(A.D. 1429-1479.)
|Margaret was the last of the Provençal Queens of England, and she
filled a most important position for more than a quarter of a century.
Through her mother she was a direct descendant of the great Emperor
Charlemagne, and her father, René of Anjou, was the son of the King of
Sicily and Jerusalem.
[[A.D. 1431.]] When she was about two years old her father fought a
battle against Anthony of Vaudemonte, and was taken prisoner. This
battle was to decide who was to rule over Lorraine, and as René was
captured he was handed over to the Duke of Burgundy, who locked him
up in the top of a high tower at Dijon. While there the royal captive
amused himself with painting on glass; some of the beautiful specimens
of his art were preserved, and are still to be seen in the chapel of the
Castle of Dijon.
During the imprisonment of her husband, which lasted a long time,
Margaret's mother was left with the entire care of their four young
children, two boys and two girls, all of whom were remarkably pretty and
interesting. Many months passed, and at last René was granted permission
to leave the prison on condition that he would consent to the marriage
of his elder daughter, Yolante, then in her ninth year, with Frederic of
Vaudemonte, the son of the man by whom he had been made a captive. She
was to have for her dowry part of the disputed lands
{281}
[Illustration: 0285]
{283}of Lorraine. Besides, René had to pledge himself to pay a heavy
ransom to the Duke of Burgundy, to give his two sons as hostages, and
to allow Yolante to go and live with her new mother-in-law. At the same
time, the baby Margaret was promised in marriage to Pierre, Count of
St. Pol, but in consideration of her youth she was permitted to stay at
home. So out of their four children these unhappy parents took back only
one to Nancy, where they were living.
All René's efforts to raise the ransom failed, and there was nothing
left for him to do but to deliver himself up at last and go back to
prison. His son John went with him, while Louis, the younger one, was
restored to his distressed mother.
Two years passed away, and Louis, King of Naples, died. René was his
rightful successor, and his faithful wife immediately took steps to
claim the throne for him. She was a woman of superior talent, courage,
and energy, and as she lived at the time when the renowned Joan of Arc
was flourishing, it did not appear in any way odd or strange that she
should fight for her rights. She at once assumed the title of Queen of
the Two Sicilies, and went to live in the Castle of Tarascon, on the
banks of the river Rhone.
Her two children became such pets among the Provençals, who loved their
captive prince, that they were almost worshipped. Every time they went
out the people would follow them in crowds, sing and strew flowers in
their path, and present them with offerings of wreaths. At night
they would light bonfires in front of the castle, because there was a
superstition among them that it was the way to keep off pestilence. Once
when a band of people, calling themselves witches and fairies, came with
the crowd to see the pretty children, they were all burned alive, the
ignorant of those times believing that pestilence was brought by the
magic of such creatures. Notwith{284}standing this precaution a plague
really did break out, and the queen was obliged to hurry away with her
little ones. They embarked at Marseilles and went to Naples, where there
was an ancient palace belonging to the family of Anjou.
The queen then had her husband proclaimed King of the Two Sicilies. At
this ceremony she was seated with her children in the chair of state,
which was covered with velvet embroidered with gold, and borne through
the streets of Naples. She never ceased working until she obtained
her husband's freedom, and witnessed his grand entry into Naples on a
stately white charger, followed by a Provençal army.
[[A.D. 1435.]] In the treaty for his liberation the following very
remarkable article, proposed by the Duke of Burgundy, appears:--"And
to cement the peace between the two powers, Margaret of Anjou, second
daughter of King René, shall espouse the young King of England."
Margaret was then only six years of age. Her parents removed to a
magnificent palace, where she and her brother Louis pursued their
studies together for several years. Then Louis died and Margaret
experienced in this loss her first real sorrow.
King René's territories fell into the hands of the English, and he was
reduced to such poverty that he retired with his family to Lorraine,
where he spent his time writing verses and composing music that was
the delight of all Europe. It was he who invented the opera ballet,
and while thus pleasantly engaged he bore his trials with perfect
indifference.
In the meantime, Margaret's engagement with St. Pol was broken off on
account of the prospect of an alliance with the King of England. She had
become a beautiful girl, and had created quite a sensation at the court
of her {285}aunt, the Queen of France, by her wit and accomplishments.
When Henry VI. heard of her charms he sent a gentleman to find out
if they had not been exaggerated, and at the same time to bring him a
correct portrait of the Lady Margaret. The messenger returned with an
eloquent description of her, partly because it was really deserved, and
partly because he, as well as many persons of both the English and the
French nations, hoped that this alliance would bring about a lasting
peace between their countries. Henry was then in his four-and-twentieth
year, good-looking, with a cultivated, refined mind, and excellent
morals.
[[A.D. 1444.]] In 1444, commissioners met to arrange a treaty of peace,
which was to be strengthened by the marriage of Henry and Margaret. When
King René's consent was asked he gave it on condition that the dominions
of Anjou and Maine were returned to him. This was granted by Henry and
his council, and neither money nor lands were required for a dowry
with the bride, her beauty and talents being considered sufficient "to
outweigh all the riches in the world."
There was some opposition made to this marriage by the Duke of
Gloucester and his party, who did not want peace with France, nor a
daughter of the house of Anjou on their throne; but it was all arranged
in spite of them, and the Duke of Suffolk sailed from England with a
splendid train of nobility to conduct Margaret to her future home.
The marriage ceremony was performed at Nancy in presence of the bride's
parents, the royal family of France, and a large number of nobles and
ladies. King Henry was not present, but Suffolk stood in his place, and
married the Lady Margaret in the name of the Sovereign of England.
King René gave a grand tournament in honor of the {286}marriage, and all
the princely knights and gallant warriors wore garlands of daisies out
of compliment to the bride, who had chosen this flower for her emblem.
The festivities lasted eight days, and were attended by most of the
nobles of France, England, and Burgundy. Margaret's sister, Yolante, was
married at the same time, and this is how it was managed: she had been
engaged to Frederic of Vaudemonte for more than nine years, but as
her father had been forced to agree to this engagement when he was a
prisoner he never intended to fulfil it. But the lover was not to be put
off any longer, so he made a plan with some of his daring young friends
to carry off his lady-love while the tournament was going on. King René
was very angry at first, but soon forgave the young couple, and the
festivities continued with fresh spirit.
At the end of the week Margaret took a mournful farewell of her weeping
family and friends, by whom she was deeply loved. Her uncle, Charles
VII. of France, went part of the way with her. At parting, he pressed
her in his arms tenderly, and said, with his eyes full of tears: "I seem
to have done nothing for you, my dear niece, in placing you on one of
the greatest thrones in Europe, for it is scarcely worthy of possessing
you." The young queen was sobbing so that she could not reply, and they
parted never to meet again. Her father went with her still further, and
when they embraced in farewell they could not speak, but turned away
from each other with hearts too full to permit of their uttering a
single word.
The wars with France that had lasted so long had made Henry so poor
that he was obliged to call a meeting of parliament, when his bride
was coming, to get money to defray the expenses of his wedding and
Margaret's coronation, and for the same purpose he pawned some of the
crown jewels.
The young queen had been so ill on the voyage that she {287}had to be
carried from the boat to the shore. A terrible storm was raging when
she landed, but in spite of the thunder and lightning, people flocked in
crowds to look at her. It was many days before she could proceed on her
journey, because her illness proved to be something that looked very
like small-pox. However, it could not have been a very severe case,
because her beauty was not impaired in the least.
[[A.D. 1445.]] She was able to join her husband at last, and their
nuptials were solemnized at Tichfield Abbey, in April, 1445. The bridal
ring contained a ruby of great value, and had been a present to the king
from his uncle, Cardinal Beaufort.
Poor Margaret's wardrobe was so scanty that Henry was obliged to buy
her some clothing before she could appear in public. This to a girl
of fifteen, who probably expected a fine trousseau when she married
at least, must have been distressing. Although the English were
dissatisfied because their new queen brought no dower, and because of
her relation to the royal family of France, her beauty won its way
to their hearts, and secured for her a hearty welcome where ever she
appeared. All the knights and nobles wore her emblem flower, the daisy,
in their caps, when they came in a body to receive her in state. This
must have been a very flattering compliment, and the king carried it
still further by having "Marguerites" engraved on his silver. Grand
preparations had been made in London for the young queen's reception;
there were triumphal arches across the principal streets bearing mottoes
and beautiful designs in flowers, besides banners and evergreens. At
every corner there were pictures or dressed-up figures having some
political meaning, or offering some mark of welcome and loyalty to the
new sovereign.
A large procession of men on horseback conducted her {288}into the
city.' These consisted of, first, the Duke of Gloucester with five
hundred attendants, all wearing his badge and livery; then the mayor,
aldermen, and sheriffs in blue gowns with embroidered sleeves and red
hoods. Next came the queen's carriage, surrounded by her suite, and a
long train of followers brought up the rear.
The coronation took place at Westminster two days later with great
splendor, though the king's treasury was almost empty. No doubt all this
display was very gratifying to King René's faithful steward, squire,
and minstrels, who came to England to witness the reception of their
princess, then went back home to tell all about it.
A few weeks after the coronation an embassy arrived with congratulations
to Henry VI. from the King of France, and René, Margaret's father.
Henry received them seated in a large chair of state covered with blue
tapestry. His long robe of scarlet velvet with gold embroidery swept the
floor. When the ambassadors made their speech, wishing him the blessings
of peace and prosperity, he raised his hat and said, several times: "St.
John, thanks; great thanks to St. John!" They then inquired after the
health of the young queen, and expressed a hope that the peace then
existing between France and England would last forever. Henry replied:
"That he desired the continuance of peace beyond anything on earth;" to
which all who were present answered, "Amen!"
For the first two years after Margaret's marriage, Cardinal Beaufort was
her chief adviser, and she became so fond of him that she would often
make visits at his house in Waltham Forest, where there was a room
magnificently fitted up for her special use with hangings of spun gold
from Damascus. Henry was attached to the good cardinal also, and
was always glad to be guided by his advice. He was of the greatest
assistance to the young couple on several {289}occasions, for his
immense wealth enabled him to help them out of many a debt that they
could not otherwise have paid.
At this time Margaret was a woman of unusual intellect and grace of
manners. One of the chroniclers of her reign says of her: "England had
never seen a queen more worthy of a throne than Margaret of Anjou. No
woman surpassed her in beauty, and few men equalled her in courage.
It seemed as if she had been formed by Heaven to supply to her royal
husband the qualities which he required in order to become a great
king."
It was a pity that she was called to share the throne of England when
she was so young, for her judgment was not formed, and she had a nature
that was more likely to create enemies than friends. She was very
foolish in her treatment of the Duke of Gloucester, Henry's uncle, who,
she knew, had been one of those most strongly opposed to her marriage.
For this she could not forgive him, and, like a spoiled child, took
every opportunity of showing him what influence she had over the king,
and how much she loved Cardinal Beaufort and the Duke of Suffolk, both
of whom were his sworn enemies. But there was a great change in her life
by the time she had been two years on the throne, for Henry's ministers
met in parliament, and decided on the destruction of the Duke of
Gloucester. He had shown a disposition to join the Duke of York for the
purpose of opposing the queen and her influence in every possible way.
Although the king had no particular evidence to offer against his uncle,
he was convinced that he was his enemy, and had him arrested for high
treason. The whole country was astonished at this charge, but the
astonishment was changed to horror, when, seventeen days later, the Duke
of Gloucester was found dead in his bed. Murder was suspected, but there
was no proof of it. Some people even {290}accused the queen of having
had a hand in it, but it is not at all probable that so young a girl,
and one of Margaret's open, candid nature, could have been guilty of so
foul a deed.
Eight weeks later the venerable Cardinal Beaufort died, and the young
queen was thus deprived of a friend and adviser, whose large experience
and profound wisdom had made his counsel so valuable to her. This was,
indeed, a most serious loss, for Henry had not the qualities requisite
for the government of a kingdom, and this duty, therefore, fell upon the
shoulders of Margaret, who was so young that she had scarcely learned
to govern herself. The king was absorbed in his studies and in the
regulation of the college at Eton, that he had just founded. Affairs of
state interested him but little, so his wife naturally turned for advice
to the nearest friend of the departed cardinal. This was the Duke of
Suffolk, a gray-haired statesman and soldier, who had served in the
English army for thirty-four years. He was also a member of the king's
cabinet, and his wife was Margaret's favorite maid of honor.
During the interval of peace that the English nation enjoyed before they
were again forced into war, Margaret laid the foundation for Queen's
College. She also tried to get the people interested in the manufacture
of woollen and silk goods that had been commenced there many years
before, but the desire for fighting had grown so that it was impossible
to make those men or their sons who had fought in France, till the soil
or weave cloth. The silk manufacture was chiefly carried on by women,
while the men thirsted for the excitement of war in spite of its
miseries.
[[A.D. 1449.]] In 1449 Charles VII. renewed hostilities, and in the
course of two years had got back most of the towns in Normandy. The Duke
of York and his party blamed "that French woman," as they contemptuously
{291}called Margaret, for all their losses, and declared that the king
was fit for a cloister rather than a throne, since he left all the
affairs of his kingdom in the hands of a woman.
The Duke of York made himself so offensive to Margaret that she resolved
to get rid of him at any cost; she therefore appointed him governor of
Ireland. This was a serious mistake, for it only increased his power. He
left a strong party in England who were opposed to the queen, though
not openly, and did everything to make her and her favorite minister
unpopular. They never ceased their efforts until they saw the Duke of
Suffolk first imprisoned, then banished, and finally put to death by his
enemies in defiance of the crown.
This tragedy was the first of many scenes of blood and horror that were
in store for England. The misery of the lower classes caused by famine
and disease was so great that they rose in rebellion, headed by Jack
Cade, who gathered his rough motley forces about him at Blackheath.
They numbered fifteen thousand, but when they heard that King Henry was
coming in person to fight them, they got frightened, and fled to a place
called Seven Oaks.
It was a pity that Queen Margaret went with her husband, for although
she became warlike later in life, she was so little disposed to fight at
that time that no sooner had Henry gained a victory than she persuaded
him to go back with her to London. She could scarcely have committed
a greater error, for the rebels mistook the king's departure for
cowardice, and marched straight to the metropolis, where there is no
telling what they would have done had not the churchmen interfered
and calmed the storm. At their approach the king and queen fled to
Kenilworth Castle, and the archbishop took it upon himself to pardon the
rebels if they would return in peace to their homes.
[[A.D. 1450.]] {292}Cade was not pardoned, but when he found himself
deserted by his followers he made his escape. A thousand pounds were
offered for his head, and the sheriff of Kent, who caught him, obtained
the reward. It was afterwards proved that the Duke of York was at the
bottom of this revolt.
The royal couple had now taken the Duke of Somerset into their favor,
and though he was exceedingly unpopular in England he succeeded to
Suffolk's high office. He belonged to the house of Lancaster, and it
is said that his violent temper caused the beginning of those dreadful
"wars of the roses" that lasted for twenty years. He had a dispute with
Warwick in the Temple Gardens, and plucked a red rose, calling on all
the bystanders who sided with him to do likewise. Warwick chose a white
rose, and did the same, and forever after the two parties of York and
Lancaster were distinguished by this sign. Instead of endeavoring
to settle the dispute, Queen Margaret wore the red rose, and very
imprudently declared herself an opponent of the other party.
In time the Duke of York became so powerful that the queen advised her
husband to make an attack on him. He consented, and marched toward the
Welsh border, but he was too weak to take a firm stand as he ought to
have done to crush his enemy, and consented to an interview with York,
who demanded that Somerset should first be put under arrest. Henry
consented. York then disbanded his army and entered the king's tent
quite alone. In the meantime the queen had contrived to get Somerset out
of the Tower without Henry's knowledge. She then concealed him behind a
curtain of the royal tent, so that he might be present at the interview.
When York assured the king that he had taken up arms for the sole
purpose of bringing Somerset to punishment, the concealed duke rushed
from
{293}
[Illustration: 0297]
{295}his hiding-place and accused his enemy of treason. A fierce quarrel
ensued, during which the king stood speechless with astonishment. As
York left the tent he was put under arrest, probably by the queen's
order; but later, when he swore fealty to the king at St. Paul's
Cathedral, he was released.
[[A.D. 1452.]] About this time Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury, one of
Margaret's most devoted friends, was killed in battle. A magnificent
volume of sketches that he presented to her shows that he must have had
great taste for the fine arts. The colored title-page represents the
king and queen seated side by side on a low divan. Margaret wears a
royal crown; her hair is of a pale golden color, and falls gracefully
over her shoulders. Her mantle is of royal purple, fastened with gems
and bands of gold. She is beautiful and majestic in this picture, and
does not appear more than twenty years old. Talbot kneels before her
presenting the volume, with his dog by his side. Daisies are painted in
clusters on the title-page, and the queen's initial (M) is surrounded by
the garter and its motto. The ladies in attendance who stand behind the
divan wear heart-shaped caps, formed of a stuffed roll ornamented with
gold and jewels, and fastened in a fanciful turban shape over a close
cap of gold cloth or net-work brought to a point in front and rising at
the back of the head. At the end of the volume is an allegorical picture
representing Margaret and the ladies of her court as the Virtues.
Margaret is Faith and King Henry appears as Honor. The old earl was
mourned by all classes of people, for he was the greatest captain of the
age.
[[A.D. 1453.]] It was in this year that the queen's dearly loved mother
died, and a still heavier calamity fell upon the royal household in the
fearful malady that began to show itself in the king. He had inherited
the brain disease {296}of his grandfather, Charles VI. of France, and
the trouble in his court had so affected him that his reason gave way
under it. Margaret was therefore compelled to govern alone, whether she
desired it or no, and, like a good wife, she made every effort to keep
her poor ailing husband in ignorance of all political disturbance. She
had him removed to his palace at Westminster, where he could be quiet
and kept free from all excitement, and it was there that his only child,
the unfortunate Edward of Lancaster, called "The child of sorrow,"
was born. This boy was named Edward, and was York's only rival to the
throne. He was therefore not welcome to the nation, who felt that his
existence would be the cause of much bloodshed between the two parties
of York and Lancaster.
At this period Queen Margaret was ruling, with the assistance of
Cardinal Kemp, Archbishop of Canterbury, but he died a few months after
the prince was born, and the House of Lords sent a committee to the
king to request him to name a successor. But poor Henry stared at them
without understanding a word they said, and of course could make no
reply. The Duke of York was then appointed defender and protector of the
king as long as his illness lasted, or until Prince Edward should be old
enough to ascend the throne. Five physicians and surgeons were appointed
to attend the royal sufferer and watch over his health.
Margaret was so wrapped up in her baby, and so worried on account of her
husband's condition, that she took no part in these political changes,
but her party insisted on her having absolute power as queen regent.
York objected, and had the Duke of Somerset put under arrest.
A few months later the king's consciousness suddenly returned, and he
seemed as though awakening from a deep sleep. His child was then shown
to him, and he noticed {297}
[Illustration: 0301] {299}the boy for the first time, although he was
more than a year old. The news of the cardinal's death brought tears
to his eyes, and he said "that he never knew of it till this time," and
"that one of the wisest lords in the land was dead."
There was great rejoicing over the king's recovery, and Margaret
immediately took measures to have him restored to power. Though still
weak, he attended parliament and replaced Somerset in office. But this
triumph of the queen's party did not last long, for the Duke of York
raised an army and marched towards London, intending to take the king by
surprise.
Henry had courage, but he could not bear to shed the blood of his
subjects; however, there was no help for it now, so he made his
headquarters at St. Albans, with not more than two thousand men. The
Earl of Warwick commenced the attack, and the battle, which lasted only
one hour, was a desperate one, large numbers being slain on both sides.
The king was wounded in the neck, but continued to fight until left
alone under the royal banner. He then walked coolly to a baker's shop
close by to have the wound attended to. The Duke of York followed him,
and falling on his knees before the sovereign, said: "Rejoice! for the
traitor, Somerset, is slain." Henry replied: "For God's sake stop the
slaughter of my subjects." York then took the wounded king by the
hand and led him to his apartments in the abbey of St. Albans. On the
following day they went together to London.
At the approach of the Duke of York's army Margaret had retired to
Greenwich with her ladies and the little prince, where she awaited the
result of the battle of St. Albans with great anxiety; and when the news
came of the defeat of her party, and the death of so many of her brave
friends, she fainted and remained in a stupor for several hours. The
king's wound was so serious that, added to {300}the excitement of the
battle, it brought a return of his disease. He was not in a condition to
attend the next parliament, so the Duke of York appeared in his name.
This was a parliament made up of the queen's enemies, who naturally
found great fault with her management of public affairs. They petitioned
the king to appoint the Duke of York protector of the realm, and urged
him so often and strongly to this step that at last he consented. No
sooner was this done than the queen was advised to withdraw to some
quiet spot with her husband and child. She was glad to comply, for her
mind was so filled with these objects of her care that she did not feel
capable of any other duties. She removed to Greenwich Palace, where she
devoted herself to the nursing of the king and the education of her boy.
But while there she received frequent visits from the princes of the
Lancaster family and the young Tudors, Henry's half brothers. Besides
these, a band of brave young nobles and gentlemen gathered around her,
panting to avenge the blood of their fathers who had fallen at St.
Albans. These so strengthened the Red Rose party that as soon as the
king's health improved Margaret felt it her duty to present him again at
parliament. She therefore held a meeting of her friends and made all the
arrangements for this step.
[[A.D. 1456.]] When King Henry entered the House of Lords, and addressed
them in a calm, dignified speech, telling them that since by the
blessing of God his health was so far restored that the kingdom no
longer needed a protector, they were so taken by surprise that they
immediately consented to his resuming the reins of government. The Duke
of York had not heard of this new move of Queen Margaret's, and happened
to be absent. When an order reached him next day, signed by the king,
requesting him to resign his office, he was so chagrined that he retired
to {301}the country. Henry Beaufort, heir to the late Duke of Somerset,
was then appointed prime minister.
The poor queen had her hands full, for not only was she obliged to keep
constantly prompting her husband how to act, but she took great pains
to amuse him and to preserve in him a calm, peaceful state of mind.
Minstrels were gathered from all parts of the country, and well paid
for reciting and playing to him, and daily requests came from nobles and
other subjects for leave to go on pilgrimages to the different shrines
to pray for his health. This had a very soothing influence and filled
King Henry's mind with hope.
Margaret showed a great deal of wisdom and prudence in the way she
exercised her power at this time, and feeling a desire to know whether
she was popular with her subjects, she resolved to travel with the king
and the little prince through some of the midland counties and spend a
short time at Coventry. Everywhere the royal party were received with
great enthusiasm, and processions were got up in their honor. Margaret
won her way to all hearts that were not prejudiced against her, and
during her stay at Coventry the citizens became so devoted to her that
the name of their town was changed to "Margaret's Safe Harbor."
Now the French and Scotch thought that as there were two parties
in England it was a good time to attack them, but they made a great
mistake, for although the nation were divided among themselves, they
became one as soon as a foreign power dared to attack them. A general
congress of the two parties was called, and presided over by the
lord-mayor, who was appointed guardian of the public peace. A treaty was
formed after two months of debate and quarrel, when the king and queen
made a public entry into London. The feast of the Annunciation was kept
as a day of public thanksgiving for the peace that reigned between the
houses of York and Lancaster, and when the {302}procession was formed to
march to St. Paul's Cathedral, the earls who had been the deadliest foes
headed it, walking arm in arm. The king followed alone, and just behind
him came the Duke of York, leading Margaret by the hand. All appeared to
be on the most loving terms, and the happiness of the citizens of
London manifested itself in their cheering, bonfires and other signs of
rejoicing. This patched-up, make-believe peace lasted only a short time,
for the Duke of York was at that time lord admiral of the whole English
navy, and with so much power he was not likely to remain long inactive.
[[A.D. 1459.]] The following year the queen made a tour through some of
the counties of England with her husband, for the benefit of his health,
as she said, though her real object was to gain favor for her son, then
a most engaging child of six years. So well did she succeed that at the
battle of Bloreheath, which was fought shortly after, ten thousand men
wore the Prince of Wales' livery. King Henry was dangerously ill when
this battle was fought. The Yorkists were victorious, and their leader
boldly asserted his right to the crown.
But Margaret was not crushed by defeat; on the contrary, her energies
were aroused, and she determined to take up arms herself to fight the
cause of her husband and son. The warlike blood of Charlemagne was
thrilling in her veins, and she was the countrywoman of Joan of Arc,
who had proved herself such a successful warrior. She went to Coventry,
where she succeeded in getting together another army. By this time the
king's health had so far improved that she persuaded him to march to
Ludlow and meet the Duke of York on the battle-field.
In the meantime Margaret had so increased her popularity that many of
the Yorkist soldiers refused to fight against her husband. The duke was
taken aback at this, and circulated {303}a report of the king's death,
and caused a mass to be sung in camp for the repose of his soul. Hearing
of this, the queen caused a pardon to be proclaimed in the king's name
for all who would return to their allegiance. The Yorkist leaders
did not believe in this offer of pardon until Henry, urged on by
his courageous wife, advanced to the very gates of Ludlow Castle and
proclaimed it again. Then so many soldiers of the other side deserted
that the duke made his escape and went to Calais, leaving his wife and
her two younger sons to defend the castle. They were taken prisoners,
and the whole town was destroyed.
Margaret was delighted with the success of her first campaign, but she
did not enjoy her triumph very long, for the Earl of Warwick, who was a
more determined enemy than York, brought a band of experienced soldiers
from Calais, and gathering all his forces, made a tremendous charge on
the Lancaster troops, killing ten thousand of them in two short hours,
and capturing King Henry. The queen was stationed near enough to receive
the dreadful news within an hour, and made her escape with her son to
a fortress in the north of Wales, where she was honorably received and
protected by a courageous chieftain of that country. Nobody knew where
she was hidden, not even the king, who was taken to London and carefully
guarded.
As soon as York heard of the victory of his party he entered the city of
London at the head of five hundred horsemen, with a sword of state borne
before him. He rode straight to Westminster, and, entering the House of
Lords, walked to the throne, and laid his right hand on it with a look
around among the peers that implied he awaited an invitation to take
his seat there. Not a word was spoken. At length the Archbishop of
Canterbury broke the dead silence, and asked him, "if he would be
pleased to visit the king."
"I know of no one in the realm who {304}ought not rather to visit me,"
he replied, haughtily, and left the house.
The peers then referred it to Henry to decide whether he or the Duke of
York had the legal claim to the throne. He replied: "My father was king;
his father was also king; I have worn the crown forty years from my
cradle; you have all sworn fealty to me as your sovereign, and your
fathers have done the like to my father and grandfather. How, then, can
my right be disputed?" Nevertheless, the king agreed that if he were
permitted to wear the crown during his life, he would resign it, at his
death, to the Duke of York or his heirs. He was next compelled to order
the return of his wife and son.
All the fire in Margaret's nature was aroused at hearing how the rights
of her boy had been surrendered, but she was without an army, and what
could she do? Suddenly it occurred to her to seek assistance from the
King of Scotland. He was the son of a Lancaster princess, and his
wife was a friend and relation of Margaret. She caused a report to be
circulated that she was raising an army in France, then went secretly to
Scotland, and within eight days after her husband's order for return had
been received she crossed the Scottish border at the head of the forces
she had gathered there, and unfurled the banner of the Red Rose. Her
numbers were increased by knights from all the northern counties of
England, and before the leaders of the White Rose party were aware of
her being in the country at all, she presented herself at the gates of
York.
The duke was so taken by surprise at this bold movement on the part
of the queen that he shut himself up in his strong Castle of Sandal to
await the arrival of his son. But Margaret followed him up, and defied
him day after day to meet her in the field, calling him a coward for
being afraid of a woman, until he arranged his forces for battle, hoping
to
{305}
[Illustration: 0309]
{307}frighten her away. He soon saw his mistake though, for Margaret was
not in the least daunted at the sight of his warriors. She did not play
the Amazon herself by fighting, but she directed her own forces, under
the command of Somerset, in such a way as to enclose the Yorkists
from all sides in a net, as it were, and in less than half an hour
two thousand of them lay dead on the field, the duke himself among the
number. Lord Clifford cut off the dead leader's head, crowned it with
paper, and presented it on the point of his lance to Queen Margaret,
saying: "Madam, your war is done; here is your king's ransom."
She shuddered at first and turned away, then suddenly remembering all
the trouble this man had given her, she looked again and smiled in
satisfaction. She then ordered the head to be placed over the gates of
York, and that of the Earl of Salisbury, who was her prisoner, to be
placed beside it, adding, that room must be left for those of the Earls
of March, York's son, and Warwick, which she intended should keep them
company. This was a grave mistake, and added much to the fury of her
enemies, who stopped at no deed of cruelty and horror after that.
Her next step was to try to rescue her husband, for which purpose she
hurried on to London. But she was met at St. Alban's by Warwick's forces
leading the king in their train. A furious battle ensued, but Margaret's
stout northern soldiers were too much for the Londoners, and when
night came all the Yorkists fled, leaving the king behind. One of his
attendants hastened to the queen's quarters to inform her that her lord
was near, whereupon she flew to embrace him. Accompanied by the Prince
of Wales and some of the northern lords, they went to the Abbey church
of St. Albans to return thanks to God for the king's deliverance. They
were received by the abbot and monks, who prepared apartments for them
in the abbey, where they remained for a while. {308}But Margaret's
better feelings were all changed by the hard experience she had had, and
in her desire for further vengeance she made so many mistakes that she
turned the good-will of the Londoners towards her into hatred, and
they refused to let her enter the city. So she removed with her troops
towards the northern counties, her husband and son accompanying her.
Then Edward of York entered London in triumph. He was received by the
citizens as their deliverer, and proclaimed king by the voice of the
people under the title of Edward IV.
This was considered the death-blow to the house of Lancaster, but not by
the persistent Margaret, who in the course of a few days rallied an army
of sixty thousand men. Her generals, Somerset and Clifford, persuaded
her to stay with her husband and son, while they engaged Edward and
the Earl of Warwick, first at Ferrybridge and then at Towton. A heavy
snow-storm that fell in the faces of the Lancastrians so blinded them
that their arrows did not take effect, while those of their enemy
covered the field with forty thousand of their dead.
Margaret fled to Scotland, and Edward IV. forbade all his subjects under
pain of death to hold any sort of communication with her or her husband;
yet there were many faithful hearts ready to sacrifice life and fortune
to the heroine of the Red Rose. She and Louis XI., then on the throne of
France, were first cousins, and had been brought up together. To him she
now turned for aid, but he received her coldly when she threw herself
at his feet, merely offering her a sum of money providing she would
give him Calais if she could not return it within a year. The people
of England objected to this, and thought that as Calais was not hers to
give she had committed treason in making the promise.
After five months' absence she returned to England with {309}two
thousand volunteers, obtained more assistance from the Scotch, and got
possession of several important fortresses.
In the spring the battle of Hexham was fought, the Yorkists being
victorious. Margaret fled with her son to the nearest forest, where,
after wandering about for awhile, she fell in with a gang of robbers,
who stole everything of value that she had about her. While they were
quarrelling over the division of the spoils, she snatched up her boy and
ran away to the nearest thicket. When evening came on she crept out of
her hiding-place, dreading above all things lest she might fall in with
a band of Edward's troops, when by the light of the moon she beheld a
robber of gigantic size advancing towards her with a drawn sword. Taking
her son by the hand she bravely advanced towards the man with all her
natural dignity of bearing and said: "Here, my friend, save the son of
your king." The robber was struck with astonishment, and dropping his
sword, offered to conduct them to a place of safety, telling the queen
that he was a Lancastrian gentleman who had been ruined in King Henry's
service. Taking the prince in his arms he led Queen Margaret to a cave
in the forest, where his wife received them and provided refreshments.
There the fugitives remained for two days. On the third their
hiding-place was discovered by the devoted followers who were determined
to stand by Margaret to the very end. These were Pierre de Brezé, one of
her own countrymen, his squire, Barville, and an English gentleman.
[[A.D. 1463.]] From them Margaret heard of the escape of her husband and
of the dreadful fate of her faithful friends, Somerset, Hungerford, and
Roos, who had been captured and beheaded in the public market-place of
Hexham without trial.
On leaving the hut of the generous outlaw, the queen {310}thanked him
and his wife with tears in her eyes. Her friends had offered them money,
which they had refused, and Margaret had nothing left to give them. "Of
all I have lost," she said, "I regret nothing so much as the power to
recompense such virtue." She then proceeded to Scotland, reaching
there only after a great deal of hardship and danger, to find that her
presence caused great uneasiness to the king, who feared that it might
be the means of bringing him into trouble with England.
She embarked for Flanders, where some of the ladies of the court had
taken refuge, accompanied by the prince, the faithful de Brezé, and
about two hundred of those ruined Lancastrians who still had faith in
her.
When she arrived at St. Pol, the Duke of Burgundy not only received her
with honors and gave a festival to welcome her, but he also assisted her
with money. To each of her ladies he presented a hundred crowns, to de
Brezé, who had spent the whole of his fortune in Margaret's service, a
thousand, and to the queen herself an order for twelve thousand crowns.
This princely behavior on the part of the duke was like heaping coals of
fire on Margaret's head, for she had always despised him, and had been
heard to say more than once, "that if by any chance he were to fall
into her hands she would make the axe pass between his head and his
shoulders." He sympathized with her misfortunes, and entertained her in
a way becoming her station, but he would give her no political aid nor
allow any of his subjects to take part in her quarrel. As his guest she
was welcome so long as she chose to stay, and when she left he provided
her with an escort.
Margaret next visited her sister Yolante, Countess of Vaudemonte, and
then her father offered one of his ancient castles in Verdun for her
residence, where, with a few of her ruined friends, she devoted herself
to the education of the last tender bud of the Red Rose of Lancaster.
{311}
[Illustration: 0315]
{313}After King Henry's escape at the battle of Hexham, he wandered
about, hiding himself in the house of one friend or another, but most of
the time in a cave, until he was betrayed by a monk, and taken to London
under arrest. There he was treated most brutally by a mob, and after
being led through the streets by the Earl of Warwick, who kept shouting
"Treason, treason, and behold the traitor!" he was locked up in the
Tower.
It seems that Edward IV. still feared Margaret's power in England, for
he had the coasts guarded to prevent her return, and put to the torture
several persons who were only suspected of having assisted her with
money.
Two years later there was a great change in the politics of England, and
the Earl of Warwick took up arms to drive the king from his throne. But
he failed and was obliged to fly to France, where Louis received him.
Now Margaret's relations saw a chance for regaining for her the throne
she had lost, so they all united in trying to bring about an interview
between her and her bitter enemy. At first she shuddered at the thought
of ever seeing him, but when he became very humble, offered the most
plausible excuses for his conduct, and swore to defend her and her son
with all the power he had once used in opposing them, she consented to
pardon him and influenced her son to do the same. The Earl of Oxford
also obtained her pardon.
Prince Edward was then eighteen years of age, and had fallen in love
with Anne, the Earl of Warwick's second daughter. Margaret did all
she could to oppose this match, but she was at last won over, and the
marriage was solemnized the following August, 1470.
In the meantime Warwick had raised an army to take to England, whither
he went as soon as the wedding ceremonies were over. His wife, Queen
Margaret, Prince Edward and his bride then went to Paris by invitation
from
Louis XI. The streets of the city were magnificently decorated and hung
with rich tapestry, and all the officers turned out in grand procession
to conduct the royal party to the palace of St. Paul, that had been
fitted up for their reception. It was there that news came of the
landing of the Earl of Warwick in England, and of his success in
liberating King Henry and placing him on the throne once more.
[[A.D. 1471.]] Then Margaret with all her party resolved to return. In
February the preparations were completed, and the fleet set sail from
Harfleur. But wind and weather were against them, and after three times
being driven back to the coast of Normandy, with great damage to the
ships, they resolved to wait.
When at last they were able to sail again, they were sixteen days and
nights making a voyage that usually took twelve hours. After landing,
they repaired to an abbey, where they were celebrating Easter when the
dreadful news came of the death of Warwick and the recapture of King
Henry.
For the first time in her life the poor queen was completely crushed,
and wished she might die rather than live for the misery that was yet
in store for her. Some of the Lancastrian nobles sought her out, and
expressed their intention of continuing the fight against Edward IV.,
and at last so aroused her from the despondent state into which she had
fallen that she consented to aid them. Placing herself at the head of
an army that they had raised, she marched thirty-seven miles in one day,
and met her enemy within a mile of Tewksbury.
When all arrangements were made for the battle, Margaret rode about the
field from rank to rank, encouraging the soldiers with promises of large
rewards if they won the victory. It proved a sorry day for the Lancaster
cause, {315}and when Queen Margaret saw her troops wofully defeated she
fell down in a swoon. She was carried from the battlefield to a small
convent near by, where her daughter-in-law and some of her ladies
awaited her. She was thus spared witnessing the fall of her son, who
was killed near the close of the battle; but when the dreadful truth
was brought to her, she cursed King Edward and all his posterity in her
agony of grief.
When this was repeated to the king, he thought of putting her to death,
but with a refinement of cruelty that was even worse, he forced her and
the unfortunate Princess of Wales to take part in his triumphal entry to
London. Margaret was then shut up in the dismal prison where her husband
had been for five years, but she beheld him never again, for he was
murdered the very night of her arrival in the gloomy fortress of the
Tower.
King René sacrificed his inheritance of Provence to Louis XI. for the
liberation of his daughter Margaret. Then an agreement having been made
between the Kings of France and England for her ransom, in August, 1475,
she landed in France, with three ladies and seven gentlemen sent by her
father to escort her. Thirty years before she had left the shores of
her native land a monarch's bride in all the pride and flush of youthful
beauty; she returned a broken-hearted, childless widow, for whose
afflictions it was treason to shed a tear.
"Ambition, pride, the rival names
Of York and Lancaster,
With all their long-contested claims,
What were they then to her?"
[[A.D. 1479.]] She died in the fifty-first year of her age, and was
buried in the Cathedral of Angers, in the same tomb with her royal
parents. {316}