source: other-projects/nightly-tasks/diffcol/trunk/model-collect/Tudor-Enhanced/import/englishhistory.net/tudor/citizens/boleyn.html@ 27993

Last change on this file since 27993 was 27993, checked in by ak19, 11 years ago

Adding collections for Tudor tutorials that Jenny had gone through, with the flags necessary for diffcol to work.

  • Property svn:executable set to *
File size: 16.3 KB
Line 
1<html>
2
3<head>
4<meta name="GENERATOR" content="Microsoft FrontPage 5.0">
5<meta name="ProgId" content="FrontPage.Editor.Document">
6<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=windows-1252">
7<meta http-equiv="Content-Language" content="en-us">
8<title>Mary Boleyn: Biography, Portrait, Primary Sources
9</title>
10<style fprolloverstyle>A:hover {color: #0000FF; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold}
11</style>
12</head>
13
14<body link="#0000FF" vlink="#0000FF" alink="#0000FF">
15
16<table border="0" cellpadding="3" width="100%" height="667">
17 <tr>
18 <td width="25%" height="29"></td>
19 <td valign="top" width="50%" height="29">&nbsp;</td>
20 <td width="25%" height="29"></td>
21 </tr>
22 <tr>
23 <td width="25%" height="3"></td>
24 <td width="50%" height="3"><font size="3"></font></td>
25 <td width="25%" height="3"></td>
26 </tr>
27 <tr>
28 <td width="25%" height="610"></td>
29 <td valign="top" width="50%" height="610">
30 <p align="center">&nbsp;</p>
31 <p align="center">
32 <img border="0" src="../maryboleyn.gif" alt="Mary Boleyn" width="493" height="144"></p>
33 <p align="center">
34 <img border="2" src="maryboleynunknown.jpg" width="359" height="480" alt="portrait of Mary Boleyn by an unknown artist"></p>
35 <blockquote>
36 <p align="left"><br><font face="Arial" size="4">Mary Boleyn was the sister of
37 King Henry VIII's second wife, the infamous Anne Boleyn.&nbsp; But she was
38 also the king's mistress before her sister's ascendancy.&nbsp; She may also have given birth
39 to Henry's son.</font></p>
40 <hr>
41 </blockquote>
42 <blockquote>
43 <p align="left">&nbsp;</p>
44 </blockquote>
45 </td>
46 <td width="25%" height="610"></td>
47 </tr>
48</table>
49<blockquote>
50 <blockquote>
51
52
53
54<p>Information about the life of Mary Boleyn is sketchy at best.&nbsp;
55
56Before her sister's ascendancy, Mary was the most famous member of her
57
58family, a dubious honor since it was based upon her adulterous affair with
59
60King Henry VIII.&nbsp; There has been great debate over the exact year
61
62of her birth, with many researchers unable to agree on which Boleyn sister
63
64was older.&nbsp; Some speculate Anne was born in 1501 or 1502; others place
65
66it at 1507.&nbsp; The most recent scholarship supports 1507 as the year
67
68of Anne's birth.&nbsp; Mary was born a year later, in 1508.&nbsp; Their
69
70only surviving sibling was an older brother George, born in 1503.
71
72<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Mary was born at Hever Castle, the family seat.&nbsp;
73
74She was named after Princess Mary Tudor, the youngest child of Henry VII
75
76and Elizabeth of York.&nbsp; Her family was loyal to the Tudor dynasty
77
78but had Yorkist connections.&nbsp; Her mother was Elizabeth Howard, daughter
79
80of Thomas, earl of Surrey.&nbsp; His father, the 1st duke of Norfolk, had
81
82died fighting for Richard III against Henry VII.&nbsp; Mary's father, Thomas
83
84Boleyn, could trace his ancestry only to the 13th century.&nbsp; His family
85
86was originally from Norfolk where they lived as tenant farmers.&nbsp; In
87
881457, a Sir Geoffrey Boleyn was serving as Lord Mayor of London.&nbsp;
89
90He wed Anne, heiress of Lord Hoo and Hastings, and - through her - acquired
91
92Hever Castle in Kent and Blickling Hall in Norfolk.&nbsp; His son became
93
94a knight under Richard III and a baron under Henry VII.&nbsp; He married
95
96a great heiress as well; she was Margaret, daughter of Thomas Butler, 7th
97
98earl of Ormond.&nbsp; He was incredibly wealthy and bequeathed Margaret
99
10036 manors.&nbsp; Their eldest child was Thomas Boleyn, Mary's father.&nbsp;
101
102Thomas had married Elizabeth Howard by 1501.&nbsp; Their three surviving
103
104children were born within the next 10 years.
105
106<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; In 1512, Thomas was one of three envoys assigned
107
108to the regent of Netherlands court.&nbsp; His skill in speaking French
109
110and his family connections secured the appointment.&nbsp; Once there, he
111
112was a great success with the regent, Margaret, archduchess of Austria.&nbsp;
113
114He used this friendship to secure a prestigious appointment for his eldest
115
116daughter, Anne; she was to reside with the regent's wards, sharing their
117
118royal education.&nbsp; This is the primary evidence that Anne was the elder
119
120sister.&nbsp; In such cases, the elder sister would receive the opportunity
121
122first.
123
124<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; However, Mary was married before Anne - an unusual
125
126occurrence and one which led many to believe Mary was older.&nbsp; However,
127
128it is completely plausible that Anne was not married first because she
129
130was still in Europe, gaining a royal education and hoping to wed a foreign
131
132nobleman.&nbsp; Mary, on the other hand, wed a man named William Carey,
133
134a gentleman of the royal privy chamber on 4 February 1520.&nbsp; Though
135
136he was not a titled lord, his duties meant he had intimate contact with
137
138the king on a daily basis.&nbsp; He would be a valuable connection for
139
140the Boleyns.&nbsp; Henry used his attendants, with whom he spent his leisure
141
142hours, to carry out government work.&nbsp; Carey was 24 years old and Mary
143
144not quite twelve, young even for 16th century marriage.&nbsp; The consummation
145
146of the marriage was probably delayed for a few years.
147
148<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Mary's wedding was held a few weeks before her father
149
150returned from a mission abroad.&nbsp; This indicates that Thomas Boleyn
151
152had planned the marriage well in advance.&nbsp; The king gave the newlyweds
153
154a cash present - 6s.8d.; this was undoubtedly welcome since William Carey
155
156was a younger son and lacked money and lands.&nbsp; Henry's favor (and,
157
158more particularly, Mary's affair with Henry) helped in this respect - before
159
160his death in 1528, William had received two keeperships, a stewardship,
161
162an annuity, and manors in two counties.&nbsp; As to William's ancestry,
163
164he could trace his descent from Edward III; his mother was a cousin of
165
166Margaret Beaufort, Henry VII's mother.&nbsp; His aunt Catherine Spencer
167
168was married to Henry, fifth earl of Northumberland.
169
170<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; As William's wife, Mary had lodgings at court, information
171
172about royal policies, and the great opportunity to participate in all court
173
174events.&nbsp; Their first child, Catherine, was born about 1524 when Mary
175
176was just sixteen.&nbsp; Meanwhile, her family continued its ascendancy
177
178during these years.&nbsp; Personally, she and her sister Anne were two
179
180of eight women who participated in a celebration at York Place, Cardinal
181
182Wolsey's home.&nbsp; Anne played Perseverance and Mary was Kindness; they
183
184were clothed in white satin with bejeweled headdresses.&nbsp; This was
185
186in 1522; Mary was just fourteen.&nbsp; By the time she was seventeen, Mary
187
188was a first-time mother and Henry VIII's mistress.&nbsp; There is much
189
190circumstantial evidence to support this:
191
192<blockquote>
193 <p>* in 1527, Henry was planning to marry Anne Boleyn.&nbsp; He
194
195sought and received a papal dispensation to marry the sister of a woman
196
197with whom he had engaged in illicit/unlawful intercourse.&nbsp; Anne had
198
199only one sister - Mary. </p>
200
201<p>* Reginald Pole reported the following - in 1528, a member of Parliament
202
203insulted the king's morals by accusing Henry of sleeping with Anne's mother
204
205<i>and</i>
206
207sister.&nbsp; Undoubtedly flustered, the king replied:&nbsp; "Never with
208
209her mother."
210
211<p>* the affair was known of in diplomatic circles - in 1532, Francis I
212
213of France met Mary face-to-face when she accompanied Henry and Anne to
214
215Calais.&nbsp; He mentioned her infamous behavior with her sister's spouse
216
217<i>before</i>
218
219the marriage to Anne.</blockquote>
220
221 <p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The affair was brief, ending in mid-1525 (probably July.)&nbsp;
222
223On 4 March 1526, Mary gave birth to a son, called Henry.&nbsp; He was widely
224
225assumed to be the king's son.&nbsp; He physically resembled the king, a&nbsp;
226
227fact often remarked upon.&nbsp; In 1535, for example, a man called 'young
228
229Master Carey' the king's son. </p>
230
231<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Perhaps more telling, Henry granted the Careys actual
232
233manors and estates during the affair and immediately before the child's
234
235birth.&nbsp; Before, the Careys had been granted rather minor offices.&nbsp;
236
237(You may recall that Henry publicly acknowledged another illegitimate son,
238
239born in 1519.&nbsp; This boy was called <a href="../fitzroy.html">Henry
240
241Fitzroy</a> - the surname traditionally given to royal bastards - and was
242
243ennobled, given the title duke of Richmond.&nbsp; If Henry Carey was also
244
245his son, why didn't Henry do the same for him?&nbsp; The answer lies in
246
247his determination to divorce Katharine of Aragon and marry <a href="../monarchs/boleyn.html">Anne
248
249Boleyn</a>, the child's aunt.&nbsp; It is likely that even Henry VIII would
250
251have been too embarrassed to recognize his bastard son by his fiancee's
252
253younger sister.)&nbsp; Henry Carey was eventually ennobled as Lord Hunsdon by
254Elizabeth I, the queen who may have been his half-sister and was undoubtedly his
255cousin.&nbsp; Though he served her ably, Elizabeth only offered Hunsdon a title
256upon his deathbed.&nbsp; To this dubious honor, the old man aptly replied that
257if the queen hadn't thought him worth it while he was in health, he would not
258accept it while ill.<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Mary Boleyn was referenced in <a href="../lovelett.html">Henry's
259
260love letters to Anne</a> in 1528, the year her husband died.&nbsp; William
261
262had asked Mary to seek her sister's influence with the king; his elder
263
264sister, Eleanor, wanted the position of abbess at St Edith's Nunnery.&nbsp;
265
266The nuns wanted their prioress elevated to the position instead.&nbsp;
267
268Anne asked the king to intervene.&nbsp; In the end, Eleanor's dubious moral
269
270destroyed her chances.&nbsp; But the episode demonstrates Anne's willingness
271
272to help Mary; also, Mary clearly expected to benefit from her sister's
273
274closeness to the king.
275
276<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; William Carey died on 23 June 1528 and Henry VIII
277
278promptly granted Anne Boleyn the wardship of her nephew (and possibly his
279
280son), two-year-old Henry Carey.&nbsp; In another letter to Anne, Henry
281
282remarked upon Mary's easy virtue.&nbsp; He and Anne were concerned that,
283
284after William's death, Mary's behavior would degenerate; in other words,
285
286she would be an embarrassment to the king and his intended wife.
287
288<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; In November 1530, Henry gave Anne 20 pds to redeem
289
290a jewel from Mary; it was probably a gambling debt.&nbsp; Two years later,
291
292Mary was one of thirty ladies who accompanied Henry and Anne on a visit
293
294to France (colorfully known to history as 'The Field of the Cloth of Gold'.)&nbsp;
295
296They stayed in Calais in late October, attending various events with Francis
297
298I; ostensibly, they were celebrating a new peace agreement.&nbsp; But it
299
300was also a chance to present Anne to a foreign king.&nbsp; When Henry wed
301
302Anne in 1533, Mary became a lady-in-waiting to her sister.&nbsp; It was
303
304only in 1534 that she and Anne had a serious conflict.
305
306<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; In 1534, Mary secretly married William Stafford.&nbsp;
307
308He was the younger son of Humphrey Stafford of Blatherwick in Northampton.&nbsp;
309
310This marriage was a disaster for her, excepting her personal happiness.&nbsp;
311
312Mary undoubtedly loved Stafford, a soldier she had met at Calais (he had
313
314been part of Henry VIII's retinue.)&nbsp; But her relatives - all newly
315
316ennobled and very self-conscious about their status - were outraged.&nbsp;
317
318He was a commoner, not fit for the queen's sister.&nbsp; Accordingly, Mary
319
320and her new husband were banished from court.&nbsp; (It is quite possible
321
322that her relatives planned to wed Mary to a nobleman, further cementing
323
324their rise to prominence; instead, her marriage was a step backwards socially.)&nbsp;
325
326In late 1534, while her father and brother received numerous grants, titles,
327
328and other gifts, Mary was reduced to begging Thomas Cromwell for assistance.&nbsp;
329
330Would he speak to Henry on her behalf?&nbsp; Mary hoped Henry would persuade
331
332Anne to forgive her but her former lover was less than helpful.&nbsp; So
333
334Mary asked Cromwell to speak to her father, her uncle, and her brother.
335
336<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Meanwhile, her son was still living with his
337
338aunt, Queen Anne.&nbsp; He was being tutored by the great French poet,
339
340Nicholas Bourbon, clearly benefiting from the wardship.&nbsp; His mother's
341
342life between 1534 and her sister's execution in 1536 is difficult to trace.&nbsp;
343
344She seems to have resided at Rochford, Essex from the time of her disgrace
345
346to her death on 19 July 1543.&nbsp; When her sister fell into disfavor
347
348and Henry sought a divorce, his earlier affair with Mary was mentioned.&nbsp;
349
350Perhaps this would justify an annulment, even as Katharine of Aragon's
351
352marriage to his brother had?&nbsp; But no one seriously considered this
353
354(after all, there had been a papal dispensation) and it was more expedient
355
356to press other charges.&nbsp; Mary did not visit her sister when Anne was
357
358imprisoned in the Tower.&nbsp; Nor did she visit their brother George,
359
360also condemned to death.&nbsp; There is no evidence that she wrote to them,
361
362either.&nbsp; Like their uncle, the duke of Norfolk, she may have thought
363
364it wise to avoid association with her disgraced relatives.
365
366<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Mary lived to see her children gain some royal favor.&nbsp;
367
368Her teenage daughter Catherine (born 1524) was appointed a maid of honor
369
370to Anne of Cleves, Henry VIII's fourth wife.&nbsp; Sometime in 1540, she
371
372made a good match, marrying Sir Francis Knollys.&nbsp; He was a member
373
374of Henry VIII's household.&nbsp; She also became one of her cousin Elizabeth
375
376Tudor's closest friends.&nbsp; Her daughter, Lettice Knollys, would later
377
378marry Elizabeth's great love, Robert Dudley; her son, the earl of Essex,
379
380would also be one of Elizabeth's favorites (though eventually executed
381
382for treason.)&nbsp; Henry Carey, whose paternity was the subject of such
383
384speculation, would be ennobled as Lord Hunsdon in Elizabeth's reign.&nbsp;
385
386Elizabeth was kind to her Boleyn relatives, especially Mary's children.&nbsp;
387
388Twenty-two years after Anne Boleyn's execution, a Boleyn was sole ruler
389
390of England.&nbsp; It was a triumph few could have predicted.<p>&nbsp;<hr WIDTH="100%">
391
392 <p>
393
394<font size="2">Some other stuff about Mary Boleyn that I've found: </font>
395 </p>
396
397<p><font size="2">* Mary was considered more conventionally beautiful than Anne but lacked
398
399her sister's style and wit.
400
401<br>* As a child, Mary was taught French by Mademoiselle Semmonet;&nbsp;
402
403she also studied music (practicing on the lute, harp, viol, and virginals.)
404
405<br>* Mary also spent time in Archduchess Margaret's service; she was removed
406
407in 1518/19 by her father and placed in Katharine of Aragon's service.
408
409<br>* Anne and George Boleyn were very close and reportedly had little
410
411use for their sister, Mary.&nbsp; (This was reported by several foreign
412
413ambassadors.) </font>
414
415<p><font size="2">Note:&nbsp; I have read that Mary Boleyn accompanied Princess Mary Tudor
416
417to France, as a lady-in-waiting.&nbsp; However, the trip occurred in 1515;
418
419Mary would have been just 7 years old - so the assertion seems unlikely. </font>
420
421<p><font size="2">So the following questions remain:
422
423<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; * did she accompany Mary to France?
424
425<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; * did she use her influence with Mary Tudor to get
426
427Anne a position as lady-in-waiting to Katharine of Aragon (thus allowing
428
429Henry VIII and Anne to meet?)&nbsp; This has been mentioned in several
430
431books but, as I stated, it would mean Mary was a lady-in-waiting at the
432
433age of seven. </font>
434
435<p><font size=-1>I have used the spelling 'Boleyn' instead of 'Bullen'
436
437for one simple reason - it is how the family chose to spell it when they
438
439first rose to prominence.&nbsp; Certainly they thought 'Boleyn' was more
440
441elegant - I'll stay mum on that issue, but since most history texts also
442
443use 'Boleyn', it remains less confusing than switching between two surnames.</font><p align="center"><b>
444<font face="Times New Roman">
445 <a href="../monarchs/boleyn.html">Visit the
446 Anne Boleyn website</a>.</font></b></p>
447
448<center>
449
450<p><font size=-1><a href="../citizens.html">to
451
452Tudor Citizens</a></font><br><font size=-1><a href="http://englishhistory.net/tudor.html">to Tudor
453
454England</a></font></center>
455
456 </blockquote>
457</blockquote>
458
459</body>
460
461</html><!-- text below generated by server. PLEASE REMOVE --><!-- Counter/Statistics data collection code --><script language="JavaScript" src="http://hostingprod.com/js_source/geov2.js"></script><script language="javascript">geovisit();</script><noscript><img src="http://visit.webhosting.yahoo.com/visit.gif?us1108082580" alt="setstats" border="0" width="1" height="1"></noscript>
462<IMG SRC="http://geo.yahoo.com/serv?s=76001524&t=1108082580" ALT=1 WIDTH=1 HEIGHT=1>
Note: See TracBrowser for help on using the repository browser.