Today in History: Henry VIII martyrs the last Plantagenet

“The saintliest woman in England.” -quote by King Henry VIII, early in his reign 

Henry the VIII's mother's 1st cousin, was the governess to Queen Mary/daughter of Catherine of Aragon. Blessed Margaret Plantagenet Pole was one of the most striking witnesses to Catholic fidelity during England’s religious upheaval. Early on, she was chosen, as a Catholic, to form little Queen Mary into the faith.

Born in 1473 into the royal Plantagenet line, Margaret entered the world under privilege and peril.

• Her father, George, Duke of Clarence, was executed when she was a child;
• Her brother, the young Earl of Warwick, was killed under Henry VII.

Yet Margaret’s life was not defined by bitterness. Instead, she cultivated a deep Catholic devotion and a reputation for integrity that enemies acknowledged.

As an adult, Margaret was a trusted figure in the Tudor court. Henry VIII himself restored her to the title Countess of Salisbury. As governess to Princess Mary, she formed a bond of maternal affection. Her household was known for its piety, learning and charity. But when Henry VIII broke from Rome, the cost of Papal loyalty grew steep. Margaret’s son, Cardinal Reginald Pole, openly opposed the king’s schism, and Henry’s anger was projected upon the mother to get to his second cousin. Catholic sources describe how the government admitted that Margaret had committed no real crime. One record notes that Thomas Cromwell acknowledged the family had “little offended save that he [Reginald] is of their kin.” Her arrest was political, not moral. She was imprisoned in the Tower of London for 2 years, enduring isolation, cold and uncertainty. Yet witnesses described her as serene, prayerful and unbroken.

On May 28, 1541, Countess Margaret Pole was led to Tower Green. She was nearly seventy years old. The executioner was inexperienced and the scene was brutal, but her courage remained steady. Catholic tradition remembers her final declaration of innocence and unwavering identity as an "inconvenient" daughter of the Church.

"I am no traitor," she said as she refused to lay her head on the block. In her private execution, soldiers were forced to hold her while the executioner worked. As the soldiers ducked to miss the axe, it took as many as 10 swings to behead the serene septuagenarian. 

Blessed Margaret Pole challenges us to examine our own loyalties.

• Where do we draw the line in putting God first?
• What are we willing to give up to prove our conviction?

Her life invites us to choose integrity over convenience, to speak truth with charity; and to remain faithful when the majority sins. For her, courage is not loud; it is steady, and rooted in prayer and trust. 

In 1886, Pope Leo XIII beatified her as a martyr. Blessed Margaret’s life reveals a resonating truth: holiness is not for cloisters only or tucked-away towers. Sometimes it is the eye of a political storm. Her witness reminds us that fidelity is a choice — to seek His firm foundation when the earth moves beneath our feet.

  The Countess at Tower Green

Her crown was faith, not gold or throne; her strength was trust in God alone.

 She walked in peace to meet her Lord, as kingdoms fell and broad axe soared,

"O martyr show your steadfast way; please light the path we walk today."

Sources:

Catholic Encyclopedia. (1913). Bl. Margaret Pole. Wikisource.

Catholic Online. (n.d.). Blessed Margaret Pole. Catholic Encyclopedia.

New Advent. (n.d.). Blessed Margaret Pole. Catholic Encyclopedia.

Wikipedia. (n.d.). Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury.