Bury St Edmunds - St Mary's - Mary Tudor, Queen of France

Image: © Rob Farrow Taken: 15 Jul 2022

Mary Tudor (1496-1533) was the fifth child of seven born to Henry VII and Elizabeth of York, though only four survived infancy. Her eldest brother, Arthur died aged 15, so her next eldest brother, Henry ascended the throne in 1509 as Henry VIII. Mary had been born on 18th March 1496 and Henry wished to find a politically advantageous match for his young sister. Their elder sister, Margaret, had already married James IV of Scotland bringing to an end centuries of conflict between the two countries and was thus the great-grandmother of James VI of Scotland and First of England. Henry arranged that Mary should marry King Louis XII of France despite his being 34 years older than her. They were married on 9th October 1514 when she was just 18. Mary therefore became Queen of France - but not for long, as Louis died on New Year's Day 1515, less than three months later. Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk was sent to negotiate Mary's return to England, but having succeeded, the two secretly married. Henry was furious about this marriage without his consent, but eventually forgave the couple after a huge fine had been paid by them (including all the jewels she had received on her marriage to the French king). Mary died aged 37, at Westhorpe Hall, Suffolk, on 25 June 1533 after several years of illness. She was buried first within the precincts of the Abbey Church of the Abbey of Bury St Edmunds, however on the Dissolution of the Monasteries a new resting place was required for the king's sister, so she was transported a few hundred yards to the church of St Mary. A plaque (of later date than the re-interment) above the tomb states (spelling and capitalization reproduced): "Sacred to the Memory of MARY TUDOR, Third Dau'r of Henry ye 7th KING of ENGLAND, and QUEEN of FRANCE; Who was first married in 1514, to LEWIS ye 12th KING of FRANCE, and afterwards in 1517, to CHARLES BRANDON DUKE of SUFFOLK. She died in His Life Time in 1533, at ye Manor of WESTHORP in this County and was interr'd in ye same Year in ye Monastery of ST ENDMUND'S BURY, and was removed into this Church, after ye Dissolution of the Abbey." This slab above her tomb is to be found to the left of the altar in the chancel of St Mary's.

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