Margaret of Anjou: Fighting for her son

Who Was Margaret?

A portrait of Margaret of Anjou

Margaret of Anjou was born in 1430 in a sect of the Holy Roman Empire near France. She grew up here with her parents the Duke and Duchess of Lorraine, her father was also known as the King of Naples.(4) When Margaret was 15, she was married to Henry VI of England and was crowned Queen Consort in 1445 (1). Despite being 15 at the time, Margaret was described already as a strong willed woman. This temperament was the complete opposite of her husband Henry VI, who was considered mentally unstable and was overall a bad king. Henry's mental illness became so bad by the time Margaret had their only son Edward in 1453, he had suffered a complete mental breakdown. At this time Margaret took over campaigning for the throne for her son.

Rise in Political Power
Her want for her son to become king when the time king and her belief in threats again his inheritance was due to the fact that the Duke of York was claiming to be the rightful heir. Margaret took on a lot of political power at this time in her life, only to protect her son's rights. There was a lot of hostility between the Duke of York's forces and the Lancastrian army, which was lead by Margaret due to her husband incapacity. (1)

A Ruthless Leader

Margaret and her Husband Henry VI

Her most famous area of conflict was in the War of the Roses. The Duke of York was behead by Margret's army at this time and his side of the conflict was taken up by his son, Edward of York. Her husband was captured by the York army, but she eventually freed him at the Second battle of St. Albans. At this time she ordered the brutal execution of two men from the opposing army.(2) Despite this win, Edward of York did ascend the throne and become Edward IV in 1461.(3) This forced Margaret and her family to flee to France. 

Queen Margaret of Anjou from the
Dangerous Woman Project

Her Final Battle
After arriving in France, she formed an alliance with Richard Warwick who had previously been aligned with Edward IV. Margaret took advantage and to secure the alliance she married her son Edward to Warwick's daughter Anne. She eventually returned to England with her son and his new wife to lead the Lacastrians at the battle of Tewkesburg. Her army was defeated and her son had died. The death of her son seemed to kill the ambitious ruthless spirit that Margret had had for so long. She was broke over her son's death and her defeat. 

A Death Unsuited for a Queen
Margaret returned to France after being freed by King Louis XI, she lived there under him in poverty for the remaining years of her life until she died in 1482. She was laid to rest next to the graves of her parents, unfortunately these graves were ransacked during the French Revolution.(2) 

Works Cited 
(1) “Margaret of Anjou.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 7 Oct. 2019, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_of_Anjou.
(2) “Margaret of Anjou, Queen of England (1430-1482) [Wars of the Roses].” Luminarium, 2018, http://www.luminarium.org/encyclopedia/margaretanjou.htm.
(3) Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Margaret of Anjou.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., https://www.britannica.com/biography/Margaret-of-Anjou-queen-of-England.
(4) Özcan, Ezgi. “Margaret of Anjou - The Forgotten She-Wolf.” History of Royal Women, 19 Dec. 2018, https://www.historyofroyalwomen.com/margaret-of-anjou/margaret-of-anjou-the-forgotten-she-wolf/.