Lady Margaret Beaufort

Lady Margaret Beaufort
The King's Mother Countess of Richmond and Derby
Portrait by Meynnart Wewyck, c. 1510.
Born	31 May 1443 Bletsoe Castle, Bedfordshire, England
Died	29 June 1509 (aged 66) Westminster Abbey, London, England
Buried	Henry VII Lady Chapel, Westminster Abbey
Noble family	Beaufort
Spouse(s)	John de la Pole, 2nd Duke of Suffolk ​ ​ (m. 1450; ann. 1453)​ Edmund Tudor, Earl of Richmond ​ ​ (m. 1455; died 1456)​ Sir Henry Stafford ​ ​ (m. 1458; died 1471)​ Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby ​ ​ (m. 1472; died 1504)​
Issue	Henry VII of England
Father	John Beaufort, Duke of Somerset
Mother	Margaret Beauchamp of Bletso

Lady Margaret Beaufort (usually pronounced: /ˈboʊfərt/ BOH-fərt or /ˈbjuːfərt/ BEW-fərt; 31 May 1443 – 29 June 1509) was a major figure in the Wars of the Roses of the late fifteenth century, and mother of King Henry VII of England, the first Tudor monarch.^[1]

A descendant of King Edward III, Lady Margaret passed a disputed claim to the English throne to her son, Henry Tudor. Capitalising on the political upheaval of the period, she actively manoeuvred to secure the crown for her son. Margaret's efforts ultimately culminated in Henry's decisive victory over King Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field. She was thus instrumental in orchestrating the rise to power of the Tudor dynasty. With her son crowned Henry VII, Margaret wielded a considerable degree of political influence and personal autonomy – both now considered unusual for a woman of her time. She was also a major patron and cultural benefactor during her son's reign, initiating an era of extensive Tudor patronage.

Margaret is credited with the establishment of two prominent Cambridge colleges, founding Christ's College in 1505 and beginning the development of St John's College, which was completed posthumously by her executors in 1511.^[2][3] Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, a 19th century foundation named after her, was the first Oxford college to admit women.^[4]