“1453,
Heiress to the red rose of Lancaster, Margaret Beaufort is a strikingly pious
child. Saints’ knees he stigmata, she has a fierce and unwavering sense of
destiny, if not a nun, then she’ll be Queen of England and sign her name
Margaret Regina: Margaret R.
Still
a girl, Margaret is sent to a loveless marriage in remote Wales. There she
gives birth to a son whom she names for the King, he cousin Henry VI of
England, who is sinking into madness. Determined to put her Henry on England’s
throne, regardless of the overwhelming power of the York dynasty, she sends him
into exile and pledges him in marriage to the daughter of her enemy Elizabeth
Woodville.
Meanwhile,
devoted in her belief that her House is the true ruler of England, Margaret
feigns loyalty to the usurper King Richard III and masterminds one of the
greatest rebellions of all time.”
Before reading the book but watching the TV
show I have come to the conclusion that Margaret is slightly mad. Driven by her
belief that it is God’s will to put her Henry on the throne. She is as the
blurb states in a loveless marriage at the start and an even less so one later
on, married only for personal gain and a place in court.
After reading the book you can’t help but
feel so sorry for Margaret Beaufort. She was a disappointment to her mother
because she was a girl and not a boy, she is given a betrothal when she is only
6 and gets re-betrothed when she is 9. She is only 12 when she finally marries
and is a widow at 14 after carrying her husband’s child. Then to make matters
worse she is made to re-marry to Henry Stafford and forced to give up her
child. Well, I don’t know about you but my childhood certainly wasn’t that bad.
Her mother is wicked woman and an absolute beast; I just simply cannot
understand how a mother can have so little love for her child. It must have
really sucked to be a girl in Margaret’s time, to never have a say in your
life, but instead it be all to do with your parents and later your husband is a
completely horrendous thought.
She continues to be told what to do
throughout her life but she always holds on to the unwavering sense that she is
doing the will of God, she believes that he speaks to her. She will stop at
nothing to get her son on the throne of England. She even marries to get a
place in court so as to get her closer to getting her boy on the throne. She is
a very strong, pious woman.
I didn’t enjoy this book as much as the
Kingmaker’s Daughter purely because of the amount of battle and I felt as if
Margaret kept repeating herself about the will of God, which of course is
supposed to happen because that is what she lives for and is the main plot line
and her driving force behind everything she does, but I did find it getting a
little bit trying. If anything I am more intrigued to read about ‘The White
Princess’ Elizabeth Woodville’s daughter, which is due to be released sometime in
August. She seems to be a rather significant figure in both of the books
towards the end of them and I’d like to find out more about her.
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