Mary Tudor, Queen of France
Mary Tudor entered the world at Shene Palace on the 18th of March 1496. She was the fifth child of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York, yet the youngest to survive infancy. A privy seal bill from midsummer 1496 authorized a payment of 50 shillings to her nurse, Anne Skeron. Erasmus visited the royal nursery in 1499 or 1500 when Mary was four years old. At age six she received her own household staffed by gentlewomen and a schoolmaster. Her education included French, Latin, music, dancing, and embroidery. Joan Vaux served as her Governess and became known as Mother Guildford. The bond between them remained so close that Mary felt fury when Vaux returned to England upon her arrival in France. Mary lost her mother at just six years of age. Bills paid to her apothecary from 1504 through 1509 suggest her health remained fragile throughout childhood.
Cardinal Wolsey negotiated a peace treaty with France leading to a union on the 9th of October 1514. Mary married the 52-year-old King Louis XII at Abbeville while she was only 18 years old. During her Royal Entry into Abbeville she wore a gown made of cloth of silver paired with an English-style Gable hood. She traveled to France accompanied by several maids of honour including Anne Boleyn under Lady Guildfords supervision. Despite two previous marriages Louis had no living sons and sought to produce one. He died on the 1st of January 1515 less than three months after their wedding. Reports claimed he died from exertions in the bedchamber though gout likely played a larger role. Their union produced no children together. Following his death Francis I of France attempted unsuccessfully to arrange a second marriage for Mary.
Mary had been unhappy in her state marriage to King Louis XII as she loved Charles Brandon already. Letters from 1515 indicated she agreed to wed Louis only if she could marry whom she liked upon surviving him. Henry VIII wanted any future marriage to benefit himself while his Council opposed Brandon gaining power. On the 3rd of March 1515 the couple married secretly at the Hotel de Cluny in Paris before just ten people including Francis I. This act constituted treason since Brandon married a royal princess without Henrys consent. The privy council urged imprisonment or execution for Charles but Mary remained safe as royalty. Wolsey intervened allowing them to pay a heavy fine of £24,000 instead. They officially remarried on the 13th of May 1515 at Greenwich Palace before Henry VIII and courtiers. In 1528 Charles secured a papal bull from Pope Clement VII legitimizing their union.
Relations between King Henry VIII and his sister Mary grew strained during the late 1520s. She opposed the Kings attempt to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon whom she knew well. Mary strongly disliked Anne Boleyn who first appeared among maids of honour accompanying her to France. Venetian Ambassador Carlo Capello wrote in March 1532 about an incident involving opprobrious language against Madam Anne. The Duchess of Suffolk Queen Dowager of France had spoken harshly toward Anne Boleyn. Anne was the niece of the Duke of Norfolk mentioned by Capello. Mary spent most of her time at Westhorpe Hall in Suffolk after returning home. Her stepdaughters Anne and Mary raised alongside her own children created complex family dynamics within the household.
Mary died at age 37 at Westhorpe Hall in Suffolk on the 25th of June 1533. She never fully recovered from sweating sickness contracted in 1528. Speculation surrounds her cause of death including tuberculosis appendicitis or cancer. A requiem mass held at Westminster Abbey marked her funeral proceedings. Her body remained emballed and in state at Westhorpe Hall for three weeks before transport. On the 21st of July 1533 a delegation from France joined English representatives for the ceremony. Her daughter Frances served as chief mourner accompanied by husband and siblings. Neither Marys husband nor brother attended the service as tradition dictated. The procession included 100 torch bearers clergy carrying crosses six horses pulling the hearse plus 100 yeomen. A requiem mass and burial followed at Bury St Edmunds Abbey the next day. Five years later when the monastery dissolved her remains moved to nearby St Marys Church.
Marys portraits remain subject to heated debate regarding authenticity and dating. Confirmed depictions include illumination called Henry VII in mourning dated circa 1503, 1504 showing three surviving Elizabeth of York children. Another painting titled The Family of Henry VII with St George and the Dragon shows Mary as second girl on right with strawberry blonde hair. Illuminations depict her with light red hair while marriage portraits show brown tones possibly due pigment darkening. Alleged versions meant for Charles V include Portrait of woman by Michael Sittow traditionally labeled Catherine of Aragon. Many believe it represents lost Queen Isabella I of Castile instead. An engraving from 1784 derives from same portrait held by Royal Collection and National
Trust. Multiple drawings exist including one crude sketch by Francois Clouet though he was child when Mary visited France. At least five versions survive across Ashmolean Museum Uffizi Gallery and Bibliothèque Méjanes collections.
Common questions
When and where was Mary Tudor Queen of France born?
Mary Tudor Queen of France entered the world at Shene Palace on the 18th of March 1496. She was the fifth child of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York yet the youngest to survive infancy.
Who did Mary Tudor Queen of France marry first and when did that marriage end?
Mary Tudor Queen of France married the 52-year-old King Louis XII at Abbeville on the 9th of October 1514 while she was only 18 years old. He died on the 1st of January 1515 less than three months after their wedding and their union produced no children together.
Why did Mary Tudor Queen of France remarry Charles Brandon in 1515?
Mary Tudor Queen of France loved Charles Brandon already and agreed to wed Louis XII only if she could marry whom she liked upon surviving him. The couple married secretly at the Hotel de Cluny in Paris on the 3rd of March 1515 before just ten people including Francis I.
How did Mary Tudor Queen of France die and where did her death occur?
Mary Tudor Queen of France died at age 37 at Westhorpe Hall in Suffolk on the 25th of June 1533. She never fully recovered from sweating sickness contracted in 1528 though speculation surrounds her cause of death including tuberculosis appendicitis or cancer.
What happened to Mary Tudor Queen of France remains after Bury St Edmunds Abbey dissolved?
Five years later when the monastery dissolved her remains moved to nearby St Marys Church. Her body remained emballed and in state at Westhorpe Hall for three weeks before transport to the ceremony on the 21st of July 1533.