Historical fiction has the ability to be creative. Fans get to learn about the stories of people long gone, including conversations in private. While many elements are made up, there are some parts of “The White Princess” that are true. When it comes to Margaret Beaufort, many parts of her character are taken from history but there are certainly some exaggerations and theories told. Here are four things you need to know about the real Margaret Beaufort.

There’s no proof she killed the Princess in the Tower

“The White Princess” makes the suggestion that Margaret Beaufort killed the Princes in the Tower.

This was something taken from “The White Queen,” and a reason Elizabeth Woodville and young Lizzie hate the woman.

The truth is, nobody really knows what happened to Edward V and Richard, Duke of York. The younger brother may not have even been there—this theory is used heavily in Philippa Gregory’s work. It is possible that Margaret Beaufort killed the boys, but the strongest theories surround Richard III of England.

Margaret pushed Henry to the throne from a young age

Margaret always believed that her son was destined for the throne. She believed she had received a sign from God. From that point, she pushed her son to the throne as much as possible. Unfortunately, her actions led to Henry being expelled from England and herself being placed under house arrest.

The only way she could see Henry Tudor being king was by working with Elizabeth Woodville. The two promised marriage between Henry and Lizzie to stop the Wars of the Roses and secure the throne for both.

Margaret and Henry almost died

Margaret was just 13 years old when she gave birth to Henry. She had been 12 when she found out she was pregnant.

It was an extremely dangerous pregnancy and one that nearly killed her and her son. While it seems like a common feature in history, Margaret’s age was young for the time.

After Henry, she never had another child. She also encouraged Henry to wait before sending his elder daughter (also called Margaret) to Scotland. Margaret Tudor married James IV of Scotland when she was just 13.

‘The White Princess’ was considered lower than the king’s mother

In “The White Princess” Lizzie commonly goes up against her mother-in-law. She proves to be a strong-willed character, who is patient and deadly. It is difficult to tell if Lizzie was like this in real life. Margaret was a strong force to be reckoned with.

In fact, Margaret viewed herself higher than the Queen Consort of England. “The White Princess” makes a point of telling Lizzie that the queen’s apartments have been taken by the king’s mother, due to her position as the highest woman in the kingdom. This is certainly true, and Lizzie was always a couple of steps behind her mother-in-law.

“The White Princess” continues on Sundays at 8 pm on Starz.
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