MARGARET OF ANJOU (1430-1482), queen of England, daughter of Rene of Anjou, titular king of Naples and Jerusalem, was born on March 23, 143o. She married Henry VI. king of England on April 23, 1445. Her marriage had been negotiated by William de la Pole, duke of Suffolk, and when she came to Eng land, Suffolk and his wife were her only friends. Naturally she fell under his influence, and supported his policy. This, added to her French origin and sympathies, made her unpopular. Her active share in politics began after Suffolk's fall in 145o. She not only supported Edmond Beaufort, duke of Somerset, in his opposition to Richard of York, but concerned herself also in the details of government, seeking pecuniary benefits for herself and her friends. As a childless queen her influence was limited; and when her only son, Edward, was born on Oct. 13, 1453, her hus band was stricken with insanity. From this time she was the ardent champion of her husband's and son's rights; to her energy the cause of Lancaster owed its endurance, but her implacable spirit contributed to its failure.
When York's protectorate was ended by Henry's recovery in January 1455, Margaret, not content with the restoration of Somerset and her other friends to liberty and office, pushed her politics to extremes. The result was the defeat of the Lancas trians at St. Albans, and for a year Margaret had to acquiesce in York's power. Ultimately, in October 1456 at Coventry, she pro cured some change in the government. Though formally recon ciled to York in March 1458, she continued to intrigue with her partisans in England, and even with friends in France. After the Yorkist failure at Ludlow in 1459, Margaret embittered the strug gle by a wholesale proscription of her opponents in the parliament at Coventry. She was not present with her husband at North ampton on July io, 146o. She made her way to Scotland, and from Mary of Gelderland, the queen regent, purchased the promise of help at the price of surrendering Berwick. Margaret was still in Scotland at the date of Wakefield, so was not, as alleged by hostile writers, responsible for the barbarous treatment of York's body. But she was with the northern army which defeated War
wick at St. Albans on Feb. 17, 1461; for the executions which followed she must bear the blame. After Towton Margaret with her husband and son once more took refuge in Scotland.
A year later she went to France, and with help from her father and Louis XI. equipped an expedition which landed in Northum berland in October, and achieved some slight success; but on the way to seek further help from Scotland the fleet was overwhelmed in a storm. In the spring she was again trying to raid Northum berland. In August 1463 she crossed to Sluys in Flanders. She was almost destitute, but was courteously treated by Charles the Bold, then count of Charolais, and joined her father in France. Margaret never lost her hopes of her son's restoration. But when at last the quarrel between Warwick and Edward IV. brought her the opportunity, it was with difficulty that she could consent to be reconciled to so bitter an enemy. After Warwick's success and Henry's restoration Margaret still remained in France. On the day of Warwick's defeat at Barnet (April 14) Margaret and Edward landed at Weymouth. Three weeks later the Lancastrians were defeated at Tewkesbury, and Edward was killed. Margaret was captured a few days after, and brought to London where for five years she remained a prisoner. Finally Louis XI. ransomed her under the Treaty of Pecquigny, and she returned to France in January 1476. Margaret lived for six years in Bar and Anjou, in poverty and dependent for a pension on Louis, who made her surrender in return her claims to her father's inheritance. She died on April 25, 1482 and was buried at Angers cathedral.