It should be noted that Mores affinity for the monastic life never left him, despite his later marriages, family, and career. Now he decided to seriously test his religious convictions. His brother came to the throne in 1509 as Henry VIII, married the widowed Catherine, and in a first flush of goodwill began to repair the damage to Margarets fortunes. Margaret Pole was one of only two women in the 16th century to hold a peerage in her own right. But not your principles. In 1536, Pole sent Henry a treatise which not only opposed Henrys grounds for divorce that he had married his brothers wife and thus the marriage was invalid but also opposing Henrys more recent assertion of Royal Supremacy, power in the church in England above that of Rome. His natural piety was at odds with other courtiers, all of whom jockeyed ceaselessly for the kings favor. European rulers keen to destabilise England had promoted the claims of this plausible, glamorous young man, but by the summer of 1498 he was in the Tower, about to embark on the last act of his mysterious life. Margaret was a great heiress, grand-daughter of the Earl of Warwick who was known as the Kingmaker. The one potentially scandalous act of his life was his quick second marriage to a widow seven years his senior, Alice Middleton. [9] Her youngest son, Geoffrey Pole, married well to Constance, daughter of Edmund Pakenham, and inherited the estate of Lordington in Sussex. For highlights from the latest issue, our archive and the blog, as well as news, events and exclusive promotions. The sons of Edward IV, 11 and 13 years old, had been held in the Tower by their uncle Richard III, and last been seen by Londoners in the summer of 1483. When Henry began to poll the European universities about the legality of his annulment, he chose Reginald to visit the Sorbonne, and had no fault to find with the way he carried out his mission. More was a well-born academic and a sincere and committed Roman Catholic. She was attended by servants and received an extensive grant of clothing in March 1541. She was by necessity hostile to the Catholic church. But his older brother perished and the younger brother was crowned at 18 years old, and quickly wed his brothers widow. John More was a successful lawyer who was later knighted and made a judge of the Kings Bench; he was prosperous enough to send his son to Londons best school, St Anthonys at Threadneedle Street. Margaret Pole was George Duke of Clarence daughter. His work at Bruges and, later, Calais, as well as his continuing duties as undersheriff in London, were clear evidence of his skill and popularity. There was a new king, a handsome, athletic young man who had once been destined for the church. Biography of Anne Neville, Wife and Queen of Richard III of England, Biography of Elizabeth Woodville, Queen of England, Biography of Margaret of Anjou, Henry VI's Queen, Famous Mothers in History: Ancient Through Modern, M.Div., Meadville/Lombard Theological School, Father: George, Duke of Clarence, brother of king Edward IV and of Richard, Duke of Gloucester (later Richard III), Note: Cecily Neville, Margarets paternal grandmother, was a paternal aunt of Margarets maternal grandfather, Richard Neville. Thomas More is the "Man For All Seasons" in the title of the play. The supposed discovery, six months after her house and effects were searched at her arrest, is likely to have been a fabrication. But Margaret herself was an ornament to Henry. If Margaret played any part in the downfall of Henrys second queen, her role was so far behind the scenes that it has left no trace. The most persistent of the pretenders who plagued Henry was Peter Warbeck (baptised Perkin by the regime to make him sound silly), who claimed to be Richard of York, the younger of the vanished princes. More was thus in his early thirties, successful, happily married, when the tax collectors Dudley and Empson were beheaded on Tower Hill at the command of the new king, Henry VIII. This was on 16 May 1532, the date on which the archdiocese of Canterbury, as head of the English clergy, sent a document to Henry VIII in which is promised to never legislate or even convene without royal assent, thus making the king a lay person head of the spiritual order in England. He had an illegitimate son, called Henry Fitzroy, by one of his early mistresses. There was a feeling in England that a new era had begun. (We should note, however, that More brilliant and perceptive was never especially comfortable in his kings good graces. Margaret was not executed with her eldest son, but was held in the Tower for the last years of her life the king paying her bills, outfitting her as became a great lady in furred petticoats and a satin nightgown. Even the more sedate accounts agree that, like Thomas Cromwell, she was hacked about by a second-string executioner. If my head should win him a castle in France, he told his son-in-law in 1525, it should not fail to go.). EDWARD STAFFORD, THIRD DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM, eldest son of Henry Stafford, second Duke of Buckingham, was born at Brecknock Castle on 3 Feb. 1477-8. His naivety meant that, when threats to the regime mounted, he was easily entrapped. Shortly thereafter, (probably in November 1487) Henry VII gave Margaret in marriage to his cousin, Sir Richard Pole, whose mother was a half-sister of the king's mother, Margaret Beaufort. Reginalds brother Geoffrey was in correspondence with Reginald, and Henry had Geoffrey Pole, Margarets heir, arrested in 1538 along with their brother Henry Pole and others. After his death, and for centuries thereafter, Sir Thomas More was known as the most famous victim of Henry VIII's tyranny. Margarets whole family had been elevated with her on the wheel of fortune. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. Chapuys also communicated with Reginald through his brother, Geoffrey. Looking to her last end, Margaret commissioned a chantry at Christchurch Priory. Six months later, Cromwell produced a tunic marked with the wounds of Christ, claiming it had been found in that search, and used that to arrest Margaret, though most doubt that. The National Archives, minsters' accounts, SC6/HENVIII. Mores wife had been like most women of her time ill-educated, and during their brief marriage, he taught her Latin and other subjects. Anne was the anointed queen. She was the Spanish princess, Katharine of Aragon, one of the daughters of the Catholic rulers of Spain. Her second son, Arthur Pole, had a generally successful career as a courtier, becoming one of the six Gentlemen of the Privy Chamber. Despite such evidence of royal favor, it is likely that More chafed at his service to the king. (2020, August 26). Was More surprised by this speech? Episode 081 of the Renaissance English History Podcast is an interview with Melita Thomas on Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury. If, however, the subject lives a life of great extravagance, tell him he, too, can afford to give largely, the proof of his opulence being evident in his expenditure.. Thomas came from wealthy families, from trade (his father was a wealthy baker) and the law. But in late June she was back at court by the side of Queen Jane, and the king was looking forward to an era of peace and fertility. But not before Lina imparted . Margaret, Countess of Salisbury, was born at Farley Castle, near Bath, on 14th August, in or about the year 1473. He had been shut up for most of his life and, one later chronicler said, could not discern a goose from a capon. In 1554, Mary reversed the attainder against Reginald Pole, and he was ordained as a priest in 1556 and finally consecrated as Archbishop of Canterbury in 1556. His crusade against his native land was never launched, but many years later he would return, Archbishop of Canterbury to Mary Tudor, and join in heresy-hunting and the burning of reformers. She managed her lands quite well, and became one of the five or six wealthiest peers in England. He was the child Margaret had been carrying when her brother Warwick was executed. It states that Margaret refused to lay her head on the block, declaiming, "So should traitors do, and I am none". But Margaret Pole, one of the great magnates of Tudor England, is not overlooked. Henry VIII married Catherine of Aragon in 1509 and Margaret was again appointed as one of her ladies-in-waiting. In this first biography of a significant female figure in the male-dominated world of British Tudor politics, Hazel Pierce reconsiders the life and martyrdom of Catholic duchess Margaret Pole against the changing social and political landscape of her times. Sir Thomas having continued a Prisoner in the Tower somewhere more than a Twelvemonth, for he was committed about the middle of April 1534, and was brought to his Trial on the 7th of May, 1535. he went into the Court leaning on his Staff, because he was much weakened by his Imprisonment, but appeared with a cheerful and composed Countenance. Even as he secretly wore a hair shirt, he openly and consistently fasted, prayed, and maintained a relatively modest household. "Pole, Margaret Plantagenet, Bl." The chronology defeated observers, as if her life stretched back into a fabulous era when dragons roamed. [6] She remained there until she returned to favour when Henry VIII came to the throne in 1509. Margaret was superfluous; curtly, Henry wrote her off as a fool. His father was not supportive, but More was fully prepared to be disowned rather than disobey Gods will. One does not have to share his religious convictions to appreciate his inner strength and noble character. It is at this moment that we must step back and consider the England in which More now lived. The queen had suffered a series of miscarriages throughout their marriage; their only surviving child was the Princess Mary. Lewis, Jone Johnson. And while this reasoning worked to replenish the royal treasury for Henry VII, it also provided the second Tudor king with a chance to curry popular favor when he in one of his first acts as Henry VIII imprisoned and later executed Edmund Dudley and Richard Empson, who were Mortons (and his fathers) tax collectors. In some versions, the plucky old girl refused to kneel at the block, and the headsman had to pin her down. Henry Courtenay och Margaret Pole och fngslades i Towern. In fact she was 67. As a boy, More spent some time in the household of John Morton, Archbishop of Canterbury. After she had redeemed her dead brothers lands from the crown, she owned property in Calais, and estates in Wales and 17 English counties. [23] Her remains were later uncovered when the chapel was renovated in 1876.[24][25]. Sir Thomas de la Pole was born circa 1378. We know her, as we know so many of her contemporaries, through her inventories, through legal documents and official letters. But the kings horoscope was looking nasty and, according to a Spanish commentator, he aged twenty years in two weeks. Ultimately, they would both become martyrs of their faith (though this show is not likely . No one would stage a rebellion in her favour while there were male Yorkists to mount a challenge. Mr Buxton has returned to live quietly in Cranford following . It proved to be another happy marriage, though Mores friends remarked upon Alices sharp tongue and occasionally brusque ways. As the heir to the throne, Mary enjoyed a separate household, and in 1525 she was sent to Ludlow to hold court. Margaret Plantagenet, Countess of Salisbury (14 August 1473 - 28 May 1541), also called Margaret Pole, as a result of her marriage to Sir Richard Pole, was the only surviving daughter of George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence, a brother of Kings Edward IV and Richard III (all sons of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York ), by his wife Isabel . And More was more convinced than ever that he needed to leave royal service. A tradition has grown up that George was drowned in a vat a malmsey, an expensive sweet wine. Please change your browser settings to allow Javascript content to run. Henry VIIIs later statements to the contrary, his marriage to Katharine began happily and continued so for some years. Reginald was present at the treaty negotiations. Following Richard's death in 1504, Margaret no longer had the fortune to support. And More determined that their daughters would receive the same education as their son. Henry still hoped for Mores support. Susan Higginbotham. Whether the countess was up to this is hard to say, but later the Imperial ambassador was to declare that Mary regarded her as a second mother. When Henry gave the nod for the execution to take place, no one was give. London, WC1A 2HNletters@lrb.co.uk He then disappeared into his private closet, and after an hour, came out as cheerful as before. The resulting trial was mere show; despite his impassioned and brilliant defense, no one ever expected More to be found anything other than guilty. He impressed the cardinal enough that he was knighted upon his return and made under-treasurer of the Exchequer. In May 1515, More was sent to Bruges as part of a delegation arranged by Wolsey to revise an Anglo-Flemish commercial treaty. He was made knight of the Garter, and appointed chamberlain to the young Prince of Wales. [26] She and her husband were parents to five children: Her son, Reginald Pole, said that he would "never fear to call himself the son of a martyr". Margaret Pole was restored to a position as lady-in-waiting, which helped her financial situation. Margaret was born into the England of the Wars of the Roses and was the daughter of George, Duke of Clarence, one of Edward IV 's younger brothers and was of the House of York. Ursula married into the powerful Stafford family; of Margarets sons, only Reginald did not marry; by the age of seven he was given utterly to God. The barrel, though, may have been strung on Margaret after her death. But if the great Sir Thomas More believed the king to be wrong? She is a former faculty member of the Humanist Institute. at, Edmund Mortimer, Earl of March (conflation of, This page was last edited on 21 February 2023, at 21:21. geralmente . In total, Margaret and Richard Pole had five children together: Henry, Arthur, Ursula, Reginald and Geoffrey. She was, Pierce says, intelligent, unquestionably virtuous, traditionally pious, and possessed an easy familiarity with the convoluted etiquette of a royal court. When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Thomas More (1478-1535), lawyer and moral philosopher, is still regarded by many Catholics as the quintessential good man. [13], In 1537, Reginald (still not ordained) was made a Cardinal. Born in 1473 into a world of bloody dynastic feuds, she survived under the first Tudor and thrived under the second, until she and her family, long suspected of plots against the regime, were destroyed. He was not prepared, as he saw it, to imperil his immortal soul by taking the oath that Henry required of all his people, and he died for his belief.. It mattered to London shopkeepers, and to great churchmen. In theory, after she married, a womans personal property and real estate were at her husbands disposal. They had 1 son & 3 daughters: [1] Sir Thomas. But Margaret kept any dissident thoughts to herself, avoiding jeopardy until, in the summer of 1536, the actions of her son Reginald plunged her whole family into trouble. "Margaret Pole, Tudor Matriarch and Martyr." Since Margaret and her brother, Edward, were debarred from the throne by their father's attainder, their uncle, Richard, Duke of Gloucester, was offered the crown and became king as Richard III. There have been rumors of an alleged relationship with Lady Margaret (see the White Queen series, for example). She also had restored to her the title to the Earldom of Salisbury. The relationship between the King and Margaret wavered a bit in 1518 when Henry repossessed some of her Salisbury lands saying they belonged to the duchy of Somerset. Known for:Her family connections to wealth and power, which at some times of her life meant she wielded wealth and power, and at other times meant she was subject to great risks during great controversies. Chapuys wrote that, "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". Birth Year: 1478. The following poem was found carved on the wall of her cell: For traitors on the block should die; Her London palace, Le Herber, stood in a busy mercantile quarter, approximately where Cannon Street Station is now, and she rented out the tenements around as workshops, stables and an inn. But Reginald Pole refused to do so, leaving for Europe in 1532. Wolsey was destined to die for his failure to secure the annulment. Margaret's only surviving sibling was Edward, Earl of Warwick. Margarets later life, at least, is well documented, but we cannot approach her story from the inside. Higginbothams narrative begins with this bungled beheading so either the jacket designer was in the dark about the contents, or someone at her publisher has a mordant sense of humour. If the great Sir Thomas More believed the kings marriage to be unlawful, why, it must be so! When Reginald was seven, and Margaret a widow with an uncertain future, she sent him to be educated at Sheen with the monks of the Charterhouse. Tragedy throws her into poverty and rebellion against the new royal family, luck restores her to her place at court where she becomes the chief lady-in-waiting to Queen Katherine and watches the dominance of the Spanish queen over her husband, and her fall. Her life, marked by stunning reversals of fortune, is an irresistible subject, but it presents a familiar difficulty for the historian. He married Anne Neville, a younger sister of Margaret's mother, Isabel. More had already begun writing his History of King Richard III as well; it is considered the first masterpiece of English history and is wholly pro-Tudor. It stated that all who were called upon must take an oath acknowledging Anne as Henrys wife and their future children as legitimate heirs to the throne. The charge was treason. She, her grandson, Henry (son of her own son Henry), and Exeter's son were held together and supported by the king. On 14 November 1538, Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury, was arrested. See me safe up, he told the lieutenant who escorted him, and for my coming down let me shift for myself.. Her first son, Henry Pole, was created Baron Montagu, another of the Neville titles, speaking for the family in the House of Lords. [15][16], On the morning of 28 May 1541, Margaret was told she was to die within the hour. Richard Pole was appointed to the household of Arthur, eldest son of Henry VII and Prince of Wales, heir apparent. Joan (Margaret) Pole ca 1333-Married toThomas Chaworth ca 1331-1373 Paternal grand-parents, uncles and aunts. Cromwell was an astute politician whose beliefs changed at the whim of his royal master. But for now he was out of Henrys reach, leaving his family as hostages. Her contemporaries, through legal documents and official letters later life, least... 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