The Beaufort Bride:
The Life of Margaret Beaufort
(Beaufort Chronicles #1)
By Judith Arnopp
As King Henry VI slips
into insanity and the realm of England teeters on the brink of civil war, a
child is married to the mad king’s brother. Edmund Tudor, Earl of Richmond,
takes his child bride into Wales where she discovers a land of strife and strangers.
At Caldicot Castle and Lamphey Palace Margaret must put aside childhood, acquire the dignity of a Countess and, despite her tender years, produce Richmond with a son and heir.
While Edmund battles to restore the king’s peace, Margaret quietly supports his quest; but it is a quest fraught with danger.
As the friction between York and Lancaster intensifies 14-year-old Margaret, now widowed, turns for protection to her brother-in-law, Jasper Tudor. At his stronghold in Pembroke, two months after her husband’s death, Margaret gives birth to a son whom she names Henry, after her cousin the king.
Margaret is small of stature but her tiny frame conceals a fierce and loyal heart and a determination that will not falter until her son’s destiny as the king of England is secured.
“When I was a child, I
talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I
became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me…”
1 Corinthians 13:11
The
bells ring out in celebration, but Lady Margaret can only think of all the things
that she is losing. At twelve years old she is no longer a child, but a
wife to King Henry’s half-brother — Edmund, Earl of Richmond. Marriage to
Edmund has secured Margaret’s future, but Margaret cannot help but fear that
their marriage will not be a happy one, for he is formidable and so much older
than she is.
Forced
to put her childish ways behind her, Margaret is determined to make the most of
her position as the Countess of Richmond. However, her husband is eager for an
heir. Margaret, despite her young years, has no choice but to obey Edmund in
everything. In a strange foreign land, far away from her family, Margaret turns
to God for reassurance and comfort.
From
the comforting nursery at Bletsoe Castle to the cold and formidable fortress of
Jasper Tudor’s stronghold in Pembrokeshire, The Beaufort Bride: The Life of
Margaret Beaufort (Beaufort Chronicles #1) by Judith Arnopp is a beautifully
presented and wonderfully compelling story of Lady Margaret Beaufort’s early
years.
Margaret is
portrayed as a conscientious student who has a vivid, if somewhat frightening,
imagination. She also has all the makings of a powerful and determined young
woman. The stage is set for the story of one woman’s resolve to see her son
crowned King.
To
write in the first person from the perspective of a young child is notoriously difficult
to do well. However, Ms Arnopp has cleverly crafted a character whose
innocence and lack of understanding as to why she has to marry when she is
still in the nursery, shines from the pages as elegantly as the illumination in
the Book of Hours.
Margaret
is often painted as a rather cold and God-fearing woman, whose cunning and
manipulation made way for her son to take the throne. Yet, in Mrs Arnopp’s
portrayal, Margaret is very much an innocent who inspires a great deal of
sympathy, but also admiration. My heart went out to her on many occasions, and
although there are hints of the God-fearing woman, Margaret was later to
become, there was also a tender and vulnerable side to her. Nevertheless, even
as a young child, Margaret knows who she is. She is a Lancastrian, and will
always be loyal to her House.
Ms
Arnopp has kept close to the documented history of the time. If you already
know Margaret’s story, then you will find no glaring inaccuracies in this book.
What Ms Arnopp has done is breathe fresh life into the world that Margaret
lived and the people who shared it with her. The Beaufort Bride: The Life of
Margaret Beaufort is a story I would willingly get lost in time and again.
I
Highly Recommend.
Review by Mary Anne Yarde
The Coffee Pot Book Club
Judith Arnopp
She had to grow up so fast. Frightening.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your award.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations! Your book sounds amazing!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind comments, Margaret Beaufort was an amazing human being. I had no idea until I began to write about her.
ReplyDelete