King Henry VIII & Mary Tudor

The Tudor Rose

Henry VIII's sister Mary, five years his junior, was easily the favorite of his two sisters; both she and Henry were outgoing and loved dancing and court festivities. Henry as a young man was athletic and regarded as very handsome; Mary, a redhead like Henry and most of the Tudors, was hailed as the most beautiful princess in Europe, dubbed the "Tudor Rose."

Henry was so fond of Mary that soon after becoming king he named the first of his powerful new fighting ships after her, Mary Rose. (The ship sank in battle in 1545. The wreck was found and raised in the 1980s and is now a museum exhibit in Portsmouth, England.) Henry did not name any of his big ships Catherine, which his queen, Catherine of Aragon, might have taken as a bit of a warning.

Henry might have liked his kid sister and named an impressive new ship for her, but he still intended to do what kings generally did with their sisters and daughters: offer them as merchandise in the marriage-alliance bazaar. Before Henry became king his father, Henry VII, had married off their older sister Margaret to the king of Scotland. Mary, the most beautiful princess in Europe, commanded a bit of a premium over her less-spectacular big sister, and Henry agreed to marry her to the King of France, richest and mightiest monarch in Europe.

Mary did not feel that she had won the lottery. King Louis XII of France was an able and popular king, but at age 52 he was no prize for an 18-year-old princess. Mary protested, but to no avail - favored sister or not, she would marry whomever Henry told her to marry. She did ask for a promise that after King Louis died she could make her own choice. Henry agreed; it was the sort of promise he could easily go back on.

Mary obediently married Louis XII - and three months later King Louis was dead; popular rumor had it that married life with gorgeous, vibrant Mary wore him out. If Mary wanted out of her marriage to a much older man she had found an effective and legal way.

According to her brother's promise, Mary was free now to marry as she wished, though even his favorite sister knew how much a promise from Henry VIII was worth. But Henry slipped. The official he sent to fetch the young royal widow back from France was his best friend, Charles Brandon - who happened to be in love with Mary. King Henry had made his friend promise not to do anything about it, but Henry was not the only main the realm who could break a promise.

Charles Brandon and Princess Mary promptly got married. King Henry, of course, was furious. Henry VIII was years from acquiring the reputation he has now, but even as a young king he was not to be crossed. According to the law, marrying a royal princess without permission was treason, and Henry's advisors pushed for the death penalty.

Fortunately for the couple, Henry VIII was genuinely fond of both his sister and Brandon. He let them off with a large fine. Charles Brandon and Mary subsequently lived for the most part on their estates; a quiet country life away from the royal court apparently suited them fine. Mary was nevertheless known officially as "the French queen."

Years later Mary had more run-ins with her royal brother, this time over his marriage. Mary was close to Catherine of Aragon, whom Henry was trying to divorce, and did not like Anne Boleyn. But the "Tudor Rose" died in 1533, so she never knew how badly Henry VIII's second marriage would turn out.