Mary Tudor, Princess in Exile

2nd of March, 1535: Queen Anne Boleyn announces her newest pregnancy, sure that this one will carry to term. Henry is excited, feeling that he will finally get his longed for son.

28th of March, 1535: After much careful planning, the Catholic Princess Mary Tudor escapes from her home imprisonment. It was a thrilling escape; involving drugging her caretakers (read: prison guards) the Lady Clere and the Lady Shelton, fleeing Hatfield to the coast and leaving on a small boat to the Hasburg court in Brussels. This is the start of a big change in the world of the European royals, for better or worse.

3rd of April, 1535: Henry VIII is informed of his daughters’ escape, with a story that adds ‘extra’ parts that place the blame on several guards. Infuriated, the King orders the deaths of 7 guards as well as several other people in the household. The Princess Elizabeth is brought to court for her safety, as the King now fears a full on rebellion to follow; a paranoid belief that is compounded by a small riot in the north (entirely separate of Mary’s leaving; it is actually due to a rise in taxes). The Lady Clere and the Lady Shelton are also sent to the tower, though Anne pushes for their release. Henry is angry, and there will be hell to pay.

19th of April, 1535: Catherine of Aragon is sent to the Tower of London under the direct orders of the King. When she asks the reason why, she is told that it is treason; she will be tried and beheaded for her crimes. Supposedly the King was shown a series of letters between Catherine and Mary that discuss the plan to send her to Brussels and their hope to topple the king due to his continued ‘awful nature’. Waiting in the tower, Catherine writes long letters to Henry pleading for her life. Henry returns all the letters, unopened.

20th of April, 1535: The queen makes sure to send a letter to Catherine of Aragon, with an offer to ‘save her’ if she will recognise her fault in this case. Catherine is obviously insulted, and sends a letter to the queen in return, that simply says:

“Never forget that I too had many children by his majesty, but only one survived. How can you be sure you will be different?”

Accompanying the letter is a cap and toy of a child, with the information that these were the possessions of Catherine’s son. The message was obvious. Catherine believed that the King would have no living sons.

13th of May, 1535: After a rough sea voyage and a slow progress to the court, Mary arrives at Brussels. Weary, thin and sickly-looking, the young woman almost collapses upon entering and is moved into a comfortable room by Mary of Austria: Queen Dowager of Hungary (Charles V was away due to a meeting in Madrid for reasons pertaining to boring political stuff) where she tells her story (with some embellishment). With stories of pirates and storms, attacks and near-death experiences the self-exiled princess charms the court. She retires for a time though, to build her strength and return to full health.

15th of May, 1535: Charles V arrives back at Brussels, where he enthusiastically greets Mary. He speaks to her of possible marriages, of her journey to the court and of England. When discussing the latter, she says that her father is still King, and she would never go against him in any way (other than fleeing the country) unless it was endorsed by God himself. But Charles goaded her, informing the poor girl that her mother had been sent to the tower, and was most likely to be hanged. Instead of reacting in anger however, Mary instead devolved into tears and had to be consoled by her niece Maria (who had arrived with her father to visit the court in Brussels). Obviously the girl would need some sort of holy push, and Charles knew exactly what to do. He sent emissaries to Rome; the Pope had to hear his plan.
16th of May, 1535: The Lady Clere and the Lady Shelton are released from the tower with heavy fines, as well as the order to stay away from court. While many see this as a blessing, some of the more Catholic nobles see this as a sign of the queens waning powers; reasoning that before she could’ve had the woman brought back to court with honours. This is further compounded by a very public argument between Henry and Anne over the use of the money that is brought in from the monasteries. But Anne is still pregnant, and Henry is still careful not to unsettle her too much. We wouldn’t want Anne to suffer a miscarriage, would we?

26th of May, 1535: Charles V’s emissaries arrive in Rome, with a letter from the Emperor. It basically said that Henry VIII had forfeited his right to rule through way of being a heretic and treating his lawful wife (Catherine of Aragon) in an ‘evil and rude’ way; and as such Henry Tudor should be deposed in favour of his daughter, the Princess Mary. While it was early days yet, the Pope was definitely on the same page as Charles V, so he began to mull it over.
30th of May, 1535: Catherine of Aragon’s trial begins. The former queen stands in front of a jury of nobles (mostly those related to the queen) and says her piece. In a sample of her speech:

“…so, peers of the realm, why am I here? What have I done but protect my child, who is the only true child of the King? I did nothing against His Majesty, and would never oppose his true authority…”

But for all her arguments, for all her adamant beliefs, Catherine of Aragon is charged with treason and will be punished as the King sees fit. The woman is then sent to the tower to await her punishment.

31st of May, 1535: A heavily pregnant Anne Boleyn falls in front of the King to plead for the life of Catherine of Aragon. While the court watches confusedly, Henry is most displeased. After all Henry had gone through for her, after he had put his former wife on trial, this ungrateful wench is trying to save that treasonous woman. But, in an attempt to save face the King pulls Anne Boleyn up and tells her to worry about their son, not the dowager Princess of Wales. So Anne went back to her rooms, and cried for the position that Princess Mary had put her in.

14th of June, 1535: News of Catherine’s trial travel to Brussels, along with the story of Anne Boleyn pleading for Catherine’s life. While the former brings the exiled princess stress, the Anne Boleyn story is unbelievable to her. But that is the least of her problems. Now that she is settled in the court, Charles V is looking for a suitable husband for her. The two have meeting overlooking suitable candidates, but are unable to come to a conclusion. As a princess, Mary wants a man who is equal or higher to her in rank. But Charles is realistic and offers her marriages that will either mean she has to marry someone of a lower rank or who is significantly younger or older than her. So they continue to look. But Mary is young yet, and marriage will come soon.

18th of June, 1535: Mary receives her first proposal since arriving at the court. A formal proposal from the Infante Louis: Duke of Beja; it also came with the gift of a purse of gold and a series of trinkets. While she was flattered, the princess was to have returned the trinkets (but not the money; that was used to pay off gambling debts) and have said that it may happen, but it also may not. Mary knew that she was one of the most eligible women in Europe, and she was going to marry a man who she considered good enough to be King of England.

23rd of June, 1535: Mary received a second proposal, this time from Sigismund: Heir to Poland. The proposal, which was accompanied by a miniature painting of the prince and another purse of gold, was less expected than the proposal from Infante Luis, but was met with the same ‘maybe’ that had marked her response to the Duke. While Charles V dismissed the possibility of her marrying the Polish Prince, Mary was said to consider Sigismund closer to her equal than a mere Duke. But she had no made a decision yet, and Charles was certain that she would chose keeping her (read: his) best interests as heart.

29th of June, 1535: A third proposal came for Mary Tudor by the way of France. From King Francis in the name of the dauphin, it arrived with a third purse of gold, a miniature of the dauphin and a pearly and gold broach done with a ruby and sapphire cross in the centre. Somewhat a surprise, it added a new suitor to her growing roster of possible husbands, and finally offered her a chance to put herself in the position to become Queen of England after her father’s death. But, as with Sigismund, Charles V was not on board. In fact, the Emperor was resolute; she would not marry into France. But Mary apparently ‘found the prince most handsome and generous’; she also remembered her past engagement to him during her childhood. So Mary put him on her list, and began to weigh up the pros and cons of each match.

3rd of July, 1535: Mary and Charles V had a very vocal argument that was heard by the court. Mary now has her heart set on marrying Francis: Dauphin of France because of various reasons (rich, future monarch, links to past etc.), but Charles did not want her throwing herself into the hands of the French. So he offered to marry Mary to his son and heir, Philip. A shocking move, it meant that the talks with Portugal and various other countries would have to be stopped (for now) and Phillip would be marrying a woman over a decade older than him. Mary was shocked the most, and a little bit offended that she was told to marry an 8 year old. So she went to her rooms and began to think it over.

9th of July, 1535: Another proposal arrived, this time from James V of Scotland. Unlike the other proposals, no purse of gold comes with it, instead a portrait of Mary’s mother (done for Margaret Tudor in the 1520’s) and a letter detailing the treatment of Catherine and how James wished to ally with Mary to save Catherine and England. An interesting proposition, Mary was intrigued by the possibilities. The princess was also touched by the portrait of her mother; sending a letter to James with words of thanks and encouragement towards the possibility of marriage. Charles V was not as against this match as the French match, but still encouraged a Habsburg match. Mary was now torn on who to marry, but it was still early days yet.

Painting James V sent to Mary Tudor of Cathetine of Aragon in 1535.

Replicas of two gifts Mary Tudor was sent as possible betrothal gifts.

Not a bad start, although I think the idea of Anne Boleyn pleading for the life of Queen Katherine is a tad unlikely.

ghappy1000 said:

This is a painting of Katherine of Aragon, Mary's mother.

Click to expand...

Please read the caption again. It says the painting was sent to Mary. I've edited the caption to make this clearer though.

Basileus Giorgios said:

Not a bad start, although I think the idea of Anne Boleyn pleading for the life of Queen Katherine is a tad unlikely.

Click to expand...

Well, Anne's position was really at it's strongest when Catherine was alive. She was fast falling out of favor, but while Catherine lived she could not be set aside without Henry having to admit he was wrong in the case of Catherine. Anne is smart enough to realize this and would want to stay in a position of safety. And, if no other method was working, she would (as in my timeline) think to use the medieval method of begging the King in front of the court. Just my opinion.

14th of July, 1535: Charles V sent his ambassadors in England very specific instructions. They were to bargain with Henry VIII over the release of Catherine of Aragon; but were not allowed to give promises for Mary’s return. So instead, they promised things like money, military support and possibly a new wife (as they had heard rumours that Anne was meant to be set aside by the king). While Henry seemed to listen patiently and even seemed to consider, but answered with a definite no. The English King didn’t want to bargain with the Emperor if there was no chance of Mary’s return. He did promise that Catherine’s death would not be slow and painful though.

First of all nice set up and it will be interesting to which man Mary will pick as her husband. As she is under the protection of Charles, her cousin. She might be forced to marry someone she does not want if he withholds funds for her support.

I will wonder if Anne will miscarry as OTL or give birth to a son for the King. That could have major repercussions for Mary's decision as well as England.

zert said:

First of all nice set up and it will be interesting to which man Mary will pick as her husband. As she is under the protection of Charles, her cousin. She might be forced to marry someone she does not want if he withholds funds for her support.

I will wonder if Anne will miscarry as OTL or give birth to a son for the King. That could have major repercussions for Mary's decision as well as England.

Click to expand...

Well, I have chosen Mary's husband at this point, but it will not go over well with Charles. But it all part of my plan to get rid of Henry. And Charles will be happy with it in the end.

Also, Anne will have another child, but it will not be male. And this child will stir a lot of trouble.

16th of July, 1535: Anne Boleyn left for her chambers. While as queen she should have gone at least two months before the earliest possible due date, she had stalled for as long as possible to try and salvage the situation that Mary had caused. But, as she had known, she had to withdraw. So she left with very specific instructions to her brother George:

“…and do not let the country fall while I am gone, or else England will fall to the Catholics. We must fight to keep this country in our hands. Also, try and get rid of the Seymour wench, she is all too clever in her seduction of the King…”

So she left, and the King started to play house with his new favourite, the Lady Jane Seymour. The lady, who Anne saw as a clever rival, was to spend this time showing the King how he wanted a wife to behave. She presented herself as the proper English maiden, complete with the gabled hood and all white attire (to accentuate her purity). But her end was around the corner. For little Jane, she had said some things in closed quarters that would greatly upset the King.

Thanks for the information. It will be interesting how you develop things and how this may come about. Best of luck and I look forward to where you take things.

zert said:

Thanks for the information. It will be interesting how you develop things and how this may come about. Best of luck and I look forward to where you take things.

Click to expand...

Thank you for the support

Nitpick: You have Anne Boleyn "heavily pregnant" 41 days after she announces her pregnancy, and going into confinement 45 days later. The numbers don't add up.

Henry would have announced the pregnancy to the court, not Anne, and he would have done it at the quickening, which (in a woman who had previously borne a child) would usually occur at 14-16 weeks after her last menstrual period. A woman due around August 1 (which this sounds like) would have a LMP of about October 25. Henry would therefore announce it around mid-February, March 1 at the latest.

The phrase "heavily pregnant" is used to describe women within two or three weeks of the child's birth - she wouldn't be called this in May, when she's six to seven months pregnant. Unless it's twins, in which case it's likely she'd give birth a bit earlier anyway.

Blurgle said:

Nitpick: You have Anne Boleyn "heavily pregnant" 41 days after she announces her pregnancy, and going into confinement 45 days later. The numbers don't add up.

Henry would have announced the pregnancy to the court, not Anne, and he would have done it at the quickening, which (in a woman who had previously borne a child) would usually occur at 14-16 weeks after her last menstrual period. A woman due around August 1 (which this sounds like) would have a LMP of about October 25. Henry would therefore announce it around mid-February, March 1 at the latest.

The phrase "heavily pregnant" is used to describe women within two or three weeks of the child's birth - she wouldn't be called this in May, when she's six to seven months pregnant. Unless it's twins, in which case it's likely she'd give birth a bit earlier anyway.

Click to expand...

She is actually carrying twins, but I'll change the dates to make it more believable. And also, what does LMP mean?

20th of July, 1535: Charles V and Mary Tudor have another meeting to decide the fate of England, as well as the Princess. She, as she had before, pushed for a French match while Charles wanted her to marry a Habsburg. But she was even less inclined to marry any of her Habsburg options now that she had met her main possibility; Luis: Duke of Beja. While not an ‘ugly’ man per say, he had no charm, charisma or tact; having greeted the princess in her rooms (without warning) and asking when she would marry him. He also brought up her mother, querying if she was dead yet. Charles V was disappointed with her reaction, but reminded himself that political marriages did not need to be compatible.