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History is messy. TV is messier. If you’ve been binge-watching The Spanish Princess on Starz, you’ve probably seen Margaret Pole portrayed as this cautious, almost maternal figure hovering in the background of Catherine of Aragon’s dramatic arrival in England. She's the one with the sad eyes and the dangerous last name.
But who was she, really?
She wasn't just a side character in Catherine’s story. Margaret Pole was a Plantagenet princess in her own right, a woman who survived the brutal transition from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance, only to meet one of the most gruesome ends in British history. Honestly, her real life was way more intense than anything a screenwriter could dream up. She was one of the few people who could look Henry VIII in the eye and remind him that his claim to the throne was actually a bit shaky compared to hers.
That’s a dangerous vibe to have in the 1500s.
The Plantagenet Curse and the Tudor Rise
Margaret was born into the House of York. Her father was George, Duke of Clarence—the guy who supposedly got drowned in a butt of Malmsey wine. Her uncle was Richard III. When the Tudors took over after the Battle of Bosworth, being a Yorkist was basically a death sentence or a life of quiet desperation.
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Henry VII was paranoid. He had to be. He married Elizabeth of York to "unite the roses," but he spent the rest of his life looking over his shoulder. Margaret’s brother, Edward, Earl of Warwick, was kept in the Tower of London for years just for existing. He was eventually executed in 1499 to clear the way for the marriage between Prince Arthur and Catherine of Aragon. The Spanish monarchs, Isabella and Ferdinand, didn't want any rival claimants hanging around.
Imagine that. Your brother is killed so a foreign princess can marry into the family that took your throne.
In The Spanish Princess, we see Margaret (played by Laura Carmichael) grappling with this resentment. It’s not just drama; it’s historical fact. She was married off to Sir Richard Pole, a "safe" Tudor loyalist, essentially to neutralize her royal blood. She was reduced from a princess to a country lady.
The Bond Between Margaret and Catherine of Aragon
One of the most interesting things the show gets right is the complex relationship between Margaret Pole and Catherine of Aragon. Initially, Margaret had every reason to loathe the Spanish girl. Catherine was the reason her brother died.
But life in the Tudor court was lonely.
Catherine was a teenager in a foreign land. Margaret was a widow with children to support. They found common ground in their shared faith and their mutual status as outsiders in a court that was becoming increasingly volatile. When Catherine eventually married Henry VIII, she didn't forget Margaret. She restored her.
In 1512, Henry VIII created Margaret Countess of Salisbury in her own right. This was huge. She became one of the wealthiest and most powerful women in England, independent of a husband. She was the governess to Princess Mary (the future "Bloody Mary"). For a while, it seemed like the Plantagenet daughter had finally found peace.
But the "King’s Great Matter"—Henry’s obsession with divorcing Catherine to marry Anne Boleyn—ruined everything.
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Margaret stood by Catherine. She refused to hand over Princess Mary’s jewels when the court demanded them. She treated Mary like the rightful heir, even when Henry declared her a bastard. In a world of "yes-men," Margaret Pole was a "no-woman."
Why Henry VIII Turned on "The Saintliest Woman in England"
Henry VIII once called Margaret the "saintliest woman in England." A few years later, he wanted her head on a platter. What changed?
It wasn't just her loyalty to Catherine. It was her son, Reginald Pole.
Reginald was a brilliant scholar and a Cardinal. From the safety of Italy, he wrote a scathing treatise against Henry’s break with Rome. He called the King a heretic. He urged the princes of Europe to depose him. Henry was livid. Since he couldn't reach Reginald in Rome, he reached for the people Reginald loved in England.
The "Exeter Conspiracy" of 1538 was the beginning of the end. There’s very little evidence there was an actual plot to overthrow Henry, but the King didn't care about evidence. He cared about elimination. He arrested Margaret’s oldest son, Henry Montague, and eventually Margaret herself.
She was 65 years old. In the 16th century, that’s ancient.
She was held in the Tower of London for two years without a trial. No one would defend her. The Act of Attainder—a legal loophole that allowed the King to condemn someone without a day in court—was used against her. Cromwell showed the House of Lords a tunic found in her belongings. It was embroidered with the Five Wounds of Christ, a symbol used by northern rebels.
Was it a plant? Maybe. Was it hers? Probably. Margaret was a devout Catholic of the old school. She didn't hide it.
The Botched Execution That Shook London
If you think the Red Wedding was bad, Margaret Pole’s actual death was worse. On May 27, 1541, the guards told her she was to die that morning. She was shocked. She hadn't been convicted of a crime. She reportedly told them, "I am no traitor."
Because the execution was somewhat last-minute, the usual professional headsman wasn't available. Instead, they got a "wretched and blundering youth."
It was a massacre.
The chroniclers of the time, including the French ambassador Marillac, described a scene of pure horror. The executioner missed her neck, hitting her shoulder and head. It took eleven blows to finish the job. There’s a persistent legend that she refused to lay her head on the block, telling the executioner that if he wanted her head, he’d have to fetch it. While historians like Helen Miller or Claire Ridgway might find the "running around the block" story a bit apocryphal, the fact remains that it was a butcher’s job.
Henry VIII, the man who had grown up at her knee, had her slaughtered.
Beyond the Screen: The Real Margaret Pole
The Spanish Princess does a great job of making Margaret feel human, but it often simplifies her politics to fit the "friendship" narrative. In reality, Margaret was a political player. She was a landowner who managed vast estates in the West Country. She was a matriarch trying to preserve a dynasty that the Tudors had spent fifty years trying to erase.
She was beatified by Pope Leo XIII in 1886. To the Catholic Church, she is a martyr. To the Tudors, she was a loose end.
What we learn from Margaret’s life is that in the Tudor era, proximity to the throne was a curse. Your blood was your greatest asset until it became your greatest liability. She survived four kings and a civil war, only to be taken down by the ego of a man who was once her friend.
Key Takeaways for History Enthusiasts
If you're digging into this era after watching the show, keep these things in mind to separate fact from fiction:
- The Tunic Evidence: The embroidered tunic with the Five Wounds was the "smoking gun" used against her. It linked her to the Pilgrimage of Grace, a massive rebellion against Henry’s religious reforms.
- The Age Gap: In The Spanish Princess, the ages are often skewed for TV. Margaret was actually quite a bit older than Catherine of Aragon, acting more as a mentor and high-ranking peer than a contemporary friend.
- The Plantagenet Claim: Margaret was the daughter of George of Clarence. This gave her a very strong claim to the throne—potentially stronger than Henry VII’s, which came through a legitimized line. This is why the Tudors were so obsessed with her family.
- Reginald Pole’s Role: Her son Reginald nearly became Pope. His defiance from afar is what truly sealed his mother's fate. He later returned to England as Archbishop of Canterbury under Queen Mary I, Margaret's former pupil.
How to Explore Further
To get a real sense of Margaret Pole away from the glamorized TV sets, you should look into the following:
- Read the primary sources: Check out the Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic, Henry VIII. You can see the actual inventory of her goods and the reports of her "treasonous" conversations.
- Visit Farleigh Hungerford Castle: This was one of the many properties associated with her family. Standing in these ruins gives you a sense of the scale of the wealth she lost.
- Check out "The Last Plantagenet" by Desmond Seward: It’s a fantastic deep dive into the fall of the House of York and Margaret’s place within it.
- Look at the Portraits: There is a famous portrait of Margaret Pole where she is wearing a charm of the Five Wounds of Christ. It’s a chilling reminder of the evidence that eventually killed her.
The story of Margaret Pole isn't just a footnote in the story of a Spanish princess. It’s the story of the end of an era. When those eleven blows fell on that May morning, the last of the old royal world died with her. Henry didn't just kill a woman; he killed the last ghost of the Middle Ages.