Birth of Margaret of York – Duchess of Burgundy
Margaret, Duchess of Burgundy, was was born on 3rd May 1446, the sixth child and third daughter of Richard Duke of York and Cecily Neville.
She was the youngest sister of King Edward IV, George Plantagenet and Richard III.
Margaret was vehemently against the House of Tudor, and was a key supporter of Lambert Simnel and Perkin Warbeck, the pretenders to Henry VII’s throne.
Margaret likely spent her early childhood in her mother’s household.
After her brother Edward IV’s marriage to Elizabeth Woodville, Margaret was quite often in the queen’s company.
In May 1468, Margaret married Elizabeth Woodville’s cousin – Charles Count of Charolais, heir of the Duke of Burgundy.
The wedding was extraordinarily spectacular, with tournaments and pageants.
The bride made her entry in a golden litter drawn by white horses.
Upon her head she wore a spectacular crown.
Margaret’s crown was adorned with pearls, and with enamelled white roses for the House of York, set between red, green and white enamelled letters of the Latinisation of her name “Margarita de York”.
It had gold Cs and Ms, entwined with lovers’ knots.
Margaret’s crown can still be seen today, in the treasury at Aachen Cathedral.
In January 1471, her brothers, the deposed King Edward IV and Richard Duke of Gloucester, arrived to spend time with Margaret.
Her husband was willing to help Edward reclaim his throne.
While Margaret was busy raising funds for her brother, she was also active in successfully persuading her brother George Duke of Clarence to leave the Lancastrians, and come back to his York brothers.
When her husband Duke Charles died in 1477, Margaret was very active in supporting her step-daughter Marie, Duchess of Burgundy.
She arranged Marie’s marriage to Maximilian king of the Romans.
Margaret was however dealt a devastating blow in 1482, when her much-loved step-daughter Mary fell from her horse whilst hunting, and broke her back.
The injuries were fatal, and Mary died on 27th March, leaving a five-year-old heir, Philip the Fair.
Margaret – having no children of her own, brought Philip up.
When Margaret’s brother Richard III was defeated and killed at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485, she was devastated.
With the death of Richard, the House of York now ceased to rule in England.
Consequently, Margaret was a staunch supporter of anyone willing to challenge Tudor.
Margaret refused to recognise Henry VII’s accession, and paid for 2,000 mercenaries to support Lambert Simnel.
When this failed, Margaret took up Perkin Warbeck’s cause.
Warbeck would end up locked up in the Tower of London and subsequently exEcuted by Henry VII on 23rd November 1499.
57 year old Margaret died on 23rd November 1503, the same date of the exEcution of her ‘nephew’ Warbeck.
She was buried in the Church of the Cordeliers in Mechelen.
Sadly Margaret’s tomb was destroyed at the end of the 16th Century.
