Mary Tudor
The king's daughter
Mary Tudor (1516 – ), Katherine’s daughter and Henry’s heir.
Born seven years into your parents’ marriage, you are the only surviving child. You are in your mid-teens when you appear in this story. You are small, plain, pious and fragile: very clever, very brave, very stubborn. You hate Anne Boleyn, and revere your father, following your mother’s line in believing that he is misled.
Hilary Mantel, notes on characters
The story so far…
Week 3: An Occult History of Britain (Part 1)
Cromwell considers Mary “two-thirds” of a princess, not a whole one. He cannot help but compare her to his “tough little” Anne Cromwell. Mary is a “pale, clever doll with fox-coloured hair, who speaks with more gravity than the average bishop”.
Week 7: Entirely Beloved Cromwell (Part 2)
They are talking about her at court, because right now she is the heir to the throne of England. Norfolk calls her “that talking shrimp”, a fourteen-year-old with a face “the size of my thumbnail.” But Cromwell demurs. “It depends who advises her. It depends who she marries.”
Week 8: The Dead Complain of Their Burial / Arrange Your Face (Part 1)
Mary, “through pain or fear” had “shrunken into herself.” When she turns “her plain pinched face” to Cromwell, it is “hard as Norfolk's thumbnail.” When it is implied by Cromwell that she may be separated from her mother: “The child is fighting down pain. Her mother is fighting down grief and anger, and disgust and fear.”
Week 14: Devil's Spit / A Painter’s Eye
‘There is but one queen, and that is my mother.’ The king breaks up Mary’s household and sends her to serve Princess Elizabeth. She bursts into tears and locks herself in her room.
There is a young woman walking the roads of the kingdom, saying she is the princess Mary, and that her father has turned her out to beg. She has been seen as far north as York and as far east as Lincoln, and simple people in these shires are lodging and feeding her and giving her money to see her on her way. He has people keeping an eye out for her, but they haven’t caught her yet. He doesn’t know what he would do with her if he did catch her. It is punishment enough, to take on the burden of a prophecy, and to be out unprotected on the winter roads. He pictures her, a dun-coloured, dwindling figure, tramping away towards the horizon over the flat muddy fields.
Week 15: Supremacy
At Hatfield, her gentle keepers are told to beat her — instructions from the Queen of England. They do not comply. Anne Shelton: “You would need a heart of stone not to pity her situation.”
Mary refuses food and a fire because those who bring it to her won’t use her old titles. Cromwell calls himself her friend and tries to help her. He advises her to give her respects to the queen. “It will be done in a heartbeat, and it will change everything.”
But Mary thinks Anne is frightened of her. What if Mary marries? Cromwell can tell the idea has been put to her.
Week 18: Falcons
Anne thinks Cromwell is too favourable to Lady Mary, and they are too soft on her.
‘The king loves his elder daughter still, he says he cannot help it — and it grieves Anne, because she wants the Princess Elizabeth to be the only daughter he knows. She thinks we are too soft towards Mary and that we should tax her to admit her mother was never married lawfully to the king, and that she is a bastard.’
Chapuys is refused permission to visit her.
Week 33: Salvage (Part 3/3)
Cromwell meets Mary at Hundson. He composed a letter for her to send to Henry and submit to her father. She agrees to do it. She tells him how much she has suffered. He gives her a horse called Douceur, whom she renames Ponnegrante, and she removes her cap and cries – after which Lady Shelton comes in.
In July, Henry says he is ready to meet his daughter. The reconciliation takes place in Hackney. Jane gives Mary a diamond ring and tells her to consider her a mother.
Week 37: The Five Wounds
The king tells his councillor to keep Mary watched during the rebellion. ‘I would not for the world that rebels use my daughter against me.’
Week 38: Vile Blood (1/2)
The Lady Mary longs for an infant of her own to love and in default she tries to love her half-sister; the child cannot be blamed, she says, for what her mother was.
Queen Jane asks the king for Lady Mary to return to court to keep her company. She is present at the banquet after the fall of York. ‘Mary’s eyes pass over him. No signal, except a faint pursing of the lips.’
Week 39: Vile Blood (Part 2/2)
Lady Mary summons Cromwell to ‘warn’ him off. She denies giving the rebels permission to act in her name, but she does not deny having been approached. She asks about rumours that they are planning a French marriage for her.
‘Would you not like to marry an Englishman?’ 'Who?' The question jumps out at him. She stares at him through the mirror. Her heart is in her mouth. Let's leave it there.
Week 41: The Image of the King (Part 1/2)
At court, Mary is wearing the gift he commissioned Hans to make and which the king made his own. She thanks him for her Valentine present. ‘You saved me, my lord, when I was drowning in folly. When I was almost past recovery.’
Her voice runs on, rehearsing her gratitude. But she won’t look at him, he notices. her eyes are everywhere, but never on him.
Later in the year, Diego de Mendoza comes from the emperor to arrange a marriage for Mary. He gives Mary a parrot and two letters, one secret. Cromwell gets hold of both. He reminds her that he knows she wrote to the Pope, taking back her allegiance to her father.
Week 42: The Image of the King (Part 2/2) / Broken on the Body
In August, Cromwell gifts Lady Mary a greyhound. In September, he meets her at court, where the king is celebrating the birth of his new son. ‘She thinks, no doubt, I will never be queen now.’ He tells her the new French ambassador will ‘revive the project of your marrying the Duke of Orléans.’
Week 43: Nonsuch
Lady Mary leads the prayers by day during the mourning of Queen Jane.
Week 44: Corpus Christi (Part 1/2)
Chapuys and Mendoza come to Richmond to see Lady Mary. The Emperor is making another push to marry her to Portgual. Chapuys says to Cromwell: ‘She speaks fondly of her friend Cremuel ... She seems confident you will save her from any unwanted bridegroom.’
After the Exeter conspiracy begins to unravel, Riche says, ‘I do not see how the Lady Mary can be left out of it this time. Surely, if they were planning to make use of her, she cannot be ignorant of that?’
Week 46: Ascension Day (Part 1/2)
Cromwell and Mary talk while watching tennis. She says she doesn’t let anyone tell her anything. He has asked Hans Holbein to paint her for the Duke of Cleves. He tells her that Wilhelm is handsome and no Lutheran.
Week 48: Twelfth Night
The Duke of Bavaria comes and negotiations begin to marry him to Lady Mary. Rafe and Cromwell get her to meet him.