Mary Tudor & Charles Brandon

Marriage of Mary Tudor & Charles Brandon

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Their marriage was out of the pages of a fairy tale.

Charles, tall and handsome, had long been enamored of Mary, the beautiful sister of his King, and best friend, Henry VIII.

But like so many royal princesses, Mary was destined for the foreign marriage market.

Her intended was King Louis XII of France.

Suffolk, a ‘mere’ Duke, just wouldn’t do.

Princess Mary was sent to France in October 1514 to marry King Louis XII, a man thirty-four years her senior.

On 1st January 1515, less than three months after their marriage, King Louis XII died.

He had been sick for several weeks and his death came as no surprise.

Henry sent Charles Brandon to France, to collect Henry's youngest sister, and bring her home.

A deep attraction already existed between the pair and Henry VIII had promised that, after a seemly mourning interval, Mary could marry a Husband of her choosing.

However, Mary feared that either her brother would instead marry her off to someone else for political gain.

Desperate to marry Charles, Mary persuaded him to go through with a secret ceremony whilst they were still in France.

Although the exact date of their wedding remains unknown, it has been suggested that the couple married sometime between the 15th and 20th February, before approximately ten witnesses.

The newlyweds then naturally consummated their marriage to make it legally binding.

Technically, Brandon had just committed treason by marrying a member of the royal family, without first gaining permission from the king.

The penalty for such a crime was death.

Both Brandon and Mary wrote to the king to confess what they had done.

Their deception provoked an outpouring of fury from Henry VIII.

After many letters begging for forgiveness, Henry relented.

Charles and Mary were married formally at Greenwich Palace on 13th May with Henry and Katharine of Aragon in attendance.

There was feasting and a celebration, but it was strictly a family affair .

Their relationship was to come at a high cost.

Mary and Charles were required to pay her brother £2000 a year for the next 12 years – an eyewatering amount at that time.

Having the wedding attended by the king and queen was a public way to show those at court that the king gave his blessing for the marriage.

Henry VIII did not hold any lasting anger towards his favourite sister, and beloved friend.

The Suffolks went on to have four children, though only two – Frances, the mother of the tragic Lady Jane Grey, and Eleanor - survived into adulthood.

Their 18 year marriage only ended with Mary's untimely death.

Between seven and eight o'clock in the morning of 25th June 1533, Mary died, possibly from Cancer.

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https://englishhistory.net/.../charles-brandon-mary-tudor/

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https://ko-fi.com/thetudorintruders