Tomb of Margaret Beaufort

Images of Britain: Tomb of Lady Margaret Beaufort, Lady Chapel, Westminster Abbey, London

Effigy of Lady Margaret Beaufort in the Lady Chapel © Hiro Taniguchi. — Effigy of Lady Margaret Beaufort © Hiro Taniguchi

The tomb of Lady Margaret Beaufort (1443-1509) lies close to that of her son Henry VII and his Queen, Elizabeth of York in the Lady Chapel in Westminster Abbey, central London.

Margaret Beaufort did much to bring her son to power despite his rather flimsy claims to be the rightful king through her ancestors - illigitimate children of John of Gaunt, one of Edward III's sons.

The gilt bronze tomb is by Italian sculptor Pietro Torrigiano. It shows Margaret in her old age wearing a widow's hood. The two pillows under her head are particularly fine and detailed as are her wrinkled hands.

Margaret Beaufort was a key figure in the Wars of the Roses and the mother of King Henry VII of England. She was born at Bletsoe Castle in Bedfordshire, and belonged to the powerful Beaufort family, which was descended from John of Gaunt, a son of King Edward III.

Margaret's early life was marked by political turmoil, as the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars for control of the English throne, unfolded. She married Edmund Tudor, Earl of Richmond, at the age of 12 and became a widow at 13 when he died in captivity. Margaret gave birth to her only child, Henry Tudor (the future Henry VII), when she was just 13 years old.

After the defeat of her son's Lancastrian forces at the Battle of Tewkesbury in 1471, Henry Tudor went into exile. Margaret worked tirelessly to secure support for her son's claim to the throne.

In 1485, Henry Tudor returned to England, landing at Milford Haven, and faced King Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth. The battle marked the end of the Wars of the Roses, and Henry emerged victorious. He was crowned Henry VII, and Margaret Beaufort became the mother of the reigning monarch.

Margaret was known for her piety and philanthropy. She endowed Christ's College and founded St. John's College at the University of Cambridge and was a patron of education and the arts. She also played a key role in arranging the marriage of her granddaughter, Princess Margaret, to James IV of Scotland, which ultimately led to the union of the crowns of England and Scotland.

She died at the age of 66. Her legacy is primarily tied to her role as the matriarch of the Tudor dynasty and her efforts to secure the throne for her son, Henry VII.

The beautiful Lady Chapel is where 15 kings and queens are buried. They include Henry VII, Elizabeth I, Mary I, Edward VI, Mary Queen of Scots, James VI and possibly Edward V and Richard Duke of York, known as the "Princes in the Tower." In the Hanoverian vault lie George II and members of his family. Charles II, William III and Mary II, and Queen Anne lie in the Stuart vault.