Margaret of York: The Diabolical Duchess

by Christine Weightman

The amazing life of Margaret of York, the woman who tried to overthrow the Tudors. Reared in a dangerous and unpredictable world Margaret of York, sister of Richard III, would become the standard bearer of the House of York and 'The menace of the Tudors'. This alluring and resourceful woman was Henry VII's 'diabolical duchess'. Safe across the Channel in modern-day Belgium and supported by the Emperor she sent Lambert Simnel and Perkin Warbeck with thousands of troops to England to avenge the destruction of her brother and of the House of York. Both rebellions shook the new Tudor dynasty to the core. As the duchess and wife of the wealthiest ruler in Western Europe, Margaret was at the centre of a glittering court and became the patron of William Caxton. It was at her command that he printed the first book in English. Her marriage to Charles, the dour, war-mad Duke of Burgundy, had been the talk of Europe. John Paston, who was among the awe struck guests, reported in the famous Paston Letters that there had been nothing like it since King Arthur' court. Yet within a decade Charles was dead, his corpse frozen on the battlefield and within another decade her own family had been destroyed in England. Childless and in a foreign land Margaret showed the same energetic and cautious spirit as her great-grand-niece Elizabeth I, surviving riots, rebellions and plots. In spite of all her efforts, the Tudors were still on the throne but Margaret, unlike the Yorkist kings, was a great survivor.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Biography, 15th Century, Historical, Medieval History, Medieval

250 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

Christine B. Weightman, lives in Ascot.

Reviews

[Joanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although this book is a bit dry at times, I found it fascinating. The character of Margaret of York, the 'Diabolical Duchess' of the title, was fantastic: pious, astute, courageous, generous and loving. I was particularly impressed by her relationship with her step-daughter and her family and the detailed descriptions of the Burgundian Court and the struggle for power in Europe at the time. There are not many (if any) other books about Margaret, but she was a wonderful personality and deserves more attention. I recommend it to anyone who is interested in the culture, politics and events of the late fifteenth century.

[Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Margaret Duchess of Burgundy outlived all her brothers, and once she overcame her enemies she was in many ways more powerful than either of her brothers Edward IV and Richard III. The death of her cunning enemy Louis XI of France left Margaret one of the most successful politicians of Western Europe. She formed strong family bonds with the Habsburg emperors and earned permanent respect in her cities north of France. Her lifelong influence with Emperor Maximilian made her dangerous to the new Tudor dynasty which had destroyed the rest of her family.

Author Weightman says there is so much documentary evidence for most of Margaret's life that her problem was choosing what not to include. Every chapter is packed with details of Margaret's crisis-filled life.

[Leigh McCabe · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well written and enjoyable book about the Duchess of Burgundy and sister of King Edward IV and Richard III. It is always interesting to read about other less well-known but equally important characters from history.

[Georgianna Price · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting book on a lady I didn't know very much about. Well written and not difficult to read, this book brought Margaret of York alive in the facts, rememberances and the documents which have survived her time.

[Larissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Personally, I've loved this book. It actually brings a far more realistic view of the house of York (especially painting Edward IV less like the grand knight many historians and novelists insist to sell), even though the author does not dig in too deep of it.

I think she used well the sources she had in hand and appreciated her historical interpretation, by considering the political context and giving more attention to late medieval policies.

What made me not give five stars was that she insisted to reproduce the idea (which has been more recently debated) of Henry VII being a paranoid man. The first Tudor King had his reasons to suspect the members of the house of York, especially if one regards how everytime he offered peace, they chose violence. And it appears to me, or the least it was the interpretation I've had, that she painted Margaret and her Burgundian relatives (especially Philip the Fair) in too many beautiful colours.

Nonetheless, this is a book I recommend to historians and non-historians. It's well written and very well searched. The sources were thought critically and properly pondered accordingly the arguments used. I really enjoyed to learn more about this overshadowed and maligned figure that was Margaret of York, duchess of Burgundy.

[Adelais · Rating 4 out of 5]

Коротенький історичний нон-фікшен про те, як викручуватися, коли за чоловіка в тебе Карл Сміливий (герцог бургундський, але спочатку в бійку, а потім думати), вдома постійно війна, в якій гинуть брати, а ще треба падчерку любов'ю оточити і не забувати про англійський трон. Відповідь дає Маргарита Йоркська - розслабитись і працювати.
Взагалі це така досить стандартна біографія, де треба багато чого виколупувати з джерел, але Маргарита виходить досить жива і симпатична. Якась задоволена життям, попри всі негаразди - там гарну книжку купить, там з падчеркою посидить, тут церкву огляне, ще трошки поінтригує, а там і вечеря. От і нам би так.

[The Logophile · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm happy someone took the time to write a biography about Margaret of York, and about half of the book was interesting to me, but the other half was just fillers which made the book boring in a lot of places. The 1st chapter is about the extravagance of her wedding & it was rather long. Maybe I would've enjoyed it more had I learned something about her first, but 5 pages into starting the book I questioned whether or not I wanted to continue. Having said that, I am glad I finished it. I think too many women in history have been overlooked & ignored.

[Lucía · Rating 3 out of 5]

nice sources, nice first and last chapters, but so much of the body was just not margaret? i could barely hear her voice during more than half of it, it was all the noise surrounding her
but i loved the last chapter and i will for sure use the notes!

[Tony Bertram · Rating 4 out of 5]

Neat little book about Margaret of Burgundy...Edward V and Richard 111's sister. Perhaps a little padded but an enjoyable read.

[Dimitrios Souvan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Margaret of York was definitely one of the more dramatic of personalities in the period. Which is saying something considering the constant bloodshed in England at the time. Needless to say the book is aptly named. Weightman is a fantastic writer. This book has a lot of unique information which is hard to come by and very niche. It is definitely worth a read.

[Jakki Newton · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hesitated giving this book only two stars because obviously years of research had gone into it, and how difficult it must be to research someone from the Middle Ages I can only imagine. But reading Margaret of York's life made a dramatic existance seem overwelmingly boring.

The writer focused not on Margaret herself and what it must have been like to be her: the things she might have seen, heard and felt. Instead she focused on the complicated politics that surrounded Margaret's life: the suppression of the Yorks, and the victory of the Tudors through a myriad of royals all named Edward, Richard or Margaret.

It just wasn't personal enough, and the book had an awkward structure which lent itself towards repetition.

[historic_chronicles · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was very excited to read this book due to having a constantly developing interest in the Wars of the Roses and especially the women that were central to events that occurred.

Margaret was the sister of Kings Edward IV and Richard III. I had seen her name referenced often in connection with Henry VII and her part in the Warbeck and Simnel rebellions but was eager to learn more about this proud Yorkist princess.

This book is an easy read into the life of Margaret with a wealth of sources. The author was clearly very passionate about their subject and this came through in the writing as I felt as though I was being transported back to Margaret's life.

I did find it a little bit of a slow start but once the author seemed to have found their feet the book was smooth thereafter.

[Girl From the North Country · Rating 4 out of 5]

Weightman has clearly done an incredible amount of research, yet I still have no sense of Margaret. She's still the elusive, shadowy figure She's always been, and likely always will be, bc there simply isn't enough history to weave into a picture. I commend the author's efforts, as Margaret is fascinating, but in the end, this was just an accounting of the things happening to and around her- a tableau vivant of Burgandy, France, and England under the York & Tudor dynasties. No index also makes it less useful, though there are copious notes & a bibliography.

[Verity Hopkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

It gives a lot of detail about the politics involved in administrating the Duchy of Burgundy in the late C15th and Margaret's role in this. I thought it was a cut above some the bio's Ive read of Fifteenth century personalities.

[Stevie Carroll · Rating 3 out of 5]

A dense, and highly detailed story of a powerful woman who mostly appears in other people's histories. The book also gives a superb account of how the Burgundians thrived at the height of their power, and hints at how it went wrong. Wonderfully illustrated too.

[Éowyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, although I still felt that Margaret herself was something of an enigma, this was a good insight into the politics of the time and what a pivotal part she played in Europe, possibly impacting down to the present day!

[Susan Abernethy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jam packed full of details. Weightman is very thorough although it can be dry and not a fun read. So far the only definitive biography of Margaret.

[Temashana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full of information but a bit dry. I'd recommend only if you are well versed in this time period and the players involved, as otherwise you might get lost.

[Dimitrios Souvan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Weightman’s book is still the go to on Margaret after all these years. The level of detail of the court and the life without undue speculation is astonishing. Highly recommended

[Susan]

Wars of the Roses