Margaret of Anjou (1430-1482) was queen consort of Henry VI, Lancastrian king of England. She was a niece of Charles VII of France and a cousin of Louis XI.

On March 23, 1430, Margaret was born in Lorraine to Isabel of Lorraine and René I, then Count of Guise. Margaret's betrothal to Henry VI on May 24, 1444, and marriage in March 1445 were negotiated by the Duke of Suffolk, protected by a Council indemnity, as a truce sanctioned by Henry for want of a better policy. Without his father's military skill and with little artillery and no money, Henry clung to the title of king of France while marrying a penniless niece of his rival for that throne. Charles lent ceremony to the marriage and prepared for the reconquest of western France from the disorganized and bankrupt government of Henry VI.

The "bride of peace" charade thrust upon Margaret was a...