A Tudor Fashion Influencer - Mary Tudor, Queen of France
Mary Tudor was the fifth child of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York, born in their Tudor residence in London. But only at the age of eighteen, due to the negotiated peace treaty between England and France, Mary, accompanied by English maids of honour which included the famous Anne Boleyn, became a bride to King Louis XII, who then was fifty-two – thirty-four years her senior. The marriage is not said to have been a happy one, but it did not last for long either as Louis passed away just three months after the matrimonium ceremony. So, Mary Tudor's brief reign as Queen of France ended, and she returned to her home England, where she later remarried. Her figure was overshadowed by other loud names during the reign of her brother, Henry VIII, and Mary would die at a relatively young age of thirty seven due to unknown reason but probably of the consequence of her poor health.
But still, did Mary Tudor manage, in between appearing in the Royal court and living in her residence in Westhorpe Hall, to influence the contemporary fashion trends?
To begin with, one must look closer to the realities of the sixteenth century. At the time, England, while undoubtedly a country beautiful and well-known, was just another kingdom among tens of other European realms. When talking about fashion, it is hard to claim that England had any influence on the development of beauty standards - it was the kingdoms of Italy, France, and Spain who had the loudest say in the matter. But it is not the matter where England did not have any standards at all as Elizabeth of York, the wife of Henry VII, for example, wore a gown with “decorative trim typical of English dress, when bands of trimming usually bordered the neck, with a central band from neck to hem which might also be trimmed”. Her headpiece was nothing but an English gabled hood, which features a “pointed arch (or gable) that was created by means of wires or other stiffened framework”. Her hood, as the hood of a true noble lady, was lavishly ornate with pearls and jewels. Women in Italy, for example, did not cover their hair, and ladies of Northern Europe wore rounded French hoods or linen caps known as wulsthaube.
Now, knowing the fashion realities of the time, it is time to return to Mary Tudor.
When she became King Louis XII’s Queen, she was too young to have any influence on women’s fashion. Her mother, Elizabeth of York, died when she was only seven years old, and the role of leading trends in mode lay on the shoulders of Catherine of Aragon and Lady Margaret Beaufort. Which does not mean that the then Princess Mary was deprived of a sense of vogue at all and, moreover, she possessed the treasure of natural beauty. When she was fifteen, the prominent scholar of Renaissance, Erasmus, wrote of her: “Nature never formed anything more beautiful, and she exceeds no less in goodness and in wisdom.” A painting by an unknown Dutch artist from approximately 1520 depicting Mary Magdalene is rumoured to have been modeled on Mary Tudor - so similar they are. If so, that probably means that Mary was known to her contemporaries, and they appreciated her beauty and wardrobe worthy of a noble lady like she was, and it should be said that the lady posing for ‘Mary Magdalene’ is forever immortalised in the painting whomever she may be.
After her marriage to the King of France, contemporary descriptions of Mary describe her as wearing cloth-of-gold fabrics; a textile made by interlacing or weaving gold or silver threads with silk, wool, or linen. Mary is also known to be particularly fond of French hoods, in fact, she wore one during her first marriage ceremony, and another, richly decorated with precious stones, when she secretly remarried Charles Bradnon. And that is, perhaps, the most significant achievement of Mary Tudor - that she may have been the first person to make French hood her permanent clothing item.
Whilst briefly touching on the topic of French fashion, it is inevitable to connect it with Anne Boleyn’s achievement of popularising this particular style, yet it would be unwise to claim that she was the first to ever wear French attires. It was Mary Tudor who paved a way between English and French courts as her marriage to Louis, albeit short, did not leave her with empty hands. Upon returning home to England, she was carrying hoards of jewelry and fabrics that she acquired during her stay in France, and it would be naive to presume Mary hid it all in her closet and never exhibited it in public. Or, at least, this would have been before Henry VIII collected a large part of those treasures as a fine for a secret marriage with Brandon.
It is also worth noting that the Tudor clothing system was slightly more complicated than that of today as there were sumptuary laws that restricted who could wear particular fabrics, colours and furs; subjects on the very bottom of social hierarchy had the most restriction, while the rules loosened the higher the pecking order went. So, to some extent, every noble lady carried some influence as every element of their gown, starting from fabrics and finishing with delicate ornaments on their brooches and necklaces were noticed - and very often written about or immortalised in portraits.
So, one can see that Mary Tudor was a lady worth her title - her natural beauty, enhanced by rich gowns and shiny stones, survived through centuries; despite facing challenges not easy to overcome she somehow always managed to stay afloat.
Was she the most influential figure when it comes to Tudor fashion?
Perhaps not; Mary was a charming inspiration for artists but there were other women more ‘catchy’ during the reign of her notorious brother Henry VIII. For example, Anne Boleyn did much more in this regard than Mary Tudor.
But did Mary have at least some influence?
Of course! Her best achievement is, of course, introducing the French hood to the kingdom of England. Whilst its popularity came somewhat later, it is Mary who keeps the right to call herself the pioneer in this matter. And then, looking at her portraits, one may easily notice the abundance of jewels, stones, and ornaments on her rich gowns; reinforcing the popularity of elaborate, luxurious and carefully constructed dresses, too, can be called an influence.
References:
Bryan, Lissa. “The Mirror of Naples.” Under These Restless Skies, December 2013. https://under-these-restless-skies.blogspot.com/2013/12/the-mirror-of-naples.html
De Young, Justine. “1500–1509.” Fashion History Timeline. Fashion Institute of Technology, June 7, 2019. Last updated August 18, 2020. https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/1500-1509/
De Young, Justine. “1510–1519.” Fashion History Timeline. Fashion Institute of Technology. Published June 11, 2019. Last updated August 18, 2020.
FIT Student. “Gabled Hood.” Fashion History Timeline. Fashion Institute of Technology. Published October 4, 2017. Last updated August 18, 2020. https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/gabled-hood/
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