Charles was stunned that Francis knew of any relationship between himself and Mary, let alone a ‘ware-word’, a secret term of endearment that only Charles and Mary knew but that she had told the French king. Francis declared he would help them to ‘advance this matter’5 between the couple but Charles was wary telling the king that he ‘was like to be undone, if this matter should come to the knowledge of the king my master’6 and he assured Wolsey in his next correspondence that he would write to Henry to explain the situation as soon as he had spoken to Mary.
The French court already abounded with rumours that Charles was there to marry the widowed queen. Vergil recounted:
… the envoys came to Paris and explained to Francis the orders they had been given by Henry. Francis agreed with the greatest alacrity to perform all that was asked, except that it was quite clear that the departure of the girl seemed to be regarded by him with displeasure. Henry had anticipated this and ordered Charles to marry her; this was done in accordance with a decision taken before her French marriage…Francis rejoiced greatly at this since he had feared that she might be given to Charles, King of Castile.
Henry had definitely not ordered Charles to marry his sister (at least not officially). He was too astute, and still playing a political game with Francis. Mary was caught between the two king’s in her life and she panicked. When Charles went to see her she flung herself on him, weeping and wailing – more from relief than hysteria. Mary was no fool. She had always admired Charles and marriage to her brother’s closest companion was ever more appealing, but she had to negotiate the situation she was in and her relationship with Henry. In her letters to the king at this time she constantly reminds him of their bond, he as her ‘affectionate, indulgent brother’ and she as his ‘loyal and adoring sister’.7
On 15 February Mary wrote to her brother to tell him that
the French King visited her and asked if she had made any promise of marriage, assuring her that if she would be plain with him he would promote it, whether it were in his realm or out of it. She then confessed to him the good mind she bore to Suffolk, and begged he would write to Henry in his behalf, as he has since done.8
She explained she had ‘answered the French King thus in order to be relieved of the annoyance of his suit, which was not to her honor, and which he has now given up’.9 Mary must have had to remind Francis where her heart lay when his behaviour towards her had continued to be unacceptable but her letter also reminded Henry of the situation she was in and that Charles was her way out.
Letters flew back and forth between Henry and Wolsey and Charles and Mary. On 28 February, Wolsey wrote to Charles that Henry would only consider their marriage after Mary’s dower and goods were settled with Francis – ‘that the King hath to obtain the said plate and jewels is the thing that most stayeth his grace constantly to assent that ye should marry his sister; the lack whereof, I fear me, might make him cold and remiss’.10
But spurred on by her need to leave France and scared of Henry or Francis making any other arrangements for her, Mary took matters into her own hands. She could wait no longer. Mary convinced Charles to marry her in a secret ceremony at the Hotel de Cluny with only Francis and a handful of attendants present. Charles’ fellow envoys, Wingfield and West, were noticeably absent. Now Henry had to be told and they were both rightfully wary of his reaction, writing to Wolsey to gather his support.
The date of their wedding isn’t noted, but it has to be sometime at the end of February given the dates of the correspondence between them. It was not before the 22nd when Spinelly wrote that Mary ‘shall be married to my Lord of Suffolk’ but they were certainly married by the 5 March when Charles wrote to Wolsey: ‘And the Queen would never let me [be] in rest till I had granted her to be married; and so, to be plain with you, I have married her harettylle and has lyen wyet her, in soo moche [as] I fyer me lyes that sche by wyet chyld.’11 Charles entreated Wolsey ‘not to let him be undone’, which he feared he would be without his help. Although he asked Wolsey not to show his letter to Henry, it was bound to happen. To soften the blow, Mary also sent Henry a gift of the Mirror of Naples via Wolsey, a diamond with a great pearl, promising he should have the choice of her other jewels on her return.
‘Cursed be the blind affection and counsel that hath brought ye hereunto!’ Wolsey retorted.12 Telling the newlywed couple that Henry was greatly displeased, not only because they had married without his consent but because Charles, Henry’s most trusted companion, had broken the promise he had made to his king whilst still in England. Henry had granted Charles de la Pole estates in his absence and felt betrayed by ‘the man in all the world he lovyd and trustyd best.’13 To have acted without his permission, even if he would have eventually given it, enraged the king. Wolsey warned Charles that he was ‘in the greatest danger that ever man was in’.14
Charles and Mary both wrote to Henry begging his forgiveness but Mary’s letters also reminded him again that he had agreed she could marry whom she liked after she had done her duty in marrying Louis. Mary worried more for Charles than herself and told Henry it was her fault that Charles had broken his promise to his king.
Whereupon, Sir, I put my Lord of Suffolk in choice whether he would accomplish the marriage within four days or else that he should never have enjoyed me. Whereby I know well that I constrained him to break such promises as he had made to your Grace… I most humbly and as your sorrowful sister requiring you to have compassion upon us both and to pardon our offences, and that it will please your Grace to write to me and to my Lord of Suffolk some comfortable words, for it shall be greatest comfort for us both.15
Henry took his time in replying making Mary increasingly anxious. Although she knew that their situation was less than ideal, she would not back down, even threatening to join a convent if Henry did not accept their marriage. By the 6 March Henry had replied, as Mary wrote him a quick note to thank him for his letter and to ask that he would send for them as soon as possible.
Mary wanted to go home and soon. On 9 March she signed over her dowry to Henry. ‘Be it known to all manner persons that I, Mary Queen of France, sister unto the King of England, Henry the VIIIth, freely give unto the said King my brother all such plate and vessel of clean gold as the late King Loys of France, the XIIth of that name, gave unto me the said Mary his wife; and also, by these presents I do freely give unto my said brother, King of England, the choice of such special jewels as my said late husband King of France gave me.’16
There was some concern now that very few people knew of their marriage at the French court. It was obvious that Mary and Charles were intimate, so to avoid further scandal a more public wedding was held in Paris on 31 March, and any hint of a previous secret ceremony was quashed. There is no record of whether it was a celebration or just a necessity. Louise of Savoy, Francis’ mother, wrote of it in her journal but only as a brief mention referring to Charles as an ‘homme de bonne condition’.
On April 14, Mary signed receipts for the repayment of 20,000 crowns for her travel costs to Abbeville and for her 200,000 crown dowry. Two days later she also had to sign a receipt for the Mirror of Naples and other jewels. Francis wanted the Mirror of Naples returned; it was after all a jewel for the Queen of France, but given its value Henry refused. Francis was enraged and offered to buy it back for 30,000 crowns, and even Charles tried to have the jewel restored to its rightful place, but to no avail. West reported that Francis was ‘sore displeased’ to not get his precious jewel back.
By the end of the month, Francis had also paid 50,000 crowns towards the one million that Louis had promised to pay Henry. The French king gave Mary permission to leave and the Duke and Duchess of Suffolk left Paris on the 16th heading for Calais where they waited for Henry’s permission to cross the Channel. He didn’t give it immediately causing Mary to write again and again to her brother, anxious of their reception but still strong in her conviction that she was right to marry and that it had been Henry’s promise to her.
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Both Charles and Mary were also wary of their reception back at court. Mary drafted an official letter to Henry with Wolsey’s help to explain her actions to the English court. She knew others would read this letter and so emphasised that Henry had previously agreed to let her marry whom she chose.
For the good of the peace and for the furtherance of your affairs, you moved me to marry with my lord and late husband, King Louis of France, whose soul God pardon. Though I understood that he was very aged and sickly, yet for the advancement of the said peace, and for the furtherance of your causes, I was contented to conform myself to your said motion, so that if I should fortune to survive the said late king, I might with your good will marry myself at my liberty without your displeasure. Whereunto, good brother, you condescended and granted, as you well know, promising unto me in such case you would never provoke or move me but as mine own heart and mind should be best pleased; that wheresoever I should dispose myself, you would wholly be contented with the same.17
All of the members of the Privy Council, except one, wanted Charles executed or imprisoned. He had enemies enough who scorned his rise at court and begrudged his relationship with Henry, plus he had married the king’s sister without consent. Men had died for less. Charles had written to Henry before he left Paris ‘But God forgive them, whatsoever comes of me, for I am determined; for your grace is he that is my sovereign lord and master and he that has brought me up of nought, and I am your subject and servant and he that has offended your grace in breaking my promise that I made your grace touching the Queen your sister’.18 In all his correspondence with the king, he takes a meek and submissive role, reminding Henry of their friendship and that he had never been disloyal. Although Mary was taking the blame for their marriage it would be Charles who was held responsible, at least by his peers. Henry himself knew his sister could be more than persuasive.
Mary and Charles arrived in Dover on 2 May and were escorted by Wolsey to Lord Bergavenny’s house at Birling. Henry welcomed them home and the very next day proceeded to get the most out of them for his clemency. Their marriage cost them dearly, Henry could forgive but they would pay for his forgiveness. Mary had to pay back £24,000 in yearly instalments of £2,000 to compensate Henry for the cost of her wedding to Louis, and give Henry back all the plate and jewels she had taken to France or be faced with a 100,000 crown fine. Charles also had to give up his wardship of Elizabeth Grey. He seemed to have forgotten when he married Mary that he was actually betrothed to his young ward but what did it matter now that he was Henry’s brother-in-law?
Although Mary and Charles were faced with such fines, in the long run Mary had saved Henry money. At least he would not have to finance a further foreign wedding and this may be why the repayments were never strictly enforced. Henry’s earlier grant of the de la Pole estates and lands in East Anglia wasn’t rescinded although some of the manors had been granted to others and Charles had to buy these back. Richard de la Pole was still alive, still posing a threat to the throne, and Henry wanted Charles to replace this family with his own power and prestige. His income from these estates plus his other properties and lands would help to raise funds to pay the fine along with Mary’s dower payments from Francis.
Mary and Charles married for the third time on 13 May in the Church of the Observant Friars in Greenwich. Should Mary be pregnant Henry wanted any hint of illegitimacy suppressed, and her marriage on English soil showed his court and his people that the couple were forgiven and now welcome back at court. The chronicler, Hall, commented ‘Against this marriage many men grudged, and said that it was a great loss to the realm that she was not married to the Prince of Castile; but the wisest sort was content, considering that if she had been married again out of this realm, she should have carried much riches with her; and now she brought every year into the realm nine or ten thousand marks. But whatsoever the rude people said, the Duke behaved himself so that he had both the favour of the king and of the people, his wit and demeanour was such’. Henry shook off other people’s opinions and held a tournament to celebrate the marriage, reaffirming his brotherly bond with his most trusted companion and dearest sister. After all theirs was a love story to match the chivalric romances he had been brought up on.
Charles came over all poetical, something he had never done before and penned this verse to add to his marriage portrait. Mary is cloth of gold and he is cloth of frieze.
Cloth of gold, do not despise,
Though thou be matched with cloth of frieze.
Cloth of frieze, be not too bold,
Though thou be matched with cloth of gold.19
Henry is said to have been well pleased by Charles’ deference to Mary. The couple now re-entered court life, taking up residence at the family home of Suffolk Place whilst making plans for its renovation. Sir Thomas Brandon had left Suffolk Place (then Brandon Place), to Charles on his death in 1510. Although their financial situation was strained, Charles began making enquiries into purchasing land and gardens around the old house in Southwark for an ambitious building project to turn Suffolk Place into a home worthy of Mary.
And Mary wanted a family home, somewhere where she could be queen of her own environment, mistress of her own surroundings, and raise her own family. She also did not ignore Charles’ children by his previous marriage to Anne Browne. Although Charles had had very little contact with his daughters, Anne and Mary, his wife asked him to write to Margaret of Savoy where his eldest daughter was positioned and have her returned home. At the end of May, he sent his old friend, Sir Edward Guildford, and William Wodale to bring her back to England.
In June, Mary conceived and not long after retired from court life to begin family life at Westhorpe Hall in East Anglia. It had belonged to the de la Poles and was another building that needed renovation if it were to suit a dowager queen and her family. The Tudor Brandon’s would turn it from a manor house to a grand stately home, spending £12,000 on creating a moated house and gardens designed in the French manner. A survey undertaken in 1538 would describe a house built around a courtyard about 38m square with a gatehouse and bridge crossing the moat on the west side. The main apartments were on the east side and included a hall, a great chamber, dining chamber, a tower, a chapel and other small rooms, as well as the working areas of kitchens, cellars, a buttery and a pantry. Westhorpe would become Mary’s favourite residence and somewhere where she could also escape from court life.
Charles accompanied his wife into the countryside, along with his daughters, Anne and Mary, while Henry was off hunting for the summer. Although he loved the sport, he needed to consolidate his estates and ensure his income. His sojourn in France had been costly, and what with the couple’s financial penalty hanging over their heads and his building projects, he could hardly afford to stay at court. Mary accompanied him on a tour visiting places like Norwich and Great Yarmouth where the chronicler Manshio noted they were ‘receyved and enterteyned by the space of thre daies, whoe tooke greate good liking of this Towne, and of the situation of the same, promisenge that they would procure the Kinge’s Maiestie himself to come to see yt’.20 They were highly honoured, showered with gifts and shown that the people accepted their love match as well as welcoming home their dowager queen.
Whilst Mary and Charles were enjoying life back in England, Mary’s sister Margaret was in trouble in Scotland. After her husband James IV had been killed at the Battle of Flodden, Margaret had been made regent, but since she had married the Earl of Angus, by the terms of James’ will, she rescinded the right to rule. The Duke of Albany was a grandson of James II and had been born and raised in France. His claim to the throne was supported by the pro-French party in Scotland and they wanted him back from France to rule in her stead. The duke had Francis’ support and whilst Charles was negotiating with Francis over Mary’s return to England, he and the other envoys had also been asked to ensure that the duke did not return to Scottish soil, but France and Scotland were ancient allies, and the duke arrived at Dumb
arton in May and was made regent in July. Margaret had two sons from her marriage to James and was pregnant with Angus’s child. She had fled to Stirling Castle but in August, the duke arrived to take her sons into his custody.
Whilst Mary was in Paris she had met the duke, as he was one of Francis’ contemporaries and had been part of the entourage that rode to greet her before her marriage to Louis XII. Margaret’s situation was precarious, and Mary and Charles felt it pertinent to write to the duke to ensure that Margaret was well treated. Albany responded that he would treat Margaret with honour and sent his envoys to bring them news. In his correspondence with the king, he wrote to Wolsey that if he wanted to know the truth of what was happening in Scotland, he should talk to Charles Brandon. Wolsey was incensed that Charles was dabbling in matters that were above him. Politics was not Charles’ strong suit and he was in no position to negotiate with the Duke of Albany. He was banned from any further involvement in Scottish matters yet he still involved himself in French politics, although in Henry’s name, as the Venetian ambassadors reported.
In August, the Venetians recounted a discussion with Charles concerning the King of France and his intentions to go to war,
Perceiving that the Duke of Suffolk, the husband of the Queen Dowager of France, was with the King, and had authority scarcely inferior to that of the King himself, presented credentials from the State, and addressed him in Latin, congratulating him on his marriage with Mary Queen Dowager of France, and alliance to the King of England. The Duke answered very lovingly, in English; said he loved the Signory by reason of the affection which existed between them and the King; and therefore urged first, that should the King of France cross the Alps, the Signory should be on the alert to obtain their territory, lest on the French being established in the Milanese, they should turn against Venice; and secondly, that when reinstated in their possessions, the Signory should diminish their military expenditure, and accumulate treasure, because their money would be needed against the King of France, by reason of his being a spirited youth, in greater favour with his subjects than any other King, and anxious for glory. The Duke repeated these comments twice or thrice very earnestly, and then said that the King had intended saying a few things to them on the day they went to Greenwich, but forgotten to do so, and had therefore charged him to make the [foregoing] communication in his name.21
The Tudor Brandons Page 8
