Mary Tudor (queen consort of France)
- This article is about Mary Tudor, queen consort of France. For her niece and namesake, Mary Tudor, queen regnant of England, see Mary I of England.
Mary Tudor (March 28, 1496 – June 25, 1533), was the fifth child of Henry VII of England and Elizabeth of York. She was their youngest child to survive infancy. Her brother, Henry VIII was quite close to her when they were children, and he named his daughter, the future Queen Mary, after Mary Tudor; his warship Mary Rose was also named in her honour.
At the age of 18, Mary Tudor married 52-year-old Louis XII of France, at Abbeville, on October 9, 1514. Despite two previous marriages, Louis had no living sons. However, Louis died on January 1, 1515, less than three months after he married Mary, and there were no children. Nevertheless, her English contemporaries frequently referred to Mary as 'the French Queen'. In France was where Mary and Anne Boleyn became good friends. Mary was left with only Anne after her other ladies in waiting left her. It is possible Anne stayed because King Henry VIII had taken a liking to her. Mary confided many secrets to Anne, one of which was that she was in love with Charles Brandon. Their friendship ended when Anne became Henry VIII's wife. Mary felt sorry for the Queen Catherine of Aragon, some say because she too had to leave the love of her life for marriage.
Less than 6 months later, on May 13, 1515, she married Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk (of the second creation) at Greenwich Palace. Suffolk was the son of William Brandon, standard-bearer of Henry VII, who was slain by Richard III in person on Bosworth Field, and had taken part in the jousts to celebrate Mary's marriage to Louis. He was also accredited to negotiate various matters with Louis, and was sent to congratulate the new King of France, Francis I, following Louis' death.
Mary's marriage to Suffolk greatly angered her brother, Henry VIII, but he soon forgave them, though he fined them heavily. Together, Mary and Suffolk had three children:
- Henry Brandon, 1st Earl of Lincoln (March 11, 1516 –March 8, 1534)
- Lady Frances Brandon (July 16, 1517 – November 20, 1559), who married Henry Grey, 3rd Marquess of Dorset and later 1st Duke of Suffolk (of the third creation), and was the mother of Lady Jane Grey
- Lady Eleanor Brandon (1519 – September 27, 1547), wife of Henry Clifford, 2nd Earl of Cumberland.
Relations between Henry VIII and Mary were further strained in the late 1520s when she opposed him in his attempt to receive an annulment from Queen Catherine of Aragon. Mary was known to have developed a hatred for the future queen Anne Boleyn.
Mary is buried at the ruined abbey at Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk.
References
- Mary Tudor, the White Queen, by W.C. Richardson
- Lady Jane Grey and the House of Suffolk, by Alison Plowden, ISBN0531150003
- A fictionalized version of Mary's marital adventures is portrayed in the 1953 Walt Disney film The Sword and the Rose starring Richard Todd and Glynis Johns.
- Mary, Queen of France, by Jean Plaidy ISBN 0609810219
- Sisters of Henry VIII, The: The Tumultuous Lives of Margaret of Scotland and Mary of France by Maria Perry ISBN 0306809893
