Mary Tudor

## Mary

Mary in 1544.

**Mary Tudor** (18 February 1516 - Present) is the only surviving child of Henry VIII of England and Catherine of Aragon, his first wife. Her parents' marriage was annulled, causing Mary to be declared illegitimate, though she was later restored to the line of succession via the Third Succession Act in 1543.

This restoration not only bestowed upon Mary a renewed sense of legitimacy and identity but also positioned her as a potential heir to the English throne once again. The political and religious upheavals of the time further complicated her path, as England's religious landscape underwent transformative changes. Mary's unswerving commitment to her Catholic faith, in the midst of a nation shifting toward Protestantism, added another layer of complexity to her life. Her steadfastness in upholding her religious beliefs showcased her resilience and unwavering determination, qualities that would define her legacy in ways beyond her potential ascension to the throne.

## Early life

### Birth

Mary was born on the 18th of February, 1516, at the Palace of Placentia in Greenwich, England. She came into the world as the sole offspring of King Henry VIII and his first spouse, Catherine of Aragon, who managed to overcome the challenges of infant mortality. Prior to Mary's birth, her mother had endured a series of unfortunate miscarriages and stillbirths. This included four previous pregnancies resulting in a stillborn daughter and three sons who sadly either had brief lives or were stillborn, among them Henry, Duke of Cornwall.

Soon after her birth, Mary received her Catholic baptism at the Church of the Observant Friars in Greenwich, just three days later. Among the distinguished individuals chosen as her godparents were Lord Chancellor Thomas Wolsey, her great-aunt Catherine, Countess of Devon, and Agnes Howard, Duchess of Norfolk. Following her baptism, Mary's confirmation took place right away, sponsored by Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury, a first cousin once removed from Henry VIII. This spiritual milestone was promptly followed by a significant moment, as Mary herself became a godmother in the subsequent year, having been named one of the sponsors for her cousin Frances Brandon.

As she grew, the Countess of Salisbury assumed the role of Mary's governess in 1520. By 1530, Sir John Hussey took on the position of her chamberlain. His wife, Lady Anne, who hailed from the lineage of George Grey, 2nd Earl of Kent, also served as one of Mary's attendants during this time.

### Childhood and upbringing

Mary exhibited remarkable precocity as a child. In the month of July in 1520, at the tender age of scarcely four and a half years, she captivated a visiting French delegation by performing on the virginals, a type of harpsichord. Her early education owed much to her mother, who sought guidance from the Spanish humanist Juan Luis Vives. Vives was entrusted to compose a treatise titled "De Institutione Feminae Christianae," which focused on the education of young girls. Remarkably, by the age of nine, Mary had acquired the ability to both read and write in Latin. She pursued studies in languages such as French, Spanish, as well as music, dance, and possibly even Greek.

Despite Henry's genuine affection for Mary, he experienced profound disappointment over the fact that his marriage had failed to yield any male heirs. This was especially evident when Mary turned nine, at which point it became clear that Catherine and Henry would not have additional children, leaving Henry without a legitimate male successor. In 1525, Henry decided to dispatch Mary to the Welsh border region, where she was designated to preside, ostensibly in name only, over the Council of Wales and the Marches. At Ludlow Castle, she established her own court and enjoyed many of the privileges typically reserved for a Prince of Wales, earning her the informal title of the Princess of Wales. Although the official investiture with the title never occurred, Vives and other contemporaries referred to her as such. For approximately three years, Mary's presence graced the Welsh Marches, as she maintained regular visits to her father's court. However, around mid-1528, she returned permanently to the home counties encircling London.