A Review of La Reine Blanche by Sarah Bryson

La Reine Blanche

Mary Tudor A Life in Letters by Sarah Bryson

In La Reine Blanche the life of Mary Tudor, Sarah Bryson chronicles the life of the youngest surviving daughter of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York.

The life of Mary Tudor is often overlooked in favour of her infamous brother, Henry Tudor. Destined, as a female member of the royal family, to be utilised in the international marriage market to form diplomatic alliances, Sarah Bryson shows the reader, through Mary Tudor’s own words in her letters, how she ultimately took control over her life and circumstances.

La Reine Blanche begins by documenting the rise of the Tudor dynasty following the battle of Bosworth and Henry VII’s coronation on 30 October 1485. Henry married Elizabeth of York, daughter of Edward IV on 18 January 1486. Mary was one of 4 surviving children of Henry and Elizabeth and was born on 18 March 1495.

Sarah Bryson offers the reader a wealth of detail about the practices at the time for the preparation and arrival of royal babies. Information is given about the customary lying-in, to the mother being ‘churched’ 30 days after giving birth. She recounts how Mary’s early life may have been during Henry VII’s reign. Surviving the challenges he faced with rebellions and pretenders, claiming to be Edward IV’s sons, Edward, Earl of Warwick and another, Richard, Duke of York. She also describes the effect her brother Arthur and her mother’s deaths had on the family and the subsequent elevation of Henry VIII, following his father’s death in 1509.

At the age of 12, Mary was officially betrothed to the future King Charles V of Spain and was Princess of Castile for six years. However, frustrated by the delay tactics of Maximilian I regarding his grandson’s marriage, Henry VIII forged an alliance elsewhere. In 1514 Mary formally renounced her marriage with Prince Charles of Spain and on 13 August 1514, at the age of 18, was married by proxy to Louis XII of France, a man 34 years her senior.

Mary and Louis were formally married on 9 October 1514 and Mary became Queen of France. Around this time, Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk was made ambassador to the French King.

Sarah Bryson substantiates the promise Mary is understood to have extracted from Henry prior to leaving England. This being, that should Louis die, she would be free to marry a husband of her own choosing. This is evidenced from an analysis of the content of letters to Henry from Mary, following Louis’s death on 1 January 1515.

Sometime between 31 January and 3 February 1515 Mary Tudor secretly married Charles Brandon in France without the King’s permission. This was after Henry had demanded a promise from Charles Brandon before he left for France that he would not marry Mary. This ended the possibility of any future match that the new French King or Henry VIII may have been considering for the Dowager Queen of France. Sarah Bryson examines the flurry of letters from both Mary and Charles to the King and Cardinal Wolsey during that time revealing how Mary used those around her to deflect the blame from herself and Charles, casting herself as a ‘helpless pawn rather than the cunning woman she was’.

Mary and Charles were fined heavily by the King for their actions and were officially married at Greenwich Palace on 13 May 1515 before the King.

The couple went on to have 4 children before Mary’s death on 25 June 1533 at just 37 years of age. The exact cause of death is unknown. Only 2 of her children, Frances and Eleanor were to survive into adulthood. Frances would go on to marry Henry Grey, Marquis of Dorset. Their eldest daughter was Jane, later to become the Nine Days Queen.

Whilst Mary had a relatively short life, even by the standard of the time, Sarah Bryson skilfully shines a light on Mary’s personality and mind-set at some of the most turbulent times of her life. She ultimately married a man she loved whilst not always treading the easy path. Her unsanctioned marriage to Charles Brandon could have potentially cost him his life. Similarly, her opposition to her brother’s marriage to Anne Boleyn was a perilous course to take. However, perhaps it was the close relationship between brother and sister that ultimately influenced Mary to reach out and forge her own destiny during an age when this was not conventional for women.

La Reine Blanche is an accessible and engaging read. Sarah Bryson sets the scene from the early rise of the Tudors, through to events up to and following Mary’s death. She includes a wealth of information on customs and practices of the time which is detailed and provides a vivid illustration of life at the time for the reader whilst not detracting from the purpose of the book. Her engaging analysis of Mary’s letters and other letters from that time is stimulating and, at times, moving.

The work is set out in 13 chapters, the first setting out the rise of the Tudor Dynasty and the following chapters each covering a notable period of Mary’s life. It also includes a really helpful timeline at the end which gives the reader an ‘at a glance’ look at significant dates recorded throughout Mary’s life. It is a ‘must read’ for all Tudor enthusiasts and will engage the reader whether familiar with the subject or not.