Margaret of Anjou Biography

Dromo's Den

MARGARET OF ANJOU, (1430–82). Queen Consort of Henry VI of England. She was born on March 23, 1430, and was the daughter of René the Good of Anjou, titular King of Naples and Jerusalem. When in 1439 the peace party in England, headed by Cardinal Beaufort, came into power, they sought to end the Hundred Years' War, and as a step in this direction looked around for a suitable French princess as a wife for the young Henry VI. Their choice fell upon Margaret, and in 1445 the marriage took place. She became, however, rapidly unpopular, the loss of the English possessions in France being charged against her. When in 1453 a son was born to her, Richard, Duke of York, gave up all hope of succeeding peacefully to the crown. Just before the birth of the son Henry had become insane and York had been made Regent; but on the King's recovery in 1455 he led the Yorkists in arms against the house of Lancaster, inaugurating the Wars of the Roses. Margaret became leader of the Lancastrians. In 1460 she was victorious at Wakefield, where the Duke of York fell, but the battle of Towton (q.v.) in 1461 was disastrous to the Lancastrian cause. In 1462 and 1463 Margaret made attempts to restore the fortunes of her house and invaded England without success; and in 1464 her adherents were defeated at Hexham. In 1470 Warwick (q.v.) joined the Lancastrians and restored Henry VI to the throne, but in 1471 Edward IV won a decisive victory at Barnet; Henry was recaptured, and spent the remaining weeks of his life in the Tower. Meanwhile Margaret had landed in England, but was defeated and taken at Tewkesbury in 1471, while her son lost his life on the battlefield. She remained in captivity for about five years, till Louis XI redeemed her for 50,000 crowns. She then retired to France, and died at the château of Dampierre, near Saumier in Anjou, on Aug. 25, 1482.

The New International Encyclopaedia, Vol. XV (New York: Dodd, Mead & Co., 1920) 78.