Her two other marriages were arranged to further the Lancaster interests and, ultimately, her son's ascension to the throne after his victory at Bosworth in 1485. His posthumous son was the future Henry VII. Her first short-lived marriage at age 13 was to Edmund Tudor, Earl of Richmond, who died in the civil war one year later. Until now, History had been kind to Lady Margaret Beaufort, a descendant of Edward III through John of Gaunt. Etched on the mind of the naïve reader of this "historical novel" is a false picture of Lady Margaret Beaufort and erroneous notions about the late medieval times in which she lived. The damage is done, however, and often permanently. If you criticize the maneuver, she simply responds, "It is a novel. To substantiate her view, Gregory does not hesitate to change or distort historical facts. Clearly she does not like the devout Lady Margaret Beaufort, and so she depicts her as a bitter, scheming and pharisaical woman who pretends to follow the "will of God" - so long as it corresponds to her own. Philippa Gregory's work, however, typify a modern breed of "historical fiction." That is to say, she reconstructs History to fit her point of view, which is decidedly feminist. Certainly, imagination was used to bulk up the characters, but the author was faithful to the facts and general thinking of the times. I would highly recommend, for example, any of the historical novels by Louis de Wohl, such as The Last Crusader about Don Juan of Austria. Historical fiction can be instructive and enjoyable. Our reader thought I would find the story enjoyable, a good representation of a very volatile and complex period. The Red Queen is Lady Margaret Beaufort, the pious heiress of the Lancaster House and mother of the future Henry VII.
It was a dynastic war for the throne of England fought between two rival branches of the Plantagenet House: the Houses of Lancaster and York, whose heraldic symbols were a "red" and a "white" rose respectively. Book review of The Red Queenīy Philippa Gregory, NY: Simon & Schuster, 2010, 429 pp.Ī regular reader of our website recently suggested I read The Red Queen by Phillipa Gregory, part of a trilogy of "historical fiction" on leading ladies in the English War of the Roses (1455-1485). The Red Queen - A Feminist & Fallacious View of Lady Margaret Beaufort Book Review of The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory - Marian T.
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