Bl. Margaret Pole
“Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
A noblewoman and mother, Margaret Pole remained faithful to the Catholic Church and was executed during the reign of Henry VIII.
The story
Margaret Plantagenet was born on August 14, 1473, at Farleigh Hungerford in England. She was the daughter of George, Duke of Clarence, and Isabel Neville, and a niece of Kings Edward IV and Richard III. Political violence marked her family. Her father was executed for treason in 1478, and her brother Edward, Earl of Warwick, was executed under Henry VII in 1499.
Margaret married Sir Richard Pole and had five children. After her husband's death in 1504, she faced financial difficulty while caring for her family. Henry VIII later restored part of her inheritance and created her Countess of Salisbury in 1513. She became one of the wealthiest noblewomen in England and served for a time in the household of Princess Mary, the king's daughter by Catherine of Aragon. Margaret remained attached to Mary and to the Catholic faith during the king's effort to end his marriage.
Margaret's son Reginald Pole, a scholar and churchman, strongly opposed Henry VIII's claim to supreme authority over the Church in England. Pope Paul III made Reginald a cardinal in 1536. The king treated the Pole family as a political threat. Margaret's son Henry, Lord Montagu, was executed in 1539. Margaret herself was arrested and held in the Tower of London. Parliament condemned her through an act of attainder, without a normal public trial or a demonstrated personal act of treason.
On May 27, 1541, Margaret was led to execution within the Tower. She was sixty-seven years old. Reports agree that the execution was brutal, although later descriptions of her struggle with the executioner cannot be confirmed with certainty. The Church venerates her as a martyr because her death arose from persecution connected with fidelity to the Catholic faith and her family's resistance to the royal supremacy. Pope Leo XIII beatified her on December 29, 1886, among a group of English martyrs. The Roman Martyrology commemorates her on May 28.
What Bl. teaches
Bl. Margaret Pole teaches steadfastness when political authority demands what conscience cannot surrender. Martyrdom bears supreme witness to the truth of the faith, even unto death, as CCC 2473 teaches.
Patronage
persecuted Catholics, widows, political prisoners, English martyrs.
Prayer
Almighty God, you strengthened Bl. Margaret Pole to remain faithful amid imprisonment, loss, and death. Protect those persecuted for the Catholic faith and give courage to all who suffer for conscience. Through her intercession, keep us faithful to Christ in every trial. Amen.