On the ninth day of Christmas On the Tudor Trail gave to me the chance to win a copy of Margaret Tudor, Queen of Scots: The Life of King Henry VIII’s Sister, The Tudor Brandons and Lady Katherine Knollys by Sarah-Beth Watkins!
To be in the running to win this book pack, leave a comment after this post.
Conditions of Entry
For your chance to win this book pack, you must be subscribed to On the Tudor Trail’s newsletter (if you are not already, sign up on our homepage where it says ‘Free Enewsletter Subscription’).
Then simply leave a comment after this post between now and 31 December 2017. Don’t forget to leave your name and a contact email. Please note that I have comment moderation activated and need to ‘approve’ comments before they appear. There is no need to submit your comment twice.
This giveaway is open internationally.
One winner will be randomly selected and contacted by email shortly after the competition closes. Please ensure you’ve added natalie@onthetudortrail.com to your address book to avoid missing my email.
Good luck!
Find Out More
Margaret Tudor At Christmas
By Sarah-Beth Watkins
Margaret Tudor’s first Christmas with her new husband King James IV in 1503 was one of both pleasure and pain. After their wedding in November she had been looking forward to the season of festivities in Scotland known as Yule from the Old Norse jól, their word for the winter solstice. James was good at spoiling her and making sure she had everything she could wish for but his generosity masked his guilty conscience. Margaret had just found out about his mistresses and illegitimate children. Finding his children housed at Stirling Castle, she was furious and even more so when she realised that the king was still seeing his mistress Janet Kennedy housed at Darnaway Castle.
In my new book about Margaret I explain how she still managed to enjoy her first New Year Scotland.
And she was showered with even more gifts for New Year when James gave her a ‘“heavy ducat,” weighing an ounce of gold, … two rings, set with costly sapphires, and on the following day two pearl-studded crosses’. Her ladies were not left out and also received gifts of gold chains and jewellery. Her first New Year in Scotland may have made her homesick but James kept her thoroughly entertained with daily performances of plays and disguisings, music and feasting. Master John, the master of revels and also James’ physician and alchemist was charged with organising the performances including a morris dance ‘in which six male dancers, attired in dresses of red and white taffety, and one female dancer in a blue robe, all wearing head dresses of blue, red, and variant or various colours, performed sundry evolutions’. For Margaret, the festivities at the Scottish court were as good as at the English and she realised now that Scotland had truly become her home.
But by 1515 Margaret was fleeing Scotland after a disastrous term as regent. When the Duke of Albany assumed the regency he took her two sons into custody. He allowed her to see them regularly and she acquiesced to his governance in order to keep the peace. Her brother Henry VIII however was furious. Scotland had been a perpetual thorn in his side and he felt that Margaret had not done enough to retain control. Her eldest son James was heir to the throne and Henry wanted him in England where he could be raised loyal to the crown but Margaret knew her son would have no chance of gaining his inheritance if he crossed the border. Instead Margaret escaped by herself, with plans to ask her brother for men, munitions and money to regain her regency.
Heavily pregnant by her second husband, the troublesome Earl of Angus, and severely ill she was travelling to Morpeth when her labour pains started and she was rerouted to Harbottle Castle where she gave birth to her daughter Margaret Douglas. Christmas 1515 was a terrible time for Henry VII’s daughter once so young and vibrant now torn between two countries and still suffering from excruciating sciatica. She managed to reach Morpeth however and there excitedly received 22 dresses from her brother. She told her husband and Lord Home ‘here you may see that the king, my brother, hath not forgotten me, and that he would not I should die for lack of clothes’.
In May Margaret was well enough to reach London and was warmily embraced by her brother and his wife, Katherine of Aragon. Although she was sorely missing her son James, Henry made sure that Christmas 1516 was one of the best she had ever experienced at Greenwich palace with no expense spared on elaborate entertainment and feasting.
‘On the day of the Epiphany at night, the King with eleven others, were disguised after the manner of Italy, called a mask: a thing not seen before in England. They were apparelled in garments long and broad, wrought all with gold, with visors and caps of gold. And after the banquet was done, these maskers came in, with six gentlemen disguised in silk bearing staff torches, and desired the ladies to dance’.
It was hard for Margaret to join in given her situation. She had to borrow £200 from Cardinal Wolsey for New Year Gifts but these were given with love and gratitude to her brother and his wife. Soon it would be time for her to return to Scotland and another tumultuous chapter in her life would begin.
Please make my year complete by awarding me this book.
I would love to read about Mary queen of the scotts grandmother and sister to Henry the viii.
I am so excited for this opportunity. Thank you.
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What an amazing set!
Sounds like a wonderful read.
Would love this!
This looks like a must read!
I would love to read this lovely book. It looks so interesting & fascinating
What a Great Chance to read this book
Marvellous!
Yes please
Wow I would absolutely love to read this and learn much more about Margaret??
Yes please
Yes please!!
Fascinating Prize
I’d love to improve my knowledge of Margaret by reading this
Looks and sounds interesting!
I know absolutely nothing about Margaret Tudor so I would love to read this book!
Interesting woman, learnt a bit about her in the recent Rex factor podcasts but I’d love to learn more
This is a definite must have.
So many interesting books…
Sounds like another fascinating book about the Tudor period in Britain.
I would love to read this! fingers crossed
If it involves the Tudors I’m definitely all in.Working on a big collection and these amazing giveaways would help me out.
Thankyou for the chance
Sounds like a great book.
Another book to add to the list!
Would love to read.
This would be great with my collection!
Sounds wonderful!
Having read Philippa Gregory’s novel about Margaret Tudor, I’m very interested to read this to compare.
Interesting!
This sounds so great!!! Havnt read much about her but would love to!
Adding this to my reading list. Would love to win it!
Would love to read Margaret’s story!
I love Tudor History. Have since childhood 🙂
Would love to win this!!!
Really hope I win something so I can some positivity during the holidays!
These all look really amazing but The Tudor Brandons sounds particularly interesting!
Wow, yes please!
Would love to read this book!
Yes please
Plesse pick me!
I absolutely adore her!! I would love to read this one so much!
I only know a little about Henrys sister. I’d love to win and learn more! ?
Sounds great!!
Would love it! We rarely get to hear about this queen!
I would love to read this book about Henry v111 sister as I don’t know a lot about her
I would love to win this thank you for the chance