Margaret (Anjou) England (1430 - 1482)

Born 23 Mar 1430 in Pont-à-Mousson (Meurthe-et-Mos.), Lorraine, France

Ancestors

Wife of Henry (Lancaster) of England — married 23 Apr 1445 in Abbey of St. Mary, Titchfield, Hampshire

Died 25 Aug 1482 at age 52 in Dampierre-sur-Loire Castle, near Saumur, in France

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Biography

Margaret of Anjou (Fr: Marguerite d'Anjou) (23 Mar 1430 – 25 Aug 1482)^[1] was the wife of Henry VI of England. She was Queen consort from 1445 to 1461, and 1470 to 1471. She also claimed to be Queen consort of France from 1445 to 1453. Born in the Duchy of Lorraine, to the House of Valois-Anjou, Margaret was the second eldest daughter of René I of Naples and Isabella, Duchess of Lorraine.

She was one of the principal figures in the Wars of the Roses, and at times personally led the Lancastrian faction. Due to her husband's frequent bouts of insanity, Margaret ruled in his place. It was she who called for a Great Council in May 1455 that excluded the Yorkist faction headed by Richard, Duke of York, causing the spark that ignited a civil conflict that lasted for over thirty years, decimated the old nobility of England, and caused the deaths of thousands of men, including her only son Edward of Westminster, Prince of Wales, at the Battle of Tewkesbury in 1471.

Margaret was taken prisoner by the victorious Yorkists after the Lancastrian defeat at Tewkesbury. In 1475, she was ransomed by her cousin, King Louis XI of France. She went to live in France as a poor relation of the French king, and she died there at the age of 52.

Owing to Henry's mental state, Margaret was in control of the state. In 1447, she and the Beaufort party had Gloucester arrested for treason; five days later he was found dead in his bed, but there is no there is no proof that he was murdered. The war of 1449, in which Normandy was lost, was laid to her charge. Margaret took up leadership of the Lancastrian faction until her capture at the Battle of Tewkesbury. She lay in the Tower for 4 years until ransomed by Louis XI, retiring to France. {Chamber's Biographical Dictionary} [GADD.GED]

Death and burial

(Royal Ancestry) King Henry's wife (later widow), Margaret, was imprisoned variously at the Tower of London, and at Windsor and Wallingford Castles, but released in November 1475 on payment of 50,000 crowns ransom demanded by King Edward IV. She died at Dampierre-sur-Loire Castle, near Saumur, in France 25 August 1482 and was buried in Angers Cathedral.

Links

Wikipedia: Margaret of Anjou

http://thepeerage.com/p10186.htm#i101860

http://www.geneall.net/F/per_page.php?id=9495

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=8375049

http://www.luminarium.org/encyclopedia/margaretanjou.htm

Note: Elle est rendue responsable des revers anglais áa la fin de la Guerre de Cent Ans et prend une part active dans la Guerre des Deux-Roses.

Sources

1. ↑ Wikipedia: Margaret of Anjou

• Royal Ancestry D. Richardson 2013 Vol. III p. 530-533

Alison Weir, Britains Royal Family A Complete Genealogy 1999, pp 41-44

Stuart Roderick, W. Royalty for Commoners, 3rd Ed. Genealogical Publishing Co. Baltimore. 1998