Mary Boleyn: Difference between revisions
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c.1499-1543, also known as Mary Carey and Mary Stafford: royal mistress, | c.1499-1543, also known as Mary Carey and Mary Stafford: royal mistress, sister of [[Anne Boleyn]]. | ||
==Family Background== | == Family Background == | ||
Mary Boleyn was born at Blickling Hall in Norfolk, as the eldest daughter of [[Thomas Boleyn]], Earl of Wiltshire and of Ormond, and Lady Elizabeth Howard, daughter of Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey and second Duke of Norfolk. She grew up at Hever Castle in the Kent countryside together with her two siblings: George, who was later appointed Viscount Rochford and [[Anne Boleyn|Anne]], who became the second wife of King [[Henry VIII]]. The Boleyn family were members of the [[Gentry|gentry]]. Mary's great-grandfather, Geoffrey Boleyn, was a successful merchant and became Lord Mayor of London. Her father, Sir Thomas Boleyn, was a well-known diplomat and took over several offices at the court of Henry VIII. He was very ambitious for his children and interested in the education of his two daughters. He wanted them to speak fluent French, to learn musical instruments, to be able to dance and behave well in society. Sir Thomas hoped that their education would both facilitate their appointment as maids of honour at court and enable them to find eligible husbands. | |||
==Career and Life at Court== | == Education, Career and Life at Court== | ||
Sir Thomas Boleyn arranged for his daughters to spend some time on the continent to be educated there. Anne was sent to Brussels to serve as maid of honour to Margaret, Archduchess of Austria and Regent of the Netherlands, and Mary went to France, where the sisters were reunited in 1514. In the same year, they had the honour to be among the ladies-in-waiting to Henry VIII's sister [[Mary Tudor, Queen of France|Mary]], who was about to marry the French King Louis XII. In France, Mary Boleyn was known for being involved in several love affairs with courtiers. She returned to England and, with her father's assistance, found a position at the English court as one of Queen [[Catherine of Aragon]]'s ladies-in-waiting. | |||
== Marriages== | |||
In February 1520, Mary Boleyn married William Carey, a member of the King's [[Privy chamber|Privy Chamber]]. The wedding was attended by Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon. However, William Carey did not live up to the (financial) expectations of the Boleyn family. As a younger son he would not inherit his family's money and estates due to the laws of [[Primogeniture|primogeniture]]. Mary and William had two children, Catherine (born 1524) and Henry (born 1526). | |||
Mary is known as the mistress of King Henry VIII before he fell in love with her sister Anne. There is no record of the date the affair started and of its duration, so sources vary. According to the Oxford DNB, Mary's presence at the Field of Cloth of Gold in June 1520, a summit between Henry VIII and the French King Francis I, marks the starting point of Henry’s attraction for her. Moreover, a series of financial rewards given to William Carey by the king between 1522 and 1525 suggests that Mary was already married when the liaison with Henry began. | |||
After her husband’s death, Mary stayed at court supporting and advising her sister in winning the king’s favour. Mary accompanied Henry and Anne on their visit to France after the monarch’s separation from Catherine of Aragon. | |||
In 1534, Mary eloped with Sir William Stafford, a soldier in the garrison at Calais and a gentleman usher to Henry VIII. With this marriage Mary fell into disfavour with her family, resulting in her banishment from court. Just like her first husband Stafford was a younger son, below her in rank and had little to offer. Mary was in dire financial straits and unsuccessfully turned to Master Secretary [[Thomas Cromwell]] asking him to mediate between her and her family. Despite of these conflicts she inherited the Boleyn estates in Essex after the death of her parents. Mary Boleyn died in 1543. | |||
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Fraser, Antonia: ''The Six Wives of Henry VIII''. Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1992. | Fraser, Antonia: ''The Six Wives of Henry VIII''. Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1992. | ||
Plowden, Alison: ''The Other Boleyn Girl''. ''BBC'', http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/tudors/boleyn_mary_01.shtml | Plowden, Alison: ''The Other Boleyn Girl''. ''BBC'', http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/tudors/boleyn_mary_01.shtml. | ||
Hughes, Jonathan: "Mary Boleyn". ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-70719?rskey=Z1PQvD&result=1 | Hughes, Jonathan: "Mary Boleyn". ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', 23 September 2004, edited 08 January 2009, http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-70719?rskey=Z1PQvD&result=1. | ||
Latest revision as of 13:48, 3 January 2018
c.1499-1543, also known as Mary Carey and Mary Stafford: royal mistress, sister of Anne Boleyn.
Family Background
Mary Boleyn was born at Blickling Hall in Norfolk, as the eldest daughter of Thomas Boleyn, Earl of Wiltshire and of Ormond, and Lady Elizabeth Howard, daughter of Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey and second Duke of Norfolk. She grew up at Hever Castle in the Kent countryside together with her two siblings: George, who was later appointed Viscount Rochford and Anne, who became the second wife of King Henry VIII. The Boleyn family were members of the gentry. Mary's great-grandfather, Geoffrey Boleyn, was a successful merchant and became Lord Mayor of London. Her father, Sir Thomas Boleyn, was a well-known diplomat and took over several offices at the court of Henry VIII. He was very ambitious for his children and interested in the education of his two daughters. He wanted them to speak fluent French, to learn musical instruments, to be able to dance and behave well in society. Sir Thomas hoped that their education would both facilitate their appointment as maids of honour at court and enable them to find eligible husbands.
Education, Career and Life at Court
Sir Thomas Boleyn arranged for his daughters to spend some time on the continent to be educated there. Anne was sent to Brussels to serve as maid of honour to Margaret, Archduchess of Austria and Regent of the Netherlands, and Mary went to France, where the sisters were reunited in 1514. In the same year, they had the honour to be among the ladies-in-waiting to Henry VIII's sister Mary, who was about to marry the French King Louis XII. In France, Mary Boleyn was known for being involved in several love affairs with courtiers. She returned to England and, with her father's assistance, found a position at the English court as one of Queen Catherine of Aragon's ladies-in-waiting.
Marriages
In February 1520, Mary Boleyn married William Carey, a member of the King's Privy Chamber. The wedding was attended by Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon. However, William Carey did not live up to the (financial) expectations of the Boleyn family. As a younger son he would not inherit his family's money and estates due to the laws of primogeniture. Mary and William had two children, Catherine (born 1524) and Henry (born 1526).
Mary is known as the mistress of King Henry VIII before he fell in love with her sister Anne. There is no record of the date the affair started and of its duration, so sources vary. According to the Oxford DNB, Mary's presence at the Field of Cloth of Gold in June 1520, a summit between Henry VIII and the French King Francis I, marks the starting point of Henry’s attraction for her. Moreover, a series of financial rewards given to William Carey by the king between 1522 and 1525 suggests that Mary was already married when the liaison with Henry began.
After her husband’s death, Mary stayed at court supporting and advising her sister in winning the king’s favour. Mary accompanied Henry and Anne on their visit to France after the monarch’s separation from Catherine of Aragon.
In 1534, Mary eloped with Sir William Stafford, a soldier in the garrison at Calais and a gentleman usher to Henry VIII. With this marriage Mary fell into disfavour with her family, resulting in her banishment from court. Just like her first husband Stafford was a younger son, below her in rank and had little to offer. Mary was in dire financial straits and unsuccessfully turned to Master Secretary Thomas Cromwell asking him to mediate between her and her family. Despite of these conflicts she inherited the Boleyn estates in Essex after the death of her parents. Mary Boleyn died in 1543.
References
Fraser, Antonia: The Six Wives of Henry VIII. Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1992.
Plowden, Alison: The Other Boleyn Girl. BBC, http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/tudors/boleyn_mary_01.shtml.
Hughes, Jonathan: "Mary Boleyn". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, 23 September 2004, edited 08 January 2009, http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-70719?rskey=Z1PQvD&result=1.