Source:
Original letters illustrative of English history, series 1, volume 1, page 41, edited by Henry Ellis, 1825
Above: Margaret Tudor, queen consort of Scotland, in a posthumous portrait painted by Daniël Mijtens.
Above: King Henry VII, artist unknown.
Margaret Tudor (born November 28, 1489, died October 18, 1541) was queen consort of Scotland from 1503 until 1513 by marriage to King James IV of Scotland and then, after her husband died fighting the English, she became regent for their son, King James V of Scotland from 1513 until 1515.
Margaret was born at Westminster Palace as the eldest daughter and second child of King Henry VII and Elizabeth of York.
Margaret's marriage to James IV linked the royal houses of England and Scotland, which a century later resulted in the Union of the Crowns. As dowager queen she married Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus. After their divorce, she married Henry Stewart, 1st Lord Methven.
Margaret had several pregnancies, but most of her children died young or were stillborn. Through her first and second marriages, respectively, Margaret was the grandmother of both Mary, Queen of Scots, and Mary's second husband, Lord Darnley. Upon his ascent to the English throne, Margaret's great-grandson, King James VI and I, was the first person to be monarch of both Scotland and England after Queen Elizabeth I died happily unmarried and childless.
Margaret wrote this letter to her father shortly after her wedding in 1503, when she was still thirteen years old.
The letter:
My most dere lorde and fader in the most humble wyse that I can thynke I recummaund me unto your Grace besechyng you off your dayly blessyng, and that it will please you to yeve hartely thankes to all your servauntts the whych be your commaundement have geven ryght good attendaunce on me at this tyme, and specially to all thes ladies and jantilwomen which hath accompeneyed me hydder, and to geff credence to thys good lady the berar her off, for I have showde hyr mor off my mynd than I will wryght at thys tyme. Sir, I beseche your Grace to be good and gracious lorde to Thomas, whych was footman to the Quene my moder, whos sowle God have soyle; for he hath byn on off my fotemen hydder with as great diligence and labur to hys great charge of his awne good and true mynde. I am not able to recumpence hym, except the favor off your Grace. Sir, as for newys I have none to send, but that my lorde of Surrey ys yn great favor with the Kyng her that he cannott forber the companey off hym no tyme off the day. He and the bichopp off Murrey orderth every thyng as nyght as they can to the Kyngs pleasur. I pray God it may be for my por hartts ease in tyme to come. They calnot my Chamberlayne to them, whych I am sur wull speke better for my part than any off them that ben off that consell. And iff he speke any thyng for my cause my lord of Surrey hath such wordds unto hym that he dar speke no furder. God send me comford to hys pleasur, and that I and myne that ben lefft her with me be well entretid such wayse as they have taken. For Godes sak Syr, oulde mea escwsyd that I wryt not my sylf to your Grace, for I han no layfyr thys tym, bot wyt a wishse I would I wer wyt your Grace now, and many tyms mor, wan I wold andsyr. As for thys that I have wrytyn to your Grace, yt ys wery tru, bot I pray God I may fynd yt wel for my welef erefter. No more to your Grace at this tym, bot our Lord han you en ys kepyng. Wrytyn wyt the hand of your humble douter
MARGARET.
Notes: to yeve = to give.
soyle = assoyle.
on = one.
nyght = nigh.
por = poor.
calnot = call not.
oulde = hold.
wyt = with.
wery tru = very true.
welef = welfare.
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