As wife of England's King Henry VI, Margaret of Anjou was a key figure in the famous War of the Roses. This was due to the fact that her husband was mentally unstable and she had to assume many of his duties as the leader of the House of Lancaster. It was she, a woman, who called for a Great Council that excluded the York family. This was the catalyst that led to thirty years of civil war in England.

The conflict led to the deaths of much of the older English noble families, as well as thousands of soldiers and civilians, including her only son Edward, Prince of Wales. Margaret was born in the French Imperial fief, the Duchy of Lorraine, a daughter of Rene I of Naples and Isabella, Duchess of Lorraine. She was fifteen and according to accounts, very beautiful, when she married Henry VI, who was eight years her senior. He came to the throne as an infant, and had never been mentally stable. By the time their only child was born he had suffered a complete breakdown.

Margaret, who had received a good education and loved learning, and was also in possession of a hot temper, was well-suited to serve as her husband's regent. She was also known for her patronage and financial support for institutions of learning. Once the spark caused by the Great Council fanned into the flame of civil war, Margaret devoted her time to campaign and strategy.

For ten years she labored for the Lancastrian cause, developing a reputation for aggressive and ruthless behavior. On one notable occasion, upon defeating some Yorkist forces, she turned brutally vengeful in the treatment of two prisoners-of-war, who were charged with caring for the mentally ill King Henry, holding a trial in which her son presided as judge. He ordered the men decapitated, even while his father sobbed and begged that their lives be spared. It was only when she lost her only son (who was the only Prince of Wales to die in battle), that she gave up the fight. Her spirit was broken.

For a time she was imprisoned, first at Wallingford Castle and then at the Tower of London. In 1475 the French king negotiated payment for her release. She returned to France, where she lived as a poor relation of the king. Unlike most queens of her time, students of history have a great deal of primary sources to work with regarding Margaret of Anjou. Not only are numerous records from the War of the Roses extant, but many of her letters have survived. The letters were published first in the nineteenth century, offering a rare glimpse into the world of a powerful woman. She typically began her letters with the phrase "By the Quene."