The forgotten queen

This was quite an interesting read. I wasnt really sure which way the turns were going to take. Margaret Tudor was more than just the queen of Scotland. She was an ambitious woman whose reign was cut short by the death of her husband. Although she was regent for a short while, she fell victim to the Earl of Angus and his plans for Scotland.
Margaret struck me as a person who did not feel herself complete unless she had someone by her side. Her first marriage to King James was from all accounts a happy one. Whether they really loved each other or were just good friends throughout their short marriage isnt really known, but after his death, she was distraught and alone. While her young son assumed the throne, she was cast in the role of regent. She married twice more, although neither one was a really happy marriage.

Her life was quite interesting, and the book brought her from obscurity, showing how she tried to make her mark, and make it she did. Had she not married the Earl of Angus, things in Scotland might have been quite different and some of the bloodshed might have been avoided. Her friendships with men who were first her enemies is quite remarkable. Her Tudor determination for what she felt was best is something of legend. I couldnt help but compare her to her grandmother, Margaret Beaufort. Margaret Beaufort is someone who I feel isnt quite innocent in some of the goings on in England, but her drive to put her son on the throne of England was something that she fought and manipulated people for all of her life. She definitely instilled some hard lessons on her grandchildren and whether they would have admitted it or not, those lessons stuck with them throughout their lives. For all of her piety (true or not) it did not really stick with her grandchildren, but the lengths that she would go to in achieving her wants and goals were unbounded.

Margaret Tudor was a remarkable woman, daring to go against conventional thought of the time to get what she wanted. Good read!