The Thistle and the Rose: The Story of Margaret, Princess of England, Queen of Scotland

This book paints a colorful and pitying portrait of the older sister of the infamous Henry VIII. Married off to the older Scots Stuart King, James IV, at a young age, she would become mainly remembered for being the grandmother to Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots. Margaret was obviously one who was ruled by her emotions (actually making her very much like her brother, Henry). In fact brother and sister were so very much alike it's a mystery why they were not as close or closer than Henry and his younger sister, Mary Rose. It seems that Margaret who's life was spent trying to obtain the love of a man. So desperate she was for this affection and attention, she alowed herself to be used by the men she married (especially her last two husbands). It seems that Margaret Tudor was a woman of very little confidence and self esteem. Her emotions and insecurities led her into her two unhappy mariages where the love was completely one sided. She did not command respect from anyone it seemed, which made her story very sad. I enjoyed reading this book dedicated to this obscure pitiful queen. It was an easy read, but very interesting for no other authors have given this character much life like Jean Plaidy has. Margaret may have been a Princess and Queen, but she was very human and imperfect in this book. I recommend this book to any fans of Tudor Historical Novels and Jean Plaidy.

being tudor women was a tough life.margaret was married off to a man she never met 16 years older than her,but was happy in a short lived marriage.she was put in the middle of love for her birth land and the one her son would rule.

I loved this book! I must admit that this was my first Jean Plaidy novel and I immediately ordered more. I knew about Henry's wives (I recommend Alison Weir's Six Wives of King Henry VIII) but not his sisters. This book was riveting. It was fascinating to learn of Margaret's marriage struggles when her brother is notorious for his six wives. I loved getting inside her head. I do not know how accurate this book is but I knew it was fiction when I bought it!! I recommend it for anyone looking for an interesting story about a woman they might not know much about.

Jean Plaidy, also known as Victoria Holt to her legion of devoted fans, is a gifted and prolific writer of historical fiction. A masterful storyteller, Ms. Plaidy is known for seamlessly interweaving historical facts into a rich tapestry of fiction that is often spellbinding. Here, she writes about the beautiful Margaret Tudor, a princess of England, daughter of the parsimonious King Henry VII, and sister to the Tudor despot who would reign as King Henry VIII. At the tender age of twelve, Princess Margaret was betrothed to the handsome and chivalrous King James IV of Scotland, who was sixteen years her senior. Her betrothal arose out of the Treaty of Perpetual Peace and was designed to bring about an end to the age old border wars between Scotland and England. Initially, Margaret viewed her forthcoming marriage with trepidation, only to find herself falling in love with her betrothed upon their first meeting. Theirs would be a love match, despite his philandering and siring of children outside their marriage. Unfortunately, their marriage did not have the intended effect upon the peace between Scotland and England, as King James IV courted the friendship of France, England's avowed enemy.This put Margaret, now Queen of Scotland, in an awkward position. Her brother Henry VIII, now King of England, looked to Margaret to bring her husband back into the fold, but James IV had his own ideas and paid little heed to the advice of his wife. Consequently, Scotland waged war on England, only to be defeated at the battle of Flodden Field, by the army of King Henry VIII. There, King James IV was slain, and Margaret found herself widowed at a young age. Her baby son was crowned King James V of Scotland, and she was named Regent in accordance with her late husband's wishes.Margaret, imbued with the same Tudor passion and tempestuousness as her brother, remained in Scotland, where she engaged in a lifelong battle for power and for control over her beloved young son. Ousted as Regent after a scandalous second marriage to the very handsome Archibald Douglas, head of the powerful Douglas clan and Earl of Angus, she eventually found herself battling not only her brother, but her craven second husband, as well. She ultimately sought to divorce him, much to the horror of her brother, King Henry VIII, who, unbeknownst to Margaret, was secretly mulling over the same marital resolution for himself.Margaret would later fall in love with one of her son's courtiers, his Master Carver, Henry Stuart. This infatuation would ultimately lead to yet a third marriage for Margaret. Again, this marriage was, as were all her marriages, an initially happy one, but would, ultimately, end in infidelity by her husband, causing Margaret to despair of ever finding true love and happiness. Throughout her life, Margaret's behavior would scandalize many, including her brother, King Henry VIII who, given his own behavior, should have been more tolerant, but it was definitely a man's worl

Princess Margaret Tudor was one of those pivotal figures of English history who most of us haven't read about. She was overshadowed by her brother, Henry VIII and her granddaughter, Mary, Queen of Scots, but Margaret's life is definitely worthy of a novel, or two.Margaret was lucky--she married for love. At least, she fell in love with the handsome James IV of Scotland when she met him. He was older than her, but not too much older, and although he was a constant womanizer, their marriage was happy. Still, James was constantly at war with England, and Margaret was torn between her husband and her brother. The marriage never brought the peace it should have, and James died young, leaving Margaret with a baby son, the heir to the Scottish throne. Margaret went on to live a life that scandalized many--she married, and divorced, and married again, not unlike her famous older brother. Jean Plaidy has been a favorite author of mine for many years because she tells the story of famous and not-so-famous women of history. Her novels about the Tudor family are among her best, and I'm glad to see that they've been brought back into print. I hope there will be more of them.I also recommend Mary, Queen of France, which is about Margaret's younger sister, Mary Rose Tudor. It's another great read about the Tudor's.