Born – 4th August 1473
Died – 27th May 1541 (executed)
Father – George Duke of Clarence (1449 – 1478)
Mother – Isabel Neville (1451 – 1476)
Spouse – m. 1490 – Richard Pole (1462 – 1505)
Children – Henry (1492 – 1539), Arthur (1493 – 1532), Reginald (1500 – 1558), Geoffrey (1502 – 1558), Ursula (1504 – 1570)
1473 (4th August)
Margaret Pole was born Margaret Plantagenet to George, Duke of Clarence, brother of King Edward IV and Isabel Neville, daughter of Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick at Farleigh Hungerford Castle, Somerset.
1475 (during)
Margaret’s brother, Edward was born to George, Duke of Clarence and Isabel Neville.
1476 (21st December)
Margaret’s mother, Isabel Neville died shortly after giving birth to a son at Warwick Castle. The baby died a few days later.
1476 (late December)
Margaret’s father believed that his wife had been poisoned and had two servants that he believed were guilty of the crime, killed.
1478 (8th February)
George Duke of Clarence was attained for plotting against the King. Margaret and her brother Edward became wards of the King and were placed in the care of Anne Neville, wife of Richard Duke of Gloucester, Edward IV’s brother.
1478 (18th February)
Margaret’s father, George, Duke of Clarence, was privately executed at the Tower of London.
1483 (9th April)
Edward IV died. His young son, Edward succeeded as King Edward V. Richard Duke of Gloucester was named regent for the young king.
1483 (26th June)
Richard Duke of Gloucester took the throne as Richard III after it was proclaimed that Edward IV’s marriage to Elizabeth Woodville was invalid due to a pre-contract.
1483 (late Summer)
Margaret and her brother Edward were sent to the castle of Sherrif Hutton in Yorkshire.
1485 (22nd August)
Henry Tudor defeated Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field. Richard died in the battle and Henry was proclaimed King Henry VII.
1485 (late August)
Henry VII placed Margaret and her brother Edward in the care of his mother, Margaret Beaufort.
1486 (during)
Margaret’s brother, Edward, Earl of Warwick was seen by Henry VII as a threat and so was placed in the Tower of London.
1486 (18th January)
Henry VII married Margaret’s cousin, Elizabeth of York.
1486 (September)
Margaret attended the christening of Prince Arthur.
1487 (January)
Lambert Simnel claimed to be Margaret’s brother, Edward. Henry paraded Edward through the streets of London to prove that Simnel was an imposter.
1487 (November)
Margaret attended the coronation of Elizabeth of York.
1490 (November)
Margaret married Sir Richard Pole, half-cousin to Henry VII.
1492 (during)
A son, Henry, was born to Margaret and Sir Richard Pole.
c.1493 (during)
A son, Arthur, was born to Margaret and Sir Richard Pole.
1499 (November)
The pretender, Perkin Warbeck, who claimed to be Margaret’s cousin, Richard Duke of York, was placed in the Tower of London and exchanged letters with Margaret’s brother, Edward, planning to escape and overthrow the King.
1499 (23rd November)
The pretender Perkin Warbeck was hanged at Tyburn.
1499 (28th November)
Margaret’s brother, Edward was beheaded.
1500 (12th March)
A son, Reginald, was born to Margaret and Richard Pole at Stourton Castle, Staffordshire.
1501 (14th November)
Prince Arthur married Catherine of Aragon.
1501 (after 14th November)
Margaret became a member of Catherine of Aragon’s household.
1502 (around)
A son, Geoffrey, was born to Margaret and Richard Pole at Stourton Castle, Staffordshire.
1502 (2nd April)
Prince Arthur died leaving Catherine of Aragon a widow.
1502 (late April)
Catherine of Aragon’s household was disbanded. Margaret remained good friends with Catherine.
1504 (during)
A daughter, Ursula, was born to Margaret and Richard Pole.
1504 (Autumn)
Margaret’s husband, Richard Pole died. She was left a widow with five children and no income of her own. She sent her son Reginald to the chaterhouse at Sheen while she and her other children went to live at Syon Abbey.
1509 (11th June)
Henry VIII married Catherine of Aragon and Margaret again became a member of her household which gave her an income and allowed her to leave Syon Abbey.
1512 (during)
Henry VIII restored the Earldom of Salisbury to Margaret and she became known as Countess of Salisbury. She also now owned all the lands that had been owned by her father, George, Duke of Clarence. This made Margaret one of the richest women in the land.
1513 (during)
Margaret’s son, Henry was knighted by Henry VIII.
1514 (during)
Margaret’s son, Arthur, was one of those that accompanied Mary to France for her wedding to King Louis XII.
1514 (12th October)
Margaret’s eldest son, Henry, was created Lord Montagu.
1515 (27th June)
Margaret’s son, Reginald, graduated from Magdalen College, Oxford.
1516 (21st February)
Princess Mary was christened. Margaret was one of her godmothers.
1518 (during)
Margaret’s son, Arthur became a Gemtleman of the Bedchamber to King Henry VIII.
1518 (February)
Margaret’s son, Reginald became dean of Wimborne Minster, Dorset.
1518 (16th February)
Margaret’s daughter, Ursula, married Henry Stafford.
1520 (May)
Margaret’s son, Arthur, and her daughter, Ursula, were in Calais to take part in the summit meeting known as the Field of the Cloth of Gold.
1520 (May)
Margaret became governess to Princess Mary.
1521 (during)
Margaret’s son, Reginald went to the University of Padua.
1521 (May)
Margaret was removed from her position as governess after Edward Stafford, Duke of Buckingham, was convicted of treason. Stafford’s son Henry had married Margaret’s daughter Ursula.
1523 (around)
Margaret was restored to the position of governess to Princess Mary.
1526 (July)
Margaret’s son, Reginald, returned to England from the continent.
1527 (during)
Margaret’s son, Reginald, became Dean of Exeter.
1528 (during)
Margaret’s son, Arthur, died of sweating sickness.
1532 (during)
Margaret’s son, Reginald took himself into exile in France because of his opposition to Henry’s divorcing Catherine of Aragon.
1533 (during)
Margaret’s son Reginald called on European Kings to denounce Henry VIII.
1533 (Summer)
Princess Mary was declared a bastard after Henry VIII’s marriage to her mother, Catherine of Aragon, was declared invalid. Margaret was told to hand Mary’s jewels and plate back to the crown but she refused.
1533 (late)
Lady Mary’s household was disbanded. Margaret’s request to be allowed to continue to serve Mary without pay was refused.
1534 (November)
The Act of Supremacy declared Henry VIII Supreme Head of the Church in England.
1536 (May)
Margaret’s son, Henry was one of those in judgement at the trial of Anne Boleyn.
1536 (22nd December)
Margaret’s son, Reginald was created a cardinal. Pope Paul III ordered him to organise resistance to Henry VIII’s closure of the monasteries and give support to the Pilgrimage of Grace and other uprisings that would return Catholicism to England.
1538 (29th August)
Margaret’s son, Geoffrey, who had been in communication with his brother, Reginald, was arrested on a charge of treason and sent to the Tower of London.
1538 (November)
Margaret, her son Henry and her cousin Henry Courtenay, Marquess of Exeter, were arrested on charges of treason and sent to the Tower of London.
1538 (4th December)
Margaret’s son, Geoffrey, pleaded guilty to treason, for supporting the Catholic Church.
1539 (4th January)
Margaret’s son, Geoffrey was pardoned by Henry VIII.
1539 (9th January)
Margaret’s son, Henry and her cousin Henry Marquess of Exeter were executed for treason.
1539 (May)
An act of attainder removed Margaret’s titles and lands and placed them in control of the crown.
1541 (27th May)
Margaret was executed in the Tower of London. The executioner was inexperienced and botched the execution hacking her shoulders and head several times before severing her head. There is also a story that she refused to lay her head on the block and kept moving her head around to make the executioner’s job as difficult as possible.
1886 (29th December
Margaret was beatified by Pope Leo XIII.
Published Dec 17, 2017 @ 11:40 am – Updated – [last-modified]
Harvard Reference for this page:
Heather Y Wheeler. (2017 – 2020). Margaret Pole Countess of Salisbury 1473 – 1541. https://www.thetimelinegeek.com/margaret-pole-countess-of-salisbury-1473-1541 Last accessed [date]