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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">
5<meta name="page_topic" content="Charles Brandon, duke of Suffolk and Princess Mary Tudor: Biography, Portrait, Primary Sources">
6<meta name="author" content="Marilee Mongello">
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11<title>Charles Brandon, duke of Suffolk and Princess Mary Tudor: Biography,
12Portrait, Primary Sources</title>
13<style fprolloverstyle>A:hover {color: #0000FF; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold}
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19<table border="0" cellpadding="3" width="100%" height="667">
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21 <td width="25%" height="29"></td>
22 <td valign="top" width="50%" height="29">&nbsp;</td>
23 <td width="25%" height="29"></td>
24 </tr>
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27 <td width="50%" height="3"><font size="3"></font></td>
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30 <tr>
31 <td width="25%" height="610"></td>
32 <td valign="top" width="50%" height="610">
33 <p align="center">
34 <img border="0" src="brandon1.gif" alt="Cloth of Gold and Cloth of Frieze" width="492" height="116"></p>
35 <p align="center">
36 <img border="0" src="brandon2.gif" alt="Charles Brandon and Princess Mary Tudor" width="494" height="65"></p>
37 <blockquote>
38 <hr>
39 </blockquote>
40 <p align="center">
41 <img border="2" src="brandonpage2.jpg" alt="The marriage portrait of Charles Brandon and Princess Mary Tudor" width="324" height="363"><br></p>
42 <blockquote>
43 <p align="left"><FONT size=+1 face="Arial">Charles Brandon, duke of Suffolk, was Henry VIII's closest
44
45friend.&nbsp; Brandon's father was Henry VII's standard-bearer at the Battle of
46
47Bosworth Field and died defending the future king.&nbsp; Henry VII repaid his
48
49loyalty by educating young Charles with his own children, and from the beginning
50
51Charles and the future Henry VIII were devoted friends.&nbsp; But their
52
53friendship was sorely tested when Brandon secretly married Henry's favorite
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55sister, the beautiful Princess Mary Tudor.&nbsp; At this page, you can learn
56
57more about their romantic story and its aftermath.</FONT></p>
58 </blockquote>
59 </td>
60 <td width="25%" height="610"></td>
61 </tr>
62</table>
63<blockquote>
64 <blockquote>
65 <p>&nbsp;</p>
66
67<P><font face="Times New Roman">Charles Brandon had an inauspicious beginning and his rise to wealth and
68prominence was due largely to two things: his father's death at Bosworth Field
69and his own personal magnetism.&nbsp; Upon his death in 1545, Brandon was
70perhaps the only person in England who had successfully retained Henry VIII's
71affection for over forty turbulent years. </font>
72<P><font face="Times New Roman">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; His father was William Brandon, Henry Tudor's standard
73bearer at Bosworth Field in 1485.&nbsp; He was reportedly killed there by
74Richard III himself.&nbsp; Around 1480 or so, William had married the daughter
75and heiress of Sir Henry Bruyn of South Ockendon in Essex.&nbsp; But unlike his
76respectable, middle-class forebears who had led exemplary and cautious
77lives, William had a tasste for politics.&nbsp; When the Duke of Gloucester
78seized the throne in 1483 and declared himself Richard III, William and his
79younger brother Thomas decided to make a stand.&nbsp; They joined the duke of
80Buckingham's rebellion; it failed and the brothers fled to Brittany where they
81joined other Lancastrian exiles who supported Henry Tudor, the earl of Richmond.
82</font>
83
84<P><font face="Times New Roman">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; When William fled England, his wife was already
85pregnant.&nbsp; Charles Brandon was born sometime in late 1483 or early
861484.&nbsp; His mother died in childbirth and, upon his grandfather's death in
871491, the orphaned boy went to the royal court.&nbsp; This was the custom of the
88time but since Brandon was not heir to an important title or great wealth, his
89case was decided more on sentiment.&nbsp; He had a claim on Henry Tudor's affections
90since his father had died in his service.&nbsp; That demonstration of loyalty at
91Bosworth meant a great deal to the first Tudor king.&nbsp; Since Charles was
92just two years older than Henry's first son, Prince Arthur, it is probable that
93they were playmates. </font>
94<P><font face="Times New Roman">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; When Arthur married the Spanish princess Katharine of
95Aragon in 1502, his court moved to Ludlow Castle in the Welsh Marches, the
96traditional seat of the Prince of Wales.&nbsp; Charles did not accompany the
97royal couple but remained in London as companion to Arthur's younger
98brother, Henry duke of York. </font>
99<P><font face="Times New Roman">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Though seven years older than Henry, Charles shared his
100most prominent characteristics - natural athleticism, robust physical health
101(unlike the delicate Arthur), and a devotion to all sports (wrestling, hunting,
102tilting and jousting, etc.)&nbsp; During these adolescent years, the two boys
103laid the foundation for a lifelong friendship.&nbsp; Arthur died just months
104after his wedding and, in 1509, the duke of York succeeded to the throne.&nbsp;
105This marked the real beginning of Charles Brandon's rise to prominence and
106privilege. </font>
107<P><font face="Times New Roman">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; But before 1509, young Charles had undergone an
108embarrassing marital situation which revealed his ambition and
109callousness.&nbsp; In 1505, he had become engaged to Anne Browne, a young woman
110of impressive lineage; her father was Anthony Browne, Governor of Calais,
111and her mother was Lucy Neville, niece of the 'Kingmaker.'&nbsp; Charles and
112Anne were betrothed <I>per verba de praesenti</I>, a binding contract under
113canon law.&nbsp; In such cases, there was no ceremony or witnesses; as one can
114imagine, this led to several unpleasant cases of men and (more rarely) women
115repudiating their betrothed <I>if</I> they lacked proper respect for church
116law.&nbsp; Charles apparently did.&nbsp; He and Anne slept together, as
117evidenced by the birth of a daughter in 1506, but he did not marry her.&nbsp;
118Instead, he married her aunt, a very wealthy widow named Margaret Neville
119Mortimer.&nbsp; The marriage was never taken seriously due to its mercenary
120nature and, more importantly, legal action begun by Anne's angry family.&nbsp;
121Eventually, the Mortimer marriage was annulled due to the previous contract and
122Charles married Anne in a well-attended public ceremony.&nbsp; They had another
123daughter in 1510; Anne Browne died just two years later. </font>
124<P><font face="Times New Roman">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; By late 1512, Charles had recovered from his grief enough
125to contemplate yet another union.&nbsp; This was perhaps even more mercenary
126since his betrothed was an eight-year-old orphan.&nbsp; It was common practice
127for the Crown to assume guardianship of an orphaned minor child who had
128inherited property.&nbsp; The Crown then sold the guardianship to the highest
129bidder, often the child's own relatives who wanted to receive the property
130revenues until the child came of age and decide whom they would marry.&nbsp;
131Charles had been given the wardship of Elizabeth Grey, the heiress to Lord Lisle
132of Sparsholt in Berkshire.&nbsp; This, along with various offices, grants &amp;
133pensions, was a mark of Henry's continued favor.&nbsp; In early 1513, Charles
134announced his engagement to the girl and, on 15 May 1513, the king created him
135Viscount Lisle, in right of his betrothed wife.&nbsp; Charles Brandon finally
136had a noble title and even more property. </font>
137<P><font face="Times New Roman">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; That same year, the new Lord Lisle accompanied the king to
138France and also helped entertain the Hapsburg Emperor Maximilian and his
139twice-widowed, 33-year-old daughter, Margaret, Regent of the Netherlands.&nbsp;
140For Henry, the meeting was also a diplomatic necessity since, in 1508, his
141father had entered into a formal contract of marriage between his youngest
142daughter, Mary, and Maximilian's son, Charles of Castile.&nbsp; But over the
143next few years, little mention had been made of the contract.&nbsp; Henry used
144the visit to broach the subject; the end result was an agreement that Princess Mary and Charles
145would wed in 1514, after Charles had reached his 14th birthday. </font>
146<P><font face="Times New Roman">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Meanwhile, Lord Lisle made a fool of himself by flirting
147with Margaret.&nbsp; There is little chance she truly favored him, and certainly
148none that she planned to marry him, but they flirted, Henry translating for his
149friend.&nbsp; Once again, Charles Brandon was demonstrating his heavy-handed
150flair for the ladies.&nbsp; In the end, he greatly offended Margaret by
151encouraging gossip about their meeting.&nbsp; In particular, it stressed her
152attraction to him and a possible marriage.&nbsp; As a Hapsburg princess, she was
153not amused and Henry VIII was forced to make a public apology.&nbsp; But he was
154not angry with his friend; on 1 February 1514, he created Charles the duke of
155Suffolk, the title once held by the Yorkist de la Poles.&nbsp; He also received
156the majority of their confiscated estates.&nbsp; This elevation was remarkable;
157it meant that Suffolk was one of only three dukes in the kingdom.&nbsp; The
158other two were Thomas Howard, duke of Norfolk (reinstated to the title after his
159victory at Flodden in 1513), and Edward Stafford, duke of Buckingham and
160descendant of Edward III.&nbsp; Of course, many were surprised that a yeoman's
161son was now one of their greatest peers but Brandon's friendship with Henry
162explained matters.&nbsp; In Europe, it was said that
163<a href="wolsey.html">Cardinal Wolsey</a> and Brandon truly
164ruled England through influence upon Henry VIII. </font>
165<P><font face="Times New Roman">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; In 1514 as well, the usual tangle of European diplomacy
166had made Henry distrustful of the Hapsburgs.&nbsp; Also, the deadline for
167Charles of Castile's marriage to Princess Mary had come and passed with only
168dismissive explanations from the emperor.&nbsp; So when Louis XII of France
169offered a peace treaty to England, Henry was eager to accept it.&nbsp; Louis
170considerably sweetened the offer by offering to wed the Princess Mary.&nbsp; For
171Henry, this was a diplomatic coup.&nbsp; For his sister, of course, it was
172considerably different. </font>
173<P><font face="Times New Roman">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Mary Tudor, born 18 March 1495, was the baby of the Tudor
174family and widely considered the most beautiful princess of her time.&nbsp; She
175shared her brother Henry's exuberance for spectacle and was the star of his
176court.&nbsp; Like him, she loved dancing, masques, and parties; they were also
177close emotionally.&nbsp; So when Henry told her that she would marry the widowed
178King of France, a man in his fifties with gout and a pock-marked face, she
179poured out her heart.&nbsp; Certainly she would do her duty as a Princess, she
180told Henry, but when the marriage was over, she wanted to choose her next spouse
181- and choose him for love alone.&nbsp; Itt was an extraordinary demand for any
182woman of that time but Henry VIII loved his sister and he agreed.&nbsp;
183Why?&nbsp; Partly because he loved her but also because he wanted her to leave
184for France peacefully and willingly; and also, perhaps more troubling, because
185she had confessed her secret love to him.&nbsp; It was none other than his best friend, Charles
186Brandon. </font>
187<P><font face="Times New Roman">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Mary had enjoyed unprecedented freedom at Henry VIII's
188court.&nbsp; Just fourteen when her father died, she had spent the next five
189years virtually unchaperoned in his hectic court, her brother openly encouraging
190her participation in every event.&nbsp; In 1514, she was nineteen years old,
191very beautiful, and very willful.&nbsp; She had developed an attachment to
192Charles Brandon; she had known him all her life.&nbsp; It may have begun as a
193child's awe of a robust, attractive man, successful in all sports (so important
194at the Tudor court) and very charming.&nbsp; But it had changed into something
195more and, by 1514, most of the king's inner circle knew of her affection.&nbsp;
196There was no scandal, however.&nbsp; Mary believed her brother's promise and
197married the aged Louis XII at Greenwich Palace on 13 August 1514.&nbsp; The Duc
198de Longueville acted as the king's proxy in every respect; he even lay down on a
199bed with Mary and touched her body with his naked leg, thus 'consummating' the
200marriage.</font><P><font face="Times New Roman">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Mary enjoyed herself at her wedding festivities and its
201attendant celebrations.&nbsp; It would have been impossible to feel
202otherwise.&nbsp; She had a splendid trousseau, marvelous jewels sent over from
203France, and all the honors due to the queen of France.&nbsp; All contemporary
204accounts remark on her great beauty, particularly her clear complexion and long
205red-gold hair, the Tudor trademark.&nbsp; Her husband was eager to see her,
206telling the English ambassador that he had many gifts for his bride and expected
207a kiss for each one. </font>
208<P><font face="Times New Roman">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Mary eventually traveled from Dover to Boulogne on 2
209October, after waiting weeks for stormy weather to end.&nbsp; She actually left in the
210midst of more storms since Henry VIII had grown bored waiting for them to
211end.&nbsp; Upon her departure, she kissed her brother and reminded him of his
212promise about her future.&nbsp; Henry, eager to leave, committed her to God and
213her husband and left.&nbsp; There were fourteen ships in Mary's retinue but the
214weather was so terrible that only four reached port on time; the rest docked at
215various ports on the French coast.&nbsp; Poor Mary, suffering from seasickness
216and constant rain, was carried ashore by one of her gentlemen, Sir Christopher
217Garnish.&nbsp; She journeyed from Montreuil to Abbeville and contemporary
218chroniclers recorded her outfit; they were much impressed with her beauty and
219charm.&nbsp; She wore cloth of gold on crimson with tight sleeves in the English style and a
220hat of crimson silk which she wore cocked over one eye.&nbsp; Her husband met
221her at a carefully arranged 'accident' outside Abbeville and, on 9 October, they
222married in that city. </font>
223<P><font face="Times New Roman">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The marriage lasted for eighty-two days.&nbsp; On 31
224December 1514, Louis died quite abruptly.&nbsp; Despite his ill health, he had
225been notably active during his marriage.&nbsp; This may have contributed to
226his demise; he boasted that on their wedding night, he had 'crossed the river'
227three times.&nbsp; Before his death, he was visited by the duke of Suffolk on a
228diplomatic trip and Charles wrote to Henry that his sister was discreet and
229dignified.&nbsp; This undoubtedly relieved both men; they had perhaps wondered
230how Mary would greet her true love.&nbsp; Mary, however, was aware of her
231position as Queen of France and, during her brief marriage, conducted herself
232with aplomb. </font>
233<P><font face="Times New Roman">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The King of France's death changed her world
234considerably.&nbsp; Now a queen dowager in a foreign country she had barely
235begun to settle in, she was suddenly pushed into strict seclusion for 40
236days.&nbsp; This was French custom; after all, the widowed queen might be
237pregnant and the child's paternity must be certain.&nbsp; Mary was not pregnant
238but she was sent to the Hotel de Cluny for her period of mourning, without even
239the comfort of her English attendants.&nbsp; The new king, Francois, had
240appointed several Frenchwomen to attend her and dismissed her women.&nbsp; May
241was undoubtedly terrified.&nbsp; She was closed off from the world, shut behind
242heavy black drapes, and once more a pawn for her brother.&nbsp; Would Henry
243arrange another marriage or would he keep his promise?&nbsp; Frantic, Mary wrote
244to him from Cluny in early January 1515, just two weeks after her husband's
245death; she begged him to contact Francois and have her sent home to England and
246reminded him:&nbsp; "Sir, I beseech your grace that you will keep all the
247promises that you promised me when I took my leave of you by the
248waterside.&nbsp; Sir, your grace knoweth well that I did marry for your pleasure
249at this time and now I trust you will suffer me to marry as me liketh for to
250do... wherefore I beseech your grace for to be a good lord and brother unto
251me."&nbsp; If Henry did not keep his promise, Mary said she would enter a
252nunnery and "never no man shall know joy of me." </font>
253<P><font face="Times New Roman">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Mary also had to deal with visits from the new French
254king, Francois I.&nbsp; He was twenty-one and knew the English-French alliance
255was breaking down.&nbsp; He did not want Mary wed by Henry to some Hapsburg
256prince.&nbsp; He suggested two of his own kinsmen as husbands and then hinted
257that Henry was trying to marry her to Charles of Castile again.&nbsp; Alone and
258in a fragile state, Mary was terribly frightened; Francois's words touched on
259her greatest fears.&nbsp; She eventually confessed her love for Suffolk to
260Francois.&nbsp; Surprisingly, she found him sympathetic and kind.&nbsp; He
261promised to help secure her future happiness, a promise which Mary found
262generous and Francois found opportunistic.&nbsp; For, by this time, he knew the
263duke of Suffolk was on his way to France to bargain for Mary's return,
264specifically the return of her jewels, plate, and dower rights.&nbsp; With the
265dowager queen's confession, Francois had a powerful bargaining tool <i>and</i> peace
266of mind - if Mary wed her English duke, she was no longer Henry's political
267pawn. </font>
268<P><font face="Times New Roman">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Charles had been sent to France by Henry, specifically
269promising to keep his relations with the widow on a formal basis.&nbsp; Henry
270had no reason to distrust him.&nbsp; Charles was his creation, dependent on him
271for everything, and also ambitious.&nbsp; Why would he bite the hand that so
272generously fed him?&nbsp; So Suffolk departed on his most important mission
273ever; it was well-known that the matter would be complicated.&nbsp; The French
274would not want to surrender any property to Mary and she would naturally want
275her rightful share.&nbsp; Beyond that, perhaps Henry meant to keep his
276promise.&nbsp; After all, he knew his sister's feelings - and now he sent her
277true love to bring her home.&nbsp; But rattled by Francois's suggestions of a
278Hapsburg marriage, Mary was set on a course which nearly ruined her and Suffolk.
279</font>
280
281<P><font face="Times New Roman">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Suffolk arrived on 27 January; five days later, he met
282Francois at Senlis.&nbsp; Francois summoned Suffolk to a private audience and
283bluntly dropped his bombshell - the duke had come to marry the Dowager Queen,
284had he not?&nbsp; Poor Suffolk was taken aback and protested vehemently.&nbsp;
285Francois went on to share Mary's confession and reassure the duke.&nbsp; He was
286their friend, Francois said, and he would write to the English king and explain
287all.&nbsp; Suffolk took no chances; he dashed off his own account of the
288interview to Wolsey and then went to see Mary.&nbsp; It was a most emotional
289reunion.&nbsp; She accused him of taking her to England only to have her married
290off again against her will.&nbsp; He protested but she would have none of
291it.&nbsp; She issued an ultimatum - either marry me now or never marry me at
292all.&nbsp; There would be no better time, she said, for he had jealous enemies
293on the Privy Council who would prevent it in England.&nbsp; She had her
294brother's explicit promise that she could follow her heart and Henry knew her
295greatest desire.&nbsp; What was the risk for him, anyway?&nbsp; She was a
296princess and queen, very beautiful, and imperious.&nbsp; Why would any man deny
297her?&nbsp; Suffolk was understandably torn between his obedience to Henry and
298his desire for Mary. </font>
299<P><font face="Times New Roman">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; But he was always ambitious and rarely foolish.&nbsp; He
300knew that Mary would be a great prize; after all, he harbored no overt dynastic
301ambitions but six years of marriage had produced no living child for Henry
302VIII.&nbsp; Perhaps Suffolk and Mary would create a new royal line.&nbsp; And
303she was a royal princess and queen, just twenty years old and madly in love with
304him.&nbsp; Suffolk was swayed by tears and ambition and, sometime in February
3051515, they married secretly at the Cluny chapel. </font>
306<P><font face="Times New Roman">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The consequences were rapid and hardly comforting.&nbsp;
307Francois demanded Suffolk's acquiescence in several disputes over Mary's dowry
308as payment for their 'secret.'&nbsp; Meanwhile, <A
309href="http://www.englishhistory.net/tudor/citizens/wolsey.html">Wolsey</A> and
310Henry wanted the duke to be firm and reject all the French king's demands.&nbsp;
311Furthermore, news of the wedding was circulating throughout Paris and Mary
312suspected she might be pregnant.&nbsp; Suffolk knew he could no longer delay
313confession and wrote to Wolsey, now Archbishop of York.&nbsp; He wanted to
314arrange a more public wedding ceremony since he knew their secret wedding could
315easily be invalidated; certainly he knew that better than most.&nbsp; And he
316feared that the king's council was urging an annulment.&nbsp; Many didn't
317consider Suffolk a fit match for a princess and others wanted to promote
318pro-Hapsburg policy of which Mary's remarriage could play a part. </font>
319<P><font face="Times New Roman">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; But most important was Henry's reaction.&nbsp; How would
320he consider the betrayal of his best friend and favorite sister?</font><P>&nbsp;<P>
321<HR width="100%">
322
323<P><font face="Times New Roman">Henry's reaction was not favorable.&nbsp; Brandon had written to Wolsey for
324support and he received a prompt reply but it hardly comforted him; the king
325could not believe his most trusted friend had betrayed him but, if it were true,
326the newlyweds had to pay a stiff penalty - literally.&nbsp; They must pay back
327Mary's marriage portion in annual installments of 4000 pds, leaving her just
3286000 pds to live on.&nbsp; She must return all the plate and jewels she had
329taken to France as her dowry as well as the many gifts King Louis had given her.
330</font>
331
332<P><font face="Times New Roman">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Beyond that, they must hasten to beg the king for
333forgiveness.&nbsp; Suffolk and Mary did just that, both blaming her for the
334hasty marriage.&nbsp; Suffolk wrote:&nbsp; "Sir, for the passion of God, let it
335not be in your heart against me, and rather than you should hold me in mistrust,
336strike off my head and let me not live."&nbsp; Mary knew her brother well so,
337along 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
339jewels.&nbsp; She assured her brother that she had not acted out of 'sensual
340appetite'; instead, she had been subject to 'consternation, fear and doubt'
341which made her force Suffolk's hand.&nbsp; Henry did not reply.&nbsp; Francois
342eventually allowed her to keep some of Louis's gifts and, on 16 April, they set
343out for the French coast.&nbsp; Mary wrote to Henry again at Calais, telling him
344that she was now under his jurisdiction since Calais was an English possession
345and that she would not sail for England until he gave permission.&nbsp; She
346reminded him of 'the great and tender love' they had always shared and promised
347to remain in Calais if that is what he wished. </font>
348<P><font face="Times New Roman">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; It was not.&nbsp; Henry sent permission for them to cross the
349Channel in early May and met them privately at the manor of Barking outside
350London.&nbsp; There is no record of that meeting, of course, and one must assume
351that Wolsey had perhaps exaggerated Henry's displeasure since he wanted
352Suffolk's gratitude.&nbsp; Henry was willing enough to forgive his best friend
353and favorite sister, <i>after</i> she turned over all her jewels and plate from France
354and signed a contract to repay the 24000 pds spent on her first marriage in the
355annual installments of 4000 pds.&nbsp; It was obvious that Henry was not
356surprised by the marriage; he was mostly angry at Suffolk for breaking his word.</font><P>
357 <img border="2" src="brandonpage1.jpg" alt="another version of the Brandon marriage portrait" align="left" width="300" height="363"><P>
358 <font face="Times New Roman">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Suffolk and Mary were wed again at Greenwich Palace on 13
359May with Henry and
360<a href="../monarchs/aragon.html">Katharine of Aragon</a>
361in attendance.&nbsp; There was feasting and celebration but it was strictly a
362family affair and foreign ambassadors wondered if they should congratulate the
363couple.&nbsp; After all, the situation was odd and there were some (mostly on
364the king's council) who disapproved of the match.&nbsp; But, for the most part,
365there were no hard feelings or grudges.&nbsp; Suffolk was a popular man,
366good-looking and charming, and few - even in Tudor England - could resist such a
367grand love story.&nbsp; After all, they had risked everything to be
368together.&nbsp; Before long, the Suffolks were back in the king's good
369graces.&nbsp; They are recorded as extending all the great court celebrations of
370the next few years.&nbsp; Mary's pregnancy in France had been a false alarm but
371she did become pregnant a few months later.&nbsp; In fact, she was now pregnant
372along with her sister-in-law Katharine.&nbsp; Due to the queen's history of
373miscarriages and stillbirths, few were hopeful of the outcome; but, on 18
374February 1516, she gave birth to her only surviving child, a princess called
375Mary after her aunt.&nbsp; The new duchess of Suffolk, however, was more
376fortunate - on 11 March 1516, she gave birth to a healthy baby boy called Henry
377after the king.&nbsp; Henry and Wolsey stood as the child's godfathers. </font>
378<P><font face="Times New Roman">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Mary and Henry's older sister Margaret of Scotland visited
379that summer, bringing her six-month-old daughter, Lady Margaret Douglas.&nbsp;
380She had been in Scotland for thirteen years but her visit was pleasant
381enough.&nbsp; Henry had never tired of lecturing Margaret on morality (she had
382married the Earl of Angus after James of Scotland's death at Flodden); this, of
383course, is laughable when one considers his own matrimonial career.&nbsp; But
384Margaret's visit was some ten years before Anne Boleyn entered Henry's
385life.&nbsp; In 1516, the king was just seven years into his reign, still
386handsome and bluff.&nbsp; Still, Margaret had little in common with her siblings
387after her years away; also, her first husband had been killed by the English at
388Flodden Field. </font>
389<P><font face="Times New Roman">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Mary Tudor was far closer to her foreign sister-in-law
390than to Margaret.&nbsp; After all, she and Katharine had spent their formative
391years together.&nbsp; When, in 1517, Katharine went on a pilgrimage to pray for
392a son, Mary accompanied her.&nbsp; Both Mary and Brandon understood the queen's
393
394heartfelt desire to bear her husband a prince and successor and were
395sympathetic supporters.&nbsp; There was a passing cloud in 1516 - Mary's revenues
396from France had fallen off and she was behind in payment of her debt - but the
397cloud passed quickly.&nbsp; In early summer 1517, they were at Richmond Palace
398again.&nbsp; Mary was once more pregnant and, on 16 July 1517, she went into
399labor on her way home.&nbsp; A daughter was born, called Frances after the
400French king; the Suffolks
401had another daughter, Eleanor, in 1519. </font>
402<P><font face="Times New Roman">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; In 1518, Mary and Suffolk were at court again, attending
403the betrothal of the infant Princess Mary to the infant dauphin of France.&nbsp;
404And they attended the famous Field of Cloth of Gold at Guines, near
405Calais in 1520.&nbsp; Mary was widely considered the most beautiful woman there.&nbsp;
406A French admiral commented, "Madame, you are the rose of Christendom.&nbsp; You
407should have stayed in France.&nbsp; We would have appreciated you."&nbsp; Mary
408was now in her mid-twenties and, when Katharine of Aragon was pregnant or ill, acted
409as her brother's hostess. </font>
410<P><font face="Times New Roman">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Back in England, however, things began to change.&nbsp; In
411the new year of 1522, Mary first met
412<a href="../monarchs/boleyn.html">Anne Boleyn</a>.&nbsp;
413She knew Anne's older sister Mary quite well for she had been one of her
414ladies-in-waiting when Mary Tudor wed Louis XII in France.&nbsp; She had also remained
415in France until dismissed by Francois.&nbsp; Anne wanted to join Queen
416Katharine's household as a lady-in-waiting, a much-sought-after position.&nbsp;
417It is likely that Mary repaid Mary Boleyn's service by helping Anne.&nbsp;
418Certainly she may have liked the girl; Anne had spent time at the French court
419and was fashionable and high-spirited, much like Mary. </font>
420<P><font face="Times New Roman">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Anne entered Katharine's service but was sent home in
421disgrace for three years.&nbsp; In just a matter of months, she had managed to
422attract the attention of Henry Percy, heir to the powerful Earl of
423Northmberland.&nbsp; The young couple entered into an understanding but Percy was under the guardianship of Wolsey.&nbsp; The king's most trusted
424advisor and Percy's powerful father were understandably angry at the secret
425romance.&nbsp; <a href="../ab-percy.html">Anne and Percy were brought to heel</a>;
426there were better matches for him and she had overstepped her bounds.&nbsp; Anne
427was openly furious, so much that she was banished from court.&nbsp; However, she
428was allowed back in late 1525, around the time that Henry VIII was first
429beginning to contemplate his lack of heirs. </font>
430<P><font face="Times New Roman">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Katharine of Aragon had delivered the Princess Mary in
4311516, when she was thirty-one years old.&nbsp; Since then, there had been no other
432surviving children.&nbsp; In 1525, she was forty and it was obvious she would
433have no further children.&nbsp; Her husband was nervous; his dynasty was just forty
434years old.&nbsp; It would not survive with just one princess as heir.&nbsp; He
435knew the problem was not his fault - after all, in 1519, a mistress called
436Bessie Blount had born a son.&nbsp; In summer 1525, this child, called Henry
437Fitzroy, was made the duke of Richmond and Somerset.&nbsp; Suffolk was present
438at the grand ceremony.&nbsp; Katharine was normally a patient, dignified wife
439but the lavish ceremony, involving all the important nobility, offended
440her.&nbsp; She argued with Henry, telling him it insulted her and their daughter
441Mary.&nbsp; Henry was unused to such criticism and responded by dismissing three
442of her favorite ladies.&nbsp; The Suffolks were not critical of their benefactor
443since Henry had created his nephew the Earl of Lincoln at the same
444ceremony.&nbsp; Also, Mary's repayment of her debt was still in limbo. </font>
445<P><font face="Times New Roman">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; She was also in failing health.&nbsp; She had suffered
446through the sweating sickness in 1518 and never completely recovered.&nbsp; She may also have been exhibiting the first signs of the
447disease which eventually killed her; most historians believe it was
448cancer.&nbsp; 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
450with less and less frequency.&nbsp; Her physical condition was deteriorating but
451she was also uncomfortable with her brother's course of action. </font>
452<P><font face="Times New Roman">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; In 1527, Henry's infatuation with Anne Boleyn had
453begun.&nbsp; He was determined to annul his marriage to Katharine, arguing that
454it had never been legal in the first place.&nbsp; He asserted that Katharine and
455Arthur had consummated their marriage and, once again, his old friend Suffolk
456acted in the king's interest.&nbsp; He dug out some heretofore-lost memories
457that hinted at consummation.&nbsp; Meanwhile, Wolsey had lost Henry's trust
458because of the many delays in the annulment; the king used Suffolk to openly
459attack his once powerful advisor.&nbsp; At a public hearing on the case, Suffolk banged his fist on
460the table and shouted "It was never merry in England whilst we had cardinals
461among us."&nbsp; Of course, Suffolk would not have dared to attack Wolsey
462without Henry's implicit support.&nbsp; It was the downfall of the Cardinal.
463</font>
464<P><font face="Times New Roman">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; In 1531, Henry banished Katharine of Aragon from
465court.&nbsp; He and Anne were constantly together and he made no secret of his
466intention to marry her.&nbsp; The Suffolks were not happy about this but what
467could they do?&nbsp; They depended on Henry for everything.&nbsp; Mary made a
468cutting remark about Anne sometime in early 1532 and refused to accompany Henry
469and Anne on a state visit to France.&nbsp; Her husband warned Henry that Anne
470may have slept with Sir Thomas Wyatt.&nbsp; But that is all they dared.&nbsp;
471They were concerned about their own family. </font>
472<P><font face="Times New Roman">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; By this time, Suffolk's daughters with Anne Browne were
473wed to titled men.&nbsp; His eldest daughter with Mary, the lady Frances, was
474engaged to Henry Grey third Marquess of Dorset, descendent of the famous <A
475href="http://www.englishhistory.net/plant/queens/elizwood.html">Elizabeth
476Woodville</A>; before Edward IV, she had been married to a Grey and had two sons
477by him.&nbsp; It was from the elder son that Henry Grey was descended.&nbsp; Frances and Henry were the parents of
478<a href="../relative/janegrey.html">Lady Jane
479Grey</a>.&nbsp; The celebration of Frances's wedding to Henry Grey was held at
480the Suffolk home in London.&nbsp; It was Mary's last visit to the city.&nbsp;
481She was increasingly ill and also uncomfortable with her brother.&nbsp; His
482favor was no longer certain.&nbsp; He had married the pregnant Anne Boleyn in a
483secret ceremony.&nbsp; Suffolk was put in charge of the new queen's <A
484href="http://www.englishhistory.net/tudor/primary.html">coronation</A>.&nbsp;
485Therefore, he was not with his wife when she passed away quietly at their home
486in Westhorpe on 26 June 1533.&nbsp; She was thirty-eight years old.&nbsp; Her
487death was not considered important news since most people were concerned with
488the impending birth of Anne Boleyn's child, destined to be
489<a href="../monarchs/eliz1.html">Elizabeth I</a>.&nbsp;
490Mary had seen her husband in early May but his duties kept him busy; it was a
491hurried visit and she simply wasted away in the next few weeks. </font>
492<P><font face="Times New Roman">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Her brother ordered requiem masses to be sung at
493Westminster Abbey but showed no other sign of mourning.&nbsp; He was, after all,
494in the midst of the Reformation.&nbsp; Charles Brandon did not attend the
495funeral but it was a marvelous affair.&nbsp; The coffin lay in state for a month
496at Westhorpe and was interred at the church of Bury St Edmunds on 22 July.&nbsp;
497The abbey church and her monument were destroyed during the dissolution of the
498monasteries.&nbsp; Her coffin was saved, however, and moved to a nearby church
499called St Mary.&nbsp; In 1784, it was moved yet again within that church.&nbsp;
500The movers ghoulishly opened the coffin; they found a good set of teeth and two
501feet of hair which was still red-gold.&nbsp; Souvenir hunters cut off pieces of
502the hair. </font>
503<P><font face="Times New Roman">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Mary's death was perhaps most mourned in Suffolk county
504where she had been a popular and respected figure.&nbsp; Her husband replaced
505her quickly enough - and, as was typical of Brandon, with aplomb.&nbsp; He
506decided to marry his son's betrothed.&nbsp; The girl was called Catherine
507Willoughby and she as a baroness in her own right, heiress to 15000 ducats a
508year.&nbsp; She was also just fourteen-years-old, the same age as his youngest
509child.&nbsp; Brandon himself was almost fifty.&nbsp; But he needed money badly
510and she was very rich; he married her quite rapidly.&nbsp; The exact date is unknown.&nbsp;
511His and Mary's son, the eighteen-year-old Henry Brandon, Earl of Lincoln, would
512be betrothed elsewhere easily enough.&nbsp; But that was not to be.&nbsp; After
513his father's wedding, the young earl died, probably of the Tudor scourge,
514tuberculosis.&nbsp; Brandon was not particularly grieved; six months after his
515death, he and Catherine had a son and named him Henry Brandon.&nbsp; This usage
516of a dead child's name was common practice in England. </font>
517<P><font face="Times New Roman">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Suffolk remained in Henry's favor.&nbsp; The king gave his
518old friend the unpleasant task of persuading Katharine of Aragon to accept the
519break with Rome and the new title Princess Dowager.&nbsp; He was also to move
520her to Somersham near Cambridge, a manor known for its dank and unhealthy
521atmosphere.&nbsp; Katharine would not be bullied; she told Suffolk that he would
522have to bind her in ropes if he wanted to move her anywhere.&nbsp; After a week
523of such talks, Suffolk left, having accomplished precious little. </font>
524<P><font face="Times New Roman">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; He never saw Katharine again.&nbsp; He did attend all the
525momentous events of the 1530s - he sat at the trials of
526<a href="more.html">Thomas More</a>
527and Anne Boleyn, he was even present at the scaffold when <A
528href="http://www.englishhistory.net/tudor/primary.html">she was
529beheaded</A>.&nbsp; He also helped lead forces to end the <A
530href="http://www.englishhistory.net/tudor/primary.html">Pilgrimage of Grace</A>,
531one of the most serious problems of Henry's reign.&nbsp; Meanwhile, his wife
532gave birth to a second son called Charles and his daughter Frances, after two
533still-births, gave birth to a healthy baby girl, named <A
534href="http://www.englishhistory.net/tudor/relative/janegrey.html">Jane Grey</A>,
535probably after Queen Jane Seymour.&nbsp; The exact date of birth is not known,
536but it was probably October and eclipsed by the birth - finally! - of Henry's
537son, <a href="../monarchs/edward6.html">Prince Edward</a>.&nbsp; Suffolk acted as godfather to the new prince.
538</font>
539<P><font face="Times New Roman">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The last years of his life were quite happy.&nbsp; He and
540Catherine Willoughby were affectionate, they had two healthy sons, and the
541dissolution of the monasteries allowed the king to grant him more lands and
542pensions.&nbsp; He and his wife entertained the king and his new wife
543<a href="../monarchs/howard.html">Catherine
544Howard</a>; and, of course, Suffolk was one the men who arrested and extracted a
545confession from that queen.&nbsp; He died quite suddenly on 22 August 1545, his
546last official business being plans for an invasion of France.&nbsp; But he was
547sixty years old, a good age at the time, and - once the news was known - it was
548not suurprising.</font><P><font face="Times New Roman">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Suffolk requested a quiet funeral but the king would have
549none of it - he ordered a lavish ceremony at St George's Chapel in
550Windsor.&nbsp; Henry planned and paid for the service.&nbsp; It was undoubtedly
551an emotional occasion for him; after all, Charles Brandon had been his companion
552for virtually his entire life.&nbsp; In fact, Suffolk was one of the few men who
553could still remember the Bluff King Hal of legend.&nbsp; Henry was now
554overweight, bald, and suffering from a variety of physical ailments.&nbsp; He
555would only outlive his friend by about eighteen months.&nbsp; In that time, he
556had good cause to regret the death of his one true friend.</font><CENTER>
557<P>&nbsp;<P><font face="Times New Roman">
558<a href="../relative/janegrey.html">Learn about
559Charles and Mary's granddaughter, Lady Jane Grey, who was queen of England for
560nine days in 1553</a>.</font><P><font face="Times New Roman"><FONT size=-1><A href="../relatives.html">to
561Tudor Relatives</A></FONT><BR><FONT size=-1><A
562href="../citizens.html">to Tudor
563Citizens</A></FONT></font><P><FONT size=-1 face="Times New Roman"><A href="http://englishhistory.net/tudor.html">
564to Tudor England</A></FONT></CENTER>
565 </blockquote>
566</blockquote>
567
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