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WHAT A SENTENCE:

“Margaret had formerly expressed her disapproval and concern at her granddaughter being married too young, but as the Queen of Scots was approaching her fourteenth birthday—generally considered to be a more acceptable age for consummation—there is no evidence that she was unhappy at the king‘s decision to send his daughter north at this time.“

(That's the granddaughter in the image, roughly 13 at the time of the portrait.)

In today's installment of the adventures of Margaret Beaufort, her son becomes king and she promptly has herself declared “femme sole“ and later takes a vow of chastity and sets up her own household, all while still being married to her fourth husband. She also starts signing her name “Margaret R,“ which supposedly stands for “Richmond“ but could be interpreted as “Regina.“

Halfway through this biography of Margaret Beaufort, she is 29 years old and has just married her fourth husband. Granted, she was seven at her first wedding, so it's taken her longer to get to husband number four than it seems like it should have.

Part of this bail could be pandemic brain, but I did find the writing style repetitive. When Margaret was pregnant with Henry VII, I did not need to be reminded of her pregnant status 3 times per page. I promise my attention span is not THAT short.

Finished this gem! What a great way to learn quite a bit of English history, as this lady lived through it all. Enjoyed looking up all the castles and manors she occupied and the highlighted people in her life. I posted a review on Goodreads and #netgalley.