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4 | <meta name="content" content="Charles Brandon, duke of Suffolk and Princess Mary Tudor: Biography, Portrait, Primary Sources Mary Tudor sister of King Henry VIII grandmother of Lady Jane Grey">
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5 | <meta name="page_topic" content="Charles Brandon, duke of Suffolk and Princess Mary Tudor: Biography, Portrait, Primary Sources">
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6 | <meta name="author" content="Marilee Mongello">
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11 | <title>Charles Brandon, duke of Suffolk and Princess Mary Tudor: Biography,
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12 | Portrait, Primary Sources</title>
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31 | <td width="25%" height="610"></td>
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32 | <td valign="top" width="50%" height="610">
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33 | <p align="center">
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34 | <img border="0" src="brandon1.gif" alt="Cloth of Gold and Cloth of Frieze" width="492" height="116"></p>
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35 | <p align="center">
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36 | <img border="0" src="brandon2.gif" alt="Charles Brandon and Princess Mary Tudor" width="494" height="65"></p>
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37 | <blockquote>
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38 | <hr>
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39 | </blockquote>
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40 | <p align="center">
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41 | <img border="2" src="brandonpage2.jpg" alt="The marriage portrait of Charles Brandon and Princess Mary Tudor" width="324" height="363"><br></p>
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42 | <blockquote>
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43 | <p align="left"><FONT size=+1 face="Arial">Charles Brandon, duke of Suffolk, was Henry VIII's closest
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44 |
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45 | friend. Brandon's father was Henry VII's standard-bearer at the Battle of
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46 |
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47 | Bosworth Field and died defending the future king. Henry VII repaid his
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48 |
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49 | loyalty by educating young Charles with his own children, and from the beginning
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50 |
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51 | Charles and the future Henry VIII were devoted friends. But their
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52 |
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53 | friendship was sorely tested when Brandon secretly married Henry's favorite
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54 |
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55 | sister, the beautiful Princess Mary Tudor. At this page, you can learn
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56 |
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57 | more about their romantic story and its aftermath.</FONT></p>
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58 | </blockquote>
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59 | </td>
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60 | <td width="25%" height="610"></td>
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61 | </tr>
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62 | </table>
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63 | <blockquote>
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64 | <blockquote>
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65 | <p> </p>
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66 |
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67 | <P><font face="Times New Roman">Charles Brandon had an inauspicious beginning and his rise to wealth and
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68 | prominence was due largely to two things: his father's death at Bosworth Field
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69 | and his own personal magnetism. Upon his death in 1545, Brandon was
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70 | perhaps the only person in England who had successfully retained Henry VIII's
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71 | affection for over forty turbulent years. </font>
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72 | <P><font face="Times New Roman"> His father was William Brandon, Henry Tudor's standard
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73 | bearer at Bosworth Field in 1485. He was reportedly killed there by
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74 | Richard III himself. Around 1480 or so, William had married the daughter
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75 | and heiress of Sir Henry Bruyn of South Ockendon in Essex. But unlike his
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76 | respectable, middle-class forebears who had led exemplary and cautious
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77 | lives, William had a tasste for politics. When the Duke of Gloucester
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78 | seized the throne in 1483 and declared himself Richard III, William and his
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79 | younger brother Thomas decided to make a stand. They joined the duke of
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80 | Buckingham's rebellion; it failed and the brothers fled to Brittany where they
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81 | joined other Lancastrian exiles who supported Henry Tudor, the earl of Richmond.
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82 | </font>
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83 |
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84 | <P><font face="Times New Roman"> When William fled England, his wife was already
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85 | pregnant. Charles Brandon was born sometime in late 1483 or early
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86 | 1484. His mother died in childbirth and, upon his grandfather's death in
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87 | 1491, the orphaned boy went to the royal court. This was the custom of the
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88 | time but since Brandon was not heir to an important title or great wealth, his
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89 | case was decided more on sentiment. He had a claim on Henry Tudor's affections
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90 | since his father had died in his service. That demonstration of loyalty at
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91 | Bosworth meant a great deal to the first Tudor king. Since Charles was
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92 | just two years older than Henry's first son, Prince Arthur, it is probable that
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93 | they were playmates. </font>
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94 | <P><font face="Times New Roman"> When Arthur married the Spanish princess Katharine of
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95 | Aragon in 1502, his court moved to Ludlow Castle in the Welsh Marches, the
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96 | traditional seat of the Prince of Wales. Charles did not accompany the
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97 | royal couple but remained in London as companion to Arthur's younger
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98 | brother, Henry duke of York. </font>
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99 | <P><font face="Times New Roman"> Though seven years older than Henry, Charles shared his
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100 | most prominent characteristics - natural athleticism, robust physical health
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101 | (unlike the delicate Arthur), and a devotion to all sports (wrestling, hunting,
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102 | tilting and jousting, etc.) During these adolescent years, the two boys
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103 | laid the foundation for a lifelong friendship. Arthur died just months
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104 | after his wedding and, in 1509, the duke of York succeeded to the throne.
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105 | This marked the real beginning of Charles Brandon's rise to prominence and
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106 | privilege. </font>
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107 | <P><font face="Times New Roman"> But before 1509, young Charles had undergone an
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108 | embarrassing marital situation which revealed his ambition and
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109 | callousness. In 1505, he had become engaged to Anne Browne, a young woman
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110 | of impressive lineage; her father was Anthony Browne, Governor of Calais,
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111 | and her mother was Lucy Neville, niece of the 'Kingmaker.' Charles and
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112 | Anne were betrothed <I>per verba de praesenti</I>, a binding contract under
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113 | canon law. In such cases, there was no ceremony or witnesses; as one can
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114 | imagine, this led to several unpleasant cases of men and (more rarely) women
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115 | repudiating their betrothed <I>if</I> they lacked proper respect for church
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116 | law. Charles apparently did. He and Anne slept together, as
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117 | evidenced by the birth of a daughter in 1506, but he did not marry her.
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118 | Instead, he married her aunt, a very wealthy widow named Margaret Neville
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119 | Mortimer. The marriage was never taken seriously due to its mercenary
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120 | nature and, more importantly, legal action begun by Anne's angry family.
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121 | Eventually, the Mortimer marriage was annulled due to the previous contract and
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122 | Charles married Anne in a well-attended public ceremony. They had another
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123 | daughter in 1510; Anne Browne died just two years later. </font>
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124 | <P><font face="Times New Roman"> By late 1512, Charles had recovered from his grief enough
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125 | to contemplate yet another union. This was perhaps even more mercenary
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126 | since his betrothed was an eight-year-old orphan. It was common practice
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127 | for the Crown to assume guardianship of an orphaned minor child who had
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128 | inherited property. The Crown then sold the guardianship to the highest
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129 | bidder, often the child's own relatives who wanted to receive the property
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130 | revenues until the child came of age and decide whom they would marry.
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131 | Charles had been given the wardship of Elizabeth Grey, the heiress to Lord Lisle
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132 | of Sparsholt in Berkshire. This, along with various offices, grants &
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133 | pensions, was a mark of Henry's continued favor. In early 1513, Charles
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134 | announced his engagement to the girl and, on 15 May 1513, the king created him
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135 | Viscount Lisle, in right of his betrothed wife. Charles Brandon finally
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136 | had a noble title and even more property. </font>
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137 | <P><font face="Times New Roman"> That same year, the new Lord Lisle accompanied the king to
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138 | France and also helped entertain the Hapsburg Emperor Maximilian and his
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139 | twice-widowed, 33-year-old daughter, Margaret, Regent of the Netherlands.
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140 | For Henry, the meeting was also a diplomatic necessity since, in 1508, his
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141 | father had entered into a formal contract of marriage between his youngest
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142 | daughter, Mary, and Maximilian's son, Charles of Castile. But over the
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143 | next few years, little mention had been made of the contract. Henry used
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144 | the visit to broach the subject; the end result was an agreement that Princess Mary and Charles
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145 | would wed in 1514, after Charles had reached his 14th birthday. </font>
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146 | <P><font face="Times New Roman"> Meanwhile, Lord Lisle made a fool of himself by flirting
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147 | with Margaret. There is little chance she truly favored him, and certainly
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148 | none that she planned to marry him, but they flirted, Henry translating for his
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149 | friend. Once again, Charles Brandon was demonstrating his heavy-handed
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150 | flair for the ladies. In the end, he greatly offended Margaret by
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151 | encouraging gossip about their meeting. In particular, it stressed her
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152 | attraction to him and a possible marriage. As a Hapsburg princess, she was
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153 | not amused and Henry VIII was forced to make a public apology. But he was
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154 | not angry with his friend; on 1 February 1514, he created Charles the duke of
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155 | Suffolk, the title once held by the Yorkist de la Poles. He also received
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156 | the majority of their confiscated estates. This elevation was remarkable;
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157 | it meant that Suffolk was one of only three dukes in the kingdom. The
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158 | other two were Thomas Howard, duke of Norfolk (reinstated to the title after his
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159 | victory at Flodden in 1513), and Edward Stafford, duke of Buckingham and
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160 | descendant of Edward III. Of course, many were surprised that a yeoman's
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161 | son was now one of their greatest peers but Brandon's friendship with Henry
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162 | explained matters. In Europe, it was said that
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163 | <a href="wolsey.html">Cardinal Wolsey</a> and Brandon truly
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164 | ruled England through influence upon Henry VIII. </font>
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165 | <P><font face="Times New Roman"> In 1514 as well, the usual tangle of European diplomacy
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166 | had made Henry distrustful of the Hapsburgs. Also, the deadline for
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167 | Charles of Castile's marriage to Princess Mary had come and passed with only
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168 | dismissive explanations from the emperor. So when Louis XII of France
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169 | offered a peace treaty to England, Henry was eager to accept it. Louis
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170 | considerably sweetened the offer by offering to wed the Princess Mary. For
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171 | Henry, this was a diplomatic coup. For his sister, of course, it was
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172 | considerably different. </font>
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173 | <P><font face="Times New Roman"> Mary Tudor, born 18 March 1495, was the baby of the Tudor
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174 | family and widely considered the most beautiful princess of her time. She
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175 | shared her brother Henry's exuberance for spectacle and was the star of his
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176 | court. Like him, she loved dancing, masques, and parties; they were also
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177 | close emotionally. So when Henry told her that she would marry the widowed
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178 | King of France, a man in his fifties with gout and a pock-marked face, she
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179 | poured out her heart. Certainly she would do her duty as a Princess, she
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180 | told Henry, but when the marriage was over, she wanted to choose her next spouse
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181 | - and choose him for love alone. Itt was an extraordinary demand for any
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182 | woman of that time but Henry VIII loved his sister and he agreed.
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183 | Why? Partly because he loved her but also because he wanted her to leave
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184 | for France peacefully and willingly; and also, perhaps more troubling, because
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185 | she had confessed her secret love to him. It was none other than his best friend, Charles
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186 | Brandon. </font>
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187 | <P><font face="Times New Roman"> Mary had enjoyed unprecedented freedom at Henry VIII's
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188 | court. Just fourteen when her father died, she had spent the next five
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189 | years virtually unchaperoned in his hectic court, her brother openly encouraging
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190 | her participation in every event. In 1514, she was nineteen years old,
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191 | very beautiful, and very willful. She had developed an attachment to
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192 | Charles Brandon; she had known him all her life. It may have begun as a
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193 | child's awe of a robust, attractive man, successful in all sports (so important
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194 | at the Tudor court) and very charming. But it had changed into something
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195 | more and, by 1514, most of the king's inner circle knew of her affection.
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196 | There was no scandal, however. Mary believed her brother's promise and
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197 | married the aged Louis XII at Greenwich Palace on 13 August 1514. The Duc
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198 | de Longueville acted as the king's proxy in every respect; he even lay down on a
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199 | bed with Mary and touched her body with his naked leg, thus 'consummating' the
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200 | marriage.</font><P><font face="Times New Roman"> Mary enjoyed herself at her wedding festivities and its
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201 | attendant celebrations. It would have been impossible to feel
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202 | otherwise. She had a splendid trousseau, marvelous jewels sent over from
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203 | France, and all the honors due to the queen of France. All contemporary
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204 | accounts remark on her great beauty, particularly her clear complexion and long
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205 | red-gold hair, the Tudor trademark. Her husband was eager to see her,
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206 | telling the English ambassador that he had many gifts for his bride and expected
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207 | a kiss for each one. </font>
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208 | <P><font face="Times New Roman"> Mary eventually traveled from Dover to Boulogne on 2
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209 | October, after waiting weeks for stormy weather to end. She actually left in the
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210 | midst of more storms since Henry VIII had grown bored waiting for them to
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211 | end. Upon her departure, she kissed her brother and reminded him of his
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212 | promise about her future. Henry, eager to leave, committed her to God and
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213 | her husband and left. There were fourteen ships in Mary's retinue but the
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214 | weather was so terrible that only four reached port on time; the rest docked at
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215 | various ports on the French coast. Poor Mary, suffering from seasickness
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216 | and constant rain, was carried ashore by one of her gentlemen, Sir Christopher
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217 | Garnish. She journeyed from Montreuil to Abbeville and contemporary
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218 | chroniclers recorded her outfit; they were much impressed with her beauty and
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219 | charm. She wore cloth of gold on crimson with tight sleeves in the English style and a
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220 | hat of crimson silk which she wore cocked over one eye. Her husband met
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221 | her at a carefully arranged 'accident' outside Abbeville and, on 9 October, they
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222 | married in that city. </font>
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223 | <P><font face="Times New Roman"> The marriage lasted for eighty-two days. On 31
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224 | December 1514, Louis died quite abruptly. Despite his ill health, he had
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225 | been notably active during his marriage. This may have contributed to
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226 | his demise; he boasted that on their wedding night, he had 'crossed the river'
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227 | three times. Before his death, he was visited by the duke of Suffolk on a
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228 | diplomatic trip and Charles wrote to Henry that his sister was discreet and
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229 | dignified. This undoubtedly relieved both men; they had perhaps wondered
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230 | how Mary would greet her true love. Mary, however, was aware of her
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231 | position as Queen of France and, during her brief marriage, conducted herself
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232 | with aplomb. </font>
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233 | <P><font face="Times New Roman"> The King of France's death changed her world
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234 | considerably. Now a queen dowager in a foreign country she had barely
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235 | begun to settle in, she was suddenly pushed into strict seclusion for 40
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236 | days. This was French custom; after all, the widowed queen might be
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237 | pregnant and the child's paternity must be certain. Mary was not pregnant
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238 | but she was sent to the Hotel de Cluny for her period of mourning, without even
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239 | the comfort of her English attendants. The new king, Francois, had
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240 | appointed several Frenchwomen to attend her and dismissed her women. May
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241 | was undoubtedly terrified. She was closed off from the world, shut behind
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242 | heavy black drapes, and once more a pawn for her brother. Would Henry
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243 | arrange another marriage or would he keep his promise? Frantic, Mary wrote
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244 | to him from Cluny in early January 1515, just two weeks after her husband's
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245 | death; she begged him to contact Francois and have her sent home to England and
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246 | reminded him: "Sir, I beseech your grace that you will keep all the
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247 | promises that you promised me when I took my leave of you by the
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248 | waterside. Sir, your grace knoweth well that I did marry for your pleasure
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249 | at this time and now I trust you will suffer me to marry as me liketh for to
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250 | do... wherefore I beseech your grace for to be a good lord and brother unto
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251 | me." If Henry did not keep his promise, Mary said she would enter a
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252 | nunnery and "never no man shall know joy of me." </font>
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253 | <P><font face="Times New Roman"> Mary also had to deal with visits from the new French
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254 | king, Francois I. He was twenty-one and knew the English-French alliance
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255 | was breaking down. He did not want Mary wed by Henry to some Hapsburg
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256 | prince. He suggested two of his own kinsmen as husbands and then hinted
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257 | that Henry was trying to marry her to Charles of Castile again. Alone and
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258 | in a fragile state, Mary was terribly frightened; Francois's words touched on
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259 | her greatest fears. She eventually confessed her love for Suffolk to
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260 | Francois. Surprisingly, she found him sympathetic and kind. He
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261 | promised to help secure her future happiness, a promise which Mary found
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262 | generous and Francois found opportunistic. For, by this time, he knew the
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263 | duke of Suffolk was on his way to France to bargain for Mary's return,
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264 | specifically the return of her jewels, plate, and dower rights. With the
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265 | dowager queen's confession, Francois had a powerful bargaining tool <i>and</i> peace
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266 | of mind - if Mary wed her English duke, she was no longer Henry's political
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267 | pawn. </font>
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268 | <P><font face="Times New Roman"> Charles had been sent to France by Henry, specifically
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269 | promising to keep his relations with the widow on a formal basis. Henry
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270 | had no reason to distrust him. Charles was his creation, dependent on him
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271 | for everything, and also ambitious. Why would he bite the hand that so
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272 | generously fed him? So Suffolk departed on his most important mission
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273 | ever; it was well-known that the matter would be complicated. The French
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274 | would not want to surrender any property to Mary and she would naturally want
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275 | her rightful share. Beyond that, perhaps Henry meant to keep his
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276 | promise. After all, he knew his sister's feelings - and now he sent her
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277 | true love to bring her home. But rattled by Francois's suggestions of a
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278 | Hapsburg marriage, Mary was set on a course which nearly ruined her and Suffolk.
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279 | </font>
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280 |
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281 | <P><font face="Times New Roman"> Suffolk arrived on 27 January; five days later, he met
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282 | Francois at Senlis. Francois summoned Suffolk to a private audience and
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283 | bluntly dropped his bombshell - the duke had come to marry the Dowager Queen,
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284 | had he not? Poor Suffolk was taken aback and protested vehemently.
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285 | Francois went on to share Mary's confession and reassure the duke. He was
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286 | their friend, Francois said, and he would write to the English king and explain
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287 | all. Suffolk took no chances; he dashed off his own account of the
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288 | interview to Wolsey and then went to see Mary. It was a most emotional
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289 | reunion. She accused him of taking her to England only to have her married
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290 | off again against her will. He protested but she would have none of
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291 | it. She issued an ultimatum - either marry me now or never marry me at
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292 | all. There would be no better time, she said, for he had jealous enemies
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293 | on the Privy Council who would prevent it in England. She had her
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294 | brother's explicit promise that she could follow her heart and Henry knew her
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295 | greatest desire. What was the risk for him, anyway? She was a
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296 | princess and queen, very beautiful, and imperious. Why would any man deny
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297 | her? Suffolk was understandably torn between his obedience to Henry and
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298 | his desire for Mary. </font>
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299 | <P><font face="Times New Roman"> But he was always ambitious and rarely foolish. He
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300 | knew that Mary would be a great prize; after all, he harbored no overt dynastic
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301 | ambitions but six years of marriage had produced no living child for Henry
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302 | VIII. Perhaps Suffolk and Mary would create a new royal line. And
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303 | she was a royal princess and queen, just twenty years old and madly in love with
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304 | him. Suffolk was swayed by tears and ambition and, sometime in February
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305 | 1515, they married secretly at the Cluny chapel. </font>
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306 | <P><font face="Times New Roman"> The consequences were rapid and hardly comforting.
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307 | Francois demanded Suffolk's acquiescence in several disputes over Mary's dowry
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308 | as payment for their 'secret.' Meanwhile, <A
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309 | href="http://www.englishhistory.net/tudor/citizens/wolsey.html">Wolsey</A> and
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310 | Henry wanted the duke to be firm and reject all the French king's demands.
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311 | Furthermore, news of the wedding was circulating throughout Paris and Mary
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312 | suspected she might be pregnant. Suffolk knew he could no longer delay
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313 | confession and wrote to Wolsey, now Archbishop of York. He wanted to
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314 | arrange a more public wedding ceremony since he knew their secret wedding could
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315 | easily be invalidated; certainly he knew that better than most. And he
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316 | feared that the king's council was urging an annulment. Many didn't
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317 | consider Suffolk a fit match for a princess and others wanted to promote
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318 | pro-Hapsburg policy of which Mary's remarriage could play a part. </font>
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319 | <P><font face="Times New Roman"> But most important was Henry's reaction. How would
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320 | he consider the betrayal of his best friend and favorite sister?</font><P> <P>
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321 | <HR width="100%">
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322 |
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323 | <P><font face="Times New Roman">Henry's reaction was not favorable. Brandon had written to Wolsey for
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324 | support and he received a prompt reply but it hardly comforted him; the king
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325 | could not believe his most trusted friend had betrayed him but, if it were true,
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326 | the newlyweds had to pay a stiff penalty - literally. They must pay back
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327 | Mary's marriage portion in annual installments of 4000 pds, leaving her just
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328 | 6000 pds to live on. She must return all the plate and jewels she had
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329 | taken to France as her dowry as well as the many gifts King Louis had given her.
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330 | </font>
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331 |
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332 | <P><font face="Times New Roman"> Beyond that, they must hasten to beg the king for
|
---|
333 | forgiveness. Suffolk and Mary did just that, both blaming her for the
|
---|
334 | hasty marriage. Suffolk wrote: "Sir, for the passion of God, let it
|
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335 | not be in your heart against me, and rather than you should hold me in mistrust,
|
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336 | strike off my head and let me not live." Mary knew her brother well so,
|
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337 | along with her letter, she sent him the most sumptuous jewel Louis had given her
|
---|
338 | - a diamond called the Mirror of Naples wwhich formed part of the French crown
|
---|
339 | jewels. She assured her brother that she had not acted out of 'sensual
|
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340 | appetite'; instead, she had been subject to 'consternation, fear and doubt'
|
---|
341 | which made her force Suffolk's hand. Henry did not reply. Francois
|
---|
342 | eventually allowed her to keep some of Louis's gifts and, on 16 April, they set
|
---|
343 | out for the French coast. Mary wrote to Henry again at Calais, telling him
|
---|
344 | that she was now under his jurisdiction since Calais was an English possession
|
---|
345 | and that she would not sail for England until he gave permission. She
|
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346 | reminded him of 'the great and tender love' they had always shared and promised
|
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347 | to remain in Calais if that is what he wished. </font>
|
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348 | <P><font face="Times New Roman"> It was not. Henry sent permission for them to cross the
|
---|
349 | Channel in early May and met them privately at the manor of Barking outside
|
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350 | London. There is no record of that meeting, of course, and one must assume
|
---|
351 | that Wolsey had perhaps exaggerated Henry's displeasure since he wanted
|
---|
352 | Suffolk's gratitude. Henry was willing enough to forgive his best friend
|
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353 | and favorite sister, <i>after</i> she turned over all her jewels and plate from France
|
---|
354 | and signed a contract to repay the 24000 pds spent on her first marriage in the
|
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355 | annual installments of 4000 pds. It was obvious that Henry was not
|
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356 | surprised by the marriage; he was mostly angry at Suffolk for breaking his word.</font><P>
|
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357 | <img border="2" src="brandonpage1.jpg" alt="another version of the Brandon marriage portrait" align="left" width="300" height="363"><P>
|
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358 | <font face="Times New Roman"> Suffolk and Mary were wed again at Greenwich Palace on 13
|
---|
359 | May with Henry and
|
---|
360 | <a href="../monarchs/aragon.html">Katharine of Aragon</a>
|
---|
361 | in attendance. There was feasting and celebration but it was strictly a
|
---|
362 | family affair and foreign ambassadors wondered if they should congratulate the
|
---|
363 | couple. After all, the situation was odd and there were some (mostly on
|
---|
364 | the king's council) who disapproved of the match. But, for the most part,
|
---|
365 | there were no hard feelings or grudges. Suffolk was a popular man,
|
---|
366 | good-looking and charming, and few - even in Tudor England - could resist such a
|
---|
367 | grand love story. After all, they had risked everything to be
|
---|
368 | together. Before long, the Suffolks were back in the king's good
|
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369 | graces. They are recorded as extending all the great court celebrations of
|
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370 | the next few years. Mary's pregnancy in France had been a false alarm but
|
---|
371 | she did become pregnant a few months later. In fact, she was now pregnant
|
---|
372 | along with her sister-in-law Katharine. Due to the queen's history of
|
---|
373 | miscarriages and stillbirths, few were hopeful of the outcome; but, on 18
|
---|
374 | February 1516, she gave birth to her only surviving child, a princess called
|
---|
375 | Mary after her aunt. The new duchess of Suffolk, however, was more
|
---|
376 | fortunate - on 11 March 1516, she gave birth to a healthy baby boy called Henry
|
---|
377 | after the king. Henry and Wolsey stood as the child's godfathers. </font>
|
---|
378 | <P><font face="Times New Roman"> Mary and Henry's older sister Margaret of Scotland visited
|
---|
379 | that summer, bringing her six-month-old daughter, Lady Margaret Douglas.
|
---|
380 | She had been in Scotland for thirteen years but her visit was pleasant
|
---|
381 | enough. Henry had never tired of lecturing Margaret on morality (she had
|
---|
382 | married the Earl of Angus after James of Scotland's death at Flodden); this, of
|
---|
383 | course, is laughable when one considers his own matrimonial career. But
|
---|
384 | Margaret's visit was some ten years before Anne Boleyn entered Henry's
|
---|
385 | life. In 1516, the king was just seven years into his reign, still
|
---|
386 | handsome and bluff. Still, Margaret had little in common with her siblings
|
---|
387 | after her years away; also, her first husband had been killed by the English at
|
---|
388 | Flodden Field. </font>
|
---|
389 | <P><font face="Times New Roman"> Mary Tudor was far closer to her foreign sister-in-law
|
---|
390 | than to Margaret. After all, she and Katharine had spent their formative
|
---|
391 | years together. When, in 1517, Katharine went on a pilgrimage to pray for
|
---|
392 | a son, Mary accompanied her. Both Mary and Brandon understood the queen's
|
---|
393 |
|
---|
394 | heartfelt desire to bear her husband a prince and successor and were
|
---|
395 | sympathetic supporters. There was a passing cloud in 1516 - Mary's revenues
|
---|
396 | from France had fallen off and she was behind in payment of her debt - but the
|
---|
397 | cloud passed quickly. In early summer 1517, they were at Richmond Palace
|
---|
398 | again. Mary was once more pregnant and, on 16 July 1517, she went into
|
---|
399 | labor on her way home. A daughter was born, called Frances after the
|
---|
400 | French king; the Suffolks
|
---|
401 | had another daughter, Eleanor, in 1519. </font>
|
---|
402 | <P><font face="Times New Roman"> In 1518, Mary and Suffolk were at court again, attending
|
---|
403 | the betrothal of the infant Princess Mary to the infant dauphin of France.
|
---|
404 | And they attended the famous Field of Cloth of Gold at Guines, near
|
---|
405 | Calais in 1520. Mary was widely considered the most beautiful woman there.
|
---|
406 | A French admiral commented, "Madame, you are the rose of Christendom. You
|
---|
407 | should have stayed in France. We would have appreciated you." Mary
|
---|
408 | was now in her mid-twenties and, when Katharine of Aragon was pregnant or ill, acted
|
---|
409 | as her brother's hostess. </font>
|
---|
410 | <P><font face="Times New Roman"> Back in England, however, things began to change. In
|
---|
411 | the new year of 1522, Mary first met
|
---|
412 | <a href="../monarchs/boleyn.html">Anne Boleyn</a>.
|
---|
413 | She knew Anne's older sister Mary quite well for she had been one of her
|
---|
414 | ladies-in-waiting when Mary Tudor wed Louis XII in France. She had also remained
|
---|
415 | in France until dismissed by Francois. Anne wanted to join Queen
|
---|
416 | Katharine's household as a lady-in-waiting, a much-sought-after position.
|
---|
417 | It is likely that Mary repaid Mary Boleyn's service by helping Anne.
|
---|
418 | Certainly she may have liked the girl; Anne had spent time at the French court
|
---|
419 | and was fashionable and high-spirited, much like Mary. </font>
|
---|
420 | <P><font face="Times New Roman"> Anne entered Katharine's service but was sent home in
|
---|
421 | disgrace for three years. In just a matter of months, she had managed to
|
---|
422 | attract the attention of Henry Percy, heir to the powerful Earl of
|
---|
423 | Northmberland. The young couple entered into an understanding but Percy was under the guardianship of Wolsey. The king's most trusted
|
---|
424 | advisor and Percy's powerful father were understandably angry at the secret
|
---|
425 | romance. <a href="../ab-percy.html">Anne and Percy were brought to heel</a>;
|
---|
426 | there were better matches for him and she had overstepped her bounds. Anne
|
---|
427 | was openly furious, so much that she was banished from court. However, she
|
---|
428 | was allowed back in late 1525, around the time that Henry VIII was first
|
---|
429 | beginning to contemplate his lack of heirs. </font>
|
---|
430 | <P><font face="Times New Roman"> Katharine of Aragon had delivered the Princess Mary in
|
---|
431 | 1516, when she was thirty-one years old. Since then, there had been no other
|
---|
432 | surviving children. In 1525, she was forty and it was obvious she would
|
---|
433 | have no further children. Her husband was nervous; his dynasty was just forty
|
---|
434 | years old. It would not survive with just one princess as heir. He
|
---|
435 | knew the problem was not his fault - after all, in 1519, a mistress called
|
---|
436 | Bessie Blount had born a son. In summer 1525, this child, called Henry
|
---|
437 | Fitzroy, was made the duke of Richmond and Somerset. Suffolk was present
|
---|
438 | at the grand ceremony. Katharine was normally a patient, dignified wife
|
---|
439 | but the lavish ceremony, involving all the important nobility, offended
|
---|
440 | her. She argued with Henry, telling him it insulted her and their daughter
|
---|
441 | Mary. Henry was unused to such criticism and responded by dismissing three
|
---|
442 | of her favorite ladies. The Suffolks were not critical of their benefactor
|
---|
443 | since Henry had created his nephew the Earl of Lincoln at the same
|
---|
444 | ceremony. Also, Mary's repayment of her debt was still in limbo. </font>
|
---|
445 | <P><font face="Times New Roman"> She was also in failing health. She had suffered
|
---|
446 | through the sweating sickness in 1518 and never completely recovered. She may also have been exhibiting the first signs of the
|
---|
447 | disease which eventually killed her; most historians believe it was
|
---|
448 | cancer. She was present at several court functions over the next few years
|
---|
449 | (a summer 1526 party for European ambassadors, for example) but came to court
|
---|
450 | with less and less frequency. Her physical condition was deteriorating but
|
---|
451 | she was also uncomfortable with her brother's course of action. </font>
|
---|
452 | <P><font face="Times New Roman"> In 1527, Henry's infatuation with Anne Boleyn had
|
---|
453 | begun. He was determined to annul his marriage to Katharine, arguing that
|
---|
454 | it had never been legal in the first place. He asserted that Katharine and
|
---|
455 | Arthur had consummated their marriage and, once again, his old friend Suffolk
|
---|
456 | acted in the king's interest. He dug out some heretofore-lost memories
|
---|
457 | that hinted at consummation. Meanwhile, Wolsey had lost Henry's trust
|
---|
458 | because of the many delays in the annulment; the king used Suffolk to openly
|
---|
459 | attack his once powerful advisor. At a public hearing on the case, Suffolk banged his fist on
|
---|
460 | the table and shouted "It was never merry in England whilst we had cardinals
|
---|
461 | among us." Of course, Suffolk would not have dared to attack Wolsey
|
---|
462 | without Henry's implicit support. It was the downfall of the Cardinal.
|
---|
463 | </font>
|
---|
464 | <P><font face="Times New Roman"> In 1531, Henry banished Katharine of Aragon from
|
---|
465 | court. He and Anne were constantly together and he made no secret of his
|
---|
466 | intention to marry her. The Suffolks were not happy about this but what
|
---|
467 | could they do? They depended on Henry for everything. Mary made a
|
---|
468 | cutting remark about Anne sometime in early 1532 and refused to accompany Henry
|
---|
469 | and Anne on a state visit to France. Her husband warned Henry that Anne
|
---|
470 | may have slept with Sir Thomas Wyatt. But that is all they dared.
|
---|
471 | They were concerned about their own family. </font>
|
---|
472 | <P><font face="Times New Roman"> By this time, Suffolk's daughters with Anne Browne were
|
---|
473 | wed to titled men. His eldest daughter with Mary, the lady Frances, was
|
---|
474 | engaged to Henry Grey third Marquess of Dorset, descendent of the famous <A
|
---|
475 | href="http://www.englishhistory.net/plant/queens/elizwood.html">Elizabeth
|
---|
476 | Woodville</A>; before Edward IV, she had been married to a Grey and had two sons
|
---|
477 | by him. It was from the elder son that Henry Grey was descended. Frances and Henry were the parents of
|
---|
478 | <a href="../relative/janegrey.html">Lady Jane
|
---|
479 | Grey</a>. The celebration of Frances's wedding to Henry Grey was held at
|
---|
480 | the Suffolk home in London. It was Mary's last visit to the city.
|
---|
481 | She was increasingly ill and also uncomfortable with her brother. His
|
---|
482 | favor was no longer certain. He had married the pregnant Anne Boleyn in a
|
---|
483 | secret ceremony. Suffolk was put in charge of the new queen's <A
|
---|
484 | href="http://www.englishhistory.net/tudor/primary.html">coronation</A>.
|
---|
485 | Therefore, he was not with his wife when she passed away quietly at their home
|
---|
486 | in Westhorpe on 26 June 1533. She was thirty-eight years old. Her
|
---|
487 | death was not considered important news since most people were concerned with
|
---|
488 | the impending birth of Anne Boleyn's child, destined to be
|
---|
489 | <a href="../monarchs/eliz1.html">Elizabeth I</a>.
|
---|
490 | Mary had seen her husband in early May but his duties kept him busy; it was a
|
---|
491 | hurried visit and she simply wasted away in the next few weeks. </font>
|
---|
492 | <P><font face="Times New Roman"> Her brother ordered requiem masses to be sung at
|
---|
493 | Westminster Abbey but showed no other sign of mourning. He was, after all,
|
---|
494 | in the midst of the Reformation. Charles Brandon did not attend the
|
---|
495 | funeral but it was a marvelous affair. The coffin lay in state for a month
|
---|
496 | at Westhorpe and was interred at the church of Bury St Edmunds on 22 July.
|
---|
497 | The abbey church and her monument were destroyed during the dissolution of the
|
---|
498 | monasteries. Her coffin was saved, however, and moved to a nearby church
|
---|
499 | called St Mary. In 1784, it was moved yet again within that church.
|
---|
500 | The movers ghoulishly opened the coffin; they found a good set of teeth and two
|
---|
501 | feet of hair which was still red-gold. Souvenir hunters cut off pieces of
|
---|
502 | the hair. </font>
|
---|
503 | <P><font face="Times New Roman"> Mary's death was perhaps most mourned in Suffolk county
|
---|
504 | where she had been a popular and respected figure. Her husband replaced
|
---|
505 | her quickly enough - and, as was typical of Brandon, with aplomb. He
|
---|
506 | decided to marry his son's betrothed. The girl was called Catherine
|
---|
507 | Willoughby and she as a baroness in her own right, heiress to 15000 ducats a
|
---|
508 | year. She was also just fourteen-years-old, the same age as his youngest
|
---|
509 | child. Brandon himself was almost fifty. But he needed money badly
|
---|
510 | and she was very rich; he married her quite rapidly. The exact date is unknown.
|
---|
511 | His and Mary's son, the eighteen-year-old Henry Brandon, Earl of Lincoln, would
|
---|
512 | be betrothed elsewhere easily enough. But that was not to be. After
|
---|
513 | his father's wedding, the young earl died, probably of the Tudor scourge,
|
---|
514 | tuberculosis. Brandon was not particularly grieved; six months after his
|
---|
515 | death, he and Catherine had a son and named him Henry Brandon. This usage
|
---|
516 | of a dead child's name was common practice in England. </font>
|
---|
517 | <P><font face="Times New Roman"> Suffolk remained in Henry's favor. The king gave his
|
---|
518 | old friend the unpleasant task of persuading Katharine of Aragon to accept the
|
---|
519 | break with Rome and the new title Princess Dowager. He was also to move
|
---|
520 | her to Somersham near Cambridge, a manor known for its dank and unhealthy
|
---|
521 | atmosphere. Katharine would not be bullied; she told Suffolk that he would
|
---|
522 | have to bind her in ropes if he wanted to move her anywhere. After a week
|
---|
523 | of such talks, Suffolk left, having accomplished precious little. </font>
|
---|
524 | <P><font face="Times New Roman"> He never saw Katharine again. He did attend all the
|
---|
525 | momentous events of the 1530s - he sat at the trials of
|
---|
526 | <a href="more.html">Thomas More</a>
|
---|
527 | and Anne Boleyn, he was even present at the scaffold when <A
|
---|
528 | href="http://www.englishhistory.net/tudor/primary.html">she was
|
---|
529 | beheaded</A>. He also helped lead forces to end the <A
|
---|
530 | href="http://www.englishhistory.net/tudor/primary.html">Pilgrimage of Grace</A>,
|
---|
531 | one of the most serious problems of Henry's reign. Meanwhile, his wife
|
---|
532 | gave birth to a second son called Charles and his daughter Frances, after two
|
---|
533 | still-births, gave birth to a healthy baby girl, named <A
|
---|
534 | href="http://www.englishhistory.net/tudor/relative/janegrey.html">Jane Grey</A>,
|
---|
535 | probably after Queen Jane Seymour. The exact date of birth is not known,
|
---|
536 | but it was probably October and eclipsed by the birth - finally! - of Henry's
|
---|
537 | son, <a href="../monarchs/edward6.html">Prince Edward</a>. Suffolk acted as godfather to the new prince.
|
---|
538 | </font>
|
---|
539 | <P><font face="Times New Roman"> The last years of his life were quite happy. He and
|
---|
540 | Catherine Willoughby were affectionate, they had two healthy sons, and the
|
---|
541 | dissolution of the monasteries allowed the king to grant him more lands and
|
---|
542 | pensions. He and his wife entertained the king and his new wife
|
---|
543 | <a href="../monarchs/howard.html">Catherine
|
---|
544 | Howard</a>; and, of course, Suffolk was one the men who arrested and extracted a
|
---|
545 | confession from that queen. He died quite suddenly on 22 August 1545, his
|
---|
546 | last official business being plans for an invasion of France. But he was
|
---|
547 | sixty years old, a good age at the time, and - once the news was known - it was
|
---|
548 | not suurprising.</font><P><font face="Times New Roman"> Suffolk requested a quiet funeral but the king would have
|
---|
549 | none of it - he ordered a lavish ceremony at St George's Chapel in
|
---|
550 | Windsor. Henry planned and paid for the service. It was undoubtedly
|
---|
551 | an emotional occasion for him; after all, Charles Brandon had been his companion
|
---|
552 | for virtually his entire life. In fact, Suffolk was one of the few men who
|
---|
553 | could still remember the Bluff King Hal of legend. Henry was now
|
---|
554 | overweight, bald, and suffering from a variety of physical ailments. He
|
---|
555 | would only outlive his friend by about eighteen months. In that time, he
|
---|
556 | had good cause to regret the death of his one true friend.</font><CENTER>
|
---|
557 | <P> <P><font face="Times New Roman">
|
---|
558 | <a href="../relative/janegrey.html">Learn about
|
---|
559 | Charles and Mary's granddaughter, Lady Jane Grey, who was queen of England for
|
---|
560 | nine days in 1553</a>.</font><P><font face="Times New Roman"><FONT size=-1><A href="../relatives.html">to
|
---|
561 | Tudor Relatives</A></FONT><BR><FONT size=-1><A
|
---|
562 | href="../citizens.html">to Tudor
|
---|
563 | Citizens</A></FONT></font><P><FONT size=-1 face="Times New Roman"><A href="http://englishhistory.net/tudor.html">
|
---|
564 | to Tudor England</A></FONT></CENTER>
|
---|
565 | </blockquote>
|
---|
566 | </blockquote>
|
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567 |
|
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568 | </body>
|
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569 |
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