Margaret of York The Diabolical Duchess eBook Christine Weightman
Download As PDF : Margaret of York The Diabolical Duchess eBook 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.
Margaret of York The Diabolical Duchess eBook Christine Weightman
The book has some real strengths: use of primary sources with footnotes, interesting details about Margaret's personal and political life, a map, genealogical trees, illustrations, an excellent bibliography, and a good index. However, while the prose is lively in some places, it is a little tedious in others. The author also name-drops (many names are mentioned once and then never again), and the narrative seems disjointed -- the author repeats some information in more than one place and leaves out information in other areas (for example, she alludes to Clarence, Edward IV's brother, being drowned in a butt of malmsey wine without explaining that it was a rumor that circulated after his death). If you are already familiar with English history in general and Margaret of York in particular, this could be a very interesting read. As the author herself states in her acknowledgements, this book will "provide a springboard for future work on the subject." Weightman has already done a great deal of the historical groundwork.Product details
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Margaret of York The Diabolical Duchess eBook Christine Weightman Reviews
This is a very dry account of history of this particular era. Spent a great amount of time to explain very little.
Margaret of York was the daughter of sometime heir to the English crown (father, Richard Duke of York), sister to two kings (Edward IV and Richard III), aunt to the first Tudor Queen (Elizabeth of York), pariah to the first Tudor king (Henry VII) and yet is virtually unknown today. This reissue, I think, will go a long way in correcting this curious oversight. Margaret was a royal princess at the time of her marriage to the rather eccentric Charles the Bold (or Rash) of Burgundy, whose wealthy, culturally influential province was on the northern border of modern day France. Although she never had any children of her own she formed a devotion to Burgundy and its young heiress, Mary of Burgundy, that is truly an exceptional for its depth of affection and continual effort to nurture and guide and protect her step-daughter.
This is such a fine biography that it can be read on a number of levels, where Margaret's life is a window into the politics of the late medieval period; as a fully realised patron of the arts and books in particular; as a iron-willed protectress to Mary and then to Mary's young children; and finally, as a relentless opponent to the usurping Henry Tudor. By extension Margaret was as involved in the "war of the roses" as if she were leading armies herself; Henry VII had no more single-minded, competent, staunch and tireless enemy than the dowager duchess of Burgundy. Others may have won the crown for Henry at Bosworth but once king he trusted only his mother, and together it was all they could do to counter the equally resolute force that was Margaret of York.
This is not a difficult read, although it could well have been. Weightman's tone is calming and assured, much the way a conductor is even when guiding her orchestra through a wildly emotional piece of music. She is well aware of the intricacies of the politics of the late 1400's, the unfamiliarity of many of the names, issues, hereditary feuds and simple twists of fate that beset her whole family and its times. But Weightman procedes through her material with what can only be called a kind of gracefulness, exhibiting Margaret as the prima ballerina of court and dynastic politics, as she moved through a brutal world dominated by men who were staggeringly duplicitous and ruthless, and with determination and aplomb. Margaret never lost a sense of her own dignity and even when limited by resources, from time to time, was always able to best the men who attempted to diminish her and control her life.
At a time when women - in any aspect of power - were and are usually overlooked Weightman has found so much material to provide a tangible background for Margaret that she becomes a living breathing entity despite the centuries between us and this woman. If Virtue is its own reward then Margaret of York, duchess of Burgundy, was wealthy indeed. This is such a fine example of what writing should be, not to mention the art of biography. If I could somehow persuade this author to take on Margaret's diverse trio of brothers, Edward, George and Richard, I certainly would, on bended knee and begging. It's a irony that Margaret,their sister, has done so much better with her biographer than all of them together have done!
I was really looking forward to reading this book. And it is a fascinating read. But, for some reason, the publisher used small type - very "gray" pages full of type. That in itself would make it hard to read. But they also used glossy paper!
Put it all together and it's painful to read. I can only read a few pages at a time - very sad! The work deserves better!
Very informative. Interesting to the end. Highly recommended for people that are interested in 15th century history and the The House Of York.
Weightman's book is well researched yet easy to read, and Margaret comes alive in the text. I would have liked to have known a bit more on her relationship with Cecily, Margaret's mother. Other than that, the book is great.
The book has some real strengths use of primary sources with footnotes, interesting details about Margaret's personal and political life, a map, genealogical trees, illustrations, an excellent bibliography, and a good index. However, while the prose is lively in some places, it is a little tedious in others. The author also name-drops (many names are mentioned once and then never again), and the narrative seems disjointed -- the author repeats some information in more than one place and leaves out information in other areas (for example, she alludes to Clarence, Edward IV's brother, being drowned in a butt of malmsey wine without explaining that it was a rumor that circulated after his death). If you are already familiar with English history in general and Margaret of York in particular, this could be a very interesting read. As the author herself states in her acknowledgements, this book will "provide a springboard for future work on the subject." Weightman has already done a great deal of the historical groundwork.
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