From Public Victory to Private Ruin

The novel repeatedly turns apparent restoration into reversal, showing how quickly political fortunes shift when royal favor substitutes for law.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

A New King, New Hope

The Wheel Turns Henry VII Dies Margaret and other Yorkists emerge from years of surveillance after Henry VII’s death. Henry VIII pardons prisoners and appears to end the climate of fear. Restoration Begins Margaret returns to court and imagines a renewed place for her family. The change seems to confirm that fortune can reverse as quickly as it declines.

The Countess Restored

Fortune at Its Height Title and Lands Margaret regains her family title and estates, reunites with her sons, and becomes one of England’s wealthiest women. Confidence in Justice She believes the king has returned what was hers by right. The restoration feels like justice, though it still depends on the king’s continuing favor.

The Fall from Court

Favor Withdrawn Buckingham’s Execution After the duke’s fall, Margaret is dismissed from court and her family becomes politically suspect. Her wealth remains but her access to power vanishes. Waiting and Return She lives at Bisham until Henry restores her position. The first exile teaches her that security at court depends less on property than on royal mood.

A Pilgrimage Seems to Win

A Second Restoration Hoped For Royal Concessions The king appears to grant the pilgrims’ demands and promises an end to conflict. Margaret imagines that the monasteries, old counsel, and her family may be restored. A Fragile Settlement The celebration depends on promises rather than enforceable protections. The apparent victory creates a brief confidence that the country has turned back from tyranny.

The Final Reversal

Promises Dissolve Renewed Suppression The king reopens and then closes religious houses, arrests pilgrimage leaders, and finally destroys the Pole-Courtenay network. Fortune’s Limit Margaret’s lands, family, and freedom are taken despite earlier pardon and favor. The novel’s wheel of fortune resolves not as a fair cycle, but as an unstable system controlled by the monarch.

April 1509

Spring 1512

1521 to 1525

Late 1536

1537 to 1541