Ok so: Luis and Mary Tudor get married in late 1537, after the birth of an heir to the English Throne. As part of the marriage agreement, Mary agreed to suspend her right to the English Throne for herself, although the wording was vague as to if her children were also exempt. The Duke of Beja and his English bride honeymooned in the Portuguese Court, where Mary met with her cousin Catherine of Austria, becoming attached to the young Prince John Manuel of Portugal. The new Duchess of Beja grew comfortable in the company of the royal family, but wrote to her father that she hoped the atmosphere of the court would pick up soon, due to the mourning set in place for the recent death of the Prince Manuel of Portugal. She also acted as a confidant to the Princess Maria Manuela, with whom she founded a great friendship. Thus, it was with great sadness that, in early 1538, she left the Portuguese Court to travel to Toledo, where they met with her cousin the Emperor Charles V.
While there, Mary fell pregnant for the first time, giving birth in November to her first child, a son named John. With her son, Mary and Luis entered the world of diplomacy and Luis began negotiating being granted the Duchy of Milan. The talks would go on for the next 6 months and finally, in August of 1539, Mary Tudor and Luis of Portugal were Duke and Duchess of Milan. They arrived in Milan in December, presiding over a triumphant Christmas court, compounded with the announcement of Mary's second pregnancy. Thus, the royal couple greeted many different dignities, including the English ones, with Mary in a delicate state. Finally, in June of 1540, Mary gave birth a second time, to a second son. This child was named Charles Manuel, after his cousin and grandfather. Thus, the Milanese royal family grew larger.
In 1540 the Duke and Duchess of Milan and Beja welcomed the guest of Pier Luigi Farnese and his wife Gerolama Orsini, along with their unmarried daughter Vittoria Farnese who Mary agreed to take on as a maid-of-honour. The talian Lady was, therefore, present for the birth of the Duchess' third child, yet another son, in July of 1541. Unfortunately, Afonso of Milan was a sickly babe and died within a week of his birth, leaving the Duchess melancholy for the next few months. However, she seemed to pick up at the betrothal of her son, John of Milan, to Eleanora d'Este, who would join the Court of Milan in November of 1541, during which time her parents visited her and brought a significant portion of her dowry. The Italian Noblewoman would be raised as one of the royal children for the time being.
In 1543, it was discovered the Duke of Milan was conducting an affair with his wife's favoured maid, Vittoria Farnese. Scandalized, Mary sent the Lady home to her parent's home, where she moved to a convent due to her new status as fully spoiled and a known "harlot". This came during the Duchess' most recent pregnancy, that ended in 1544 with the birth of a 4th son, named Luis of Milan after his father. This child was immediately pegged for a religious life and Mary would continually gift him with religious effigies and the like to help him along his path. Mary's fourth pregnancy was quite difficult and she would leave Milan for a time to take the waters at a nearby health spa, staying for three months. Arriving home, she was seen as relaxed and much happier, although sickness in Charles Manuel of Milan seemed to renew her stress.
The Duchess would undergo a fifth pregnancy in 1545, giving birth to a stillborn son in December. Again, as the birth and death of Afonso of Milan had left her unhappy, depression struck again and she once again took to the waters, leaving her husband to deal with the issue of the Farnese family. After Luis of Portugal had ruined his daughter, the newly made Duke of Castro had decided on war for the two families, claiming the Duchy of Parma and thus lands belonging to the Duke of Milan. Having recently gained a betrothal between their second son and Maria of Guimarães, the Duke of Milan began an attack on the armies occupying his Duchy, eventually driving them out at minimal losses either side. Hailed as a hero, he arrived to find his wife returned to him, and in 1546 Mary would undergo her final pregnancy, giving birth in May of 1547 to the couple's only daughter, Maria Catarina Renata of Milan. Having recently been joined by Maria of Guimarães, the household was divided up into three: the Court, the household of Princes and the household of Princesses.
The situation worked well, particularly since the courts moved together and thus Mary was able to keep close to the children. In particular, she held considerable sway over their educations and pushed for them to strive intellectually. However, due to her constant absences, the Duchess of Milan was also a somewhat uneven presence in the lives of the children in her care, moving between careful and constant visits and long stretches of emptiness, epitomized by a 5 week time at the waters after news of her father's death was broken to her. However, it seems she was a more constant presence than Luis, who was supposed to have not visited the courts more than thrice a year. Common for most royals, the issue usually taken against him is the closeness of the households, which allowed his wife to go for many short visits while also continuing her duties, often on level with his due to the pile ups during her absences. However, with the constant bickering with the Farnese family, Luis; absence can be justified somewhat.
The celebrations of the marriage between John of Milan and Eleanora d'Este was undertaken in August of 1553, when both parties were 15 years old. The event was attended by many and was quite expensive. However, what was more important for Mary at this time was the death of her brother in England, leaving her sister as the Queen of England. An unfortunate victim to the Tudor genes, Edward VI of England had left a highly Protestant England to a Protestant new Queen, to the disgust of the Duchess of Milan. Thus, the Duchess travelled from Milan to England to attend her sister's coronation and discuss the religious situation of England, particularly due to the potential for Elizabeth I of England to marry a Catholic and bring England under the Hapsburg umbrella.
Arriving shortly before the coronation, the sisters greeted each other warmly and Mary congratulated her sister on the succession, although she did grieve for the brother they both lost. However, Elizabeth was evasive as to questions of marriage and religion, claiming herself a tender woman and in need of guidance for her future dealings. Mary took this as a good sign, and offered Elizabeth her own advice, to marry quickly and enjoy her youth and power, but to also follow god in all things. The advice was taken gratefully but not to heart and, no sooner had she returned to Milan than had Elizabeth banished over 20 men who spoke for the Catholic religion. Clearly taken aback, Mary wrote a series of letters (referred to historically and the "Sister's Letters") begging Elizabeth to choose her path wisely.
At this time, Mary saw her second son married, to Maria of Guimarães. Charles Manuel and his bride were married in 1555 in a smaller ceremony than his brother and was granted, by the Pope, the Duchy of Camerino, theoretically making him as high as his brother. However, this was meant instead to keep him busy until his father's death, when he was inherit the Duchy of Beja as willed. The paperwork for this transition had been signed and agreed to and Mary, with her husband ailing, began to ready her son and daughter-in-law, to leave for Portugal. And, in 1555, with the death of her husband, Mary saw the young children off, to where they would be greeted by their cousin Joanna of Austria and their aunt, Catherine of Austria. While Joanna greeted the young, happily married couple with suspicion, Catherine embraced and protected them. Thus, Mary's final years would be spent helping her son rule.
A strong willed young man, John I, Duke of Milan found himself quite suited for power. While never a strong student, he seems to have slotted into ruling quite well and, with his bride, seems to have been quite happy with his situation. A son in 1559, the first of his children, was named Luis Francis, after his father and the French King, who he was attempting to broach a trade treaty with and who would agree to act as the godfather to the Milanese Prince. Unfortunately, this move did not work in the long term due to Francis II of France's unfortunate case of death in 1560 and thus he instead married his sister in 1568 to Hercule François de Valois, who was made Duke of Berry shortly after their marriage. He was also and amorous man and, after her first husband's death, installed Ippolita Gonzaga, a daughter of his father's friend, as his mistress. However, his wife seems to have easily accepted this arrangement and the two would have 4 surviving children together.
Mary herself would die in 1559, a mere three days after her grandson was born. While content with her immediate family, a letter written to her sister that year shows she had concerns for the future and her questioning the continual choice to marry proves she held significant concerns for the future. However, these concerns would prove significant to her children and grandchildren's futures. But the Dowager Duchess of Milan and Beja could not have known this in 1559, as she slipped into death and was buried next to her husband and dead children, with the inscription:
She who had birth us/She who has loved us/She who has left us.
In the years proceeding her death, Mary's youngest son broke from what was expected from him. Luis, more commonly known as Louis, escaped from Milan in 1561 to France, becoming a favourite of Charles IX of France and rising to the Dukedom of Mayenne, before leaving with a French bride in 1574 to England, where he joined the court as a favourite of his aunt. A clever man, he died the year before her in 1602, but managed to convince her his son was worthy of the throne. As a direct descendant of Henry VIII of England, he was accepted, particularly after his marriage to the younger daughter of the Lady Jane Dudley (previously Grey). Thus, Mary's line took the English Throne, although Mary herself never seems to have coveted it and never once was implicated in plots for it during her time as Duchess of Milan.
Mary Tudor (b.1516: d.1559) m. Luis of Portugal, Duke of Milan and Beja (b.1506: d.1555) (a)
1a) John I, Duke of Milan (b.1538) m. Eleanora d'Este (b.1538: d.1581) (a)
1a) Luis Francis I, Duke of Milan (b.1559)
2a) Miscarriage (c.1560)
3a) Anna Theresa of Milan (b.1563)
4a) Ippolita of Milan (b.1564: d.1564)
5a) Charles of Milan (b.1566)
6a) Miscarriage (c.1567)
7a) Maria Luisa of Milan (b.1570: d.1571)
8a) John Philip of Milan (b.1572)
2a) Charles I of Portugal (b.1539: d.1590) m. Maria of Guimarães (b.1538: d.1577) (a)
1a) Beatrice of Portugal (b.1563)
2a) John IV of Portugal (b.1567)
3a) Afonso, Duke of Beja (b.1571)
4a) Luisa of Portugal (b.1574)
3a) Afonso of Milan (b.1541: d.1541)
4a) Louis, Duke of Mayenne (b.1544) m. Louise de Bourbon (b.1548: d.1586) (a)
1a) Louis I of England (b.1576)
2a) John, Duke of Mayenne (b.1580)
5a) Stillborn Son (c.1545)
6a) Maria Catarina Renata of Milan (b.1547: d.1609) m. Hercule François de Valois, Duke of Berry and Anjou (b.1555: d.1584) (a)
1a) Marie Catherine de Valois (b.1574)
2a) Marguerite Anne de Valois (b.1577)
3a) Stillborn Son (c.1580)
4a) Charlotte de Valois (b.1584)
