I don’t generally make a habit of noting Tudor anniversaries unless it is a big one, but I thought I would post about this one since Margaret is a pet interest of mine and she is the entry for the 31st on the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography “Lives of the Week”. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the OBNB, it’s a great resource for information on important British figures, but it is often only available through the print version or subscription to their online version. I’m lucky to have access through the university that work for, but I know a lot of people don’t have that luxury. Thankfully, they feature a biography for free every day, which you can get either by email or through their RSS feed. More information is available on their website. They also have a free virtual reading room which is worth checking out if you don’t otherwise have access.
I’m not sure how long the free bio of Margaret will be up, so I suggest getting it soon if you’re interested. And happy 565th birthday to the Countess of Richmond and Derby, mother of the first Tudor king!
Great link! And very informative biography. I always wonder if Henry’s taste for active, intellectual, assertive women (at least initially with Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn, and towards the end, with Catherine Parr) was shaped by exposure to Margaret. She was probably a prominent figure in his early life, especially after his mother died.
That’s quite possible. I seem to remember that she in was in charge of Henry’s eduction, which might have left a positive mark on him. Since he also arranged for good educations for all of his children, he obviously saw the value in educating the girls (granted that would also make them attractive on the marriage market, unless the potential husband didn’t want a smart wife!).
It’s really too bad Elizabeth didn’t have a chance to know her great-grandmother and her grandfather (Henry VII), since I think she had a lot in common with them.
I run the online Oxford DNB – thanks for writing nice things about the project!
The Beaufort biography will be available for free until Friday June 6 – all our lives of the day are free for a week.
You and your readers may like to know that almost all UK public libraries subscribe to the ODNB, and most allow you to log in from home using just your library card number. To check if you can access the ODNB for free using your library’s subscription, visit http://www.oup.com/oxforddnb/info/freeodnb/libraries/.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.
Howdy Matthew! I’m always glad to write nice things about the ODNB, it’s been a hugely valuable resource for me! Thanks for the additional info, I’m sure some of my readers will find it useful. I’ll be sure to pass it on for the folks on my Tudor Q&A blog too!