Margaret was the formidable eldest daughter of Henry VII. She was crowned queen and wife of the Scottish king, James IV. The purpose of this marriage was to create peace between the two countries. She gave birth to the future king James V.
Peace was not to be and Margaret found herself torn between the two countries and their shifting alliances with France. Her husband was killed by the English at Flodden as a result of this conflict. She went on to marry two more times, mixing exile, coup d’etats, regencies, politics, intrigues and divorces into her nimble dance to survive.
Margaret’s legacy can be seen in the ascendancy of her great grandson James I who succeeded Elizabeth I, establishing the Stuart dynasty.