Mary Rose was Henry VIII’s younger sister. She was born in 1496 and grew into a feisty, colourful character. She consented to marry the elderly king of France in 1514 as part of Henry’s peace deal on condition that next time round she could make her own choice. Louis XII was dead within three months of their marriage – ‘danced to death’ by his young bride according to court gossip. She then swiftly – and secretly – married her long time admirer, Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk who had been sent to France to bring the Princess home. Brandon was the king’s bosom friend and despite his promise, Henry was annoyed. Nevertheless the couple were publicly wedded at Greenwich in May 1515. Henry was deeply attached to his sister and may have named his great warship after her. Mary Rose opposed Henry’s marriage to Anne Boleyn but despite this their mutual affection endured. To the end of her life in 1533, Mary was known as ‘the French Queen’. She left two daughters, Eleanor and Frances and it was the latter whose eldest daughter, Lady Jane, who briefly became queen on the death of Edward VI in 1553.

Mary Rose: Tudor Princess, Queen of France. The Extraordinary Life of Henry VIII’s Sister PDF

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