Margaret Tudor (November 28 – 30, 1489 – October 15,1541), was the daughter of Henry VII of England and Elizabeth of York, and the elder sister of Henry VIII. She was married three times, on each occasion to a scion of the Scottish House of Stewart. Through her first marriage to James IV of Scotland, she was the mother of King James V. Her great-grandson, James VI of Scotland, later became James I of England as Henry VIII's line had died out. Margaret is also the 13-greats-grandmother of the present Queen, Elizabeth II.

There is some disagreement about Margaret's exact birthdate, though scholars generally agree that it was between November 28 and November 30 at the Palace of Westminster in London. Henry VII's court was opulent, and he expected his entire family to participate publicly from the time they were old enough to walk. Thus Margaret's daily routine was full of courtly ritual, beginning with her first day on earth, when her birth was ushered in with a morning mass, spiced wine and cakes, and an hour of prayer. ^[1]

Margaret was devoted to her father and took up some of his favorite pursuits, including music and hunting. She is known to have played the lute and clavichord and was a fair archer. She also had her own consort of minstrels, including a bagpiper and fiddler. ^[1]

Henry was anxious to secure good relations with Scotland. In June 1495 he suggested a match between Margaret and King James IV of Scotland, who was 17 years her senior. The offer was renewed in September 1496. However, it was several years before negotiations were concluded, and the pair were finally betrothed to be married in November 1501. ^[2]

Margaret married James IV on August 8, 1503 at Holyrood Abbey in Edinburgh, and was crowned queen of Scotland in the March following. Prince James-the future James V-her only child to survive infancy-was born in 1512. She gave birth to one other son, Alexander, duke or Ross, in 1514, but he died the following year.

After the husband was killed in 1513 at Flodden Field, she became regent for their infant son.

With the country still at war with England this was a dangerous time, and many among the nobility distrusted Margaret as the sister of an enemy king. Soon a party grew up urging that she should be replaced by John Stewart, 2nd Duke of Albany, the closest male relative of the infant princes, and third in line to the throne. Albany, who had been born and raised in France, was seen as a living representative of the Auld Alliance, in contrast with the pro-English Margaret. Margaret managed to alienate the remaining support she had by her marriage in August 1514 to Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus. Albany came to Scotland in 1515, replacing Margaret as Regent in July with the full support of the Council. As a last desperate measure the former regent took refuge in Stirling Castle with her sons; but under blockade she was forced to surrender them to their uncle. After this she returned to Edinburgh before fleeing to England. She returned in 1517, by which time her marriage with Angus was close to collapse.

With Angus, Margaret had a daughter, Margaret Douglas, who became the mother of Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, the husband of Mary Queen of Scots; she was thus the grandmother of both parents of James VI of Scotland.

In 1524, after some unsuccessful warfare on the borders, Albany left for France, with the intention of returning to Scotland later in the season. Taking advantage of his absence Margaret resorted to a simple device to ensure he stayed in France. With the aid of the earls of Arran and Lennox she obtained agreement that the regency was at an end, and the twelve-year-old James was elevated to rule in his own right. In practice, of course, he continued to be ruled by others, though not in the way that Margaret envisaged. In 1525 her estranged husband, Angus, took charge of the young king, and was to rule Scotland in his name-and in the interests of Henry VIII-until 1528. James was held as a virtual prisoner, and his experience left him with an abiding hatred both for the Douglases and the English connection.

Margaret finally divorced Angus in 1527, and married Henry Stewart, later Lord Methven After James assumed power the following year Margaret and her husband became his chief advisers for a time. However, Margaret's relationship with her son ended in estrangement. In 1534, the council and clergy persuaded James to reject his mother's suggestions of a meeting with her royal brother. Margaret, in frustration, revealed some state secrets to Henry. James was later to accuse her of being a spy and of betraying him for money. His refusal to allow his mother to divorce Methven further damaged their already fractured relationship.

Margaret died of palsy at Methven Castle, in Perthshire and was buried at the Carthusian Abbey of St John in Perth. Her brother's dynasty ended with the childless Elizabeth I, and the line of succession to the English throne was passed through Margaret's heirs. Her great-grandson, James VI of Scotland, became James I of England, thus uniting the crowns of the two countries. The Stuart dynasty would rule until the 18th century. The present queen Elizabeth II is directly descended from Margaret, not her brother.

• Chapman, Hester W. (1969). The Thistle and the Rose: The Sisters of Henry VIII. Coward, McCann & Geoghegan Inc. LCC 79-159754.

• Jansen, Sharon L. (2002). The Monstrous Regiment of Women: Female Rulers in Early Modern Europe.

• Mackie, J. D. (1994). The Earlier Tudors: 1485 - 1558. ISBN 0192852922.

• Perry, Maria. The Sisters of Henry VIII: The Tumultuous Lives of Margaret of Scotland and Mary of France. ISBN 0306809893.

• Routh, C. R. (2001). Who's Who in Tudor England.

• A short profile of Margaret alongside other influential women of her time
• Margaret Tudor Gallery