As today is the anniversary of Mary Tudor, Queen of France’s birth, I thought it would be good to make a Mary Tudor ‘factfile’. I’ve written quite a few articles on Mary so it’s good to do something different.
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| Motto | La volenté De Dieu me suffit (The will of God is sufficient for me) |
| Date of Birth | 18 March 1496 |
| Place of Birth | Richmond Palace |
| Parents | Henry VII and Elizabeth of York |
| Siblings | Three survived infancy: Arthur, Margaret and Henry (VIII) |
| Appearance | Mary was known for her beauty and the Venetian ambassador described her as “a Paradise – tall, slender, grey-eyed, possessing an extreme pallor”. |
| Marriages | Louis XII of France (9 October 1514 to his death on 1 January 1515) Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk (February/March 1515 to Mary’s death on 25 June 1533) |
| Coronation | Crowned Queen Consort of France on 5 November 1514 at Saint Denis. |
| Children | Henry Brandon (11 March 1516 – 1522) Lady Frances Brandon (16 July 1517 – 20 November 1559) Lady Eleanor Brandon (c.1518-1521 – 27 September 1547) Henry Brandon, 1st Earl of Lincoln (c.1522 – March 1534). |
| Death | 25 June 1533 at Westhorpe, Suffolk. |
| Age at death | 37 |
| Resting Place | Originally Bury St Edmunds Abbey, but she was moved to St Mary’s Church in Bury St Edmunds during the Dissolution of the Monasteries. |
| Trivia | Mary Tudor, Queen of France should not be confused with her niece, Mary Tudor (Mary I). |
| Trivia | She was not known as “Mary Rose”, her name was just Mary. |
| Biographies | The Sisters of Henry VIII: The Tumultuous Lives of Margaret of Scotland and Mary of France by Maria Perry, Mary Rose by David Loades |
You can read more about Mary Tudor, Queen of France in the following articles:
- Katherine of Aragon or Mary Tudor? – The Re-identification of Michel Sittow’s Portrait of a Young Woman by Nasim Tadghighi
- Princess Mary Tudor
- Mary Tudor Marries Louis XII of France
- Death of Mary Tudor Queen of France
I know when she died, where she was buried and then reburied but what did she die from?
I’m intrigued that so many high-ranking women of the Tudor Court woman died around the age of 40 when the best of nourishment and lifestyle were available to them. In no way do I suspect foul play, just curious as to what serious ailments came into play.
Any infection. Exposure to a sick person. A cold/flu/bronchial whatever that developed into pneumonia. In general, for women the major risk was complications of pregnancy and childbirth, while for men it was war (battle injury/death or, say, dysentery from conditions in camp) or on-the-job injuries.
I am aware of all that could have taken her life at the time such as disease, plagues, contamination, poison and not likely lack of nutrition and so forth. We know her first husband Louis XX of France was said to of died from gout. Is there anywhere record in history as to the official cause of her death?
Thank you.
As Diane says, sources talk of ill health in her last days being due to “her old disease in her side”, which David Loades takes as referring to her heart.
Claire no one ever mentions conditions such as appendicitis that could be a possibility
She seems to have suffered with ill health for a number of years, though, with it becoming worse after 1525, so appendicitis doesn’t really fit that.
Claire— you’ve got it as Louis XX should be Louis XII.
Thank you! Serves me right writing before I’d had my morning coffee!
As the cause of her death, she had been ill for quite some time. There are references in the historical record of her complaining of a pain in her side.
Thank you everyone! Now it makes sense to me. Dying at such a young age during that time in history was not uncommon but knowing she had physical issues with her side and it was noted does give cause as to medical problem.
Thanks again.
There seems to be a descrepasncy in your piece today: Was Mary Tudor married to Louis XX or Louis XXII?
Under Marriages I think that you meant to say Louis XXII….
Neither, I meant Louis XII, sorry! 🙂
Interesting — where did “Mary Rose” originate? Was she actually named that, and just not called by that name, or was it something that got started after her death? I’m especially curious as I’ve been calling her Mary Rose on my blog, albeit mostly as a quick way to distinguish her from her niece.
I’d like to know this too. I’ve seen two major publications in recent years refer to her as Mary Rose, but as far as I know that was never her name. Did it start with David Loades’ biography of Mary which he titled Mary Rose? Or do people think the sunken warship was named after Henry’s sister?
I think it comes from a confusion regarding the ship, The Mary Rose, which was named after Mary and the Tudor rose, and also people wanting to make a distinction between the two Mary Tudors. I’d heard of it before David Loades’ book.
She was a brave Lady to marry Brandon with out the King’s say so, Brandon too.
I know he imposed a massive fine on them, but he must have cared deeply for them to get off as lightly…
You always hear a lot about their daughter Francis with being Lady Jane Grey’s mother, but not much on the other daughter Eleanor, Countess of Cumberland. I have just looked her up, she didn’t live long but it’s an interesting little story.
I wonder why they chose to use Margaret in the Tudors ? They was very lucky to have 3 children survive !! After a bad start Mary seemed to find happiness in her short life ! Yes I think Henry loved them both dearly !!!
I think it might be as simple as they didn’t want to confuse viewers as the name was already being used in the show as King Henry’s daughter. As a viewer I would have preferred they stay true to history in that regard. I think most viewers could have figured it out.