward IV agreed in October 1467. Margaret met Charles the Bold, for the first time, on 27 June 1468. The couple were formally wed on 3 July 1468.

 Charles the Bold, Rogier van der Wyden, c. 1454

    Margaret and Charles would only be married for nine years, and the union would produce no children. Charles the Bold died in battle on 5 January 1477. This is when Margaret became a force to be reckoned with. Margaret took it upon herself to raise Mary, her step-daughter. The two would often talk about Margaret’s experiences as a princess at the court of her brother, King Edward IV. She would tell Mary how she was used a pawn for dynasties and men. Mary listened intently, and would take this guidance to heart. Following Margaret’s advice, Mary married Maximillian of Hapsburg, the son of the Holy Roman Emperor, Frederick III, on 18 August 1477. Mary would give birth first to Philip, and asked Margaret to be his godmother. Then would come a girl, which Mary and Maximillian named Margaret. The bond between Mary and Margaret was clear to all.

                            

          Philip the Handsome, Juan de Flandes, c. 1500

                                                                                     

                                                                             Margaret of Austria, Jean Hey, c. 1490

    In 1478, Margaret received the news that her brother, George, Duke of Clarence, had been executed for treason against their brother, King Edward IV. She was grief-stricken but the punches would keep coming. In 1482, Mary fell victim to a hunting accident. During the hunt, Mary fell from her horse and broke her back. She succumbed to her injuries on 27 March 1482. Burgundy was more vulnerable than ever. The Burgundians refused to accept Maximillian as regent for his son Philip. On 23 December 1482, the Treaty of Arras was signed, in which peace with France was agreed. In 1483, her brother and ally, King Edward IV of England, died unexpectedly. Her other brother, Richard, Duke of Gloucester, would disinherit Edward’s children, and claim the crown for himself as Richard III. Richard III would then be killed at the Battle of Bosworth by Henry Tudor in 1485.

     In 1489, Maximillian returned to Austria, and Margaret of York governed Burgundy. She resumed the guardianship of Philip and Margaret. They would live at the glorious palace of Mechelen, which became a glamorous court. Philip, better known as Philip the Handsome, would later send his children back to Mechelen to be educated. Margaret, better known as Margaret of Austria, would choose Mechelen as her main residence and the capital of the Low Countries, later in life.

    Margaret would then begin a campaign against the House of Lancaster over in England. She blamed Henry Tudor for the defeat of the House of York. She would financially back the pretender to the throne, Lambert Simnel, whom most historians believed had claimed to be Edward Plantagenet, Earl of Warwick. It makes more sense to me, that Lambert Simnel had claimed to be King Edward V, the elder of the Princes in the Tower, eldest son of Edward IV and Queen Elizabeth Woodville. Especially since Henry Tudor had the Earl of Warwick imprisoned in the Tower of London at the time and had no issue presenting him to the public.

     Margaret also financially backed and even acknowledged the pretender, Perkin Warbeck, as her nephew, Richard, Duke of York, the younger of the Princes in Tower. Warbeck proved to be more problematic to King Henry VII than Simnel was. I’m sure this also caused Henry VII to view Margaret of York as quite an annoyance. But Margaret would not give up on her house.

    On 23 November 1503, Margaret of York died at the age of 57. Margaret left behind a legacy of enduring patronage, to include William Caxton, printer of the first book in the English language, which was dedicated to Margaret of York. She was a mother figure to her step-children, Mary and Maximillian, as well as to her grandchildren, Philip the Handsome and Margaret of Austria. Margaret of Austria would do her step-grandmother proud, following in her footsteps of patronage, politics and acumen. The survival of the Burgundian State is a credit to Margaret of York.