Expert Talk – Sarah-Beth Watkins – Margaret Tudor

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1. 

   R August 17, 2018 at 10:18 pm

   Was there something in the Tudor ale as most of them married the wrong men/women? They really did make some of the cuff and passionate decisions, but ultimately the wrong choices. Henry chose at least three women who he ended up ill matched with and both Margaret’s last two husbands were pieces of work, unsuitable for a Queen. She wanted to divorce Angus, but had no support and then Henry Stewart was just trouble. Mary Tudor married the right man as she thought, but there were times when he sided with Henry against her and vice versa and they were always in debt, but for the main they were happy and in love. Mary I thought her alliance with Philip of Spain, who was the best of a small number of candidates available and she ensured he would have no real power in England. However, in parts of the country the match was not popular and it led to a rebellion. Philip himself was not the best of husbands and he spent little time in England because of his other lands. Elizabeth didn’t marry but had love affairs with a series of young men, all of whom let her down, the last Essex tried to raise the people against her.

   It would be fair I think to say that Henry was being hypocritical regarding his sister’s divorce because he was trying to annul his own marriage to Katherine at the time. This is typical of a man, he can have a lover and marry her but his sister is a disgrace to her family! Typical of the male double standards of the day.

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2. 

   R August 31, 2018 at 1:34 am

   The Douglas clan were extremely powerful but Margaret should have waited surely for her Council’s permission to marry rather than marrying him without and causing her to lose the support of the Scottish nobles, thus putting her Regency in jeopardy. She might have wanted a protector, but it wasn’t very sensible. In the fight for her son and children, however, she was a feisty lady who did her best and her actions were brave. She was more of a woman who tried to negotiate her rights and those of her children than I realised and she had more potential as a strong and wise Queen Regent than she was allowed to be by the bickering Scottish nobles.

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3. 

   J October 14, 2021 at 10:13 pm

   I’m late to this talk; but found it fascinating and I loved learning more about Margaret and her difficulty life. Thank you for the education!!

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