History UsefulNotes / MargaretOfYork

Margaret's three remaining brothers died in quick succession in England. After UsefulNotes/RichardIII was killed at the Battle of Bosworth, UsefulNotes/TheHouseOfTudor took power. She would support plots against them, including backing a man called Perkin Warbeck, who claimed to be the [[TheFateOfThePrincesInTheTower younger son of Edward IV]] and therefor the rightful king. Warbeck was eventually imprisoned and executed as an imposter by Henry VII, but a not insignificant minority of historians believe that he was genuine and Margaret knew it.

Margaret was the daughter of Cecilly Neville and Richard, Duke of York. Her father had a strong claim to the English throne. When the Lancastrian King Henry VII's reign was weakened by his insanity and mismanagement, he pressed his claim, which resulted in the UsefulNotes/WarsOfTheRoses. Her father and an older brother were killed, but her oldest brother became king as UsefulNotes/EdwardIV in 1460.

As Edward had no daughters of marriagable age and her only sister was already married at the start of his reign, she became important in the royal marriage market of Europe. She married the powerful UsefulNotes/CharlesDukeOfBurgundy. Burgundy had been allied to England during the Hundred Years War before and the alliance was mostly aimed at France and the Lancastrians who had found refuge there. UsefulNotes/LouisXI of France tried to prevent the marriage, seeing the danger, but it went ahead anyway. Their marriage produced no children and Margaret didn't see her husband much, as he was constantly on the move, both for diplomatic and militaristic purposes. She did get on very well with his only child, [[UsefulNotes/MaryDuchessOfBurgundy Mary]] and they travelled together through the Burgundian state.

Mary and Maximilian first had a son, Philip the Handome, for whom she stood godmother and a daughter [[UsefulNotes/MargaretOfAustria Margaret]] who was named after her.

Margaret's three remaining brothers died in quick succession in England. After UsefulNotes/RichardIII was killed at the Battle of Bosworth, UsefulNotes/TheHouseOfTudor took power. She would support plots against them, including supporting a man called Perkin Warbeck, who claimed to be the [[TheFateOfThePrincesInTheTower younger son of Edward IV]] and therefor the rightful king. None of her plots were successful.

Margaret was the daughter of Cecilly Neville and Richard, Duke of York. Her father had a strong claim to the English throne. When the Lancastrian King Henry VII's reign was weakened by his insanity and mismanagement, he pressed his claim, which resulted in the UsefulNotes/WarsOfTheRoses. Her father and an older brother were killed, but her oldest brother became king as Edward IV in 1460.

Margaret's three remaining brothers died in quick succession in England. After Richard III was killed at the Battle of Bosworth, UsefulNotes/TheHouseOfTudor took power. She would support plots against them, but was unsuccessful.

As Edward had no daughters of marriagable age and her only sister was already married at the start of his reign, she became important in the royal marriage market of Europe. She married the powerful UsefulNotes/CharlesDukeOfBurgundy. Burgundy had been allied to England during the Hundred Years War before and the alliance was mostly aimed at France and the Lancastrians who had found refuge there. Louis XI of France tried to prevent the marriage, seeing the danger, but it went ahead anyway. Their marriage produced no children and Margaret didn't see her husband much, as he was constantly on the move, both for diplomatic and militaristic purposes. She did get on very well with his only child, [[UsefulNotes/MaryDuchessOfBurgundy Mary]] and they travelled together through the Burgundian state.

!!Tropes associated with Margaret of York:

* AgeLift: In ''Isabel'', Margaret greets UsefulNotes/JoannaOfCastile as she arrives in Flanders. Margaret looks ancient, but was only in her early fifties at this point.
* AltarDiplomacy: Her marriage to Charles of Burgundy was arranged to strengthen the alliance between England and Burgundy
* BigBad: France, which was the biggest threat to the Burgundian state and later the Habsburgs in general. It didn't help that France had supported the Lancastrians as well. She was this herself to an extend to the Tudors, as she worked to destroy the fledgling and still vulnerable dynasty.
* BlueBlood: Descended through her father from Edward III of England. Edward III had claimed the French throne through his mother's lineage, who had been a French princess, so she was related to the French royal house as well.
* DysfunctionalFamily: Averted with her stepdaughters Mary's family. She would remain loyal even after Mary died, helping stepson-in-law Maximilian stabilizing the region. There are many examples in history of people who were more closely related who stabbed each other in the back.
** Played straight with her own family. Her brother George participated in traitorous plots against their brother Edward IV and quarreled with his other brother Richard as well. He was finally executed by being drowned in a barrel of wine, according to legend. After Edward's death, his sons disappeared in the Tower and Richard took the throne instead. It was widely believed he had his nephews killed. If we count the Wars or the Roses, which was basically a war between descendents of Edward III, this becomes even more dramatic.
* FeudingFamilies: York VS Lancaster. Later, York VS Tudor.
* KissingCousins: Louis XI tried to stop the marriage by having the pope forbid it as she was a fourth cousin to Charles of Burgundy. Compared to what the Habsburgs were up to from the sixteenth century onwards, this was not closely related at all.
* NiceHat: Those tall hats that are a symbol for the Middle Ages? She wore those. They were very fashionable in Burgundy.
* ParentalSubstitute: To her stepdaughter Mary and later to her stepgrandson Philip the Handsome.
* ProudMerchantRace: The Low Countries, which made ruling them a matter of compromises instead of just issuing orders.
* RenaissanceMan: The Burgundian court was known for its ostentation and art. Margaret was a patron of the arts and very active in diplomacy and governing. She loved to read and commissioned several works.
* StayInTheKitchen: Averted, as she played an important political role in the late fifteenth century. It helped that her mother-in-law, Isabella of Portugal, had acted as regent and had done the same. This became quite normal under the Habsburgs in the sixteenth century, starting with her stepgranddaughter Margaret.
* WickedStepmother: Averted. She got on very well with her stepdaughter Mary and would remain loyal to her family for the rest of her life.
* WinningOverTheKids: Well, it was just one, but Margaret was probably closer to Mary than Mary's own father.

* WickedStepmother: Averted. She got on very well with her stepdaughter Mary and would remain loyal to her family for the rest of her life.

Margaret was the daughter of Cecilly Neville and Richard, Duke of York. Her father had a strong claim to the English throne. When the Lancastrian King Henry VII's reign was weakened by his insanity and missmanagement, he pressed his claim, which resulted in the UsefulNotes/WarsOfTheRoses. Her father and an older brother were killed, but her oldest brother became king as Edward IV in 1460.

* Madeleine Harris in /Series/TheWhiteQueen (2013)
* Joanne Whalley in /Series/TheWhitePrincess (2017)

As Edward had no daughters of marriagable age and her only sister was already married at the start of his reign, she became important in the royal marriage market of Europe. She married the powerful UsefulNotes/CharlesDukeOfBurgundy. Burgundy had been allied to England during the Hundred Years War before and the alliance was mostly aimed at France and the Lancastrians who had found refuge there. Louis XI of France tried to prevent the marriage, seeing the danger, but it went ahead anyway. Their marriage produced no children and Margaret didn't see her husband much, as he was constantly on the move, both for diplomatic and militaristic purposes. She did get on very well with his only child, [[MaryDuchessOfBurgundy Mary]] and they travelled together through the Burgundian state.

Margaret's three remaining brothers died in quick succession in England. After Richard III was killed at the Battle of Bosworth, UsefulNotes/TheHouseOfTudor. She would support plots against them, but was unsuccessful.

* KissingCousins: Louis XI tried to stop the marriage by having the pope forbid it as she was a fourth cousin to Charles of Burgundy. Compared to what the Habsburgs were up to from the sixteenth century, this was not closely related indeed.

* ParentalSubstitute: To her stepdaughter Mary and later to her stepgrandson Philip the Handsome.

The young Duchess Mary died in 1482, after a fall from her horse. Margaret aided Maximilian in trying to keep the Low Countries stable as he became regent for his young son. When he was recalled to Austria by his father, Margaret goverened these territories together with the Estates and also took care of her stepgrandson Philip. The younger Margaret had been sent to France to marry the French Dauphin by that point.