(Cover image – © The National Portrait Gallery)
The marriage of Mary Tudor and Charles Brandon is known throughout the ages for being a scandalous one, a marriage conducted without the approval of King Henry VIII and a secret one at that. However, many forget that this marriage was one of opportunity and love between the two; Mary Tudor had been forced by her brother King Henry VIII to marry a man many many years older than her and she wanted the agency to choose her second husband. Her feelings for Charles Brandon–a man very lucky to be wed to a Tudor Princess and a man who could offer her comfort, support and happiness that she might not have had if she went ahead with a second arranged marriage–meant that she could find love or at least some form of affection within her second marriage.
In a time where marriages were purely for political or advantageous means, a marriage of love was extremely rare although it was not uncommon for couples to fall in love after the marriage had taken place, as it can be said for Henry and Mary's own parents, Henry VII and Elizabeth of York, who are believed to have fallen in love during their arranged marriage.
Today to mark the birth month of Mary Tudor, as her precise birthdate is unknown, we spoke about the relationship Mary and Charles had with King Henry VIII with Tudor historian and the Wars of the Roses enthusiast; Sarah Bryson!
Enjoy!
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It is believed that Henry VIII dearly loved and doted on his younger sister, Mary, and that he might have possibly named his daughter, also Mary Tudor, after her. How close were Henry and Mary during their childhood and prior to her marriage to Charles Brandon?
Sarah: It appears that Henry was quite close with his youngest sister. They grew up together at Eltham Palace with their older sister Margaret and both were influenced a great deal by their mother Elizabeth of York. There are records of them both participating in court events and Mary was an excellent musician just as Henry was so it seems they shared similar interests.
In 1502, Arthur Tudor died and Margaret Tudor was betrothed to the King of Scotland, leaving Henry and Mary the only two siblings in England. They were both at court frequently and, when Henry became King, there are records of the pair participating in dances and banquets together. There are also many documents recording money Henry spent on his little sister to buy her gifts of material and lavish gowns. Henry enjoyed having his sister at court with him and he seemed to like to spoil her! He did, after all, spend almost £20,800,000 in today’s money, on her clothing and household items she would need for her marriage to Louis XII!
Charles Brandon was quite a fortunate man for his time in being that he managed to not only remain in favor with the King but he did not end up in prison nor be sent to the executioner’s block like many of his competitors. What do we know of the beginning of Charles’ friendship with the future King; what shared interests did the two young men have?
Sarah: It was Charles’s uncle, Thomas Brandon, who first brought Charles to court. Charles was around seven or eight years older than Henry and allowed far more freedom at court. After Arthur’s death, Henry was the only male heir to the throne and Henry VII kept him close. Meanwhile, Charles was enjoying life as a young, handsome, up and coming courtier. He participated in jousts and other sporting events as well as attracting the attention of women! They both shared a love of jousting, physical pursuits, and card games and so Henry was able to live vicariously through Charles.
Mary Tudor was believed to have been unhappy in her first marriage to King Louis XII of France firstly because of his advanced age and, secondly, because she was ‘very much’ in love with Charles Brandon. Before being sent to retrieve his newly widowed sister back to England, King Henry VIII had his best friend swear that he would not propose to his sister as he was aware of her feelings. Why was Henry VIII so against the idea of Charles marrying Mary at the beginning?
Sarah: Personally, I don’t think that Henry was against the marriage. In fact, it’s highly likely that the King knew Mary had feelings towards Brandon. We know from Mary’s letters that, before she left England for France, she had Henry promise her that after Louis’s death she would be free to marry a man of her choosing. Was this because she had her eyes on Brandon? Possibly!
It is also interesting to note that after Louis died, two friars met with Mary to turn her mind against Brandon. They informed Mary that the English council would never let her marry him. Again, this also strongly suggests that people at court knew that Brandon and Mary wanted to marry each other.
Although Mary could have been used as a marriage pawn again, I think Henry knew she had feelings for Brandon. However, what Henry liked and how he had to appear as King were two very different things. Outwardly he had to be angry at the marriage, as though Brandon had betrayed him where as personally, he probably quite liked the idea of having his best friend marry his favourite sister!
Shortly after finding out that Mary and Charles had gotten married in secret on their journey back from France, it is believed that he briefly banished them from court and demanded they pay a fine for their deception. In The Tudors, we see Henry cruelly threaten to behead Charles to Mary out of anger and in The Spanish Princess, we see Henry reunite with them in France where he says that they are lucky he did not hang them for treason after their betrayal. Did Henry actually threaten to imprison or even execute Charles for betraying him and marrying his sister despite swearing not to?
Sarah: Henry didn’t banish Mary or Charles from court, nor did he threaten to behead Charles or throw him in prison! From the surviving letters written to Brandon from Thomas Wolsey on Henry VIII’s behalf, all we know is that the King appeared to be greatly displeased with the sudden marriage. Henry felt Brandon had betrayed his trust. Brandon threw himself at Henry’s mercy and promised to accept any punishment the King saw fit but at the end of the day Henry decided that it could be made right with the returning of all of Mary’s dowry as well as the payment of a big fat fine!
Ultimately when the when the couple returned to England on May 2nd they were met by Henry and were warmly welcomed. There is a record of them being greeted by a great retinue at Birling House. And although most of Mary’s belongings were returned to Henry, she and Brandon paid back only a small portion of the fine.
The pair did leave court for a short time after they returned to England however this was because they were newlyweds and naturally wanted some time together, as well as to let the dust settle! Both were soon back at court participating in courtly events as though nothing had happened, and Charles returned as the King’s favourite jousting partner!
Charles Brandon and Mary Tudor in The Tudors
Charles Brandon and Mary Tudor in The Spanish Princess
There is a belief, most likely stemming from his portrayal in The Tudors, that Charles was a terrible husband to Mary who did not love her and was unfaithful to her several times before her tragic death. Is this true and if not, what was their marriage like in reality?
Sarah: As far as records state Brandon only had one illegitimate child, a son named Charles born on or before 1521. Without a clear date of birth or reference to the mother, it cannot be said that the child was conceived during his marriage to Mary or before.
There are no other records to suggest that Charles was ever unfaithful to Mary. In fact, it seems from Brandon and Mary’s letters that Brandon cared deeply for his wife. An example of this can be seen in a letter written by Brandon to Thomas Wolsey in March 1518 where he asks to be excused from court so that he could go home and be with Mary as she was sick at the time. In another letter written shortly after Brandon begs Wolsey to let him bring Mary to court as he’s worried about her health.
It has been suggested that because Brandon remarried shortly after Mary’s death that he didn’t love or care for Mary, however the reason for this marriage to Katherine Willoughby was simply due to money. Brandon needed money and Katherine was the soul heiress to her father’s wealth! By marrying her, he gained control over her money. Despite this rushed marriage, it does seem that Brandon loved Katherine as there are several records of him letting her do as she wished, even laughing when she was being controversial!
At the end of the day, we’ll never know Brandon’s true feelings for Mary but using the letters they both wrote it does seem they cared deeply for one another. Both Brandon and Mary took a risk in marrying, they were married for eighteen years and Brandon was always very concerned about Mary’s health and happiness so I would argue that there had to be some level of love between them.
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You can find Sarah via the following links:
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/SarahBryson44/
Website - https://sarahbrysonauthor.wordpress.com/
Are there any other figures in Tudor history you would like us to discuss?
Tell us in the comments below!
Until next time!
- Have a ‘Tudor-fic’ week!
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