The Importance of Margaret of Burgundy Flashcards
Who was Margaret
Margaret of Burgundy (also referred to as Margaret of York) was
the sister of Edward IV and Richard III.
Why was it such a significant
problem for Henry VII that she refused to recognise his kingship
and offered support to his opponents
In 1468, she married
the powerful Charles, duke of Burgundy. The Burgundian court
had been an important ally of the Yorkist kings, with Edward IV
staying there during some of his time in exile and, for England,
good relations with the duchy were important in terms of trade.
as it was a key market for England’s main export, woollen textiles.
Charles died in 1477, and so Margaret was a dowager duchess,
but nonetheless she still wielded considerable influence at the
Burgundian court.
Who did Margaret give safe haven to
Lovell found safe haven
with her after his failed rebellion in 1486 and soon he was joined
by another important figure fleeing from the Tudor regime - her
nephew, John de la Pole, earl of Lincoln.
Margaret was to play an ongoing and significant role in
assisting those causing difficulties for Henry VIl, in particular
by recognising the pretender Perkin Warbeck as her nephew
in 1492.
Her plotting was somewhat undermined by
Henry’s careful use of his intelligence networks, which infiltrated her
court in the 1490s and resulted in the execution of alleged
Yorkist sympathisers, such as Sir William. Stanley, among the
nobility in England.
Nonetheless, it was clear that Margaret was a considerable thorn in the side of the Tudor regime until 1496-
Henry’s decision in 1493 to try to limit her influence by placing an
embargo on trade with the Netherlands backfired spectacularly. As
the Netherlands was such an important textile market for English
goods, this measure caused rioting in the capital by unemployed
cloth workers. Consequently, Margaret continued to work against
the Tudor regime until 1496, when Henry finally managed to create a new trading alliance with the Netherlands, called the ‘Magnus Intercursus’ or ‘Great Intercourse’.
What did the new trading alliance with Netherlands ‘Great Intercourse’ do
This agreement obliged Margaret to bring her political manoeuvring to an end and provides evidence of how foreign trade diplomacy was important for ensuring domestic political stability in England in the late 15th
century.
