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Dead Women Beyond Cybersecurity Concerns Bios of Women of Note, Resisting FB/Meta's since August 2023.

Notable [Dead] Women: Dolly Rebecca Parton Dean “Dolly Parton” (1946-2026) Award-winning American Song Artist, M...
08/25/2026

Notable [Dead] Women: Dolly Rebecca Parton Dean “Dolly Parton” (1946-2026) Award-winning American Song Artist, Musician, Singer, Talented Songwriter, Actress, Shrewd Businesswoman, and Visonary Philanthropist who has had a 60+-year career. A successful crossover artist, she was prominent in both country and pop music, and has also acted in film and television. Died August 25, 2026 (age 80 years), Nashville, TN

Her biographical profile is one of the 7862 biographies of women censored by Facebook's , , , , when they took down my page of on October 11, 2023. We are slowly recreating the biographies on our new page focusing on “Dead Women.” FB/META escalated the conflict with a complete moritorian on sharing across all pages & accounts from May 26, 2026 to August 25, 2026.

August is Voters Right Month, The Voting Rights Act of 1965 signed into law August 5, 1965 National Immunization Awareness Month: and National Breastfeeding Month

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"I've always been a writer. My songs are the door to every dream I’ve ever had and every success I've ever achieved." (Dolly Parton)

Dolly has achieved 25 RIAA certified gold, platinum and multi-platinum awards, has had 25 songs reach number 1 on the Billboard Country charts, a record for a female artist

- she has 41 career top 10 country albums, a record for any artist, and she has 110 career charted singles

- Dolly’s earned 8 Grammy Awards (49 nominations), 10 Country Music Association Awards, 5 Academy of Country Music Awards, 3 American Music Awards and is one of only five female artists to win the Country Music Association’s Entertainer of the Year Award

- established Velvet Apple Music (BMI) early in her career and owns the copyrights and the publishing for her vast songwriting empire; she owns her own successful record label, Dolly Records

- in 1999, Dolly Parton was inducted as a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame

- made her film debut in the 1980 hit comedy 9 to 5, earning rave reviews for her performance and an Oscar nomination for writing the title tune, along with her second and third Grammy Awards

- roles in Steel Magnolias, Best Little Wh******se in Texas, Rhinestone, and Straight Talk followed, along with two network television series, made for television movies, network and HBO specials, and guest-starring roles in series television; in 2006, Dolly earned her second Oscar nomination for "Travelin’ Thru," which she wrote for the film Transamerica

- in 2004 the U.S. Library of Congress presented Dolly with their Living Legend Award for her contribution to the cultural heritage of the United States

- in 2005 she received the National Medal of Arts, the highest honor given by the U.S. government for excellence in the arts

- in 2006 Dolly was honored by the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for her lifetime of contributions to the arts

- in June 2007 Dolly was named the recipient of the prestigious Johnny Mercer Award from the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame

- in 1988, she began the Dollywood Foundation to inspire children in her home community to dream more, learn more, do more and care more; the foundation funds the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, which has gifted over 130 million free books to children worldwide as of December 2019

Photo and biographical details via Dolly Parton
Source Women You Should Know
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=3860906980618137&set=a.3857029067672595

IMDb Dolly Parton(1946-2026) Music Artist, Music Department, Producer
Nicknames: The Smoky Mountain Songbird, The Iron Butterfly,The Queen of Country, The Backwoods Barbie, The Queen of Nashville,The Book Lady, The Leading Lady of Country, Aunt Granny

Dolly Rebecca Parton was born on January 19, 1946 in Pittman Center, Tennessee and raised in Sevierville, Tennessee to Avie Lee Parton, a housewife & Robert Lee Parton, a to***co farmer.

At 12, she was appearing on Knoxville TV and at 13, she was already recording on a small label and appearing at the Grand Ole Opry. After graduating from high school in 1964, she moved to Nashville to launch her country-singing career.

She fell in love with Carl Dean, who ran an asphalt-paving business; they married on May 30, 1966 and they stayed married until his death in 2025. . In 1967 her singing caught the attention of Porter Wagoner, who hired her to appear on his program, The Porter Wagoner Show (1961). She stayed with the show for 7 years, their duets became famous, and she appeared with his group at the Grand Ole Opry; she also toured and sold records.

By the time her hit "Joshua" reached #1 in 1970, her fame had overshadowed his, and she struck out on her own, though still recording duets with him. She left him for good to become a solo artist in 1974.

Dolly gained immense popularity as a singer/songwriter. Dolly won numerous Country Music Association awards (1968, 1970, 1971, 1975, 1976). This petite (5'0") beauty was a natural for television, and by the mid-1970s she was appearing frequently on TV specials and talk shows before getting her own, Dolly (1976).

In 1977, Dolly got her first Grammy award: Best Female Country Vocal Performance for her song "Here You Come Again." Dolly's movie debut was in 9 to 5 (1980), where she got an Oscar nomination for writing the title tune, and also Grammy awards 2 and 3: Best Country Song, and Best Female Country Vocal Performance for the song "Nine to Five."

She got more fame for appearing in The Best Little Wh******se in Texas (1982), and in Rhinestone (1984) with the song "Tennessee Homesick Blues". She is the head of Dolly Parton Enterprises, a $100 million media empire, and in 1986 she founded Dollywood, a theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, celebrating her Smoky-Mountain upbringing. She appeared as herself in the Dolly (1987) TV series.

In 1988, she won another Grammy: Best Country Performance Duo or Group with Vocals, for "Trio". Dolly was in the acclaimed picture Steel Magnolias (1989) with Julia Roberts, and went on to appear in 15 movies and TV-movies for the 1990s, and garnered more more Country Music Association awards. In 2000, Dolly received her 5th Grammy award: Best Country Collaboration with Vocals. She also released a Bluegrass Album. Dolly is known for beautiful songs such as "Coat of Many Colors," "Jolene," and "I Will Always Love You".

Dolly said in an interview, "My music is what took me everywhere I've been and everywhere I will go. It's my greatest love. I can't abandon it. I'll always keep making records."
- IMDb mini biography https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000573/bio/?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm
Trademark Always uses butterflies as her logos, since she feels they represent beauty and freedom.
Dolly recorded the song "I Will Always Love You", which she also wrote, in 1974. She found out that Elvis Presley was interested in singing it as a duet with her; however, she would have to give him 50% of the publishing royalties, as was his custom with any duet he sang. Since she had already published the song herself, giving up those royalties made no sense to her so, despite her intense desire to sing with "The King of Rock 'n' Roll", she declined the request, which turned out to be a multi-million-dollar decision, after the song became a humongous hit when Whitney Houston sang it in The Bodyguard (1992) and the single sold over 24 million records worldwide.
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000573/bio/?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm

“My dream was to make as many people happy as I could in this life."
In 2006, she was selected to receive the prestigious Kennedy Center Honors. Five years later in 2011, she was awarded a GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award.

Of everything Dolly has achieved, she remains humble and grounded in faith and family. From her “Coat of Many Colors” to her wigs of many styles, no dream was ever too big and no mountain ever too high for the little country girl who turned the world into her stage.

From singing barefoot on the front porch of her Tennessee Mountain Home to commanding the stage in six-inch heels, Dolly Parton is a larger-than-life living legend with a heart as big as her dreams.
https://dollyparton.com/about-dolly-parton

Discover the Life & Career of a . . . Legend.
Dolly Parton – Her life and career together make a rags-to-rhinestones story which began on January 19, 1946. Born the fourth child of 12, Dolly grew up in Locust Ridge, nestled against the Great Smoky Mountains. Music runs deep in the Parton family and while many played important parts in Dolly’s success, she credits Uncle Bill Owens for helping her get started in the music business.

From taking the stage of “The Cas Walker Farm and Home Hour” in Knoxville, TN, to landing a spot on “The Porter Wagoner Show,” Dolly’s talent soon catapulted her to super-stardom.

Her songs have captured the hearts of generations. Her electric smile has brightened the lives of millions. Her trademark style is recognized across the globe.

Today, Dolly is one of an elite group of individuals to receive at least one nomination from all four major annual American entertainment award organizations; Emmy, GRAMMY, Oscar, and Tony. In 2004, the U.S. Library of Congress gave her the distinguished Living Legend Award.
https://dollyparton.com/about-dolly-parton

Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
Dolly Parton 1946 – 2026
“Dolly Parton’s legacy is not celebrity, but humanity. She was a champion of equality and literacy. She was a picture of dignity, even when dressed outrageously. Anyone who seeks to be more like Dolly is on the right track, but they’ll never get to the finish line. She came from poverty to become the most important native of Tennessee. She shared her fortunes for the good of all of us, and shared her soul in every note she sang.”

Kyle Young, CEO, Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
Dolly Parton turned success as a country songwriter and singer into not only pop music stardom but also work as an actor, a successful businesswoman, and a philanthropist.

With their strong feminine stances in the 1960s and 1970s, Parton and fellow pioneers Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette revolutionized the world of country music for women performers. Then Parton took her crusade a step further by crossing over to the pop world—landing on the cover of Rolling Stone, achieving pop hits, and starring in a series of Hollywood movies.

Along the way, Parton lost much of her core country audience, to the point that she dissolved her fan club, which had been one of the staunchest in country music, in 1997. But her career—and her appeal to fans of hard country—was far from over. Beginning in 1999, she returned to the music of her youth and began rebuilding a tradition-minded fan base with a series of critically acclaimed bluegrass albums. . . .
Hello, Dolly
Parton’s pivotal career moment came in 1967, in the form of a phone call from the syndicated television series The Porter Wagoner Show, whose flashy-dressing, traditional country–singing host was looking to replace his duet partner, Norma Jean. As a team, Wagoner and Parton became immediate audience favorites. Her hourglass figure, outrageous outfits, and angelic voice played perfectly against Wagoner’s cornpone humor and old-fashioned country sensibility. RCA Records signed Parton as both Wagoner’s duet partner and a solo recording artist, and she became increasingly successful in both personas, soon beginning to eclipse Wagoner’s own star.

Parton’s first solo #1 hit was her composition “Joshua” (1971), which led to three more #1 songs in 1974: “Jolene,” “Love Is Like a Butterfly,” and “I Will Always Love You.” That the latter song was her own personal farewell to partner Wagoner became painfully evident to him when she left his TV show that year. Under contractual obligations, he continued to produce her records (including the #1 hit “The Bargain Store” in 1975) until 1976, but she was soon on her own.

In retrospect, the early- to mid-1970s was the most creatively fertile period of Parton’s country music career. She was voted the Country Music Association’s Female Vocalist of the Year in both 1975 and 1976. Additionally, 1973 yielded what has come to be regarded by some as her most nearly perfect album, My Tennessee Mountain Home, a bittersweet look back at a life and a tradition she was determined to leave behind. The album’s cover is a picture of the cabin in which she grew up in Sevierville; the songs, especially the title cut, are matter-of-fact tributes to a people and a way of life that are vanishing. “I wanted to be free. I had my songs to sing, I had an ambition and it burned inside me. It was something I knew would take me out of the mountains. I knew I could see worlds beyond the Smoky Mountains,” Parton told Rolling Stone in 1977.. . .
https://www.countrymusichalloffame.org/hall-of-fame/dolly-parton

DOLLY PARTON’S IMAGINATION LIBRARY
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is dedicated to inspiring a love of reading by gifting books free of charge to children from birth to age five, through funding shared by Dolly Parton and local community partners in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and Republic of Ireland.
Inspired by her father’s inability to read and write Dolly started her Imagination Library in 1995 for the children within her home county. Today, her program spans five countries and gifts millions of free books each month to children around the world.

“When I was growing up in the hills of East Tennessee, I knew my dreams would come true. I know there are children in your community with their own dreams. They dream of becoming a doctor or an inventor or a minister. Who knows, maybe there is a little girl whose dream is to be a writer and singer.

The seeds of these dreams are often found in books and the seeds you help plant in your community can grow across the world.”

In 1995, Dolly Parton launched an exciting new effort, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, to benefit the children of her home county in East Tennessee, USA. Dolly’s vision was to foster a love of reading among her county’s preschool children and their families by providing them with the gift of a specially selected book each month.
TOTAL KIDS REGISTERED 3,197,250
TOTAL BOOKS GIFTED 332,411,218
https://imaginationlibrary.com/

WIKIPEDIA
Dolly Rebecca Parton Dean (née Parton; January 19, 1946 – August 25, 2026) was an American musician, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman. After achieving success as a songwriter for other artists, her debut album, Hello, I'm Dolly, was released in 1967, beginning a career spanning 60 years and 50 studio albums. Known as the "Queen of Country", she was one of the most-honored female country performers and received various accolades, including 11 Grammy Awards, three Emmy Awards and the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, along with nominations for two Academy Awards, six Golden Globe Awards, and a Tony Award.

Parton sold more than 100 million records worldwide, making her one of the best-selling music artists ever. Her music includes Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)-certified gold, platinum and multi-platinum awards. She had 25 singles reach No. 1 on the Billboard country music charts, tied with Reba McEntire for the most by a female artist. She had 44 career Top 10 country albums, a record for any artist, and 110 career-charted singles over 40 years. Her 49th and final solo studio album, Rockstar (2023), became her highest-charting Billboard 200 album, peaking at number three.

Parton composed more than 3,000 songs, including "I Will Always Love You" (a two-time U.S. country chart-topper and an international hit for Whitney Houston that sold 40 million copies worldwide), "Jolene", "Coat of Many Colors" and "9 to 5". As an actress, she starred in 9 to 5 (1980) and The Best Little Wh******se in Texas (1982), earning Golden Globe nominations for both, as well as Rhinestone (1984), Steel Magnolias (1989), Straight Talk (1992), and Joyful Noise (2012).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolly_Parton

Notable [Dead] Women: Dr. Marjorie Bell Chambers PhD (1923-2006) American educator, historian, politician, author, a...
08/25/2026

Notable [Dead] Women: Dr. Marjorie Bell Chambers PhD (1923-2006) American educator, historian, politician, author, artist ; a national spokesperson for the adoption of the Equal Rights Amendment. She was the first woman to run for Lieutenant Governor of New Mexico, a national president of the American Association of University Women, and the president of two colleges. Died August 22 or 25, 2006 (age 83 years) Los Alamos, New Mexico

August is Voters Right Month, The Voting Rights Act of 1965 signed into law August 5, 1965 National Immunization Awareness Month: and National Breastfeeding Month



Veteran Feminists of America THE VFA PIONEER HISTORIES PROJECT
Marjorie Bell Chambers, Ph.D. March 11, 1923 – August 25, 2006

“Women have come a long way in our struggle for equality in law and before the courts of law. But there are still in this country some Neanderthal men whose perceptions are blinded by ancient custom and self-conceit.”

Educator, Author, Historian, Politician. A lifelong advocate for women’s rights. Became a national spokesperson for the adoption of the Equal Rights Amendment. The first woman to run for Lieutenant Governor of New Mexico, a national president of the American Association of University Women and the president of Colorado Women’s College and Colby-Sawyer College. Served as an adviser to four presidents and 10 governors of New Mexico in multiple appointed positions and commissions. Chaired the National Advisory Council on Women’s Educational Programs under President Gerald Ford and the Committee for Women under President Jimmy Carter.
https://veteranfeministsofamerica.org/vfa-pioneer-histories-project-marjorie-chambers/?

The New Mexico Historic Women Marker Program
Marjorie Bell Chambers, Ph.D. 1923 - 2006
Los Alamos County, Activist, Community leader, Educator, Public servant
Women’s advocate, helped establish the United Nations.
Marjorie Bell Chambers has been described as “restless, multifaceted, and an indomitable spirit” who had “an unbounded legacy of deeds, thoughts, and inspirations for her children and her students…” She received a Doctorate of Philosophy in History and Political Science at the University of New Mexico and pursued a career that spanned academia, politics, nonprofit, and community leadership and activism, all while raising her family.

Born in New York City on March 11, 1923, Chambers contracted tuberculosis in her childhood and suffered from trouble with her lungs for the remainder of her life. She received her B.A. in history and political science from Mount Holyoke College in 1943, and in 1945 married physicist William H. Chambers. They both pursued graduate studies at Cornell University, with Chambers receiving her M.A. in 1948. After her husband earned his Ph.D. at Ohio State University, they moved with their two children to Los Alamos, New Mexico, where he worked at the Los Alamos National Laboratory.

In Los Alamos, the Chambers welcomed two more children and she focused on raising the family and volunteering with various organizations, including the Girl Scouts and the American Association of University Women. She was a founding member of the Los Alamos Branch of the American Association of University Women, and served as president of that branch, then New Mexico Division before serving as national president from 1975 to 1979.

In 1964, she began working as a substitute teacher in Los Alamos public schools and in 1965 was hired as project historian at the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission in Los Alamos. This work prompted her to continue her graduate studies and she received her PhD from the University of New Mexico in 1974. An adjunct faculty member of the university from 1970 to 1976, she returned for the 1984-1985 academic year. She had a long career in higher education, joining the faculty of the Union Institute Graduate School in 1979 and serving as dean of the Midwest region from 1979 to 1982; she retired from the Institute in 2003.
he retired at age eighty after a quarter of a century as dean and graduate school professor of the Union Institute and University, based in Cincinnati, Ohio. She also served as President of Colorado Women’s College in Denver and as trustee and interim president of Colby Sawyer College in New London, New Hampshire.

Chambers was also a noted leader in the world of non-profit organizations. She rose through the ranks to become the national president of the American Association of University Women, and she also actively served on the board of directors for the New Mexico Endowment for the Humanities.

As a resident of Los Alamos who loved to work with and teach young women, Chambers, herself a lifelong Girl Scout, was a troop leader, camp counselor, and ultimately chair of the Sangre de Cristo Scout Council. She was also a founding member of the Los Alamos Historical Society. Chambers ran unsuccessfully for United States Congress and Lt. Governor of New Mexico and was active in politics generally and the Republican Party in particular.

A lifelong advocate for women’s rights, Chambers became a national spokesperson for the adoption of the Equal Rights Amendment. She became nationally famous and was an advisor to five U.S. Presidents and four New Mexico governors. President Ford appointed her to the National Advisory Council on Women’s Educational Programs in 1976 and she remained on the Council until 1980, serving as chair from 1978 to 1979. In 1978, President Carter appointed her to the President’s Advisory Committee for Women, and she became acting chair after Bella Abzug was fired from the committee in 1979.

She was appointed to the New Mexico Commission on Higher Education and received many local and national awards, including the New Mexico Governor’s Lifetime Achievement Award and the International Women’s Forum’s “A Woman Who Made a Difference” Award.

In 1982, Chambers became the first Republican woman to run (unsuccessfully) for Congress from New Mexico; she followed this with an unsuccessful run for Lieutenant Governor in 1986. She was elected to the Los Alamos County Council in 1975, serving as its chair in 1976 and instituting use of the word “councilor” rather than “council man.” Chambers also served as chair of the Los Alamos County Personnel Board from 1984 to 1990.

Marjorie Bell Chambers was a dauntless and driven leader who tirelessly pursued her goals. Wife, mother, educator, politician, activist leader, and practitioner of community service, she made a difference in the lives of so many during her lifetime and after.

She died on August 22, 2006, after a long illness. [SIC vs August 25, 2006]

Sources:

"Los Alamos, New Mexico: A Survey to 1949." The Los Alamos Story, Monograph 1, Los Alamos Historical Society, April 1999.

"The Battle for Civil Rights, Or, How Los Alamos Became a County." The Los Alamos Story, Monograph 3, (Los Alamos Historical Society, May 1999.

https://www.nmhistoricwomen.org/new-mexico-historic-women/marjorie-bell-chambers-ph-d/

Marjorie Bell Chambers (1923-2006)
New Mexico artist, educator and activist.
The Coast (Marine Landscape in Moonlight), Painting, circa 1950-1970
https://davidcookgalleries.com/collections/marjorie-bell-chambers-1923-2006?s

Marjorie Bell Chambers Papers - University of Denver Archives
The bulk of the collection contains general correspondence to and from Dr. Chambers during her tenure as president and papers concerning fund-raising efforts. Other major areas covered are interviews and employment at Colorado Women's College, Chambers' inauguration and resignation, and newspaper clippings regarding Colorado Women's College’s near-closure in 1976.
iographical / Historical
Marjorie Bell Chambers was the first woman president of Colorado Women's College (CWC), but her tenure was the shortest in CWC history. Her administration began on July l, 1976 and she was inaugurated on October 2, 1976, and it ended on February 28, 1978.

Dr. Chambers is the wife of William Hyland Chambers, a physicist in Los Alamos, New Mexico. She was graduated cm laude from Mount Holyoke College. Her master's degree is from Cornell and her Ph.D. (in history and political science) from the University of New Mexico.

Her career has included adjunct professor at the University of New Mexico, project historian for the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, mayor of Los Alamos, NM, president of the American Association of University Women, and visiting professor at Cameron University in Lawton, Oklahoma. She was a major force in the women's movement in the 1970s.
https://duarchives.coalliance.org/repositories/2/resources/235

a grave Marjorie Bell Chambers
Birth 11 Mar 1923 New York, New York County, New York, USA
Death 22 Aug 2006 (aged 83) Los Alamos, Los Alamos County, New Mexico, USA
Burial Santa Fe National Cemetery, Santa Fe, Santa Fe County, New Mexico, USA
6 photos and bio/obit
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/17530360/marjorie-chambers

WIKIPEDIA
Marjorie Bell Chambers (March 11, 1923 – August 25, 2006) was an American educator, historian, and politician. She was the first woman to run for Lieutenant Governor of New Mexico, a national president of the American Association of University Women, and the president of two colleges (Colorado Women's College and Colby-Sawyer College).[1]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marjorie_Bell_Chambers

eBay 1975 Press Photo Marjorie Chambers, professor at University of New Mexico
https://www.ebay.com/itm/396470081727

Obit in the Alburquei Journal https://veteranfeministsofamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Obit.jpg

Notable [Dead] Women: Margaret of Anjou , The Fighting Queen of England (1430-1482) Queen of England by marriage to ...
08/25/2026

Notable [Dead] Women: Margaret of Anjou , The Fighting Queen of England (1430-1482) Queen of England by marriage to King Henry VI from 1445 to 1461 and again from 1470 to 1471. she took control of a collapsing English kingdom and went to war [War of the Roses} for it. She raised troops. Negotiated alliances. Commanded strategy. And when it came time for battle, she was there—present, visible, and feared. founded Queen's College in Cambridge Died August 25, 1482 (age 52 years), Dampierre-sur-Loire, Saumur, France

August is Voters Right Month, The Voting Rights Act of 1965 signed into law August 5, 1965 National Immunization Awareness Month: and National Breastfeeding Month

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EBSCO Resarch Starter
Margaret of Anjou was the Queen of England during a tumultuous era known as the War of the Roses, which lasted from 1455 to 1487. Born on March 23, 1430, in France, she was the daughter of René I of Anjou and married Henry VI of England at the age of fourteen as part of a political alliance aimed at ending hostilities between France and England. Margaret became a prominent figure in English politics, especially as her husband's leadership faltered due to mental illness. She was determined to secure the throne for her son, Edward, and played a crucial role in the conflicts between the rival Lancaster and York families, which were central to the War of the Roses.

Despite her efforts, Margaret faced significant challenges, including losing key battles and her family's grip on power. Her son Edward was ultimately killed in 1471, and her husband was murdered shortly thereafter. After her capture, she was held prisoner until she was ransomed back to France, where she lived the remainder of her life in poverty, passing away on August 25, 1482. Margaret's legacy endures through her contributions to history and culture, including her support for Queen's College in Cambridge and various portrayals in literature and media. Her story is a notable part of the larger narrative surrounding dynastic struggles and power in medieval England.
https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/history/margaret-anjou

Retrospect Journal.
Margaret of Anjou – Bad Queen to Bad-Ass: The Evolution of Image through Literature
Margaret of Anjou appears to many as an enigma, hidden beneath layers of literary interpretations. The understanding of Margaret and the world around her in historiography is almost inseparable from the literature which she inhabits. She is as much a character as she is a person, and it is nearly impossible to understand her without looking at her role in literature, most prominently in Shakespeare. Margaret’s role in Shakespeare spans four plays—the three parts of Henry VI as well as Richard III—and she is one of Shakespeare’s most varied and long-standing female characters; according to historian Sarah Pagardio, Margaret has the greatest range of any of Shakespeare’s characters, male or female, inhabiting roles of ‘daughter, bride, wife, mother, lover, queen, avenging warrior, and grieving widow.’ Scholarship on Margaret of Anjou is often criticised for its focus on Shakespeare, and so this article, whilst admittedly it does start with Shakespeare, shall attempt to trace the turbulent history of the representation of Margaret of Anjou from Shakespeare to the present day. It is almost tragic to see that literary presentations in the 21st century do not appear to have deviated much since Shakespeare, particularly considering that since Shakespeare we have gone through three waves of feminism and several more influential female queens. However, this article shall attempt to prove that the story of Margaret of Anjou within literature is not one of continuity but one of dramatic change.

According to Levine, the Henry IV plays ‘[sound] multiple warning about the dangers of unruly women’, and Margaret of Anjou is where the majority of warnings are set off. Born in 1430 in Pont-à-Mousson, France, Margaret was the second oldest daughter of King René of Naples and Duchess Isabella of Lorraine. In 1445, at the age of 15, Margaret would marry a man a decade her senior—Henry VI of England. . . . .
Upon her husband’s breakdown Margaret ruled in his place and would rule intermittently as Queen, Queen Mother, and regent for her incapacitated husband and her young son. This inversion, an example of a woman performing roles which were, at least in England, typically masculine, has unsurprisingly led to incredibly misogynistic tropes emerging surrounding Margaret of Anjou—most famously, of course, is Shakespeare’s she-wolf. . . . . . The characterisation of Margaret in the eighteenth century appears to be a blip in the evolution of the depiction of Margaret throughout history, so much so that this stage in literature is almost entirely ignored in historiography on the subject. Instead, many people opt for a direct line being drawn between Shakespeare’s Margaret and the Margaret of Phillipa Gregory’s White Queen series, in which Margaret is described by Anne Neville as ‘the bad queen, a she-wolf worse than the wolves of France.’ This direct quotation from Shakespeare illustrates not only how prominently Shakespeare still shapes the interpretation of Margaret of Anjou, but the lack of revision also reveals that the misogynistic depiction of Margaret really hasn’t changed, with modern authors picking up on different aspects, such as Margaret’s sexuality, to present the stereotype of a bad queen and woman.

Whilst there has not been much change in the depiction of Margaret, it is important to note that the literature surrounding her is not linear, and the similarities between the present day and Shakespeare’s own time can lead scholars to completely write the eighteenth century out of the narrative. However, there seems to be some change, as work done by revisionist historians such as Helen Maurer and Helen Castor have been using comparative historical approaches to better understand Margaret’s active role in politics, and modern interpretations of Margaret—such as Cersei Lannister in Game of Thrones, whom she supposedly served as the inspiration for—have created a new narrative, in which Margaret is not a bad queen but a badass.
https://retrospectjournal.com/2021/11/14/margaret-of-anjou-bad-queen-to-bad-ass-the-evolution-of-image-through-literature/

Wars of the Roses. Margaret of Anjou
Margaret of Anjou (1430-1482) was the last Lancastrian queen, wife of Henry VI. She arrived in England in 1445, at the age of 15, and bore her only son, Edward of Westminster, in 1453. Until that point her queenship seems to have been conventional and there is no evidence of the partisan politics later imputed to her. In the mid 1450s she became the focus for those opposed to the Duke of York and after the Lancastrian defeat at the Battle of Northampton she took the initiative for trying to save her son’s inheritance by seeking an alliance with Scotland. In the aftermath of Edward IV’s accession she travelled to France in search of support and reluctantly made common cause with Richard Neville, earl of Warwick in 1470, to achieve Henry VI’s readeption. She arrived back in England to news of Warwick’s defeat and death at Barnet and became a prisoner of Edward IV after his victory at Tewkesbury. She was eventually ransomed in 1475 and spent her final years in Provence and Anjou.

Most histories have depicted Margaret as a powerful, transgressive and disruptive queen, blamed for losses in France and provoking Richard Duke of York into war. It is sometimes even alleged that Henry VI was not the father of her son. Recently scholars have suggested new approaches. Some argue she was far less powerful than once imagined and that the stories of her influence were Yorkist propaganda designed to make Henry VI look weaker. Others maintain that she was forced into a position of power by her husband’s weakness, but scrupulously followed expectations of queenship, so her negative reputation was largely Yorkist mythmaking.

Margaret was born 23 or 24 March 1430, daughter of René count of Anjou and Isabelle, heiress to the duke of Lorraine. René was a prisoner of the duke of Burgundy 1431-37, during which time Duchess Isabelle ruled as his regent. It is usually asserted that Margaret spent much of her childhood at Saumur in the cultured court of her grandmother, Yolande of Aragon, who had been a crucial supporter of Charles VII of France (Yolande’s son-in-law). However, Anthony Gross has recently argued for an earlier tradition in which Margaret remained with her mother, Isabelle, who was in southern Italy, eventually joined by René, fighting for his claim to the kingdom of Naples.

On 24 May 1444 Margaret was betrothed to Henry VI. William de la Pole, Earl of Suffolk stood as proxy for the king in this ceremony at Tours. Her dowry of 20,000 francs was less than the cost of the flamboyant expedition to bring her to England. On 22 April 1445 Henry VI’s confessor, William Aiscough, bishop of Salisbury, conducted their actual wedding at Titchfield Abbey and she was crowned at Westminster just over a month later. In the continuing negotiations for a peace with France she sent supportive letters to Charles VII. Henry VI later wrote that she had encouraged him to surrender Maine, but this may have been no more than conventional diplomatic language – queens were meant to encourage their husbands to conciliate.

Her copious surviving letters indicate her concern to fulfil her duties as queen, supporting her servants, responding to requests for her influence, managing her estates, helping arrange diplomatic marriages and promoting religious devotions. In 1448 she was involved in founding Queens’ College, Cambridge.

As early as 1448 there were complaints that Margaret was failing to fulfil her primary duty as queen by providing an heir. Her only child, Edward of Westminster (& Lancaster), was finally born on 13 October 1453 while Henry was in a catatonic stupor. In January 1454 one source reported that Margaret had asked to be made regent during Henry’s illness. Instead Richard Duke of York was made Protector that March. Margaret’s relations with York up to this point appear to have been cordial, although records of gifts and payments suggest that Edmund Beaufort, duke of Somerset and his wife were closer to the queen. It is in the aftermath of Somerset’s death at St Albans that the earliest clear indications of animosity between Margaret and York appear. By early 1456 she had become the head of anti-Yorkist interests at court. She spent much time at Coventry, at the heart of her estates. On one occasion she was welcomed with pageants which, it has been argued, were designed to justify her active queenship.

Much of Margaret’s authority derived from her influence over her young son’s household as Prince of Wales. In June 1457 one of her father’s men led a raid on the English port of Sandwich which reinforced earlier negative attitudes to her French origins. Efforts to make peace between the victors of the First Battle of St Albans and the families of their victims culminated in the Loveday Procession on 25 March 1458. While the king walked alone in this procession, Margaret was hand in hand with the Duke of York. Recent reflection on this description suggests that Margaret was more likely processing with the king.

One Yorkist source described the royal forces at the Battle of Blore Heath as ‘the queen’s gallants’, suggesting they were not the king’s men. Margaret was at Coventry when Henry VI was captured after the Battle of Northampton. She fled to Wales and then Scotland to seek support. She was not at the Battle of Wakefield (as depicted by Shakespeare). The predominance of Scottish and northern men in the army she then brought south provoked particular alarm in London, but Bonita Cron argues that the tales of their depredations en route were exaggerated. The Londoners sent the widowed duchesses of Buckingham and Bedford, and Lady Scales to negotiate with Margaret after her forces’ victory at the second Battle of St Albans.

Margaret escaped to Scotland with the king and her son after the Battle of Towton. In 1462 she and Prince Edward sailed to the Continent where she spent years trying to muster support to reinstate Henry VI. Her court in exile at the castle of Koeur, near St Mihiel-en-Bar, became a focus for men disaffected by the Yorkist regime. In May 1470 Richard Neville earl of Warwick and George duke of Clarence arrived at Honfleur after the failure of the Lincolnshire Rebellion. It took fifteen days to persuade Margaret to join with these former enemies in order to reinstate Henry VI. She refused to allow her son to travel to England until the throne had been secured. She was then delayed by bad weather so that when she arrived at Weymouth on 14 April 1471 Warwick had already been killed at Barnet. Drawing additional support from Lancastrians who had never trusted Warwick, she tried to join forces with Jasper Tudor in Wales but was cut off at Tewkesbury. She stayed at a nearby religious house where she learned of the disastrous Lancastrian defeat and the death of her only child on the battlefield.

Edward IV had her brought back to London on his triumphal return and put her in the custody of the widowed Duchess of Suffolk (whose son had married Edward’s sister). As part of the Treaty of Picquigny in 1475, Louis XI paid a ransom so that she could return to France. He required her to hand over her inheritance from her parents in recompense. She died at the château of Dampierre, near Saumur, in Anjou on 25 August 1482 and was buried at Angers cathedral.
https://www.warsoftheroses.com/people/margaret-of-anjou/

Queen's College Cambridge
Margaret of Anjou
Margaret of Anjou pictureMargaret of Anjou (1430–1482) was the daughter of René, Duke of Anjou (also Duke of Bar, Lorraine, Calabria, Count of Provence and Piedmont, and titular King of Naples, Sicily and Jerusalem), and wife of King Henry VI of England.

She issued her Charter to establish the Queen’s College of St Margaret and St Bernard on 15 April 1448, the same day as the foundation stone was laid by her chamberlain.

Her heraldic arms, derived from those of her father René, became the basis of the Arms of Queens’ College.

The connection with her is remembered in the name of the Angevin Room at Queens’.
Images of Margaret of Anjou
As far as is known, Margaret did not sit for a formal portrait during her lifetime, so we have no images of her that we know to have been intended to be life-like. We have various other images purporting to be of her, but we do not know for sure to what extent they were life-like, or whether instead they were merely images of symbolic queens given her name.

The image above (top left) is a detail of f. 2v. from British Library Royal MS 15 E VI, the “Talbot Shrewsbury book”, 1444–45, a collection of fifteen romances, chivalric treatises, instructional texts, chronicles and statutes compiled as a gift to Margaret of Anjou, on her betrothal to Henry VI, from John Talbot, the 1st Earl of Shrewsbury, who escorted her to England for the marriage in 1444. She is depicted holding the hand of King Henry VI, receiving the book from John Talbot.
https://history.queens.cam.ac.uk/people/foundresses-and-patronesses/margaret-anjou

WIKIPEDIA
Margaret of Anjou (French: Marguerite; 23 March 1430 – 25 August 1482) was Queen of England by marriage to King Henry VI from 1445 to 1461 and again from 1470 to 1471. Through marriage, she was also nominally Queen of France from 1445 to 1453. Born in the Duchy of Lorraine into the House of Valois-Anjou, Margaret was the second eldest daughter of René of Anjou, King of Naples, and Isabella, Duchess of Lorraine.

Margaret was one of the principal figures in the series of dynastic civil wars known as the Wars of the Roses and at times personally led the Lancastrian faction. Some of her contemporaries, such as John de la Pole, 2nd Duke of Suffolk, praised "her valiant courage and undaunted spirit", and the 16th-century historian Edward Hall described her personality in these terms: "This woman excelled all other, as well in beauty and favour, as in wit and policy, and was of stomach and courage, more like to a man, than a woman".[1]

Owing to her husband's frequent bouts of insanity, Margaret ruled the kingdom in his place. It was she who called for a Great Council in May 1455 that excluded the Yorkist faction headed by Richard of York, 3rd Duke of York. This provided the spark that ignited a civil conflict that lasted for more than 30 years, decimated the old nobility of England, and caused the deaths of thousands of men, including her only son, Edward of Westminster, Prince of Wales, at the Battle of Tewkesbury in 1471.

Margaret was taken prisoner by the victorious Yorkists after the Lancastrian defeat at Tewkesbury. In 1475, she was ransomed by her cousin, King Louis XI of France. She went to live in France as a poor relation of the French king, and she died there at the age of 52.

Final years and death

Margaret appears in an illumination in the Books of the Skinners Company, 1422. It was entered in the roll of the Fraternity of Our Lady in 1475.
Margaret lived in France for seven years as a poor relation of the King. She was hosted by Francis de Vignolles and died, impoverished, in his castle of Dampierre-sur-Loire, near Anjou on 25 August 1482 at the age of 52.[36] Although her exact cause of death is unknown while living in poverty, her importance was never doubted. Her inheritance was given to King Louis XI of France. This was a term of agreement when she was ransomed from the English.[37] She was entombed next to her parents in Angers Cathedral,[38] but her remains were removed and scattered by revolutionaries who ransacked the cathedral during the French Revolution.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_of_Anjou

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