Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss one of the most remarkable queens of the Middle Ages who took control when her husband, Henry VI, was incapable. Margaret of Anjou (1430-1482) wanted Henry to stay in power for the sake of their son, the heir to the throne, and her refusal to back down was seen by her enemies as a cause of the great dynastic struggle of the Wars of the Roses.

The image above is from the Talbot Shrewsbury Book, showing John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury, presenting Margaret with that book on her betrothal to Henry

With

Katherine Lewis
Senior Lecturer in Medieval History at the University of Huddersfield

James Ross
Reader in Late Medieval History at the University of Winchester

And

Joanna Laynesmith
Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Reading

Producer: Simon Tillotson.