by Susan Flantzer

Margaret of Anjou was the wife of King Henry VI of England and one of the principal players in the Wars of the Roses, the battle for the English crown between the House of Lancaster and the House of York. She was born on March 23, 1430, at Pont-à-Mousson, Duchy of Lorraine, now in France, which was ruled by a cadet branch of the French kings, the House of Valois-Anjou. Margaret was the fifth of the ten children of René, Duke of Anjou and Isabella, Duchess of Lorraine in her own right. Margaret’s paternal aunt Marie of Anjou was married to King Charles VII of France.

Margaret’s nine siblings were:

France and England had been in a series of conflicts with each other since 1337 called the Hundred Years’ War. King Henry V of England, a warrior king, the victor against the French at the Battle of Agincourt, determined to conquer France once and for all, succumbed to dysentery, a disease that killed more soldiers than battle, on August 31, 1422, at the age of 35, leaving a nine-month-old son to inherit his throne, King Henry VI. Two years before his death, Henry V had married Catherine of Valois, the daughter of King Charles VI of France and Isabeau of Bavaria.

On October 21, 1422, Henry VI became titular King of France upon his grandfather Charles VI’s death in accordance with the Treaty of Troyes. Henry was crowned at Westminster Abbey in London, England on November 6, 1429. Two years later, on December 16, 1431, he was crowned King of France at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France. Before Henry came of age, English rule in France had begun a steady decline with Joan of Arc‘s campaign in support of Dauphin of France, later King Charles VII of France. By 1453, only Calais remained of Henry V’s French conquests.

Henry, who was more interested in religion and learning than in military matters, was not a successful king. He was shy, peaceful and pious, hated bloodshed and deceit, and definitely was not a warrior like his father. Instead of wearing the fashions of the day, Henry dressed in the clothing of a farmer or merchant. He lacked any kind of administrative skills which left him open to the machinations of his advisers. When it was time for him to marry, his advisers persuaded Henry that the way to achieve peace with France was to marry Margaret of Anjou, the niece of King Charles VII of France. The couple was married at Titchfield Abbey in England on April 23, 1445. Margaret was crowned Queen Consort of England on May 30, 1445, at Westminster Abbey. She was to prove as strong as Henry was weak.

Margaret and Henry had one child, born eight years after their marriage:

Shortly before his son was born, Henry had some kind of mental breakdown. He was unable to recognize or respond to people for over a year. These attacks may have been hereditary. Henry’s maternal grandfather King Charles VI suffered from similar attacks, even thinking he was made of glass. Sometimes Henry also had hallucinations which makes some modern medical experts think he may have had a form of schizophrenia. Porphyria, which may have afflicted King George III, has also been suggested as a cause. During Henry’s incapacity, Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York, the next in line to the throne after Henry’s son, governed as Lord Protector.

Even before the birth of Henry’s son, factions were forming and the seeds of the Wars of the Roses were being planted. Margaret was an intelligent, energetic woman and realized that she would have to take on most of her husband’s duties. She aligned herself with Edmund Beaufort, 2nd Duke of Somerset. Margaret believed her husband was threatened with being deposed by the Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York who thought he had a better claim to the throne and would be a better king than Henry. After Henry’s recovery in 1455, the Duke of York was dismissed, and Margaret and the Duke of Somerset became all-powerful. Eventually, things came to a head between the Lancastrians and the Yorkists, and war broke out.

At the First Battle of St. Albans on May 22, 1455, the Duke of Somerset was killed. Afterward, there was a peace of sorts, but hostilities started again four years later. On July 10, 1460, Henry was captured at the Battle of Northampton and forced to recognize the Duke of York as his heir instead of his own son. Margaret rallied the Lancastrian forces and was victorious at the Battle of Wakefield on December 29, 1460. The Duke of York and his second son Edmund, Earl of Rutland were both killed in the battle.

The leader of the Yorkists was now the late Duke of York’s eldest son Edward, Earl of March, the future King Edward IV of England. During the Second Battle of St. Albans on February 17, 1461, Henry’s freedom was secured and it is alleged that he laughed and sang insanely throughout the battle. The Yorkists regained the upper hand at the Battle of Towton on March 29, 1461, when Edward, Earl of March defeated the Lancastrian forces in a snowstorm. Henry fled to Scotland, and England had a new king, as Edward, Earl of March became King Edward IV from the House of York.

Henry returned from Scotland in 1464 and took part in an ineffective uprising. In 1465, Henry was captured and taken to the Tower of London. Margaret, exiled in France, wanted to restore the throne to her husband. Coincidentally, King Edward IV had a falling out with his major supporters, his brother George, Duke of Clarence and Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick, known as the Kingmaker. Margaret, Clarence, and Warwick formed an alliance at the urging of King Louis XI of France. Edward IV was forced into exile, and Henry VI was restored to the throne on October 30, 1470. However, once again, Edward IV got the upper hand. Edward IV returned to England in early 1471 and killed Warwick at the Battle of Barnet. The final decisive Yorkist victory was at the Battle of Tewkesbury on May 4, 1471, where Margaret led the Lancastrian forces and her son Edward was killed. Henry was returned to the Tower of London and died on May 21, 1471, probably murdered on orders from Edward IV.

Margaret was imprisoned at Wallingford Castle in England with Alice de la Pole, Duchess of Suffolk (born Alice Chaucer, granddaughter of the poet Geoffrey Chaucer), her former lady-in-waiting, acting as her custodian. Margaret’s father René, Duke of Anjou worked tirelessly to arrange his daughter’s release. In 1475, King Louis XI agreed to pay Margaret’s ransom provided that her father would cede to France his territories of Anjou, Bar, Lorraine, and Provence.

Margaret was released from her imprisonment in November 1475 and arrived back in France in January 1476. She was allowed to join her father at his country home La Maison de Reculée near Angers. René, Duke of Anjou died in 1480. Two years later, Margaret died on August 25, 1482, at the age of 53. She was buried with her parents at Saint Maurice Cathedral in Angers. Her tomb survived until the French Revolution when it was destroyed in 1794 and her remains were scattered.

Wikipedia: Margaret of Anjou