Margaret Tudor: The Forgotten Tudor Who United Two Kingdoms
Margaret Tudor’s story is rarely placed centre stage, yet her influence stretched far beyond the Tudor court she grew up in. Sent north as a peacemaking bride, she became a queen, a regent, and ultimately the dynastic bridge that shaped the future of both England and Scotland. Her life deserves a closer look.
We all hear about the major players of the Tudor courts, but less often do we hear about the siblings of these huge characters. Margaret Tudor was one such woman. Overshadowed by first her brother Arthur, who was heir apparent and then she was totally eclipsed by the huge personality that was her brother Henry, who as we know became Henry VIII. Margaret Tudor was born at Westminster on the 28th of November 1489. She was the daughter of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York, and the elder sister of Henry VIII. As a child she was seen as useful for peace with Scotland, as was the case with many noble and royal women, she was seen as a political tool. After an agreement between the two kingdoms, she married James IV of Scotland. The wedding was by proxy on the 25th of January 1502, and in person at Holyrood on the 8th of August 1503, when she was only thirteen, this my seem young, but it was not uncommon.
Life at the Scottish court was grand. Margaret kept some English attendants, joined in royal ceremonies, and went on pilgrimages. She had several children, but only one son lived to adulthood: James, the future James V. The peace between England and Scotland, as was probably expected, did not last, as we all know. On the 9th of September 1513 James IV died fighting the English at Flodden. Margaret, now a young widow, was named regent for her baby son. This was difficult. Many nobles disliked an English princess holding power, and they backed John Stewart, Duke of Albany, to replace her, this left her vulnerable.
To gain support, Margaret married Archibald Douglas, Earl of Angus, on the 6th of August 1514. This cost her the regency, as she was supposed to remain a widow in order to keep it. Tensions grew, and while she was pregnant she slipped out of the council’s control and crossed into England. At Harbottle Castle in early October 1515 she gave birth to a daughter, Margaret Douglas. She later returned to Scotland, but her marriage to Angus soon broke down over money and affairs.
In 1524 Margaret led a peaceful coup. With the help of the Hamilton family she brought the then twelve-year-old James from Stirling to Edinburgh, where she ended the regency, and was named his chief counsellor. Angus then seized control of the king and ruled in his name for three years, an all too common event, this, James never forgave. Margaret sought for freedom from Angus, and Pope Clement VII approved her divorce in March 1527. She married Henry Stewart on the 3rd of March 1528; he was later made Lord Methven. When James V took power in June 1528, Margaret and Methven were briefly very influential. She worked for better links with England and even tried to arrange a meeting between James and Henry VIII in 1536, but it sadly failed.
Margaret died at Methven Castle on the 18th of October 1541 and was buried at Perth. Her greatest legacy was dynastic. Through her son James V she was grandmother to Mary, Queen of Scots. Through her daughter Margaret Douglas she was grandmother to Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, who married Mary. Their son, James VI of Scotland, became James I of England in 1603, uniting the crowns her marriage had first joined a century earlier.
Though often overshadowed by her famous brothers, Margaret’s life shows just how influential Tudor women could be. She navigated foreign courts, political rivalries, and personal betrayals with remarkable resilience. In the end, it was her bloodline-not Henry VIII’s-that brought England and Scotland under one crown, fulfilling a union she had been sent north to secure as a child.
What do you think-was Margaret Tudor one of the most overlooked power-brokers of the Tudor age?
Image info:
Daniel Mytens- Margaret Tudor, Queen of Scotland from the Royal Collection
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