Thanks for watching! And apologies for my croaky voice - I have yet another cold! 😂 So what are your thoughts on Margaret of Anjou? Pushy queen, or necessary leader?
Great leader Fronted up big time when required Her military expertise sidelined by many She almost certainly would have read Christine de Pisan Had a soft side to her too as comes out in her letters Loyal intelligent beautiful determined lady Love her to bits!!!!
Burns me up to talk about how now women are strong. There have been strong women throughout history and some of them and many unrecorded Margaret was surely a remarkable and admirable woman.♥️
The more I study history, the more it becomes clear - like you say - that women have been strong and have been fighters throughout history. The only difference is that the male-dominated framework in which they had to work changed each century.
I find history far more interesting when reading about the lives of the women who wielded power, and in the 15th and 16th centuries there were a great many of them in England, France, Scotland, Spain among others countries. Queens were quite fearless in defence of their sons and their sons rights to succession. Particularly interesting are the lives of Isabella of Castille and her daughters Joanna and Katherine who both became queens in their own right as did their other sisters Isabella and Maria. My bookshelf is full of female biographies and my two favourites are not queens but Countesses, Lettice Knollys who married Robert Devereaux Earl of Essex and, following his death, Robert Dudley favourite of Elizabeth, also Bess of Hardwick who married four time rising up the ladder on each occasion to finally become the Countess of Shrewsbury and along with her husband gaoler to Mary Queen of Scots.
Its very unfortunate that Margaret has been villanised throughout history for doing what any mother would do for her child: protecting him and his interests above all things. Its so sad in the end, she had to do all of that just to outlive her husband and her son. RIP to her
It was a very sad ending for Margaret, you're right. If she had at least been able to keep her son safe elsewhere perhaps he might have lived, but it's likely he rightfully wanted his birthright as much as his mother.
She basically started the whole war with her dominating Henry and her favoritism and (most likely) sleeping around, and then during wartime using despicable tactics and letting her half Scottish army sack and pillage towns on the way to battles.
@@Newjerseyblows 1. She didnt set out to dominate her husband. As this video and historical records point out, Henry VI was a very docile and submissive man. Not the best type to be King. 2. There's no evidence or indication that Margaret was unfaithful during her marriage. Nothing to even make it seem "most likely". Calm down with you mysoginistic slander.
@@HistorysForgottenPeople she is known as the bad queen (thanks to the book and tv show the white queen) as well as the real red queen. she reminds me of a real life version of Sircei Lannister becouse of being an ambitious, power hungry possibly manipulative person with a useless king for a husband and having sadistic psico bratty son. Edward of Lancaster=Jeoffrey.
Aside from the fact that they share a first name, Margaret of Anjou's fierce dedication to seeing her son on the throne, reminds me of Margaret Beaufort, and all she did to see her son Henry become King of England. Unfortunately, they were given the "overbearing mother" label for it by history. I thoroughly enjoy your videos, and have watched those about the Wars of the Roses many times. I have anxiety, and your voice, it's cadence, and the music, are very soothing, and listening to your videos helps me get out of my own head, sometimes... so thank you for that! 😊
You're right, there's a lot of similarities between the two women, and it's a shame there isn't more known about the relationship between them (allowing for the fact Margaret Beaufort was much younger). And ambitious women always seemed to get slammed with 'pushy' or 'overbearing' in history, it's true! Whereas if they have a popular husband, and act on behalf of them, the same behaviour is saint-like - like Matilda of Boulogne for King Stephen. And thank you so much! I suffer with anxiety too, so that's nice to know I can help someone else's, even if it doesn't help in my own head. If that makes sense! 😂
Matilda was given trying circumstances to overcome while alive and she maintained her strength as she muscled on to try keep the throne for her family! Not always easy to do in those uncertain times!
They were sisters in law as well left in perilous situations due to situations caused by the sons of Catherine of Valois (Henry VI was pious but weak and Edmund Tudor died while Margaret Beaufort was carrying their child, the future Henry VII). They did share similar strong female characteristics which during medieval times unfortunately was vilified.
Queen Margaret of Anjou really led a very difficult life of uncertainties that concluded in the deaths of both her husband and son. One can only imagine and take pity on the emotional toll it must have taken on her health and well-being. This was an excellent video of an, unfairly in my opinion, maligned queen. Thank you very much and have a great week! :)
Thank you so much! 😊 And you're right, it's easy to simply quickly say her son and husband died, but the manner in which they both died, and within such a short period of time, that it must have really affected Margaret very deeply. I imagine it broke her.
Margaret was a she-wolf. But that isn´t a bad thing. She was very strong and capable. Unfortunately for her she over planned her son´s return to England.
Absolutely - she never wavered in her fight for what she thought was right, and it's so sad to think about when she lost everything and faded away in France.
Her older sister Iolanthe is the subject of an opera by Tchaikovsky where she is portrayed as a beautiful blind princess though there is no evidence she was blind.
Ah, I didn't know that - I knew of the opera and the name, but I didn't know it was about her older sister. I wonder where the story of her being blind came from?
@@HistorysForgottenPeople It's probably from the Norwegian play on which the opera is based. Margaret's father Rene inherited the claim to the throne of Naples from queen Joan the Second of Naples who belonged to the royal house of Naples Anjou -Joan was a queen regnant of Naples and her life is extremely interesting as well as she fought off the relatives who also wanted the throne. Joan the First of Naples Anjou was also a queen regnant of Naples with an equally interesting life. Women were not allowed to be queens regnant in France itself but in the French derived kingdom of Naples they could be queens in their own right.
17:15 I would love to learn more about Mary of Guelders! The part of Germany where I'm from would have been Guelders in the 15th century. You can still see this heritage in many German and Dutch town crests! It's hard to wrap my head around the fact that a princess from my small hinterland was thrust into the political turmoil of Scotland and England at the time. And she did her duty, even though politics and warfare where not usually part of a princesses education here at the time!
You're right, it's incredible how these royal women were just thrust into places with different languages and cultures, and most of them just got on with it. Mary of Guelders really was exceptional though, and I'm planning on making a video on her in the next few weeks! 😊
@@HistorysForgottenPeople thank you for doing this and I appreciate the effort and time it takes to do it properly!! Please 🙏 don't stop as you have found your own "place or niche" in all of this and you are so well spoken and concise in speaking 👏 ❤️ 🙌!!
Really interesting comments you make My enthusiasm for Margaret continues beyond my biography of her in the course of which I visited her place of birth and Chateau Dampierre where she died a private residence Just so full of spirit to add to her beauty intelligence and loyal wife and a affectionate mother Great lady!
Henry IV was from the Plantagenet house (Anjou), his mother Catherine was from the Valois house, he married Marguerite from the Anjou-Valois house, this marriage had great meaning politically and in terms of lineage, especially when the Plantagenet king of England wanted the throne of France. At that time the King of France was Charles VII (House of Valois) married to Marie (House of Anjou). The Anglo-French War was just a french dispute between Angevins (Plantagenet/Maison Anjou) of England and their Valois cousins of France.
BRAVO! I have seen Shakespeare's play about the War of the Roses and what got me was that he made Queen Margret as the horrible She-Wolf but made Elizabeth Woodville almost a saint. In my opinion Elizabeth Woodville was the She-Wolf as was Isabella Henry II's Queen. But in those days any woman showing intelligence and courage was considered a She-Wolf Thank you for doing this video, I hope now many will change their minds about Margaret of Anjou, she has always deserved better than what she got.
It's really surprising how bad a press Margaret of Anjou got - I have a feeling it wouldn't have been as bad had she been English, sadly. I like to think also, (as someone else said in the comments, I think) that 'she-wolf' doesn't need to be the insult it was intended as. If anything, being a 'she-wolf' meant Margaret fought for her family and never gave up.
*Side note: Margaret and Henry VI were 3rd cousins as their great grandpas were brothers. His Mom and her Dad were 2nd cousins as was Margaret's aunt who married Henry's uncle (they were also 2nd cousins).
She is coming, I promise! 😅 I've been struggling to find good sources to research for her, so it's been a little slower gathering up her story than normal. Should be out in the next few weeks (probably about three weeks' time). 😊
Recently I've the interest to learn the stories of many gallant and influential women of the Middle Age such as Eleanor of Aquitane, Anne of Brittany, Isabella of France. This video summarises Margaret's unfortunate life well.
She really did! I think out of everyone involved in the Wars of the Roses, she probably lost the most - I suppose we could say Henry VI as well, but as the male heir he had a lot more power to change things than Margaret did. Have a nice week too! 😊
Yup, something that had been around a long time - even those born in England who spent a long time away (like Empress Matilda, an earlier powerhouse of a woman) were mistrusted.
Agreed! It does seem like a pathetically weak argument for how someone died, and it makes me wonder if anyone at the time actually bought that Henry had gone out that way for a second.
@@HistorysForgottenPeopleIKR?! Just wanted to say I really like your channel. And almost all the channels I subscribe to become quite successful. Think I have a good eye for the great channels.😊
you may disagree but this woman is the only one I completely took side of about Wars Of The Roses. my heroine for the entire story. She became queen of a country which was at war with her own at the time. which made her such a disliked and despised person in the eyes of people and everyone thought of her as negatively as possible, no matter what she did, positive or negative (all French queens of England had this misfortune if we're being honest) that wasn't enough, her husband became mentally ill. and a horrible ambitious man started having eyes on her son and family's birthright. she fought bravely for her son and husband and tried so hard to take back what was taken from them and yet it seemed like the entire universe was fighting against her (like how even her brief allies also turned their backs on her because of circumstances surrounding them) and such a tragic end for a woman who dealt with countless tragedies ever since she step foot in England💔💔💔at least I know that she was avenged once Yorks were no more only a bit after her death
Richard of York was not a horrible man. Remember that Henry VI grandfather, Henry IV of the house of Lancaster had usurped the throne and had Richard II starved to death. He was only trying to restore the throne to its rightful path. This, of course was not the fault of the hapless Henry VI, who I believe, was on the autistic spectrum. I also believe that. Margaret could well have had a child by Edmund of Somerset. She was a healthy young girl who wanted a normal married life and children. My ancestors took part in rebellions against Henry IV and one of them was hung for assisting his master in the Southampton plot to kill Henry V on his way to Agincourt. They continued to fight for the cause of York and after Richard III was defeated by Henry Tudor, whose claim to the Lancastrian throne was very flimsy, my ancestors remained against the Tudors and later loyal to the Catholic cause until well into the Elizabethan period.
@@AnneDowson-vp8lg he was a horrible man! trying to restore the throne to its rightful path? what rightful path? Lancasters were the true heirs anyway, no matter what you try to excuse, they were from John of Gaunt, while Yorks came from John Of Gaunt's younger brother! even Spanish monarchs at the time who were also grandkids of John of Gaunt, had much stronger claim than Yorks! a horrible man like Richard remained loyal to Lancasters and only started the mess because of seeing Margaret's unpopularity and seeing a chance for himself, which means at the end of the day, he wanted everything for himself! I'm glad Yorks and your ancestors never regained what they usurped
@@AnneDowson-vp8lg he was a horrible man! "trying to restore the throne to its rightful path" what rightful path are you even excusing? no matter what Lancasters did, they had much better claim to the throne than Yorks, since they were directly from John of Gaunt while York were from John Of Gaunt's younger brother! Even Spanish monarchs had much stronger claim to the throne than Yorks, since they were also from John Of Gaunt. I'm glad they lost what they usurped and were defeated over and over and never gained it back again
What about Empress Matilda and Queen Maud (King Stephen's wife) who fought against each other in the 12th century? Were not they "England's fiercest" Queens?
@@HistorysForgottenPeople Hm. I have to check your videos on Empress Matilda, but speaking of Queen Margaret, she might be one of the most unfortunate and one of the most fierce, while not winning in either category. It is hard to brand her with one word though.
It amazes me how many women of the medieval period were defamed for showing leadership, intelligence and good judgment. Margaret of Anjou was a product of her times and a woman born far beyond her time. We have yet to elect a female President though most European countries have done so. The prejudice and assumptions are still strong across the globe 500 years later. I can't imagine how Queen Margaret must have suffered simply for doing what she was born, trained and had the character to do: lead and rule. The exact same things were said about her female predecessors, Isabella of France, wife of Edward II, Queen Mathilda, Holy Roman Empress, granddaughter and rightful heir to the Throne of England. She was hated for doing male things, like being intelligent, canny and showing strong leadership. So many women have suffered simply because of our organs and the ability to bear children. It still really pi$$e$ me off.👿
Hi, awesome live history video I enjoyed it. How are you doing? I'm doing well. Have a great day see you next video. Next video could you do Georgiana Spencer Duchess of Devonshire 😊
Hi Michelle, I'm doing well, thanks for asking! Glad you are too. 😊 I'll add Georgiana Spencer to my list, that's a great suggestion. She was certainly a lively person, so it'll be fun researching her!
Of course! One is 'Folk Round' by Kevin MacLeod, and the other is 'Burglar' by Kuro. I've got links to both of them at the bottom of my description, but I don't think the Soundcloud link works anymore? Kuro might have removed it. Someone also popped it here - ruclips.net/video/AUNh7ARpHRE/видео.html
.I wrote a biography of Margaret back in 2002 as I felt she was a much maligned monarch Had another side to her too which some of her letters reveal Still my all time number one historical heroine!
It's funny how the rumours of someone often persists over their actual deeds in history! Margaret certainly was wrongly besmirched, I think, and she was definitely a strong and capable woman that got largely forgotten as her actual self.
Fascinating, as always. These machinations show that life as a 'big man' or 'big woman' can be dangerous, perhaps not as much as the little guy hauling his refuse, but in different ways. It goes to show being the pragmatic middle sort is the best bet, at least they can keep their machinations to themselves, ....well, until the internet was a thing.
Oh, definitely! I've always said if I went back in time, I'm happy to be the middling gentry farmer's wife in the middle of rural nowhere - wealthy enough to be comfortable, hopefully respected in the local area, too small fry to get mixed up in court politics. Until one of my children entices the local nobleman to marry them, of course. 🤔
I'm not really sure, if I'm honest. I think she (probably along with her sister, Isabel) is a real enigma. Not much is known about her, despite the fact she was queen, especially as Richard III seemed to overshadow her a lot. An example of this is that normally queen consorts had their own coronation, but Richard squeezed theirs together. I keep meaning to research her more and possibly do a video, so maybe I'll be able to form more of an opinion on her then. 😊
It's true, Henry VI was a weak king, sadly. I also think he was probably a very nice person, just to see the flip-side - sources talk about his piety and kindness, and the fact he enjoyed reading. He probably would have made a very good religious figure rather than king, or at least had a better time of it, had there been peace. He also didn't have his father as any sort of example as he died while Henry was still a baby, and his mother went off into 'retirement' and married Owen Tudor when he was about nine, so Henry just grew up with a bunch of courtiers out for their own interests.
Henry had it rough. To inherit a mental illness in the 15th century, no modern medicine, no supporting family and living through times of civil war- that's no joke.It's surprising he made it to live that long.I don't think he did a bad job, though. After all, he founded Oxford and Cambridge, important universities up to this day.
@@DarthRKO-li7qm His father( Henry,5, no doubt one of the greatest warrior kings in medival England) didn't succeed in capturing all of it. And by the time his son was able to hold a sword, the political and military situation had changed a lot. Even when Henry the fifth won Azingcort, it was concidered close to a miracel.
He suffered from mental illness in the 15th century when treatment, at least as we know it today, did not exist. He could not help it, so there's that. Sighhh...
Not sure your comment about James II of Scotland being assassinated is correct. His father and son were assassinated but IIRC he was killed in an accident involving and exploding cannon
You always have such great questions! Okay, let's think....my least favourite is easy, I'm afraid as he's very obvious and recent, but...Donald Trump! 😂 I think he's a pretty horrible person (being polite because I'm publicly on RUclips lol), and I also think he wasn't good at leading his country in a way that allowed people of all backgrounds to feel safe and wanted, and generally in such a way that anyone could be proud of. My favourite is probably (although Abraham Lincoln comes in a close second) Franklin D. Roosevelt. He was a strong leader, he managed to lead the US through the Great Depression, WW2, worried about the poor and actually helping with employment, did his best to reduce corruption within the government, and laid the groundwork for the United Nations. I think he was a good guy (who likely wasn't perfect, none of them ever are, of course!), who was happy to make the right decisions for his country, even if those around him disagreed for their own ends. That will always win me over.
Yeah, I can kind of understand why Edward, George and Richard became so fixated on taking the throne as well, as they had grown up being told it belonged to their family rightfully. But for the Duke of York, it just came out of being ambitious and seeing an opportunity.
I absolutely loath Richard Of York and his entire bloodline! he like not only ruined an entire great dynasty but cursed his own family forever as well! I don't sympathies with Edward, either! his anger and usurping nature could've been justified if only he was strong enough to go through all the hard shit and earn a deserving win, but he didn't! he ruined everything by marrying Elizabeth Woodville and funny how he wasn't even strong enough to stand up for her, either and allowed enemies to remain under his skin like snakes, and the fact that he won it all, pisses me of even more! all of his victories were simply because of luck, not because he was capable! Margaret was the one who fought fiercely and deserved a happy ending! but, at least I can comfort myself, seeing how Yorks not only turned antagonistic towards themselves as well, but all of their line were punished and extinct less than a half century, right until the end! imagine all of this could've been avoided if it wasn't for one shitty man
Absolutely! It must have been crippling to realise you were the monarch who had lost what had been part of your kingdom, and to know that's what you would be remembered for in history.
I don’t think it’s that he was incompetent. Henry VI seems to have suffered from what we would call today an undiagnosed mental illness that rendered him unresponsive at times. It’s not that he made bad decisions. It’s that at times he was physically unable to make any decisions.
@@timhare9867 Henry also hate any kind of violence and was extremely pious. He founded Eton College; King's College, Cambridge; and All Souls College, Oxford. His interests were elsewhere. And clearly he suffered from some mental illness.
Yes, Henry's maternal grandfather was Charles VI of France, literally known as 'Charles the Mad' for his bouts of unknown mental illness. I'm not sure if there were any other family members less well known with mental illness, but there could have been!
It's a good question, but it wasn't really her choice, in a way. At 17 years old, although he wasn't quite of majority age for being king, Edward was considered an adult in terms of being married and going to war - 14 year old noble and royal boys would have been expected to be trained in using weapons, and going to battle was a rite of manhood. Add to this that it was a fight for Edward's birthright, and you can imagine that a 17-year-old prince would have wanted to prove himself, and may even have wanted to fight against his mother's wishes. Margaret may have tried to talk him down, we simply don't know.
It's always subjective with something like that, unfortunately, but it's certainly possible! I think the evidence we have shows that they cared for one another, and of course Margaret was a dutiful consort, so they were certainly committed to each other (no lovers on the side, and so on). However, I wouldn't have said Henry and Margaret were the love of each others' lives, either.
Not my queen I'm a Anglo saxon pure Englishman I no where my people came from and where they originated from two bloody French Norman's ruining our language 🤡🤡🤡
Thanks for watching! And apologies for my croaky voice - I have yet another cold! 😂 So what are your thoughts on Margaret of Anjou? Pushy queen, or necessary leader?
I am sorry you are feeling poorly. Be well.
So good.
I descend from Humphrey Stafford, Duke of Buckingham - killed in armor at Age 58 - at the Battle of Northampton. Alas.
Necessary leader The Lancastrian cause would have collapsed without her
If you think about it, all the queen's of the war of the roses were red queens.
Great leader Fronted up big time when required Her military expertise sidelined by many She almost certainly would have read Christine de Pisan Had a soft side to her too as comes out in her letters Loyal intelligent beautiful determined lady Love her to bits!!!!
Burns me up to talk about how now women are strong. There have been strong women throughout history and some of them and many unrecorded Margaret was surely a remarkable and admirable woman.♥️
The more I study history, the more it becomes clear - like you say - that women have been strong and have been fighters throughout history. The only difference is that the male-dominated framework in which they had to work changed each century.
I find history far more interesting when reading about the lives of the women who wielded power, and in the 15th and 16th centuries there were a great many of them in England, France, Scotland, Spain among others countries. Queens were quite fearless in defence of their sons and their sons rights to succession. Particularly interesting are the lives of Isabella of Castille and her daughters Joanna and Katherine who both became queens in their own right as did their other sisters Isabella and Maria. My bookshelf is full of female biographies and my two favourites are not queens but Countesses, Lettice Knollys who married Robert Devereaux Earl of Essex and, following his death, Robert Dudley favourite of Elizabeth, also Bess of Hardwick who married four time rising up the ladder on each occasion to finally become the Countess of Shrewsbury and along with her husband gaoler to Mary Queen of Scots.
Its very unfortunate that Margaret has been villanised throughout history for doing what any mother would do for her child: protecting him and his interests above all things. Its so sad in the end, she had to do all of that just to outlive her husband and her son. RIP to her
It was a very sad ending for Margaret, you're right. If she had at least been able to keep her son safe elsewhere perhaps he might have lived, but it's likely he rightfully wanted his birthright as much as his mother.
I second that x
She basically started the whole war with her dominating Henry and her favoritism and (most likely) sleeping around, and then during wartime using despicable tactics and letting her half Scottish army sack and pillage towns on the way to battles.
@@Newjerseyblows
1. She didnt set out to dominate her husband. As this video and historical records point out, Henry VI was a very docile and submissive man. Not the best type to be King.
2. There's no evidence or indication that Margaret was unfaithful during her marriage. Nothing to even make it seem "most likely". Calm down with you mysoginistic slander.
@@HistorysForgottenPeople she is known as the bad queen (thanks to the book and tv show the white queen) as well as the real red queen. she reminds me of a real life version of Sircei Lannister becouse of being an ambitious, power hungry possibly manipulative person with a useless king for a husband and having sadistic psico bratty son. Edward of Lancaster=Jeoffrey.
Aside from the fact that they share a first name, Margaret of Anjou's fierce dedication to seeing her son on the throne, reminds me of Margaret Beaufort, and all she did to see her son Henry become King of England. Unfortunately, they were given the "overbearing mother" label for it by history.
I thoroughly enjoy your videos, and have watched those about the Wars of the Roses many times. I have anxiety, and your voice, it's cadence, and the music, are very soothing, and listening to your videos helps me get out of my own head, sometimes... so thank you for that! 😊
You're right, there's a lot of similarities between the two women, and it's a shame there isn't more known about the relationship between them (allowing for the fact Margaret Beaufort was much younger). And ambitious women always seemed to get slammed with 'pushy' or 'overbearing' in history, it's true! Whereas if they have a popular husband, and act on behalf of them, the same behaviour is saint-like - like Matilda of Boulogne for King Stephen.
And thank you so much! I suffer with anxiety too, so that's nice to know I can help someone else's, even if it doesn't help in my own head. If that makes sense! 😂
Matilda was given trying circumstances to overcome while alive and she maintained her strength as she muscled on to try keep the throne for her family! Not always easy to do in those uncertain times!
Margaret the name given to her by the English her real name was Marguerite
@margotwenty6436 Just like Katherine of Aragon was originally Catalina, (the Infanta of Spain)
They were sisters in law as well left in perilous situations due to situations caused by the sons of Catherine of Valois (Henry VI was pious but weak and Edmund Tudor died while Margaret Beaufort was carrying their child, the future Henry VII). They did share similar strong female characteristics which during medieval times unfortunately was vilified.
This is the best video on Margaret of Anjou I've ever seen so far. I've learned much more about her, so insightful and impeccably narrated. Thank you🙏
Thank you so much, that's so kind! I'm pleased you enjoyed it. 😊
@@HistorysForgottenPeople I love history and medieval arts and your channel is beautiful. Thank you.
I agree. Well done, well written, read, visuals… interesting and educational. Definitely a great channel to follow.
Queen Margaret of Anjou really led a very difficult life of uncertainties that concluded in the deaths of both her husband and son. One can only imagine and take pity on the emotional toll it must have taken on her health and well-being. This was an excellent video of an, unfairly in my opinion, maligned queen. Thank you very much and have a great week! :)
Thank you so much! 😊 And you're right, it's easy to simply quickly say her son and husband died, but the manner in which they both died, and within such a short period of time, that it must have really affected Margaret very deeply. I imagine it broke her.
Margaret was a she-wolf. But that isn´t a bad thing. She was very strong and capable. Unfortunately for her she over planned her son´s return to England.
It was probably a blessing that Edward didnt become king, by all accounts he sounded like a rotten, spoiled kid.
Margaret was a great intelligent queen. Very courageous until the end when she lost it all.
Absolutely - she never wavered in her fight for what she thought was right, and it's so sad to think about when she lost everything and faded away in France.
That's when it counts.
Thank you for her story. Margaret, is definitely worth knowing about in history.
You're welcome! I agree, she was definitely someone who earned her place in history.
Her older sister Iolanthe is the subject of an opera by Tchaikovsky where she is portrayed as a beautiful blind princess though there is no evidence she was blind.
Ah, I didn't know that - I knew of the opera and the name, but I didn't know it was about her older sister. I wonder where the story of her being blind came from?
@@HistorysForgottenPeople It's probably from the Norwegian play on which the opera is based. Margaret's father Rene inherited the claim to the throne of Naples from queen Joan the Second of Naples who belonged to the royal house of Naples Anjou -Joan was a queen regnant of Naples and her life is extremely interesting as well as she fought off the relatives who also wanted the throne. Joan the First of Naples Anjou was also a queen regnant of Naples with an equally interesting life. Women were not allowed to be queens regnant in France itself but in the French derived kingdom of Naples they could be queens in their own right.
Very interesting this info Love any extra info surrounding 'Super' Margaret!
@@kaloarepo288 p
17:15 I would love to learn more about Mary of Guelders! The part of Germany where I'm from would have been Guelders in the 15th century. You can still see this heritage in many German and Dutch town crests! It's hard to wrap my head around the fact that a princess from my small hinterland was thrust into the political turmoil of Scotland and England at the time. And she did her duty, even though politics and warfare where not usually part of a princesses education here at the time!
You're right, it's incredible how these royal women were just thrust into places with different languages and cultures, and most of them just got on with it. Mary of Guelders really was exceptional though, and I'm planning on making a video on her in the next few weeks! 😊
@@HistorysForgottenPeople Amazing, I'm very much looking forward to this one! Thank you for your effort ❤
@@HistorysForgottenPeople thank you for doing this and I appreciate the effort and time it takes to do it properly!! Please 🙏 don't stop as you have found your own "place or niche" in all of this and you are so well spoken and concise in speaking 👏 ❤️ 🙌!!
Really interesting comments you make My enthusiasm for Margaret continues beyond my biography of her in the course of which I visited her place of birth and Chateau Dampierre where she died a private residence Just so full of spirit to add to her beauty intelligence and loyal wife and a affectionate mother Great lady!
Excellent Documentary, Thank You!✨
You're welcome! I'm glad you enjoyed it. 😊
Henry IV was from the Plantagenet house (Anjou), his mother Catherine was from the Valois house, he married Marguerite from the Anjou-Valois house, this marriage had great meaning politically and in terms of lineage, especially when the Plantagenet king of England wanted the throne of France. At that time the King of France was Charles VII (House of Valois) married to Marie (House of Anjou). The Anglo-French War was just a french dispute between Angevins (Plantagenet/Maison Anjou) of England and their Valois cousins of France.
👑 thank you for another brilliant video
Aw, you're welcome! Thank you for watching, and I'm glad you enjoyed it! 😊
Thanks
Thank you so much, I'm glad you enjoyed the video! 😊
I absolutely love your narration! Fantastic
Thank you very much! 😊
BRAVO! I have seen Shakespeare's play about the War of the Roses and what got me was that he made Queen Margret as the horrible She-Wolf but made Elizabeth Woodville almost a saint. In my opinion Elizabeth Woodville was the She-Wolf as was Isabella Henry II's Queen. But in those days any woman showing intelligence and courage was considered a She-Wolf Thank you for doing this video, I hope now many will change their minds about Margaret of Anjou, she has always deserved better than what she got.
It's really surprising how bad a press Margaret of Anjou got - I have a feeling it wouldn't have been as bad had she been English, sadly. I like to think also, (as someone else said in the comments, I think) that 'she-wolf' doesn't need to be the insult it was intended as. If anything, being a 'she-wolf' meant Margaret fought for her family and never gave up.
It matters not how Shakespeare wrote his characters in a play. The fact is that Elizabeth Woodville was no worse than Margaret of Anjou, period.
Beautiful job! Thank you for this.
You're welcome, and thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it. 😊
I have a lot of sympathy for this woman.
*Side note: Margaret and Henry VI were 3rd cousins as their great grandpas were brothers. His Mom and her Dad were 2nd cousins as was Margaret's aunt who married Henry's uncle (they were also 2nd cousins).
Il say 1 thing, that woman had a lot of courage x
Spot on She was beautiful too!
Shakespeare's called her " she wolf". Any woman who is assertive and takes control.of her destiny, at any cost, is seen as a predator.
G’day from Australia. Excellent video as always.
BTW when is your video on Gwenllian ferch Gruffyd coming out.
She is coming, I promise! 😅 I've been struggling to find good sources to research for her, so it's been a little slower gathering up her story than normal. Should be out in the next few weeks (probably about three weeks' time). 😊
@@HistorysForgottenPeople👍
Recently I've the interest to learn the stories of many gallant and influential women of the Middle Age such as Eleanor of Aquitane, Anne of Brittany, Isabella of France. This video summarises Margaret's unfortunate life well.
Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it! 😊
She is my ancestor.
She is an incredible ancestor to have!
How? Didn't her only child die before having kids ?
Maybe they descend from one of Margaret's siblings, making her not a direct descendant, but you know, sharing genes and family tree
She fought but lost so much… Great respect-and pity-
Have a nice week!!
She really did! I think out of everyone involved in the Wars of the Roses, she probably lost the most - I suppose we could say Henry VI as well, but as the male heir he had a lot more power to change things than Margaret did. Have a nice week too! 😊
Hi friend. Which side of the wars of the roses do you support ?
She never stood A chance because the nobility at the time had A deep distrust in foreigners.
Yup, something that had been around a long time - even those born in England who spent a long time away (like Empress Matilda, an earlier powerhouse of a woman) were mistrusted.
If people could die of melancholy, I believe our population would drop drastically.
Agreed! It does seem like a pathetically weak argument for how someone died, and it makes me wonder if anyone at the time actually bought that Henry had gone out that way for a second.
@@HistorysForgottenPeopleIKR?! Just wanted to say I really like your channel. And almost all the channels I subscribe to become quite successful. Think I have a good eye for the great channels.😊
you may disagree but this woman is the only one I completely took side of about Wars Of The Roses. my heroine for the entire story.
She became queen of a country which was at war with her own at the time. which made her such a disliked and despised person in the eyes of people and everyone thought of her as negatively as possible, no matter what she did, positive or negative (all French queens of England had this misfortune if we're being honest) that wasn't enough, her husband became mentally ill. and a horrible ambitious man started having eyes on her son and family's birthright. she fought bravely for her son and husband and tried so hard to take back what was taken from them and yet it seemed like the entire universe was fighting against her (like how even her brief allies also turned their backs on her because of circumstances surrounding them) and such a tragic end for a woman who dealt with countless tragedies ever since she step foot in England💔💔💔at least I know that she was avenged once Yorks were no more only a bit after her death
Richard of York was not a horrible man. Remember that Henry VI grandfather, Henry IV of the house of Lancaster had usurped the throne and had Richard II starved to death. He was only trying to restore the throne to its rightful path. This, of course was not the fault of the hapless Henry VI, who I believe, was on the autistic spectrum. I also believe that. Margaret could well have had a child by Edmund of Somerset. She was a healthy young girl who wanted a normal married life and children. My ancestors took part in rebellions against Henry IV and one of them was hung for assisting his master in the Southampton plot to kill Henry V on his way to Agincourt. They continued to fight for the cause of York and after Richard III was defeated by Henry Tudor, whose claim to the Lancastrian throne was very flimsy, my ancestors remained against the Tudors and later loyal to the Catholic cause until well into the Elizabethan period.
@@AnneDowson-vp8lg he was a horrible man! trying to restore the throne to its rightful path? what rightful path? Lancasters were the true heirs anyway, no matter what you try to excuse, they were from John of Gaunt, while Yorks came from John Of Gaunt's younger brother! even Spanish monarchs at the time who were also grandkids of John of Gaunt, had much stronger claim than Yorks! a horrible man like Richard remained loyal to Lancasters and only started the mess because of seeing Margaret's unpopularity and seeing a chance for himself, which means at the end of the day, he wanted everything for himself! I'm glad Yorks and your ancestors never regained what they usurped
@@AnneDowson-vp8lg he was a horrible man! "trying to restore the throne to its rightful path" what rightful path are you even excusing? no matter what Lancasters did, they had much better claim to the throne than Yorks, since they were directly from John of Gaunt while York were from John Of Gaunt's younger brother! Even Spanish monarchs had much stronger claim to the throne than Yorks, since they were also from John Of Gaunt. I'm glad they lost what they usurped and were defeated over and over and never gained it back again
What about Empress Matilda and Queen Maud (King Stephen's wife) who fought against each other in the 12th century? Were not they "England's fiercest" Queens?
I'd certainly say they qualify, but I've already done a series of videos on Empress Matilda, and needed a catchy title for this one.
@@HistorysForgottenPeople Hm. I have to check your videos on Empress Matilda, but speaking of Queen Margaret, she might be one of the most unfortunate and one of the most fierce, while not winning in either category. It is hard to brand her with one word though.
It amazes me how many women of the medieval period were defamed for showing leadership, intelligence and good judgment. Margaret of Anjou was a product of her times and a woman born far beyond her time. We have yet to elect a female President though most European countries have done so. The prejudice and assumptions are still strong across the globe 500 years later. I can't imagine how Queen Margaret must have suffered simply for doing what she was born, trained and had the character to do: lead and rule. The exact same things were said about her female predecessors, Isabella of France, wife of Edward II, Queen Mathilda, Holy Roman Empress, granddaughter and rightful heir to the Throne of England. She was hated for doing male things, like being intelligent, canny and showing strong leadership. So many women have suffered simply because of our organs and the ability to bear children. It still really pi$$e$ me off.👿
I did my school paper around her and the war of roses. She's such a boss!!
Hi, awesome live history video I enjoyed it. How are you doing? I'm doing well. Have a great day see you next video. Next video could you do Georgiana Spencer Duchess of Devonshire 😊
Hi Michelle, I'm doing well, thanks for asking! Glad you are too. 😊 I'll add Georgiana Spencer to my list, that's a great suggestion. She was certainly a lively person, so it'll be fun researching her!
A real badass woman, I’m so sad that she was so villanised throughout her life.
These are so great but the music was just so good! Please reference the music you used here, pretty please😁🤗
Of course! One is 'Folk Round' by Kevin MacLeod, and the other is 'Burglar' by Kuro. I've got links to both of them at the bottom of my description, but I don't think the Soundcloud link works anymore? Kuro might have removed it. Someone also popped it here - ruclips.net/video/AUNh7ARpHRE/видео.html
@@HistorysForgottenPeople Aw thank you so much!
.I wrote a biography of Margaret back in 2002 as I felt she was a much maligned monarch Had another side to her too which some of her letters reveal Still my all time number one historical heroine!
It's funny how the rumours of someone often persists over their actual deeds in history! Margaret certainly was wrongly besmirched, I think, and she was definitely a strong and capable woman that got largely forgotten as her actual self.
Fascinating, as always. These machinations show that life as a 'big man' or 'big woman' can be dangerous, perhaps not as much as the little guy hauling his refuse, but in different ways. It goes to show being the pragmatic middle sort is the best bet, at least they can keep their machinations to themselves, ....well, until the internet was a thing.
Oh, definitely! I've always said if I went back in time, I'm happy to be the middling gentry farmer's wife in the middle of rural nowhere - wealthy enough to be comfortable, hopefully respected in the local area, too small fry to get mixed up in court politics.
Until one of my children entices the local nobleman to marry them, of course. 🤔
@@HistorysForgottenPeople 10 thousand a year I hear....
Never heard a scenario from her point of view. Guess there are always two sides to every story
Pity you never met me Then you would have done Big time!!!!
such a sad story, margaret fought so hard for her family against all odds, all for nothing
It was not for Nothing. The Lancastrians won in the end, via the Tudors.
Who is the real red queen ? Margaret Beaufort or Margaret of Anjou ? 🌹🌹🌹🌹
Honestly, I kind of love them both, but Margaret Beaufort is the Tudor Matriarch for me. 😊
@@HistorysForgottenPeople What do you think of King Richard iii 's beloved wife Anne nevile ? 👑👑🤍🤍
I'm not really sure, if I'm honest. I think she (probably along with her sister, Isabel) is a real enigma. Not much is known about her, despite the fact she was queen, especially as Richard III seemed to overshadow her a lot. An example of this is that normally queen consorts had their own coronation, but Richard squeezed theirs together. I keep meaning to research her more and possibly do a video, so maybe I'll be able to form more of an opinion on her then. 😊
All of the hard work his father went through just so his weak son could lose the throne.
It's true, Henry VI was a weak king, sadly. I also think he was probably a very nice person, just to see the flip-side - sources talk about his piety and kindness, and the fact he enjoyed reading. He probably would have made a very good religious figure rather than king, or at least had a better time of it, had there been peace. He also didn't have his father as any sort of example as he died while Henry was still a baby, and his mother went off into 'retirement' and married Owen Tudor when he was about nine, so Henry just grew up with a bunch of courtiers out for their own interests.
Henry had it rough.
To inherit a mental illness in the 15th century, no modern medicine, no supporting family and living through times of civil war- that's no joke.It's surprising he made it to live that long.I don't think he did a bad job, though. After all, he founded Oxford and Cambridge, important universities up to this day.
@@charlottepeukert9095 True, but still he lose France.
@@DarthRKO-li7qm
His father( Henry,5, no doubt one of the greatest warrior kings in medival England) didn't succeed in capturing all of it. And by the time his son was able to hold a sword, the political and military situation had changed a lot. Even when Henry the fifth won Azingcort, it was concidered close to a miracel.
He suffered from mental illness in the 15th century when treatment, at least as we know it today, did not exist. He could not help it, so there's that. Sighhh...
It sounds like the king suffered a stroke in my opinion
She was King Louis XI’s King of France First cousin.
Not sure your comment about James II of Scotland being assassinated is correct. His father and son were assassinated but IIRC he was killed in an accident involving and exploding cannon
Oh my goodness, you're right! Thank you for spotting that - silly mistake on my part. I'll make a note of it in my description.
So, this question is quite different in terms of time period , but who is your favourite and least favourite U.S President and why?
Hello.
My favorite has to be Abraham Lincoln and my least favorite is Woodrow Wilson.
You always have such great questions! Okay, let's think....my least favourite is easy, I'm afraid as he's very obvious and recent, but...Donald Trump! 😂 I think he's a pretty horrible person (being polite because I'm publicly on RUclips lol), and I also think he wasn't good at leading his country in a way that allowed people of all backgrounds to feel safe and wanted, and generally in such a way that anyone could be proud of.
My favourite is probably (although Abraham Lincoln comes in a close second) Franklin D. Roosevelt. He was a strong leader, he managed to lead the US through the Great Depression, WW2, worried about the poor and actually helping with employment, did his best to reduce corruption within the government, and laid the groundwork for the United Nations. I think he was a good guy (who likely wasn't perfect, none of them ever are, of course!), who was happy to make the right decisions for his country, even if those around him disagreed for their own ends. That will always win me over.
Favorite.. Abraham Lincoln. Worst. Andrew Jackson. The Trail of Tears, was a nightmare.
@@Carol-zk3eg He may have been one of the most evil people of all time.e. He adopted a Native whom he abused and didn't provide for.
These women of royal high birth are very sad in their personal life
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Amen
I really dislike York, he was such a power hungry person. Karma was a bitch at the end, he lost most of his heirs due to their infighting.
Yeah, I can kind of understand why Edward, George and Richard became so fixated on taking the throne as well, as they had grown up being told it belonged to their family rightfully. But for the Duke of York, it just came out of being ambitious and seeing an opportunity.
I absolutely loath Richard Of York and his entire bloodline! he like not only ruined an entire great dynasty but cursed his own family forever as well! I don't sympathies with Edward, either! his anger and usurping nature could've been justified if only he was strong enough to go through all the hard shit and earn a deserving win, but he didn't! he ruined everything by marrying Elizabeth Woodville and funny how he wasn't even strong enough to stand up for her, either and allowed enemies to remain under his skin like snakes, and the fact that he won it all, pisses me of even more! all of his victories were simply because of luck, not because he was capable! Margaret was the one who fought fiercely and deserved a happy ending! but, at least I can comfort myself, seeing how Yorks not only turned antagonistic towards themselves as well, but all of their line were punished and extinct less than a half century, right until the end! imagine all of this could've been avoided if it wasn't for one shitty man
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No mention of Englands disastrous loss of all French territory (except Calais) from 1444 to 1453.
Absolutely! It must have been crippling to realise you were the monarch who had lost what had been part of your kingdom, and to know that's what you would be remembered for in history.
She wouldn't have to do the work if Henry the sixth wasn't incompetent.
I don’t think it’s that he was incompetent. Henry VI seems to have suffered from what we would call today an undiagnosed mental illness that rendered him unresponsive at times. It’s not that he made bad decisions. It’s that at times he was physically unable to make any decisions.
@@timhare9867 I see your point but still(...) We went from the legendary Henry the V; who conquered french to Henry the 6th.
@@timhare9867 Henry also hate any kind of violence and was extremely pious. He founded Eton College; King's College, Cambridge; and All Souls College, Oxford. His interests were elsewhere. And clearly he suffered from some mental illness.
Were there other family members with mental health issues?
Yes, Henry's maternal grandfather was Charles VI of France, literally known as 'Charles the Mad' for his bouts of unknown mental illness. I'm not sure if there were any other family members less well known with mental illness, but there could have been!
How could she put the life of her 17yr old son in jeopardy ? Without Edward she had nothing, she was nothing !
It's a good question, but it wasn't really her choice, in a way. At 17 years old, although he wasn't quite of majority age for being king, Edward was considered an adult in terms of being married and going to war - 14 year old noble and royal boys would have been expected to be trained in using weapons, and going to battle was a rite of manhood. Add to this that it was a fight for Edward's birthright, and you can imagine that a 17-year-old prince would have wanted to prove himself, and may even have wanted to fight against his mother's wishes. Margaret may have tried to talk him down, we simply don't know.
What I like to know is did margaret love her husband?
It's always subjective with something like that, unfortunately, but it's certainly possible! I think the evidence we have shows that they cared for one another, and of course Margaret was a dutiful consort, so they were certainly committed to each other (no lovers on the side, and so on). However, I wouldn't have said Henry and Margaret were the love of each others' lives, either.
Like deployed 👍
Not my queen I'm a Anglo saxon pure Englishman I no where my people came from and where they originated from two bloody French Norman's ruining our language 🤡🤡🤡
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