Historical biography archive · Updated 2026-11-03

Margaret Beaufort Biography and Timeline

Follow Margaret Beaufort through 24 dated historical records for England.

Margaret Beaufort, historical timeline

A chronological timeline drawn from matching World History Database records.

24Distinct records
1 of 1Page
1443–1509Years on this page

1443

Birth of Margaret Beaufort

Countess · Bletsoe Castle · House / House of Tudor

Birth of Margaret Beaufort, daughter of Margaret Beauchamp of Bletsoe and John Beaufort, 1st Duke of Somerset. Margarets father was a great-grandson of King Edward III through his third surviving son, John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster

1444

Marriage

Countess · House / House of Tudor

Married to Suffolks son, John de la Pole

1455

Marriage

Countess · House / House of Tudor

Margaret was 12 when she married the 24-year-old Edmund Tudor

Marriage

Countess · House / House of Tudor

Marries Edmund Tudor the Earl of Richmond. Before the annulment of her first marriage, Henry VI chose Margaret as a bride for his half-brother, Edmund Tudor, 1st Earl of Richmond. Edmund was the eldest son of the King's mother, Catherine of Valois, by Owen Tudor

1456

Birth of only child

Countess · Pembroke Castle · House / House of Tudor

Taken into the care of her brother-in-law Jasper, at Pembroke Castle, the Countess gave birth to her only child, Henry Tudor, the future Henry VII of England

Death of Margaret Beaufort

Countess · Carmarthen · House / House of Tudor

Death of Edmund Tudor, dies of the plague in captivity at Carmarthen the following, leaving a 13-year-old widow who was seven months pregnant with their child

1457

Birth of Henry VII

Countess · London · House / House of Tudor

Birth of Henry VII, son of Margaret Beaufort

1458

Marriage

Countess · House / House of Tudor

The 14-year-old Margaret marries Sir Henry Stafford, son of Humphrey Stafford, 1st Duke of Buckingham

1472

Marriage

Countess · House / House of Tudor

Margaret marries Thomas Stanley, the Lord High Constable and King of Mann. Margarets marriage to Stanley enabled her to return to the court of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville

1483

Coronation

Countess · Westminster Abbey · House / House of Tudor

Carries Queen Annes train at Richard IIIs coronation

Buckinghams Rebellion

Countess · House / House of Tudor

A gale ended their dream, and in England, a premature uprising in Kent forewarned Richard that Buckingham had changed sides. Margaret secretly plotted with the Dowager Queen, Elizabeth Woodville, and was almost certainly involved in Buckinghams rebellion

Buckinghams Rebellion

Countess · House / House of Tudor

Seven ships from Brittany carrying over 500 Bretton soldiers, Henry Tudor, and many of his supporters were to have simultaneously uprise against Richard III.

Buckinghams Rebellion

Countess · House / House of Tudor

The plot revolved around Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham, who had become disaffected from Richard III, and had backing from the exiled Henry Tudor (the future king Henry VII) & Margaret Beaufort.

Succession

Countess · House / House of Tudor

As Queen Elizabeth's sons, the Princes in the Tower, were presumed murdered, it was agreed that Margarets son, Henry, would be betrothed to Elizabeth of York, the eldest daughter of Elizabeth and Edward IV, thus creating a marriage alliance with potential to attract both Yorkist and Lancastrian support

1485

Battle of Bosworth

Countess · Bosworth · Warfare / Wars of the Roses

After the Battle of Bosworth, it was Stanley who placed the crown on the head of his stepson (Henry VII), who later made him Earl of Derby.

Battle of Bosworth

Countess · Bosworth · Warfare / Wars of the Roses

Margaret was then styled "Countess of Richmond and Derby".

Battle of Bosworth

Countess · Bosworth · Warfare / Wars of the Roses

Margarets husband Stanley, despite having fought for Richard III during the Buckingham rebellion, did not respond when summoned to fight at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485, remaining aloof from the battle.

Battle of Bosworth

Countess · Bosworth · Warfare / Wars of the Roses

even though his eldest son, George Stanley (styled Lord Strange), was held hostage by Richard.

Royal Mother's Coronation Precedence

Countess · Westminster · House / House of Tudor

Margaret Beaufort receives exceptional precedence during her son's coronation celebrations, reflecting her central importance to the new dynasty.

Role range: 1485-1509

1497

Queen Elizabeth's School

Countess · Wimborne · House / House of Tudor

Announced her intention to build a free school for the general public of Wimborne, Dorset. With her death in 1509, Wimborne Grammar School, now Queen Elizabeth's School, came into existence

1505

Christs College

Countess · Cambridge · House / House of Tudor

Refounded and enlarged Gods House, Cambridge as Christs College, Cambridge with a royal charter from the King

1509

Margaret Beaufort Organises Coronation

Countess · London · House / House of Tudor

Margaret Beaufort takes a leading role in organising her grandson's coronation celebrations and ceremonial arrangements.

Role range: 1485-1509

Death of Margaret Beaufort

Countess · Westminster Abbey · House / House of Tudor

Death of Margaret Beaufort

Burial

Countess · Westminster Abbey · House / House of Tudor

Buried in the Henry VII Lady Chapel of the Abbey, in a black marble tomb topped with a bronze gilded effigy and canopy. She is now situated between the later graves of William and Mary and the tomb of Mary, Queen of Scots

Records, sources and methodology

These dates and descriptions come from the historical_events database. Exact duplicate records have been collapsed. Names are grouped by the country, Name 2 and Name 1 fields; records with missing Name 2 cannot be reliably assigned to an individual biography. Check the underlying sources before formal citation.