A Margaret Beaufort Analysis of Alicent
I rewatched HOTD, the White Queen and the White Princess, and I noticed a lot of similarities between Alicent and Margaret Beaufort (mother to King Henry VII and a powerful political mastermind during the Wars of the Roses), that I'd dare say the historical Margaret Beaufort had to be the inspiration behind Alicent's character.
(1) Both Margaret and Alicent were married off to older men they did not desire, at a very young age. Margaret was SEVEN when she married her first husband, TWELVE when she married Edmund Tudor, and THIRTEEN when she bore Henry Tudor and was widowed. Alicent is around fifteen when she marries Viserys in HOTD and becomes pregnant for three consecutive years, thus having three children by the age of eighteen.
(2) Character-wise, Margaret and Alicent are both ambitious women navigating the deep patriarchal waters of their era to secure power for their sons. They are defined by their unwavering devotion to their sons’ political futures. Margaret lives her life with the singular goal of placing her only son, Henry Tudor, on the English throne. Everything she does—from political maneuvering to religious justification—is in service of this mission. Each action, from high treason to committing murder, she views as her calling: "it is God's will" for her to advocate for her son's rights, his future, but also his very life. Not securing the throne would mean execution for her, her son Henry, and his supporters. Similarly, Alicent's primary motivation in placing Aegon on the throne is to preserve her children's lives from the impending threat their mere existence as heirs poses. Just like Henry Tudor, Aegon is a threat to the claimants of the throne, and just like Margaret, Alicent grasps the political reins and has her son Aegon crowned king. Alicent, too, believes that it is her duty, even her moral obligation, to ensure that her family retains power.
(3) Margaret and Alicent's lives are governed by "duty and sacrifice." Religious conviction is central in how they perceive and justify their actions. Margaret is deeply pious and believes that her cause is divinely ordained—God wants her son to be king, and she was chosen by God to fulfill that mission. Alicent's religious and moral values are based on the faith of the Seven and give her a sense of righteousness, but also serve as a veil for her ambitions.
(4) In terms of power, both Margaret and Alicent operate within systems that limit their authority due to their gender. Nevertheless, they find ways to influence powerful men around them. Margaret works through her marriages and alliances. Alicent, as Queen and later Queen Dowager, wields considerable soft power through her father Otto, her children, and the Small Council. In both cases, their roles as mothers are the key to their influence. Margaret ruthlessly supports rebellions, plots against rival claimants, and is willing to spill blood for her son’s ascension, the sole Lancaster heir. Alicent ultimately supports a coup that defies her husband’s wishes and initiates a war for the throne, being the mother of three male Targaryen heirs. Even when they struggle with guilt and moral conflict, they remain steadfast in the belief that what they’re doing is right—or at least necessary, and further pursue their influence.
Overall, both Margaret Beaufort and Alicent Hightower stand as compelling portraits of women and queens who challenge their era’s expectations. They are politically savvy, morally complex, ambitious beyond the norm, and they succeed in shaping their political world through strategy, sacrifice, and unyielding maternal will.
And before you come at me, yes, they are not entirely the same. I'd say that Alicent is a more sensitive and humanized representation of Margaret Beaufort, but I can see the parallels and the inspiration behind Alicent's conception as a character modeled to some extent after historical-Margaret's persona.
