Princess Mary

Truth, the Daughter of Time

**Princess Mary** was born the second daughter of Henry Tudor and Catherine of Aragon. She had one older sister, who was stillborn; three older brothers, two named Henry, and one who was stillborn; and one younger sister, who was just a few days old when she died. Mary was the heir to the throne of England from her birth in February 1516 until her father's marriage to her mother was controversially annulled in the early months of 1533. Because of her mother's inability to have a son, her father, King Henry VIII, believed that their marriage was cursed. He told her mother that he wanted to separate, and have the pope in Rome see what could be done about their marriage. Queen Catherine was devastated, for she was madly in love with her husband. Mary chose Catherine in the argument, leading her to exile and disfavor for over a decade.

## Childhood

Mary led a happy childhood as the only surviving child of King Henry of England and Queen Catherine. She was given an impressive education, overseen by her proud mother, and was as dutiful in the Catholic faith as both her mother and father. She was very talented at the virginals, and would entertain diplomats and ambassadors for various foreign kingdoms. Mary had one surviving sibling, by her father and his mistress, Bessie Blount; a boy named Henry Fitzroy, who was created Earl of Richmond.

Mary is seen reading *Utopia* by Thomas More, a great friend to both her mother and father, in a scene from the episode titled after her mother. She is shown being confused as to some of the wording of it, but her mother encourages her to continue reading with a smile. Her father comes into the rooms (a rare occurrence as her parents mainly live apart) and the king is shown to be quite loving towards his only legitimate child. Mary is also shown to be fluent in Spanish, conversing with her father effortlessly. Her father questions what she is reading, before returning the book to his daughter. Queen Catherine tells him of what a delight their daughter is, and the king is in agreement, but sends his daughter away to speak to his wife alone. Mary bids farewell affectionately to both her parents before taking the book and leaving.

Mary is shown once more in the episode, playing the virginals on her own, saddened by her mother's exile and likely the breakdown of her parent's marriage. She is not seen again until she is twenty-years-old.

## Young Adulthood

During her father's marriage to Anne Boleyn, Mary is out of favor in the English court, and is not seen. She is stripped of her title of "Princess" and is bestowed the title of "the Lady Mary, the king's daughter". When her father is told by the Spanish ambassador that she is ill and may not last long, the ambassador begs the king to send the frail Queen Catherine to her. The king agrees, only if Mary writes him a letter stating that she is an illegitimate child and that her parents' marriage was never valid, that Anne Boleyn is queen, and that the child Anne Boleyn carries is the heir to the throne of England. Mary refuses to do this, and she never sees her mother again.

Mary becomes a sister when her father's marriage to Anne Boleyn produces a daughter, Princess Elizabeth, who is made heir to the throne upon her birth in 1533. Anne Boleyn is executed in 1536 and is not missed by Mary at all.

Mary is brought back to English court at the age of twenty, after Anne Boleyn's execution and her father's marriage to Jane Seymour. Jane is a breath of fresh air to the English court, and Mary finds herself enjoying her new stepmother's company. It was Jane herself that persuaded the king to bring his eldest daughter to court due to their similar views upon religion. The king, upon first seeing his daughter again, asked her point blank if she had communicated with the Holy Roman Emperor, her former fiance, to overthrow him and proclaim herself Queen of England. Mary tells her father that she has never even met him, and he readily believes her, before informing Mary that she will go riding with the queen the following day. That evening, Mary prays aloud and states that she must ask forgiveness as to her reluctant thoughts towards Queen Jane. She rides out with Jane the following morning and they enjoy one another's company. She meets Jane's elder brother, Thomas, who informs them that he is returned to England, and that their youngest sibling, Dorothy, is going to be married, and Mary seems delighted at the news. She is next seen at her youngest siblings' christening, for her brother, Edward, Prince of Wales, who she is attached to. The last time she is seen is when her father makes light jokes with her; Mary had been sitting with Queen Jane's body, for Queen Jane had died after the birth of her son. Mary is visibly upset by this, but informs her father that she is nursing a toothache. The king seems pleased to see her before going to grieve himself.

## Later Adulthood

Mary is mentioned in passing by Anne of Cleves when she is negotiating her divorce settlement with her father, the king. Anne's conditions are that she remains in England, has her own household and an allowance, be permitted to take the title of "the King's Beloved Sister", and still be able to have a relationship with his children. She then claims to love the king's children, which he seems to be pleased to hear.

Mary is next seen after her father's marriage to Katherine Parr, and is around at court much of the time with her sixth stepmother. When Thomas Seymour, who was much in love with her, comes to court to inform Queen Katherine of the king's return from battle to France, he rudely tells Mary to leave the room and to go to bed. Queen Katherine politely and lovingly says goodnight to her eldest stepchild before Thomas Seymour delivers the news. When he father is on his deathbed, Mary is thirty-years-old and is summoned to him; Bishop Gardiner, one of the king's Catholic advisers, asks if the king will make the Lady Mary his heir. Mary is summoned to her father and speaks softly with him, whereupon he asks her if she will keep her younger brother, Edward, safe. Mary quickly replies that she will, and will love Edward as if he was her own child. Her father then asks if she will accept him as King of England, to which Mary breaks down. It is unclear, as she is led from the room on her father's orders, if she is crying because of her father's impending death, or the notion that she is not named his direct successor.