Margaret Plantagenet, Countess of Salisbury (14 August 1473 – 27 May 1541), was the only surviving daughter of
George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence
George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence (21 October 144918 February 1478), was the sixth child and third surviving son of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York, and Cecily Neville, and the brother of English kings Edward IV and Richard III. He pla ...
(a brother of Kings
Edward IV
Edward IV (28 April 1442 – 9 April 1483) was King of England from 4 March 1461 to 3 October 1470, then again from 11 April 1471 until his death in 1483. He was a central figure in the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars in England ...
and
Richard III
Richard III (2 October 1452 – 22 August 1485) was King of England from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the Plantagenet dynasty and its cadet branch the House of York. His defeat and death at the Battle of Boswor ...
) and his wife
Isabel Neville.
As a result of Margaret's marriage to
Richard Pole, she was also known as Margaret Pole. She was one of just two women in 16th-century England to be a
peeress in her own right (''
suo jure
''Suo jure'' is a Latin phrase, used in English to mean 'in his own right' or 'in her own right'. In most nobility-related contexts, it means 'in her own right', since in those situations the phrase is normally used of women; in practice, especi ...
'') without a husband in the
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...
.
One of the few members of the
House of Plantagenet
The House of Plantagenet (Help:IPA/English, /plænˈtædʒənət/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''plan-TAJ-ə-nət'') was a royal house which originated from the Medieval France, French county of Anjou. The name Plantagenet is used by mo ...
to have survived the
Wars of the Roses
The Wars of the Roses, known at the time and in following centuries as the Civil Wars, were a series of armed confrontations, machinations, battles and campaigns fought over control of the English throne from 1455 to 1487. The conflict was fo ...
, Margaret was executed in 1541 at the command of King
Henry VIII
Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...
, the second monarch of the
House of Tudor
The House of Tudor ( ) was an English and Welsh dynasty that held the throne of Kingdom of England, England from 1485 to 1603. They descended from the Tudors of Penmynydd, a Welsh noble family, and Catherine of Valois. The Tudor monarchs ruled ...
, who was the son of her first cousin,
Elizabeth of York
Elizabeth of York (11 February 1466 – 11 February 1503) was List of English royal consorts, Queen of England from her marriage to King Henry VII of England, Henry VII on 18 January 1486 until her death in 1503. She was the daughter of King E ...
.
Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII (; born Gioacchino Vincenzo Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2March 181020July 1903) was head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 until his death in July 1903. He had the fourth-longest reign of any pope, behind those of Peter the Ap ...
beatified
Beatification (from Latin , "blessed" and , "to make") is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a deceased person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in their name. ''Beati'' is the ...
her as a martyr for the
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
on 29 December 1886. One of her sons,
Reginald Pole
Reginald Pole (12 March 1500 – 17 November 1558) was an English cardinal and the last Catholic Archbishop of Canterbury, holding the office from 1556 to 1558 during the Marian Restoration of Catholicism.
Early life
Pole was born at Stourt ...
, was the last Catholic
Archbishop of Canterbury
The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the Primus inter pares, ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the bishop of the diocese of Canterbury. The first archbishop ...
.
Early life

Margaret was born at
Farleigh Castle in
Somerset
Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...
.
She was the only surviving daughter of
George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence
George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence (21 October 144918 February 1478), was the sixth child and third surviving son of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York, and Cecily Neville, and the brother of English kings Edward IV and Richard III. He pla ...
,
and his wife
Isabel Neville. George was a son of
Richard of York, 3rd Duke of York
Richard of York, 3rd Duke of York (21 September 1411 – 30 December 1460), also named Richard Plantagenet, was a leading English magnate and claimant to the throne during the Wars of the Roses. He was a member of the ruling House of Plantag ...
, and a brother of both
Edward IV
Edward IV (28 April 1442 – 9 April 1483) was King of England from 4 March 1461 to 3 October 1470, then again from 11 April 1471 until his death in 1483. He was a central figure in the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars in England ...
and
Richard III
Richard III (2 October 1452 – 22 August 1485) was King of England from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the Plantagenet dynasty and its cadet branch the House of York. His defeat and death at the Battle of Boswor ...
.
Isabel was the elder daughter and coheiress of
Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick
Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick, 6th Earl of Salisbury (22 November 1428 – 14 April 1471), known as Warwick the Kingmaker, was an English nobleman, administrator, landowner of the House of Neville fortune and military c ...
("Warwick the Kingmaker") and his wife
Anne Beauchamp, 16th Countess of Warwick.
Warwick was killed fighting against Margaret's uncles at the
Battle of Barnet
The Battle of Barnet was a decisive engagement in the Wars of the Roses, a War of succession, dynastic conflict of England in the Middle Ages, 15th-century England. The military action, along with the subsequent Battle of Tewkesbury, secured t ...
. Her father, already
Duke of Clarence
Duke of Clarence was a substantive title created three times in the Peerage of England. The title Duke of Clarence and St Andrews has also been created in the Peerage of Great Britain, and Duke of Clarence and Avondale and Prince Leopold, Duke ...
, was then created
Earl of Salisbury and of Warwick. Edward IV declared that Margaret's younger brother,
Edward
Edward is an English male name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortunate; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”.
History
The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-S ...
, should be known as
Earl of Warwick
Earl of Warwick is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom which has been created four times in English history. The name refers to Warwick Castle and the town of Warwick.
Overview
The first creation came in 1088, and the title was held b ...
, but only as a courtesy title and no peerage was ever created for him.
Margaret would have had a claim to the Earldom of Warwick, but the
earldom
Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. In modern Britain, an earl is a member of the peerage, ranking below a marquess and above a viscount. A feminine form of ''earl'' never developed; instead, ''countess'' is used.
The titl ...
was forfeited on the
attainder
In English criminal law, attainder was the metaphorical "stain" or "corruption of blood" which arose from being condemned for a serious capital crime (felony or treason). It entailed losing not only one's life, property and hereditary titles, but ...
of her brother Edward.
[''ODNB''.] She was most likely named for her paternal aunt
Margaret of York
Margaret of York (3 May 1446 – 23 November 1503), also known as Margaret of Burgundy, was Duchess of Burgundy from 1468 to 1477 as the third wife of Charles the Bold, and after his death (1477) acted as a protector of the Burgundian State. ...
, Duchess of Burgundy.
Isabel died suddenly on 22 December 1476, when Margaret was only three years old.
Two months earlier she had given birth to a son, Richard (who would only outlive her by a year).
The death of his wife led Clarence to believe that her lady-in-waiting and midwife,
Ankarette Twynyho
Ankarette Twynho (Twinnewe, Twyniho; –1477) was an English woman who was a member of the Somerset gentry and had been a lady's maid to Isabel Neville, Duchess of Clarence, until the duchess's death, probably from complications following childbir ...
, and a servant, had poisoned her and his son with a "venomous drink of ale". He had them brought to trial, found guilty and executed on very slim evidence by a rigged court in April 1477. His grief over his wife's death, and the midwife having been a distant cousin of the Woodvilles, suggested by his sister-in-law
Elizabeth Woodville
Elizabeth Woodville (also spelt Wydville, Wydeville, or Widvile; c. 1437Karen Lindsey, ''Divorced, Beheaded, Survived'', p. xviii, Perseus Books, 1995. – 8 June 1492), known as Dame Elizabeth Grey during her first marriage, was Queen of Engla ...
, made him distance himself from his brother, Edward IV.
The Duke of Clarence plotted against Edward IV, and in February 1478 was attainted and executed for treason. His lands and titles were thereby forfeited.
Edward IV died in 1483 when Margaret was ten. The following year, the late King's marriage was declared invalid by the statute ''
Titulus Regius
' ("royal title" in Latin) is a statute of the Parliament of England issued in 1484 by which the title of King of England was given to Richard III.
The act ratified the declaration of the Lords and the members of the House of Commons a year ea ...
'', making his children illegitimate. As Margaret and her brother, Edward, were debarred from the throne by their father's attainder, their uncle,
Richard, Duke of Gloucester, became King Richard III in 1483. He reinforced young Margaret and Edward’s exclusion from the line of succession,
and married
Anne Neville
Anne Neville (11 June 1456 – 16 March 1485) was List of English royal consorts , Queen of England from 26 June 1483 until her death in 1485 as the wife of King Richard III. She was the younger of the two daughters and co-heiresses of Richard N ...
, Margaret’s maternal aunt.
In 1484, Margaret and her brother were residing in the King's Northern estates in the care of their aunt.
Pole learned how to play the
virginals
The virginals is a keyboard instrument of the harpsichord family. It was popular in Europe during the Renaissance music, late Renaissance and early Baroque music, Baroque periods.
Description
A virginals is a smaller and simpler, rectangular o ...
as a child.
In 1485, Richard III was defeated and killed at the
Battle of Bosworth
The Battle of Bosworth or Bosworth Field ( ) was the last significant battle of the Wars of the Roses, the civil war between the houses of Lancaster and York that extended across England in the latter half of the 15th century. Fought on 22 ...
by Henry Tudor, who succeeded him as
Henry VII. The new King married Margaret's cousin,
Elizabeth of York
Elizabeth of York (11 February 1466 – 11 February 1503) was List of English royal consorts, Queen of England from her marriage to King Henry VII of England, Henry VII on 18 January 1486 until her death in 1503. She was the daughter of King E ...
, Edward IV's eldest daughter.
Margaret and her brother were taken into their care as wards of the crown.
They lived with the King's mother,
Margaret Beaufort
Lady Margaret Beaufort ( ; 31 May 1443 – 29 June 1509) was a major figure in the Wars of the Roses of the late 15th century, and mother of King Henry VII of England, the first Tudor monarch. She was also a second cousin of Kings Henry ...
, Countess of Richmond, and Margaret is recorded as attending the christening of the King's and Queen's first child,
Arthur Tudor
Arthur, Prince of Wales (19/20 September 1486 – 2 April 1502), was the eldest son of King Henry VII of England and Elizabeth of York, and an older brother to the future King Henry VIII. He was Duke of Cornwall from birth, and he was crea ...
, Prince of Wales, in
Winchester
Winchester (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs N ...
during September 1486.
The new Tudor King suspected anyone with blood ties to the Plantagenets as coveting the throne, and as young Edward was the last male Plantagenet and a potential
House of York
The House of York was a cadet branch of the English royal House of Plantagenet. Three of its members became kings of England in the late 15th century. The House of York descended in the male line from Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York ...
claimant,
he was moved to the
Tower of London
The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic citadel and castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamle ...
in 1485.
Edward was briefly displayed in public at
St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Paul the Apostle, is an Anglican cathedral in London, England, the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London in the Church of Engl ...
in 1487 in response to the presentation of the impostor
Lambert Simnel
Lambert Simnel (c. 1477 – after 1534) was a pretender to the throne of England. In 1487, his claim to be Edward Plantagenet, 17th Earl of Warwick, threatened the newly established reign of Henry VII (1485–1509). Simnel became the ...
as the "Earl of Warwick" to the Irish lords.
When
Perkin Warbeck
Perkin Warbeck ( – 23 November 1499) was a pretender to the English throne claiming to be Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York, who was the second son of Edward IV and one of the so-called "Princes in the Tower". Richard, were he alive, would ...
impersonated Edward IV's presumed-dead son,
Richard of Shrewsbury, 1st Duke of York
Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York (17 August 1473) was the second son of King Edward IV of England and Elizabeth Woodville. Richard and his older brother, who briefly reigned as King Edward V of England, mysteriously disappeared shortly ...
, in 1499, Margaret's brother Edward was attainted and executed. His lands and titles were confiscated.
Marriage
Margaret remained dynastically important to the new Tudor dynasty due to her Yorkist lineage and unquestionably noble blood.
When she was 14 years old, Henry VII arranged her marriage to his favoured cousin and loyal servant,
Richard Pole,
who was 11 years her senior and from a gentry family.
Whilst Richard's mother Edith St. John
was an older half-sister of the King's mother,
Margaret Beaufort
Lady Margaret Beaufort ( ; 31 May 1443 – 29 June 1509) was a major figure in the Wars of the Roses of the late 15th century, and mother of King Henry VII of England, the first Tudor monarch. She was also a second cousin of Kings Henry ...
,
making him from a Lancastrian supporting family,
he was of a lower status compared to his new wife. It has been argued by historians such as
Tracy Borman
Tracy Joanne Borman (born 1 January 1972) is a historian and author from Scothern, Lincolnshire, England. She is most widely known as the author of ''Elizabeth's Women'', a portrait-gallery of the powerful women who influenced Queen Elizabeth I ...
that this was intended to undermine her status, weaken her claim to the English throne and ensure that she was married to a loyal supporter.
Horace Walpole
Horatio Walpole, 4th Earl of Orford (; 24 September 1717 – 2 March 1797), better known as Horace Walpole, was an English Whig politician, writer, historian and antiquarian.
He had Strawberry Hill House built in Twickenham, southwest London ...
later reflected in his correspondence that "Henry had married her to the insignificant Sir Richard Pole who is called a Welsh Knight". Nevertheless, the King and Queen attended the marriage ceremony.
Historians debate the date of the marriage; it may have taken place in 1487 or 1491.
After the marriage, Margaret lived at her husband's manor of Bockmer,
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire (, abbreviated ''Bucks'') is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-east, Hertfordshir ...
and gave birth to five children. She was in attendance at court for important events such as at the
Feast of St George in April 1488.
Margaret's husband Richard prospered under the
Tudor regime and held various offices in Henry VII's government. He was appointed as a
Knight of the Garter
The Most Noble Order of the Garter is an order of chivalry founded by Edward III of England in 1348. The most senior order of knighthood in the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British honours system, it is outranked in ...
in 1499, and he was entrusted with the prestigious role of
Chamberlain for Arthur, Prince of Wales, the
heir apparent
An heir apparent is a person who is first in the order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person. A person who is first in the current order of succession but could be displaced by the birth of a more e ...
to the throne.
Around the time when Richard was appointed Arthur's Chamberlain, Margaret received a generous gift of £20 from Henry VII.
When the Prince of Wales married the Spanish
Infanta
Infante (, ; f. ''infanta''), also anglicised as "infant" or translated as "prince", is the title and rank given in the Iberian kingdoms of Spain (including the predecessor kingdoms of Aragon, Castile, Navarre, and León) and Portugal to the ...
Catherine of Aragon
Catherine of Aragon (also spelt as Katherine,
historical Spanish: , now: ; 16 December 1485 – 7 January 1536) was List of English royal consorts, Queen of England as the Wives of Henry VIII, first wife of King Henry VIII from their marr ...
in 1501, they established an independent household at
Ludlow Castle
Ludlow Castle is a ruined medieval fortification in the Ludlow, town of the same name in the English county of Shropshire, standing on a promontory overlooking the River Teme. The castle was probably founded by Walter de Lacy (died 1085), Wal ...
. Margaret was appointed as one of Catherine's
ladies-in-waiting
A lady-in-waiting (alternatively written lady in waiting) or court lady is a female personal assistant at a court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman but ...
.
Despite a ten year difference in age, she and the Princess became loyal friends.
The friendship lasted throughout their whole lives and they exchanged frequent correspondence. Margaret held her position until Catherine's entourage was dissolved, after Arthur died on 2 April 1502.
Widowhood
Richard Pole died of an illness in 1505, leaving Margaret a widow with five young children.
She borrowed £40 from Henry VII to pay for Pole's funeral,
with
Charles Somerset, 1st Earl of Worcester, standing in surety for the loan. She had a small estate of land inherited from her husband but her
jointure Jointure was a legal concept used largely in late mediaeval and early modern Britain, denoting the estate given to a married couple by the husband's family. One of its most important functions was providing a livelihood for the wife if she became ...
provided little income or means of supporting herself and her children.
She took lodgings at
Syon Abbey
Syon Abbey , also called simply Syon, was a dual monastery of men and women of the Bridgettines, Bridgettine Order, although it only ever had abbesses during its existence. It was founded in 1415 and stood, until its demolition in the 16th cent ...
, on the banks of the
River Thames
The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, s ...
, along with her daughter Ursula and youngest son Geoffrey, as guests of the
Bridgettine nuns
The Bridgettines, or Birgittines, formally known as the Order of the Most Holy Saviour (; abbreviated OSsS), is a monastic religious order of the Catholic Church founded by Saint Birgitta (Bridget of Sweden) in 1344 and approved by Pope Urban V ...
.
To ease the difficult financial situation, her eldest sons were likely sent to other noble households.
She devoted her third son,
Reginald Pole
Reginald Pole (12 March 1500 – 17 November 1558) was an English cardinal and the last Catholic Archbishop of Canterbury, holding the office from 1556 to 1558 during the Marian Restoration of Catholicism.
Early life
Pole was born at Stourt ...
, to the Church, relinquishing all financial responsibility for him and sending him to the
Carthusian
The Carthusians, also known as the Order of Carthusians (), are a Latin enclosed religious order of the Catholic Church. The order was founded by Bruno of Cologne in 1084 and includes both monks and nuns. The order has its own rule, called th ...
Monastery at Sheen to be educated with the monks of the Charterhouse.
Margaret was also supported by monthly payments from the
King's Mother from May 1505 until May 1509.
She remained at Syon Abbey until
Henry VIII
Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...
came to the throne in 1509, and her fortunes improved.
Countess of Salisbury
Henry VIII married
Catherine of Aragon
Catherine of Aragon (also spelt as Katherine,
historical Spanish: , now: ; 16 December 1485 – 7 January 1536) was List of English royal consorts, Queen of England as the Wives of Henry VIII, first wife of King Henry VIII from their marr ...
in 1509, and Margaret was once again appointed as one of Catherine's ladies-in-waiting.
She attended to the new Queen during the coronation.
Her son Henry was also immediately given a place in the King's household.
In July 1509, the King granted Margaret an annuity of £100 a year.
Then on 4 February 1512, after Margaret's petition to the King,
her brother's attainder was reversed and an
Act of Parliament restored the Earldom of Salisbury to her.
It included some of her brother's former land. Henry VII had controlled these lands while Margaret's brother was a minor and then during his imprisonment; he confiscated them after Edward's trial. She paid 5,000
marks
Marks may refer to:
Business
* Mark's, a Canadian retail chain
* Marks & Spencer, a British retail chain
* Collective trade marks
A collective trademark, collective trade mark, or collective mark is a trademark owned by an organization (such ...
(the mark had a value of of a pound, thus £2,667) for the restoration of her lands, . These terms were generous when compared to the amounts other peers were made to pay for restoration of land.
Edward's Warwick and Spencer
espencerestates remained in the hands of the Crown, but Margaret now owned property in
Calais
Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a French port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Calais is the largest city in Pas-de-Calais. The population of the city proper is 67,544; that of the urban area is 144,6 ...
, estates in Wales and 17 English counties, and the London palace ''Le Herber''. In 1517, Margaret commissioned the building of
Warblington Castle
Warblington Castle or Warblington manor was a moated manor near Langstone in Havant parish, Hampshire. Most of the castle was destroyed during the English Civil War, leaving only a single gate tower, part of a wall, and a gateway. The property, ...
, Hampshire, which would become her principal seat.
It was built in brick, was sumptuously furnished and had a moat.
The King and Queen are known to have visited for extended periods and Henry VIII reportedly enjoyed the hunting there.
She had many church livings under her control.
She also commissioned a chantry at
Christchurch Priory
Christchurch Priory is an ecclesiastical parish and former priory church in Christchurch in the English county of Dorset (formerly in Hampshire).
It is one of the longest parish churches in the country and is as large as many of the Church o ...
.
As Countess of Salisbury, she played an active role in administering her estates.
By 1538 she was the fifth-richest peer in England
and ranked among the most powerful tenants in-chief during Henry VIII’s reign.
She was a patron of the
New Learning, like many
Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...
noblewomen.
Gentian Hervet translated
Erasmus
Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus ( ; ; 28 October c. 1466 – 12 July 1536), commonly known in English as Erasmus of Rotterdam or simply Erasmus, was a Dutch Christian humanist, Catholic priest and Catholic theology, theologian, educationalist ...
' ''de immensa misericordia Dei'' (''The Great Mercy of God'') into English for her.
Margaret’s lineage was continued through her five children, Henry, Ursula, Arthur, Reginald, and Geoffrey, who all rose to prominence.
Her first son,
Henry Pole, was created
Baron Montagu
The titles Baron Montacute or Baron Montagu were created several times in the Peerage of England for members of the House of Montagu. The family name was Latinised to ''de Monte Acuto'', meaning "from the sharp mountain"; the French form is ...
in 1514, another of the Neville titles in its first creation, speaking for the family on Margaret's behalf in the
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...
.
His mother negotiated his marriage to the coheiress Jane Neville, daughter of Lord Bergavenny.
Her second son,
Arthur Pole, had a successful career as a
courtier
A courtier () is a person who attends the royal court of a monarch or other royalty. The earliest historical examples of courtiers were part of the retinues of rulers. Historically the court was the centre of government as well as the officia ...
, becoming one of the six
Gentlemen of the Privy Chamber
A privy chamber was the private apartment of a royal residence in England.
The Gentlemen of the Privy Chamber were noble-born servants to the Crown who would wait and attend on the King in private, as well as during various court activities, f ...
and one of the noblemen who accompanied the king's sister
Mary Tudor to France for her marriage to King
Louis XII
Louis XII (27 June 14621 January 1515), also known as Louis of Orléans was King of France from 1498 to 1515 and King of Naples (as Louis III) from 1501 to 1504. The son of Charles, Duke of Orléans, and Marie of Cleves, he succeeded his second ...
in 1514.
Arthur suffered a setback when his patron
Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham
Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham (3 February 1478 – 17 May 1521) was an English nobleman. He was the son of Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham and Katherine Woodville, Duchess of Buckingham, Katherine Woodville and nephew of E ...
, was convicted of treason in 1521 but was soon restored to favour. He died young (about 1526), having married Jane Pickering, the heiress of Roger Lewknor.
Margaret and her son Henry pressed Arthur's widow to take a vow of perpetual chastity to preserve her inheritance for the Pole children.
Margaret's daughter
Ursula married
Henry Stafford, the only son of
Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham
Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham (3 February 1478 – 17 May 1521) was an English nobleman. He was the son of Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham and Katherine Woodville, Duchess of Buckingham, Katherine Woodville and nephew of E ...
and
Lady Alianore Percy, in 1519. She was about 15 years old, and he was not yet 18 at the time of the marriage.
After the Duke of Buckingham was beheaded for treason and posthumously attainted by an
Act of Parliament in 1521, the couple were given only fragments of his estates. Ursula's husband was created 1st Baron Stafford by King Henry's son and successor,
Edward VI
Edward VI (12 October 1537 – 6 July 1553) was King of England and King of Ireland, Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death in 1553. He was crowned on 20 February 1547 at the age of nine. The only surviving son of Henry VIII by his thi ...
in 1547. They had a total of seven sons and seven daughters.
Margaret's third son,
Reginald Pole
Reginald Pole (12 March 1500 – 17 November 1558) was an English cardinal and the last Catholic Archbishop of Canterbury, holding the office from 1556 to 1558 during the Marian Restoration of Catholicism.
Early life
Pole was born at Stourt ...
, was educated at
Magdalen College
Magdalen College ( ) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1458 by Bishop of Winchester William of Waynflete. It is one of the wealthiest Oxford colleges, as of 2022, and one of the strongest academically, se ...
, Oxford, and studied abroad at the
University of Padua
The University of Padua (, UNIPD) is an Italian public research university in Padua, Italy. It was founded in 1222 by a group of students and teachers from the University of Bologna, who previously settled in Vicenza; thus, it is the second-oldest ...
in Italy, with a £100 stipend from the king.
He was
Dean of Exeter
The Dean of Exeter is the head of the Chapter of Cathedral Church of Saint Peter in Exeter, England. The chapter was established by William Briwere, Bishop of Exeter (1224–44) who set up the offices of dean and chancellor of Exeter Cathedr ...
and
Wimborne Minster
Wimborne Minster (often referred to as Wimborne, ) is a market town in Dorset in South West England, and the name of the Church of England church in that town. It lies at the confluence of the River Stour and the River Allen, north of Pool ...
,
Dorset
Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...
, and a canon of
York
York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...
.
He had several other livings, although he had not been ordained a priest. In 1529, he represented Henry VIII in Paris, persuading the theologians of the
Sorbonne to support Henry's divorce from Catherine of Aragon.
He was the last Roman Catholic
Archbishop of Canterbury
The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the Primus inter pares, ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the bishop of the diocese of Canterbury. The first archbishop ...
and
Primate of All England
The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the bishop of the diocese of Canterbury. The first archbishop was Augustine of C ...
.
Margaret's youngest son,
Geoffrey Pole
Sir Geoffrey Pole of Lordington, Sussex (c. 1501 or 1502 – November 1558) was an English knight who supported the Catholic Church in England and Wales when Henry VIII of England was establishing the alternative Church of England with him ...
, married Constance, daughter of Edmund Pakenham, and inherited the estate of
Lordington in
Sussex
Sussex (Help:IPA/English, /ˈsʌsɪks/; from the Old English ''Sūþseaxe''; lit. 'South Saxons'; 'Sussex') is an area within South East England that was historically a kingdom of Sussex, kingdom and, later, a Historic counties of England, ...
.
Margaret's own favour at Court in these years varied. She received a New Years gift from the King valued at forty shillings, which was equal to the value of gifts given to the Dukes of Buckingham and Norfolk.
She also had a dispute over land with Henry VIII in 1518 when he awarded contested lands to the
Dukedom of Somerset, which had been held by his Beaufort great-grandfather, and was then in the possession of the Crown.
Governess to Mary Tudor
In 1516, Margaret became
godmother of the King's and Queen's daughter
Mary
Mary may refer to:
People
* Mary (name), a female given name (includes a list of people with the name)
Religion
* New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below
* Mary, mother of Jesus, also called the Blesse ...
and stood sponsor for her confirmation.
In 1520 she was also was appointed as Lady
governess
A governess is a woman employed as a private tutor, who teaches and trains a child or children in their home. A governess often lives in the same residence as the children she is teaching; depending on terms of their employment, they may or ma ...
to Mary,
a position of great honour and prestige that solidified her as a powerful force for patronage.
In July 1521, when her sons were caught up in the Duke of Buckingham's treason conviction, she was dismissed from her appointment. It had been restored to her by 1525,
when Margaret was reappointed governess to the Princess at
Ludlow Castle
Ludlow Castle is a ruined medieval fortification in the Ludlow, town of the same name in the English county of Shropshire, standing on a promontory overlooking the River Teme. The castle was probably founded by Walter de Lacy (died 1085), Wal ...
in
Shropshire
Shropshire (; abbreviated SalopAlso used officially as the name of the county from 1974–1980. The demonym for inhabitants of the county "Salopian" derives from this name.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West M ...
. Margaret and the Princess spent the Christmases of 1529 and 1530 at court.
During her time as governess, Margaret became like "a second mother" to Mary.
Margaret was initially amongst a group of high ranking noblewomen who openly opposed the King's divorce from
Catherine of Aragon
Catherine of Aragon (also spelt as Katherine,
historical Spanish: , now: ; 16 December 1485 – 7 January 1536) was List of English royal consorts, Queen of England as the Wives of Henry VIII, first wife of King Henry VIII from their marr ...
.
Others were
Mary Tudor, Duchess of Suffolk and the King's sister;
Elizabeth Howard, Duchess of Norfolk;
Gertrude Courtenay, Marchioness of Exeter; and
Anne Grey
Anne Grey (born Aileen Stephen Ewing; 6 March 1907 – 3 April 1987) was an English actress, who appeared in 44 films between 1928 and 1939, including some Hollywood films during the late 1930s. She was educated at Lausanne and King's College L ...
, Baroness Hussey.
This soured Margaret's relationship with Henry.
When Mary was declared illegitimate in 1533, Margaret refused to give Mary's gold plate and jewels back to the King.
Mary's Chamberlain
John Hussey, 1st Baron Hussey of Sleaford, wrote to
Thomas Cromwell
Thomas Cromwell (; – 28 July 1540) was an English statesman and lawyer who served as List of English chief ministers, chief minister to King Henry VIII from 1534 to 1540, when he was beheaded on orders of the king, who later blamed false cha ...
that “in no wyse she wyll as yete deliyver to Mistress Frances the jewells for anything that I can say or doo onlesse that yt may please you to obteyne the kings letters unto hyr in that behalf.”
Mary's household was broken up at the end of 1533 and Margaret asked if she could serve Mary at her own cost, but this was not permitted.
When the Imperial Ambassador,
Eustace Chapuys
Eustace Chapuys (; c. 1489/90/92 – 21 January 1556) was a Savoyard diplomat who served as Imperial ambassador to England from 1529 until 1545 under Charles V. He is best known for his extensive and detailed correspondence.
Early life and edu ...
, suggested two years later that Mary be handed over to Margaret, Henry refused, calling Margaret "a fool, of no experience". She was also unwell for several months during this time, in her sickbed at
Bisham
Bisham is a village and civil parish in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England. The village is on the River Thames, around south of Marlow in the neighbouring county of Buckinghamshire, and around northwest of Mai ...
.
She eventually capitulated and accepted the King's annulment, the Act of Supremacy, and the Act of Succession, and her household were instructed to comply.
Fall
In 1531, Margaret's son
Reginald
Reginald is a masculine given name in the English language meaning "king".
Etymology and history
The name Reginald comes from Latin meaning "king" and "ruler" symbolizing authority and leadership. It comes from combining Latin “ rex” meaning ...
had warned of the risks if Henry should divorce Queen Catherine and marry
Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn (; 1501 or 1507 – 19 May 1536) was List of English royal consorts, Queen of England from 1533 to 1536, as the Wives of Henry VIII, second wife of King Henry VIII. The circumstances of her marriage and execution, by beheading ...
.
Chapuys suggested to
Emperor Charles V
Charles V (24 February 1500 – 21 September 1558) was Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria from 1519 to 1556, King of Spain (as Charles I) from 1516 to 1556, and Lord of the Netherlands as titular Duke of Burgundy (as Charles II) fr ...
that Reginald should marry Henry VIII's daughter Mary and combine their dynastic claims. Chapuys also communicated with Reginald through his brother, Geoffrey.
In June 1536, Reginald definitively broke with the King.
He replied to a letter that he had received from Henry VIII with a copy of his own pamphlet, ''pro ecclesiasticae unitatis defensione,'' commonly known ''as De unitate.'' The pamphlet denied both royal supremacy and Henry's position on marriage to a brother's wife, and referred to him as ''"a robber, murderer and greater enemy to Christianity than the Turk"''.
This was a great offence to the King.
Reginald also urged the princes of Europe to invade England and depose Henry immediately.
Margaret was summoned to the King's presence where he personally informed her of Reginald's treasonable actions.
She consulted with her son Henry then wrote directly to Reginald, saying that she could not bear the King's wrath, strongly reproving him for his "folly",
and advising him to "take another way and serve our master as thy bounden duty is to do unless thou wilt be the confusion of thy mother".
She sent a copy of the letter to the King's council and retired from court.
After Anne Boleyn was arrested and executed, Margaret was permitted to return to court, albeit briefly, to serve the new Queen
Jane Seymour
Jane Seymour (; 24 October 1537) was Queen of England as the third wife of King Henry VIII from their marriage on 30 May 1536 until her death the next year. She became queen following the execution of Henry's second wife, Anne Boleyn, who was ...
.
In 1537, Reginald was made a
Cardinal
Cardinal or The Cardinal most commonly refers to
* Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds
**''Cardinalis'', genus of three species in the family Cardinalidae
***Northern cardinal, ''Cardinalis cardinalis'', the common cardinal of ...
, despite not being ordained a priest.
Pope Paul III
Pope Paul III (; ; born Alessandro Farnese; 29 February 1468 – 10 November 1549) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 13 October 1534 to his death, in November 1549.
He came to the papal throne in an era follo ...
put him in charge of organising assistance for the
Pilgrimage of Grace
The Pilgrimage of Grace was an English Catholic popular revolt beginning in Yorkshire in October 1536 before spreading to other parts of Northern England, including Cumberland, Northumberland, Durham and north Lancashire. The protests occurre ...
.
The English government tried to assassinate him.
Margaret's son Geoffrey was arrested in August 1538.
He had been corresponding with his brother Reginald and the investigation of
Henry Courtenay, 1st Marquess of Exeter
Henry Courtenay, 1st Marquess of Exeter, 2nd Earl of Devon (c. 1498 – 9 December 1538), feudal baron of Okehampton, feudal baron of Plympton, of Tiverton Castle, Okehampton Castle and Colcombe Castle all in Devon, was a grandson of ...
and the so-called
Exeter Conspiracy
The Exeter Conspiracy in 1538 was a supposed attempt to overthrow Henry VIII, who had taken control of the Church of England away from the Pope, and replace him with Henry Courtenay, 1st Marquess of Exeter, who was a first cousin of the King.
Co ...
implicated him. Under interrogation, Geoffrey's nerve broke.
[The Extermination of the White Rose]
(2011) ''History Today
''History Today'' is a history magazine. Published monthly in London since January 1951, it presents authoritative history to as wide a public as possible. The magazine covers all periods and geographical regions and publishes articles of tradit ...
'', vol. 61, no. 1. p. 35. Retrieved 5 November 2024. ISSN 0018-2753. He said that Exeter had been party to his correspondence with Reginald and he shared details about Henry, Lord Montagu's dislike of the King and his policies.
Montagu, Exeter, and Margaret were all arrested in November 1538 as the entire Pole family became implicated in the treason.
Margaret wrote of Geoffrey that, "I trow he is not so unhappy that he will hurt his mother, and yet I care neither for him, nor for any other, for I am true to my Prince."
Margaret was nevertheless accused of abetting her sons
and of having “comytted and p
retrated div
re and sundry other detestable and abominable treasons.” She was interrogated for three days by
William FitzWilliam, Earl of Southampton, and
Thomas Thirlby
Thomas Thirlby (or Thirleby; –1570), was the first and only bishop of Westminster (1540–50), and afterwards successively bishop of Norwich (1550–54) and bishop of Ely (1554–59). While he acquiesced in the Henrician schism, with its rej ...
, Bishop of Ely,
while imprisoned at
Cowdray House
Cowdray House consists of the ruins of one of England's great Tudor houses, architecturally comparable to many of the great palaces and country houses of that time. It is situated in the parish of Easebourne, just east of Midhurst, West Sussex ...
,
Midhurst
Midhurst () is a market town and civil parish in the Chichester District in West Sussex, England. It lies on the River Rother (Western), River Rother, inland from the English Channel and north of Chichester.
The name Midhurst was first reco ...
, West Sussex, which was Fitzwilliam’s home.
She defended herself against their accusations, and her interrogators reported to Cromwell that "We assure your lordship we have dealed with such a one as men have not dealed withal tofore
.e. beforeus; we may call her rather a strong and constant man, than a woman. For in all behaviour, howsoever we have used her, she hath showed herself so earnest, vehement, and precise that more could not be."
She also denied receiving any treasonous letters from her sons, with the reports to Cromwell also stating that "..
itherher sons have not made her privy ne participant of the bottom and pit
ftheir stomachs, or else is she the
ostarrant traitoress that ever
ived"
Lady Fitzwilliam refused to be in the home while Margaret was there, and Fitzwilliam himself pleaded with Cromwell to remove her from his custody. He wrote to him: "I beg you to rid me of her company, for she is both chargeable and troubles my mind."
In January 1539, Geoffrey was pardoned,
but Montagu and Exeter were executed for treason after trial.
The King convinced himself that he had escaped death by a narrow margin and informed Emperor
Charles V Charles V may refer to:
Kings and Emperors
* Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558)
* Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain
* Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise
Others
* Charles V, Duke ...
that for ten years Exeter and Montagu had planned to murder him.
In May 1539,
Margaret was attainted, as her father had been.
The attainder meant that her titles and lands were forfeit, her Earldom was confiscated and she was demoted to the title of Lady Margaret Pole.
Her estate, including Warblington Castle, was temporarily awarded to
Sir Thomas Wriothesley, 1st Earl of Southampton and the king's personal secretary.
As part of the evidence for the bill of attainder, Cromwell produced an embroidered
tunic
A tunic is a garment for the torso, usually simple in style, reaching from the shoulders to a length somewhere between the hips and the ankles. It might have arm-sleeves, either short or full-length. Most forms have no fastenings. The name deri ...
bearing the
Five Wounds of Christ
In Catholic Church, Catholic Catholic devotions, tradition, the Five Holy Wounds, also known as the Five Sacred Wounds or the Five Precious Wounds, are the five piercing wounds that Jesus Christ suffered during his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifi ...
, and heraldic symbols supposedly symbolising Margaret's support for the Church of Rome and the rule of her son Reginald with the King's Catholic daughter Mary.
This had allegedly been found in her coffers at Warblington Castle.
Margaret was sentenced to death, but was held in the
Tower of London
The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic citadel and castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamle ...
for two and a half years with her grandson, Henry, and Exeter's son. The King paid adequate sums for her maintenance including wages for a waiting woman. In March 1541, the King ordered warm gowns and footwear for her to wear.
In 1540,
Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English statesman, politician and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in British history. He came to prominence during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, initially a ...
had also fallen from favour and was himself attainted and executed.
Execution
The following poem was found carved on the wall of Margaret's cell:
On the morning of 27 May 1541, Margaret was told she would die within the hour.
She answered that no crime had been attributed to her. Nevertheless, she was taken from her cell to the precincts of the Tower where a low wooden block had been prepared instead of the customary scaffold.
Two written eyewitness reports survived her execution: one by
Charles de Marillac, the French ambassador, and the other by Chapuys, ambassador to the
Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans (disambiguation), Emperor of the Romans (; ) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period (; ), was the ruler and h ...
. The accounts differ somewhat. Marillac's report, dispatched two days afterwards, recorded that the execution took place with so few people present that, in the evening, news of her execution was doubted. Chapuys wrote two weeks after the execution that one hundred and fifty witnesses were present for the execution, including the Lord Mayor of London.
Chapuys wrote: "At first, when the sentence of death was made known to her, she found the thing very strange, not knowing of what crime she was accused, nor how she had been sentenced". Because the chief executioner had been sent north to deal with rebels, the execution was performed by "a wretched and blundering youth who hacked her head and shoulders to pieces in the most pitiful manner". It took eleven strokes of an axe for the executioner to remove her head. The first blow missed its mark, gashing her shoulder.
A third account in
Burke's ''Peerage'' described the appalling circumstances of the execution. It states that Margaret refused to lay her head on the block, declaiming: "So should traitors do, and I am none". According to the account, she turned her head "every which way", instructing the executioner that, if he wanted her head, he should take it as he could.
Margaret was buried in the
Chapel Royale of St Peter ad Vincula within the
Tower of London
The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic citadel and castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamle ...
. Her remains were rediscovered when the chapel was renovated in 1876.
[Pierce, Hazel. (23 September 2004) ]
Descendants
When not at Court, Margaret lived chiefly at
Warblington Castle
Warblington Castle or Warblington manor was a moated manor near Langstone in Havant parish, Hampshire. Most of the castle was destroyed during the English Civil War, leaving only a single gate tower, part of a wall, and a gateway. The property, ...
in Hampshire and
Bisham Manor in Berkshire.
She and her husband were parents to five children:
*
Henry Pole, 1st Baron Montagu
Henry Pole, 1st Baron Montagu (also written Montague or Montacute; circa 1492 – January 1539), was an English nobleman, the only holder of the title Baron Montagu under its 1514 creation, and one of the relatives whom King Henry VIII of ...
(c. 14929 January 1539), notable as one of the peers in the trial of
Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn (; 1501 or 1507 – 19 May 1536) was List of English royal consorts, Queen of England from 1533 to 1536, as the Wives of Henry VIII, second wife of King Henry VIII. The circumstances of her marriage and execution, by beheading ...
. He married Jane Neville, daughter and coheiress of
George Nevill, 5th Baron Bergavenny
George Nevill, 5th Baron Bergavenny (c.1469 – 1535), the family name often written Neville, was an English nobleman and courtier who held the office of Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports.
Origins
He was the son of George Nevill, 4th Baron Berg ...
,
and Joan Fitzalan, and they had four children. He was beheaded by order of Henry VIII. A great-grandson of Henry Pole was
Sir John Bourchier, one of the regicides of
Charles I of England
Charles I (19 November 1600 – 30 January 1649) was King of Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland, and Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland from 27 March 1625 until Execution of Charles I, his execution in 1649.
Charles was born ...
, who was a great-great-grandnephew of Henry VIII.
*
Arthur Pole (before 1499before 1532),
Lord of the Manor
Lord of the manor is a title that, in Anglo-Saxon England and Norman England, referred to the landholder of a historical rural estate. The titles date to the English Feudalism, feudal (specifically English feudal barony, baronial) system. The ...
of Broadhurst in
Sussex
Sussex (Help:IPA/English, /ˈsʌsɪks/; from the Old English ''Sūþseaxe''; lit. 'South Saxons'; 'Sussex') is an area within South East England that was historically a kingdom of Sussex, kingdom and, later, a Historic counties of England, ...
. He married
Jane Lewkenor, daughter of Sir Roger Lewkenor and Eleanor Tuchet, daughter of the
John Tuchet, 6th Baron Audley
John Tuchet, 6th Baron Audley, 3rd Baron Tuchet (1423 – 26 September 1490) was an English politician.
John Tuchet was the son of James Tuchet, 5th Baron Audley (c. 1398 - 1459). He married Ann Echyngham (daughter of Sir Thomas Echyngham (die ...
and Anne Echingham. They had four children.
*
Ursula Pole (c. 150212 August 1570), married
Henry Stafford, 1st Baron Stafford
Henry Stafford, 1st Baron Stafford (18 September 1501 – 30 April 1563) was an English nobleman. After the execution for treason in 1521 and posthumous attainder of his father Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham, with the forfeiture of al ...
, and had thirteen children.
Her daughter
Dorothy Stafford
Dorothy Stafford, Lady Stafford (1 October 1526 – 22 September 1604) was an English noblewoman, and an influential person at the court of Queen Elizabeth I of England, to whom she served as Mistress of the Robes. Dorothy Stafford was the seco ...
served Queen Elizabeth as
Mistress of the Robes
The mistress of the robes was the senior lady in the Royal Household of the United Kingdom, who would, by appointment, attend on the Queen (whether queen regnant or a queen consort). Queens dowager retained their own mistresses of the robes. In ...
,
[Somerset, Anne. (1984) '' Ladies in Waiting: from the Tudors to the present day'', New York: Alfred A. Knopf. p. 66.] and her son
Thomas Stafford was executed for treason against Queen Mary.
*
Reginald Pole
Reginald Pole (12 March 1500 – 17 November 1558) was an English cardinal and the last Catholic Archbishop of Canterbury, holding the office from 1556 to 1558 during the Marian Restoration of Catholicism.
Early life
Pole was born at Stourt ...
(c. 150217 November 1558),
cardinal, papal legate in various regions, including England, and the last Catholic
Archbishop of Canterbury
The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the Primus inter pares, ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the bishop of the diocese of Canterbury. The first archbishop ...
.
*
Geoffrey Pole
Sir Geoffrey Pole of Lordington, Sussex (c. 1501 or 1502 – November 1558) was an English knight who supported the Catholic Church in England and Wales when Henry VIII of England was establishing the alternative Church of England with him ...
(c. 1504–1558),
Lord of the Manor
Lord of the manor is a title that, in Anglo-Saxon England and Norman England, referred to the landholder of a historical rural estate. The titles date to the English Feudalism, feudal (specifically English feudal barony, baronial) system. The ...
of
Lordington in
Sussex
Sussex (Help:IPA/English, /ˈsʌsɪks/; from the Old English ''Sūþseaxe''; lit. 'South Saxons'; 'Sussex') is an area within South East England that was historically a kingdom of Sussex, kingdom and, later, a Historic counties of England, ...
, suspected of treason by King Henry VIII and accused of conspiring with
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V (24 February 1500 – 21 September 1558) was Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria from 1519 to 1556, King of Spain (as Charles I) from 1516 to 1556, and Lord of the Netherlands as titular Duke of Burgundy (as Charles II) ...
. He lived in exile in Europe and married Constance Pakenham, granddaughter and heiress of Sir John Pakenham. John Pakenham was an ancestor to Sir
Edward Pakenham
Major-General Sir Edward Michael Pakenham, (19 March 1778 – 8 January 1815), was a British Army officer and politician. He was the son of the Baron Longford and the brother-in-law of the Duke of Wellington, with whom he served in the Pen ...
, the brother-in-law to the
Duke of Wellington
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they ar ...
. They had 11 children and Geoffrey's eldest son and heir,
Arthur Pole, was a conspirator and aspirant to the crown,
supported by two of his brothers. He attempted to persuade
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
and
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
to support his claim, as he was a Catholic and could claim a line of descent from
King Edward III
Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring royal authority after t ...
free from the "illegitimacy" of
Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudo ...
. He was found guilty of treason and was imprisoned in the
Beauchamp Tower
Beauchamp Tower (13 January 1845 – 31 December 1904) was an English inventor and railway engineer who is chiefly known for his discovery of full-film or hydrodynamic lubrication.
Early life
Beauchamp Tower was born the son of Robert Be ...
where he died on 12 August 1570.
Legacy
Her son,
Reginald Pole
Reginald Pole (12 March 1500 – 17 November 1558) was an English cardinal and the last Catholic Archbishop of Canterbury, holding the office from 1556 to 1558 during the Marian Restoration of Catholicism.
Early life
Pole was born at Stourt ...
, said, "I am now the son of a martyr whom the King of England has brought to the scaffold although she was seventy years old and his own near relation, for her perseverance in the Catholic faith." Margaret was later regarded by the Catholic Church as a martyr. She was
beatified
Beatification (from Latin , "blessed" and , "to make") is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a deceased person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in their name. ''Beati'' is the ...
on 29 December 1886 by
Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII (; born Gioacchino Vincenzo Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2March 181020July 1903) was head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 until his death in July 1903. He had the fourth-longest reign of any pope, behind those of Peter the Ap ...
, and is known in the Roman Catholic Calendar as the Blessed Margaret Pole.
Panel paintings
A panel painting is a painting made on a flat panel of wood, either a single piece or a number of pieces joined together. Until canvas became the more popular support medium in the 16th century, panel painting was the normal method, when not pain ...
of Margaret can be found in the following English churches:
*
English Martyrs Church,
Preston (she is on the right.)
* St Joseph's Church in
Sale, Cheshire
* St. Marie's Church in
New Bilton,
Rugby
Rugby may refer to:
Sport
* Rugby football in many forms:
** Rugby union: 15 players per side
*** American flag rugby
*** Beach rugby
*** Mini rugby
*** Rugby sevens, 7 players per side
*** Rugby tens, 10 players per side
*** Snow rugby
*** Tou ...
, Warwickshire
There are stained glass windows of her in the following English churches:
* Our Lady of Lourdes in
Harpenden
Harpenden () is a town and civil parish in the City and District of St Albans in the county of Hertfordshire, England. The population of the built-up area was 30,674 in the 2021 census, while the population of the civil parish was 31,128. Harpe ...
, Hertfordshire.
*
St. Osmund's Church in
Salisbury
Salisbury ( , ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers River Avon, Hampshire, Avon, River Nadder, Nadder and River Bourne, Wi ...
, Wiltshire
* St. Mary's Catholic Church in Bridge Gate,
Derby
Derby ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area on the River Derwent, Derbyshire, River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. Derbyshire is named after Derby, which was its original co ...
, Derbyshire
*
Our Lady and the English Martyrs' church in
Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...
, Cambridgeshire (and another one from the right)
*
Shrewsbury Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of Our Lady Help of Christians and Saint Peter of Alcantara, commonly known as Shrewsbury Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Shrewsbury, England. It is the seat of the Roman Catholic Bishop of Shrewsbury and moth ...
,
Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury ( , ) is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire (district), Shropshire, England. It is sited on the River Severn, northwest of Wolverhampton, west of Telford, southeast of Wrexham and north of Hereford. At the 2021 United ...
, Shropshire, she is in the fourth window in front of
John Fisher
John Fisher (c. 19 October 1469 – 22 June 1535) was an English Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Rochester from 1504 to 1535 and as chancellor of the University of Cambridge. He is honoured as a martyr and saint by the Catholic Chu ...
.
She is commemorated in the dedication of the
Church of Our Lady Queen of Peace & Blessed Margaret Pole in Southbourne,
Bournemouth
Bournemouth ( ) is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority area, in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. At the 2021 census, the built-up area had a population of 196,455, making it the largest ...
.
Cultural depictions
* Margaret is depicted in
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
's 16th-century play ''
Richard III
Richard III (2 October 1452 – 22 August 1485) was King of England from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the Plantagenet dynasty and its cadet branch the House of York. His defeat and death at the Battle of Boswor ...
'' as the young daughter of the murdered Duke of Clarence.
* The character of
Lady Salisbury in the
Showtime
Showtime or Show Time may refer to:
Film
* ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film
* ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur
Television Networks and channels
* Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...
series ''
The Tudors
''The Tudors'' is a historical fiction television series set primarily in 16th-century England, created and written by Michael Hirst and produced for the American premium cable television channel Showtime. The series was a collaboration among ...
'', played by
Kate O'Toole in 2007 and 2009, is loosely based on Margaret Pole.
*
Janet Henfrey
Janet Ethne Anne Henfrey (born 16 August 1935) is a British stage and television actress whose career has spanned over 50 years. A familiar face on stage and screen since the 1960s starring in a variety of British Television favourites. She is ...
portrays Margaret in Episode 4 ("The Devil's Spit") of ''
Wolf Hall
''Wolf Hall'' is a 2009 historical novel by English author Hilary Mantel, published by Fourth Estate, named after the Seymour family's seat of Wolfhall, or Wulfhall, in Wiltshire. Set in the period from 1500 to 1535, ''Wolf Hall'' is a sym ...
'', the 2015
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
adaptation of
Hilary Mantel
Dame Hilary Mary Mantel ( ; born Thompson; 6 July 1952 – 22 September 2022) was a British writer whose work includes historical fiction, personal memoirs and short stories. Her first published novel, ''Every Day Is Mother's Day'', was releas ...
's novels ''
Wolf Hall
''Wolf Hall'' is a 2009 historical novel by English author Hilary Mantel, published by Fourth Estate, named after the Seymour family's seat of Wolfhall, or Wulfhall, in Wiltshire. Set in the period from 1500 to 1535, ''Wolf Hall'' is a sym ...
'' (2009) and ''
Bring Up the Bodies
''Bring Up the Bodies'' is an historical novel by Hilary Mantel, sequel to the award-winning ''Wolf Hall'' (2009), and part of a trilogy charting the rise and fall of Thomas Cromwell, the powerful minister in the court of King Henry VIII. It won ...
'' (2012).
* Margaret is the main character of Samantha Wilcoxson's 2016 novel, ''Faithful Traitor''.
* Margaret is the main character of
Philippa Gregory
Philippa Gregory (born 9 January 1954) is an English historical novelist who has been publishing since 1987. The best known of her works is ''The Other Boleyn Girl'' (2001), which in 2002 won the Romantic Novel of the Year Award from the Roman ...
's 2014 novel ''
The King's Curse''.
She also appears in Gregory's novels ''
The Kingmaker's Daughter'' (2012) and ''
The White Princess
''The White Princess'' is a 2013 historical novel by Philippa Gregory, part of her series '' The Cousins' War''. It is the story of Elizabeth of York, daughter of Edward IV of England and Elizabeth Woodville, and later wife of Henry VII and mo ...
'' (2013).
* Margaret was portrayed by
Rebecca Benson
Rebecca Benson (born 24 April 1990) is a Scottish actress. She appeared in the TV crime dramas ''Vera'' and ''Shetland'', and alongside Michael Fassbender in the 2015 film, ''Macbeth''.
Career
In 2016, she joined the HBO series ''Game of Thrones ...
in the
television adaptation of ''The White Princess'' (2013)
and by
Laura Carmichael in the miniseries ''
The Spanish Princess
''The Spanish Princess'' is a historical drama television limited series developed by Emma Frost (screenwriter), Emma Frost and Matthew Graham for Starz. Based on the novels ''The Constant Princess'' (2005) and ''The King's Curse'' (2014) by Phil ...
'' (2019), a sequel to ''The White Princess''.
*
Harriet Walter
Dame Harriet Mary Walter is an English actress. She has received an Olivier Award and nominations for a Tony Award, five Emmy Awards, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. In 2011, Walter was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British E ...
portrays Margaret in the ''
Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light'',
the
BBC's 2024
television adaptation
An adaptation is a transfer of a work of art from one style, culture or medium to another.
Some common examples are:
* Film adaptation, a story from another work, adapted into a film (it may be a novel, non-fiction like journalism, autobiography, ...
of
Hilary Mantel's novel, ''
The Mirror and the Light
''The Mirror & the Light'' is a 2020 historical novel by English writer Hilary Mantel and the final novel published in her lifetime, appearing two and a half years before her death. Following ''Wolf Hall'' (2009) and ''Bring Up the Bodies'' (2012 ...
'' (2020).
Genealogical table
Notes
Sources
* Dwyer, J. G. "Pole, Margaret Plantagenet, Bl." at ''
New Catholic Encyclopedia
The ''New Catholic Encyclopedia'' (NCE) is a multi-volume reference work on Catholic Church, Roman Catholic history and belief edited by the faculty of the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. The NCE was originally published in 196 ...
''. 2nd ed. Vol. 11. Detroit: Gale, 2003. pp. 455–456. Cited as ''New Catholic Encyclopedia''.
* Mayer, T. F
Pole, Reginald (1500–1558) ''
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from History of the British Isles, British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') ...
'', Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn., January 2008.
*
* ;
* Pierce, Hazel (2003). ''Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury, 1473–1541: Loyalty, Lineage and Leadership'', University of Wales Press,
*
Further reading
* Roy, Neha (2023). ''Henry VIII's Imprisoned Women: The Women of the Tower'', Pen and Sword History,
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Margaret Pole, 8th Countess Of Salisbury
1473 births
1541 deaths
15th-century English nobility
15th-century English women
16th-century English nobility
16th-century English women
16th-century Roman Catholic martyrs
Barons Montagu
Barons Monthermer
Salisbury, Margaret Pole, Countess of
Daughters of English dukes
8
English beatified people
English Christian royal saints
English ladies-in-waiting
Executed English women
Executed people from Somerset
Executed English royalty
Executions at the Tower of London
Forty-one Martyrs of England and Wales
Governesses to the English Royal Household
Hereditary peeresses created by Henry VIII
Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury
Margaret Plantagenet, Countess of Salisbury (14 August 1473 – 27 May 1541), was the only surviving daughter of George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence (a brother of Kings Edward IV and Richard III) and his wife Isabel Neville. As a result of M ...
Household of Catherine of Aragon
People convicted under a bill of attainder
People executed by Tudor England by decapitation
People executed under Henry VIII
People executed under the Tudors for treason against England
Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury
Margaret Plantagenet, Countess of Salisbury (14 August 1473 – 27 May 1541), was the only surviving daughter of George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence (a brother of Kings Edward IV and Richard III) and his wife Isabel Neville. As a result of M ...
People from Bisham
People from Mendip District
People from the Borough of Havant
Margaret
Margaret is a feminine given name, which means "pearl". It is of Latin origin, via Ancient Greek and ultimately from Iranian languages, Old Iranian. It has been an English language, English name since the 11th century, and remained popular thro ...
Prisoners in the Tower of London
Roman Catholic royal saints
Wives of knights