by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2016

Credit – Wikipedia

Anne of Cleves was the fourth of King Henry VIII of England‘s six wives and is often considered the most fortunate of Henry’s wives. Born on September 22, 1515, in Düsseldorf in the Duchy of Berg, now in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, she was the second of the four children of Johann, Duke of Cleves and Count of Mark and Maria of Jülich-Berg, daughter of Duke William IV of Jülich-Berg, who became heiress to her father’s estates Jülich, Berg and Ravensberg.

Anne had three siblings:

• Sybille of Cleves (1512 – 1554), married Johann Friedrich, Elector of Saxony, had issue
• William, Duke of Jülich-Cleves-Berg (1516 – 1592), married Maria, Archduchess of Austria, had issue
• Amalia of Cleves (1517 – 1586), unmarried

Anne grew up in Schloss Burg in Solingen, Duchy of Berg, now in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, and received a very limited education that focused on embroidery and sewing, and not on learning foreign languages (she could read and write only in German), singing, or playing a musical instrument. At the age of ten, Anne was betrothed to Francis I, Duke of Lorraine, but the betrothal was later canceled.

Schloss Burg, Anne’s childhood home; Credit – Wikipedia

Jane Seymour, the third wife of King Henry VIII of England, had died in 1537 due to childbirth complications, after giving birth to Henry’s long-awaited son, the future King Edward VI. The search for a fourth wife began shortly thereafter, with Henry’s chief minister, Thomas Cromwell, taking the lead. Cromwell wanted an alliance with a European royal house, so all English ambassadors were instructed to look for possible brides.

In 1538, it was suggested that Henry marry a daughter of Johann, Duke of Cleves, who was a powerful supporter of the Protestant Reformation. Henry requested a portrait of Anne, the elder of the two unmarried daughters and so Hans Holbein, Henry’s court painted was dispatched to Cleves. Holbein used his artistic license and painted what he saw as an artist: a delicate girl in her twenties, quiet and content wearing the unflattering headdress fashionable in Cleves. He did not show her strong frame or her pock-marked skin. Henry was delighted with the portrait and Anne’s brother William, who had succeeded his father in 1539, sent an emissary to England to negotiate the marriage contract.

Anne arrived in Deal, England on December 27, 1539, and then she proceeded to Rochester on New Year’s Day. Henry was so eager to see Anne, that he went to Rochester incognito. Henry was terribly disappointed by his new bride. He found Anne humorless and boring. She looked unimpressive in her German costume, acted shy, and did not speak English. Henry postponed the wedding for two days and regretted that he could not withdraw from the marriage contract. Reluctantly, Henry married Anne on January 6, 1540, at the Palace of Placentia in Greenwich, London, England.

Thomas Cromwell hoped that the wedding night would bring the couple closer together, but the marriage was never consummated, and it was said that the couple spent the night playing cards. Henry told Cromwell, “I liked her before not well, but now I like her much worse.” Anne told Eleanor Manners, Countess of Rutland, one of her ladies-in-waiting, “When he comes to bed he kisseth me, and he taketh me by the hand, and biddeth me ‘Good night, sweetheart’; and in the morning kisseth me and biddeth ‘Farewell, darling.'” Lady Rutland responded, “Madam, there must be more than this, or it will be long ere we have a duke of York, which all this realm most desireth.” Meanwhile, Henry was showing an interest in one of Anne’s maids-of-honor, Catherine Howard, who would become his fifth wife.

On June 24, 1540, Anne was sent to Richmond Palace for “her health, open air and pleasure” and on July 6, 1540, she was informed that Henry wanted to end the marriage and Anne agreed to an annulment which was finalized on July 9, 1540, on the grounds of non-consummation and Anne’s pre-contract to Francis of Lorraine. Thomas Cromwell, the scapegoat for the failed marriage, was arrested on June 10, 1540, under a bill of attainder and executed for treason and heresy on Tower Hill on July 28, 1540. Henry married Catherine Howard that same day and later regretted having Cromwell executed.

Although Anne’s mother and brother wanted her to return home, she remained in England. Henry gave her a generous settlement and the use of Richmond Palace and Hever Castle. Anne was frequently at court, had a cordial relationship with Henry and his children, and was referred to as “the King’s Beloved Sister.” Anne of Cleves survived Henry and all his wives. Her last public appearance was at the coronation of her stepdaughter Queen Mary I. As the third lady in the land, she rode behind the new queen beside Mary’s sister Elizabeth.

In the spring of 1557, Anne became ill and died at the age of 41 on July 16, 1557, at Chelsea Manor, probably from cancer. Anne was buried with pomp and ceremony at Westminster Abbey on the south side of the altar. Her plain marble tomb has since been used for regalia and plate display at coronations and royal weddings.

Tomb of Anne of Cleves; Credit – Westminster Abbey

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by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2016

Credit – Wikipedia

Anne Boleyn was the second of the six wives of King Henry VIII of England, the mother of Queen Elizabeth I of England, and one of Henry VIII’s two beheaded wives.  The date and place of Anne’s birth are uncertain. She was born sometime between 1501 – 1507 at either Blicking Hall in Norfolk or Hever Castle in Kent. Anne’s father was Thomas Boleyn (later 1st Earl of Wiltshire, 1st Earl of Ormond, 1st Viscount Rochford), a diplomat for King Henry VII and King Henry VIII. He was descended from Eustace II, Count of Boulogne who fought for William the Conqueror during the Battle of Hastings. “Boulogne” eventually was anglicized to “Boleyn.” Anne’s mother was Lady Elizabeth Howard, the eldest daughter of Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk.  Elizabeth’s eldest brother was Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk, a prominent Tudor politician, and one of her other brothers was Lord Edmund Howard, the father of Catherine Howard, King Henry VIII’s fifth wife, his other beheaded wife. Through her mother, Anne was a descendant of King Edward I of England.

Anne had two siblings who survived childhood:

• Mary Boleyn (c. 1499 – 1543), mistress of King Henry VIII of England, married (1) William Carey, issue may be Carey’s or Henry VIII’s;   (2) Sir William Stafford, possible issue
• George Boleyn, Viscount Rochford (c. 1504 – 1536), married Jane Parker, no issue; George was executed as one of Anne’s supposed lovers and his wife Jane was executed with Catherine Howard

Mary Boleyn; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1512, Anne’s father was appointed an ambassador to the court of Margaret of Austria, Regent of the Netherlands in Brussels, and he was accompanied by his three children. While in Brussels, Anne served as a maid of honor to Margaret of Austria. She then joined her sister Mary at the French court as a maid of honor to Mary Tudor, sister of King Henry VIII, who had married King Louis XII of France. When Mary Tudor returned to England after King Louis XII died, Anne stayed on at the French court, serving as a maid of honor to Queen Claude, the daughter of King Louis XII and the wife of his successor King François I. Anne returned to England in 1522 and was appointed a maid of honor to Catherine of Aragon, King Henry VIII’s first wife.

Anne was lively and vivacious and soon attracted admirers at the English court including King Henry VIII. Henry’s only surviving child with his wife Catherine of Aragon was a daughter. Henry was desperate for a male heir and thought that Anne could give him one. Anne refused to become Henry’s mistress as her sister Mary had. However, she continued to flirt with him and entered into an amorous correspondence with him. Meanwhile, Henry set into action the machinations that would annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. When Henry secretly married Anne on January 25, 1533, at the Palace of Westminster, she was already pregnant with her first child. On May 25, 1533, Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury declared Henry and Catherine’s marriage null and void and five days later, he declared Henry and Anne’s marriage valid.

There was a rush for Anne to be crowned as she was pregnant and there was some question about whether the child had been conceived before or after the marriage ceremony. Anne was quite unpopular and Henry VIII wanted to cement her status. Anne was crowned at Westminster Abbey on June 1, 1533.

Anne was pregnant three times, but only gave birth to one live child:

• Elizabeth I, Queen of England (September 7, 1533 – March 24, 1603), unmarried, no issue
• Stillborn son (August/September 1534)
• Miscarried son (January 29, 1536)

When Anne gave birth to her first child, a daughter Elizabeth, Henry was greatly disappointed and did not even attend Elizabeth’s christening. Anne soon found herself supplanted as she had done to Catherine of Aragon. Jane Seymour, one of her maids of honor, and eventually Henry’s third wife, attracted Henry’s attention starting in 1534. By late 1535, Anne was pregnant again. However, during a tournament in January 1536, Henry fell from his horse and was unconscious for hours. The stress resulted in premature labor, and Anne miscarried a son.

The loss of this son sealed Anne’s fate. Henry was determined to be rid of her, and her fall and execution were engineered by Thomas Cromwell, Henry’s chief minister. Many historians believe that the case charging Anne with adultery with her brother George Boleyn and four other men (Francis Weston, Henry Norris, William Brereton, and Mark Smeaton) was completely fabricated. Anne was arrested on May 2, 1536, and taken to the Tower of London. On May 14, 1536, Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury declared her marriage to Henry was null and void. Her trial, presided over by her uncle Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk, occurred at the Tower on May 15, 1536, and she was found guilty of adultery, incest, and high treason. On May 18, 1536, Anne’s brother and the four other men were executed. Anne’s execution was scheduled for May 19, 1536, on Tower Green. Henry arranged for an expert swordsman from Calais, France who used a sword rather than an ax. Before her execution, Anne made a speech to the crowd:

Good Christian people, I am come hither to die, for according to the law, and by the law I am judged to die, and therefore I will speak nothing against it. I am come hither to accuse no man, nor to speak anything of that, whereof I am accused and condemned to die, but I pray God save the king and send him long to reign over you, for a gentler nor a more merciful prince was there never: and to me he was ever a good, a gentle and sovereign lord. And if any person will meddle of my cause, I require them to judge the best. And thus I take my leave of the world and of you all, and I heartily desire you all to pray for me. O Lord have mercy on me, to God I commend my soul.

After saying goodbye to her ladies, Anne knelt down and a blindfold was tied over her eyes. Anne remained in an upright kneeling position and kept repeating, “Jesu receive my soul; O Lord God have pity on my soul.” With one stroke of the executioner’s sword, Anne was dead. Her body was placed in an oak chest and she was buried in an unmarked grave in the Chapel of St. Peter-ad-Vincula at the Tower of London. In 1876, Anne’s remains were identified during renovation work and her grave is now marked by a plaque on the chapel floor.

Plaque marking Anne Boleyn’s grave; Credit – Wikipedia

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

England: House of Tudor Resources at Unofficial Royalty

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by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2016

Credit – Wikipedia

Elizabeth of York holds a unique position in British royal history. She was the daughter of King Edward IV, the sister of King Edward V, the niece of King Richard III, the wife of King Henry VII, the mother of King Henry VIII, and the grandmother of King Edward VI, Queen Mary I and Queen Elizabeth I. Her great-granddaughter was Mary, Queen of Scots whose son, King James VI of Scotland, succeeded Queen Elizabeth I as King James I of England. Through this line, the British royal family and other European royal families can trace their descent from Elizabeth of York.

Born on February 11, 1466, at the Palace of Westminster, Elizabeth of York was the eldest child of King Edward IV of England and Elizabeth Woodville. Edward IV was the eldest surviving son of Richard of York, 3rd Duke of York who had a strong claim to the English throne. The social and financial troubles that followed the Hundred Years’ War, combined with the mental disability and weak rule of the Lancastrian King Henry VI had revived interest in the claim of Richard, 3rd Duke of York. Hence, the Wars of the Roses were fought between supporters of two rival branches of the royal House of Plantagenet, the House of Lancaster and the House of York between 1455 and 1487. Richard, 3rd Duke of York was killed on December 30, 1460, at the Battle of Wakefield and his son Edward was then the leader of the House of York. After winning a decisive victory on March 2, 1461, at the Battle of Mortimer’s Cross, 19-year-old Edward proclaimed himself king. In 1464, King Edward IV married Elizabeth Woodville and their first child, Elizabeth, was born two years later.

Elizabeth was christened at Westminster Abbey in a solemn ceremony. Her godparents were:

• Jacquetta of Luxembourg, her maternal grandmother
• Cecily Neville, Duchess of York, her paternal grandmother
• Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick, her father’s first cousin

Elizabeth had nine siblings:

• Mary of York (1467 – 1482), unmarried
• Cecily of York (1469 – 1507); married (1) Ralph Scrope of Upsall, no issue, marriage annulled; (2) John Welles, 1st Viscount Welles, had issue, died young; (3) Sir Thomas Kyme, possible issue
• King Edward V of England (1470 – c. 1483); briefly succeeded his father, as King Edward V of England, was the elder of the Princes in the Tower
• Margaret of York (born and died 1472)
• Richard of Shrewsbury, 1st Duke of York (1473 – c. 1483), was the younger of the Princes in the Tower
• Anne of York (1475 – 1511); married Thomas Howard (later 3rd Duke of Norfolk and uncle of Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, King Henry VIII’s beheaded wives), had no surviving issue
• George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Bedford (1477 – 1479)
• Catherine of York (1479 – 1527); married William Courtenay, 1st Earl of Devon, had issue
• Bridget of York (1480 – 1517); became a nun

Elizabeth had two half-brothers from her mother’s first marriage to Sir John Grey of Groby who was killed at the Second Battle of St Albans:

• Thomas Grey, 1st Marquess of Dorset (1455 – 1501), married (1) Anne Holland, no children; (2) Cecily Bonville, 7th Baroness Harington and 2nd Baroness Bonville, had 14 children; Thomas and Cecily are the great-grandparents of Lady Jane Grey
• Sir Richard Grey (1457 – 1483), unmarried, executed by Richard, Duke of Gloucester (future King Richard III)

In October 1470, thanks to Elizabeth’s godfather Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick switching from the Yorkist faction to the Lancastrian faction, Henry VI was restored to the throne. Edward IV and his brother Richard, Duke of Gloucester (the future Richard III) fled to Flanders, part of Burgundy, where their sister Margaret of York lived with her husband Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy.  Four-year-old Elizabeth went into sanctuary at Westminster Abbey with her pregnant mother and her younger sisters Mary and Cecily. While in sanctuary, Elizabeth’s brother Edward (the future Edward V) was born. By April 1471, Elizabeth’s father was back on the throne, and a month later King Henry VI was murdered in the Tower of London.

By the time of the early death in 1483 of King Edward IV at the age of 40, Elizabeth had been promised in marriage to George Neville, 1st Duke of Bedford and the future King Charles VIII of France, but nothing came of either promise. When King Edward IV died and his twelve-year-old son succeeded him as King Edward V, Edward IV’s brother, Richard, Duke of Gloucester, was named Lord Protector of his young nephew and moved to keep the Woodvilles, the family of Edward IV’s widow Elizabeth Woodville, from exercising power. The widowed queen sought to gain political power for her family by appointing family members to key positions and rushing the coronation of her young son. The new king was being accompanied to London by his maternal uncle Anthony Woodville, 2nd Earl Rivers and his half-brother Sir Richard Grey. Rivers and Grey were accused of planning to assassinate Richard, were arrested, and taken to Pontefract Castle, where they were later executed without trial. Richard then proceeded with the new king to London where Edward V was presented to the Lord Mayor of London. For their safety, King Edward V and his nine-year-old brother Richard, Duke of York were sent to the Tower of London and never seen again.

On June 22, 1483, a sermon was preached at St. Paul’s Cross in London declaring Edward IV’s marriage to Elizabeth Woodville invalid and his children illegitimate. This information apparently came from Robert Stillington, the Bishop of Bath and Wells, who claimed a legal pre-contract of marriage to Eleanor Butler, invalidated the king’s later marriage to Elizabeth Woodville. The citizens of London presented Richard a petition urging him to assume the throne, and he was proclaimed king on June 26, 1483. King Richard III and his wife Anne were crowned in Westminster Abbey on July 6, 1483, and their son was created Prince of Wales. In January of 1484, Parliament issued the Titulus Regius, a statute proclaiming Richard the rightful king. Shortly thereafter, Elizabeth’s mother and Margaret Beaufort, the mother of the Lancastrian leader Henry Tudor still in exile in Brittany, made a secret agreement that their children should marry.

On August 22, 1485, Henry Tudor defeated King Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field and became King Henry VII, the first Tudor king of England. Elizabeth of York and Henry married on January 18, 1486, at the Palace of Westminster. Henry had Parliament repeal Titulus Regius, the act that declared King Edward IV’s marriage invalid and his children illegitimate, thereby legitimizing his wife. The Tudor Rose, a combination of the Red Rose of Lancaster and the White Rose of York, symbolized the new House of Tudor.

The Tudor Rose; Credit – Wikipedia

Double Portrait of Elizabeth of York and Henry VII; Credit – Wikipedia

Children of King Henry VII and Elizabeth of York:

• Arthur, Prince of Wales (1486 – 1502), married Catherine of Aragon, no issue
• Margaret Tudor (1489 – 1541), married (1) James IV, King of Scots, had issue including King James V of Scotland; (2) Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus, had issue; (3) Henry Stewart, 1st Lord Methven, no surviving issue; Margaret was the grandmother of both Mary, Queen of Scots and Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, the parents of King James I of England
• Henry VIII, King of England (1491 – 1547), married (1) Catherine of Aragon, had daughter Queen Mary I of England; (2) Anne Boleyn, had daughter Queen Elizabeth I of England; (3) Jane Seymour, had son King Edward VI of England; (4) Anne of Cleves, no issue; (5) Catherine Howard, no issue; (6) Catherine Parr, no issue
• Elizabeth Tudor (1492 – 1495)
• Mary Tudor (1496 – 1533), married (1) Louis XII, King of France, no issue; (2) Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk, had issue, grandparents of Lady Jane Grey
• Edmund Tudor, Duke of Somerset (1499 – 1500)
• Katherine Tudor (born and died February 1503) her mother, Elizabeth of York, died as a result of Katherine’s birth

Henry VII’s family: At left, Henry VII, with Arthur, Prince of Wales behind him, then Henry (later Henry VIII), and Edmund, who did not survive early childhood. To the right is Elizabeth of York, with Margaret, then Elizabeth who didn’t survive childhood, Mary, and Katherine, who died shortly after her birth; Credit – Wikipedia

Unlike her mother Elizabeth Woodville and her mother-in-law Margaret Beaufort, Elizabeth had no political ambitions and played her role as wife and mother. Many historians believe that Elizabeth was overshadowed by her dominant mother-in-law (who outlived both her son and daughter-in-law). Nevertheless, Elizabeth was a very popular queen, and having numerous children with whom she secured the new Tudor dynasty made her even more popular.

Her firstborn son was born in Winchester, then identified as the site of Camelot, and named Arthur after the legendary king. In 1501, Arthur married Catherine of Aragon, the youngest daughter of Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon. Five months later, 15-year-old Arthur was dead, probably of sweating sickness, and his parents were devastated. Elizabeth comforted her husband who was not only in mourning for his son, but also in fear for his dynasty by saying, “Your mother never had more children than you, but God in His grace, always sheltered you and brought to where you are now. God has left you a handsome prince and two beautiful princesses. We both are still young and can have more children.”

Arthur, Prince of Wales; Credit – Wikipedia

Shortly after Arthur’s death, Elizabeth became pregnant again and hoped for a son. She spent that year preparing her daughter Margaret, who was to marry King James IV of Scotland, for her role as Queen of Scotland. In early 1503, Elizabeth spent her confinement at the Tower of London. On February 2, 1503, she gave birth to a daughter, Katherine. Shortly after giving birth, Elizabeth became ill with puerperal fever (childbed fever) and died on February 11, 1503, her 37th birthday. Henry VII was so shaken by her death that he went into seclusion and would only see his mother. Little Katherine died on February 18, 1503.

In 2012, an illuminated manuscript (see below) that was once the property of Henry VII was discovered in the National Library of Wales. King Henry VII is shown in mourning clothes, receiving the book containing the manuscript. In the background, behind their father, are his daughters, Mary and Margaret, in black veils. On the top left, an 11-year-old future King Henry VIII is shown weeping into the sheets of his mother’s empty bed.

Credit – Wikipedia

Elizabeth received a dignified state funeral in Westminster Abbey in the presence of her sisters. On her coffin was a wooden effigy, modeled on Elizabeth, wearing the insignia of the queen. The funeral procession was led by her sister Catherine of York. All of London mourned the popular queen. In the Cheapside section of London, groups of 37 young women, representing the 37 years of Elizabeth’s life, with green wreaths in their hair and candles in their hands paraded through the streets. Candles lit in Elizabeth’s memory were burning in all the churches. Thomas More, who was a 25-year-old lawyer at the time and would later be beheaded during the reign of Elizabeth’s son Henry VIII, wrote an elegy in honor of the late Queen, “A Rueful Lamentation.”  Each February 11, King Henry VII decreed that a requiem mass be sung, bells be tolled, and 100 candles be lit in honor of Elizabeth of York.

Elizabeth’s painted wood funeral effigy, 1503 in Westminster Abbey; Credit – Wikipedia

King Henry VII died at Richmond Palace on April 21, 1509, at the age of 52. He lies buried with his wife Elizabeth in a tomb created by Italian artist Pietro Torrigiano in the Henry VII Chapel in Westminster Abbey.

Tomb of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York; Credit – englishhistoryauthors.blogspot.com

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

England: House of Tudor Resources at Unofficial Royalty

• United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Index
• House of Tudor Index
• British Royal Births, Marriages, Deaths, and Other Important Events
• Coronations after the Norman Conquest (1066 – present)
• History and Traditions: Tudor Weddings
• House of Tudor Burial Sites
• House of Tudor Christenings

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2016

King Henry VII of England; Credit – Wikipedia

Henry Tudor, the founder of the Tudor dynasty, was born on January 28, 1457, at Pembroke Castle in Wales. Three months before his birth, his father Edmund Tudor, 1st Earl of Richmond died of the plague while imprisoned, leaving a 13-year-old pregnant widow, Lady Margaret Beaufort. Upon his birth, Henry succeeded to his father’s title, Earl of Richmond.

Pembroke Castle in Wales; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Henry’s father, Edmund Tudor, was the eldest child of Owen Tudor and Catherine of Valois, widow of King Henry V of England. Therefore, Edmund was the half-brother of King Henry VI of England.  Owen Tudor’s ancestors were from prominent Welsh families. Catherine of Valois was the daughter of King Charles VI of France and Isabeau of Bavaria.  There is much debate as to whether Catherine and Owen married.  No documentation of marriage exists and even if they did marry, their marriage would not have been legal due to the act regarding the remarriage of a queen dowager. King Henry VII of England and the Tudor dynasty descended from Owen Tudor and Catherine of Valois’ relationship. Through their great-granddaughter, Margaret Tudor (Henry VII’s daughter), they are the ancestors of the British royal family and many other European royal families.

Henry’s mother, Lady Margaret Beaufort, was the only child of John Beaufort, 1st Duke of Somerset and Margaret Beauchamp of Bletso. Through her father, Lady Margaret was a descendant of King Edward III of England. Her grandfather John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset was the eldest child of John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster (Edward III’s son), and his mistress Katherine Swynford, whom he married in 1396. Their children were declared legitimate by King Richard II of England and Pope Boniface IX, but their half-brother King Henry IV of England introduced a provision that neither they nor their descendants could ever claim the throne of England.  For more details, see Wikipedia: Margaret Beaufort – Ancestry.

At the time of Henry Tudor’s birth, the Wars of the Roses, the fight for the English throne between the House of Lancaster and the House of York, was two years old, and his mother, a descendant of the House of Lancaster, was living at Pembroke Castle under the protection of her brother-in-law Jasper Tudor.  Lady Margaret married two more times but had no more children.

Lady Margaret Beaufort, Henry’s mother; Credit – Wikipedia

Jasper Tudor brought up his nephew Henry. In 1461, when the Yorkist Edward IV became king, Jasper went into exile and Henry became the guardian of William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke. In 1470, the Lancastrian King Henry VI gained the throne again, but six months later the Yorkist King Edward IV regained the throne, and King Henry VI was murdered in the Tower of London. Jasper left England again for France and took his nephew Henry with him to keep him safe. Jasper and Henry were given refuge by François II, Duke of Brittany. The next 13 years of Henry’s life were spent in Brittany and little is known of his life there.

In 1483, King Edward IV died and was briefly succeeded by his young son King Edward V. Before the young king could be crowned, his father’s marriage to his mother Elizabeth Woodville was declared invalid, making their children illegitimate and ineligible for the throne. King Edward IV’s brother King Richard III assumed the throne. The former King Edward V and his brother Richard, Duke of York (the Little Princes in the Tower) disappeared during the summer of 1483 and their fate is unknown.

Henry Tudor’s mother, despite being married to the Yorkist Thomas Stanley, was actively promoting her son as an alternative to King Richard III. King Edward IV’s widow, Elizabeth Woodville and Henry’s mother made a secret agreement that their children should marry. On Christmas Day in 1483, still in France, Henry pledged to marry King Edward IV’s eldest daughter, Elizabeth of York, who was also Edward’s heir since the presumed deaths of her brothers, King Edward V and his brother Richard, Duke of York. In 1485, having gained the support of the Woodvilles, the in-laws of the late King Edward IV, Henry Tudor sailed to Wales with a small French and Scottish force. On August 7, 1485,  they landed in Mill Bay, Pembrokeshire, Wales, close to Henry’s birthplace. Henry Tudor then marched towards England accompanied by his uncle Jasper Tudor and John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford.

On August 22, 1485, at the Battle of Bosworth Field, the last significant battle of the Wars of the Roses, the last king of the House of York and the Plantagenet dynasty, 32-year-old King Richard III of England, lost his life and his crown. The battle was a decisive victory for the House of Lancaster, whose leader 28-year-old Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond, became the first monarch of the House of Tudor.

Stained glass window in St James Church in Sutton Cheney, England where it is believed Richard III (left) attended his last Mass before facing Henry VII (right) in the Battle of Bosworth Field; Credit – Wikipedia

Richard had entered the battle as a seasoned soldier, wearing a battle crown on top of his helmet. During the battle, he saw an opportunity to strike directly at Henry Tudor and his personal guard and sped off on his horse. After managing to kill Henry Tudor’s standard-bearer, Richard saw something he had not expected. Sir William Stanley, the younger brother of Henry Tudor’s stepfather, changed sides. Instead of supporting Richard and the Yorkists, Stanley attacked them, helping to secure a victory for Henry Tudor and the Lancastrians.

Richard was overwhelmed by Stanley’s soldiers, and at some point, he took off or lost his helmet. Polydore Vergil, Henry Tudor’s official historian, wrote that “King Richard, alone, was killed fighting manfully in the thickest press of his enemies.” According to Welsh poet Guto’r Glyn, the leading Welsh Lancastrian Rhys ap Thomas, or one of his men, killed the king, writing that he “killed the boar, shaved his head.” After the battle, Henry Tudor’s men were yelling, “God save King Henry!” Inspired by this, Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Debry who was married to the new king’s mother, found Richard’s battle crown and placed it on the head of his stepson saying, “Sir, I make you King of England.”

Finding Richard’s circlet after the battle, Lord Stanley hands it to Henry, Credit – Wikipedia

Henry Tudor’s first action was to declare himself king by right of conquest. He was crowned in Westminster Abbey on October 30, 1485. King Henry VII did not neglect to reward his supporters. Among them were his uncle Jasper Tudor who became Duke of Bedford and his stepfather Thomas Stanley who became Earl of Derby, and his descendant still holds the title. The first Parliament of King Henry VII’s reign was called in November 1485 and a bill was passed confirming Henry’s right to the throne and settling the succession upon the heirs of his body.

Henry also honored his pledge to marry Elizabeth of York, King Edward IV’s eldest child, thereby uniting the House of York and the House of Lancaster. The couple married on January 18, 1486, at the Palace of Westminster. Henry had Parliament repeal Titulus Regius, the act that declared King Edward IV’s marriage invalid and his children illegitimate, thereby legitimizing his wife. The Tudor Rose, a combination of the Red Rose of Lancaster and the White Rose of York, symbolized the new House of Tudor.

The Tudor Rose; Credit – Wikipedia

Double Portrait of Elizabeth of York and Henry VII; Credit – Wikipedia

Children of King Henry VII and Elizabeth of York:

• Arthur, Prince of Wales (1486 – 1502), married Catherine of Aragon, no issue
• Margaret Tudor (1489 – 1541), married (1) James IV, King of Scotland, had issue including King James V of Scotland; (2) Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus, had issue; (3) Henry Stewart, 1st Lord Methven, no surviving issue; Margaret was the grandmother of both Mary, Queen of Scots and Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, the parents of King James I of England
• Henry VIII, King of England (1491 – 1547), married (1) Catherine of Aragon, had daughter Queen Mary I of England; (2) Anne Boleyn, had daughter Queen Elizabeth I of England; (3) Jane Seymour, had son King Edward VI of England; (4) Anne of Cleves, no issue; (5) Catherine Howard, no issue; (6) Catherine Parr, no issue
• Elizabeth Tudor (1492 – 1495)
• Mary Tudor (1496 – 1533), married (1) Louis XII, King of France, no issue; (2) Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk, had issue, grandparents of Lady Jane Grey
• Edmund Tudor, Duke of Somerset (1499 – 1500)
• Katherine Tudor (born and died February 1503) her mother, Elizabeth of York, died as a result of Katherine’s birth

Henry VII’s family: At left, Henry VII, with Arthur, Prince of Wales behind him, then Henry (later Henry VIII), and Edmund, who did not survive early childhood. To the right is Elizabeth of York, with Margaret, then Elizabeth who didn’t survive childhood, Mary, and Katherine, who died shortly after her birth; Credit – Wikipedia

During his reign, King Henry VII’s two main goals were peace-keeping and economic prosperity, and he succeeded in both. He did not try to retake the territories lost in France during the reigns of his predecessors. Instead, he concluded a peace treaty with France, which helped fill the coffers of England again. Henry VII made a pact with Spain with the marriage treaty of his eldest son Arthur, Prince of Wales and Catherine of Aragon. He also allied himself with Scotland by marrying his daughter Margaret to King James IV of Scotland. Ultimately, this marriage would unite England and Scotland when King Henry VII’s great-great-grandson King James VI of Scotland succeeded King Henry VII’s granddaughter Queen Elizabeth I of England. Finally, Henry formed an alliance with the Holy Roman Empire under Maximilian I. To improve the economic position of England, Henry subsidized shipbuilding, so at the same time, a powerful navy and a large merchant fleet were created.

Bust of Henry VII of England; painted terracotta; made by Pietro Torrigiano; in the Victoria and Albert Museum; Credit – Susan Flantzer

Although King Henry VII is usually considered miserly, he maintained a splendid court, built Richmond Palace, and rebuilt Baynard’s Castle and Greenwich Palace. He founded several religious houses and supported his mother’s educational and religious causes. Perhaps his greatest building legacy is the beautiful Henry VII Chapel in Westminster Abbey where he and his wife (and many others) are buried.

Henry VII Chapel; Photo Credit – http://mirandustours.com

Henry’s eldest son and heir Arthur died suddenly in 1502, probably from sweating sickness, shortly after his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. His second son Henry then became heir and married Catherine of Aragon, the first of his six wives, shortly after he succeeded to the throne as King Henry VIII. In 1503, Henry’s wife Elizabeth died on her 37th birthday, probably from puerperal fever, shortly after giving birth to her last child who also died. Henry was grief-stricken, remained in seclusion for six weeks, and would only allow his mother near him.  He considered marrying again after Elizabeth’s death, but nothing ever came of it.

Scene at the deathbed of Henry VII at Richmond Palace, 1509; Credit – Wikipedia

Henry’s health began to fail in 1507, and he suffered from attacks of gout and asthma. King Henry VII died at Richmond Palace in Richmond, Surrey, England on April 21, 1509, at the age of 52. He lies buried with his wife Elizabeth in a tomb created by Italian artist Pietro Torrigiano in the Henry VII Chapel in Westminster Abbey in London, England.  Henry’s mother died two months later and therefore lived to see her grandson become King Henry VIII.

Tomb of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York; Credit – englishhistoryauthors.blogspot.com

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

England: House of Tudor Resources at Unofficial Royalty

• United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Index
• House of Tudor Index
• British Royal Births, Marriages, Deaths, and Other Important Events
• Coronations after the Norman Conquest (1066 – present)
• History and Traditions: Tudor Weddings
• House of Tudor Burial Sites
• House of Tudor Christenings
• Royal Churches: United Kingdom

April 21, 2016 marks the 90th birthday of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. She is the oldest British monarch and the longest reigning. Send a birthday message to The Queen at British Monarchy: Send a birthday message to The Queen.

Learn more about Queen Elizabeth II at the following links:
Unofficial Royalty: Queen Elizabeth II
Unofficial Royalty: Wedding of Queen Elizabeth II and Lt Philip Mountbatten, RN
Unofficial Royalty: Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey
Official Website of the British Monarchy

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2016

Credit – Wikipedia

Her Highness The Lady Anne was the fourth child and second daughter of James, Duke of York (the future King James II of England) and his first wife Anne Hyde. Anne was born at St. James’ Palace in London, England on February 6, 1665.

Anne had seven siblings, of whom only Anne and her elder sister Mary survived childhood:

• Charles, Duke of Cambridge (1660 – 1661), died of smallpox at seven months
• Queen Mary II of England (1662 – 1694), married Willem III, Prince of Orange, later King William III of England, died of smallpox
• James, Duke of Cambridge (1663 – 1667), died of the bubonic plague or smallpox at age 3
• Charles, Duke of Kendal (1666 – 1667), died in infancy
• Edgar, Duke of Cambridge (1667 – 1671), died at age 3
• Henrietta Stuart (born and died 1669), died in infancy
• Catherine Stuart (born and died 1671), died in infancy

The Family of James, Duke of York. The Duke (later King James II and VII) and Duchess of York (previously Anne Hyde) were painted by Peter Lely in between 1668 and 1670. Their two daughters, Mary (left) and Anne (right), later Queen Mary II and Queen Anne, were added by Benedetto Gennari in or after 1680. Windsor Castle is in the background; Credit – Wikipedia

Anne was christened into the Church of England on May 9, 1665, at the Chapel Royal in St. James’ Palace in London, England. Her godparents were:

• Mary, her three-year-old elder sister
• Anne Scott, 1st Duchess of Buccleuch, Duchess of Monmouth (wife of King Charles II’s illegitimate son James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth)
• Gilbert Sheldon, Archbishop of Canterbury

Anne’s mother and father converted to Roman Catholicism, but on the orders of King Charles II, Anne and her sister Mary were brought up in the Church of England. Anne’s mother died of breast cancer in 1671, when Anne was 6 years old. At that time, Anne and her elder sister Mary were declared “children of the state” and their education became the responsibility of their uncle King Charles II. The two sisters were moved away from their father’s Catholic influence and given their own household at Richmond Palace on the River Thames under the care of Sir Edward Villiers and his wife Frances. The Villiers daughters were educated with Mary and Anne, and the girls had lessons in religion, French, drawing, music, and dancing.

In 1673, Anne’s father James made a second marriage with the Catholic 15-year-old Maria Beatrice of Modena. Anne was only seven years younger than her stepmother and James told his daughters that he had provided them with a new playmate.

Anne had seven half-siblings via her father’s second marriage with Maria Beatrice of Modena, but only two survived childhood:

• Catherine Laura Stuart (1675 – 1676)
• Isabel Stuart (1676 – 1681)
• Charles, Duke of Cambridge (born and died 1677), died of smallpox
• Elizabeth Stuart (born and died 1678)
• Charlotte Maria Stuart (born and died 1682)
• James Francis Edward, Prince of Wales “the Old Pretender” (1688 – 1766), married Mary Sobieski, had issue
• Louisa Maria Teresa Stuart (1692 – 1712), died of smallpox

Around 1671, Anne first met Sarah Jennings who eventually became her great friend and very influential adviser. Sarah and Anne became closer friends when Sarah was appointed a maid of honor to Maria Beatrice of Modena, Anne’s stepmother. Sarah married John Churchill, the future 1st Duke of Marlborough. During Anne’s reign, John Churchill served Anne as a general in the War of the Spanish Succession. Anne had Blenheim Palace built for John Churchill in Oxfordshire as a reward from a grateful nation for the duke’s military victories against the French and Bavarians during the War of the Spanish Succession, culminating in the 1704 Battle of Blenheim. Sarah fell out of favor with Anne in 1711 and Abigail Masham, a cousin of Sarah, became Anne’s favorite and remained so until Anne’s death. Among the more famous descendants of the Marlboroughs are Sir Winston Churchill and Diana, Princess of Wales.

In December of 1680, George, The Hereditary Prince of Brunswick-Lüneburg (the future King George I) made a three-month visit to his future kingdom of Great Britain and rumors were flying that he would become the husband of his second cousin Princess Anne, the future Queen Anne, whom he later succeeded. However, on July 28, 1683, at the Chapel Royal in St. James’ Palace, Anne married the Protestant Prince George of Denmark, son of King Frederik III of Denmark and Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg and brother of King Christian V of Denmark. Even though the marriage was arranged, the marriage was happy and they were faithful to each other. The couple’s London residence was a set of buildings at Whitehall Palace called the Cockpit-in-Court. Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough became one of Anne’s ladies-in-waiting.

Anne, circa 1684; Credit – Wikipedia

Prince George of Denmark, circa 1687; Credit – Wikipedia

Anne became pregnant a few months after the wedding, but she gave birth to a stillborn daughter in May 1684. Anne’s obstetrical history is tragic. She had 17 pregnancies with only five children being born alive. Two died on the day of their birth, two died at less than two years old within six days of each from smallpox, and one died at age 11. Anne suffered from what was diagnosed as gout and had pain in her limbs, stomach, and head. Based on these symptoms and her obstetrical history, Anne may have had systemic lupus erythematosus which causes an increased rate of fetal death.

• Stillborn daughter (May 12, 1684)
• Mary (June 2, 1685 – February 8, 1687), died of smallpox
• Anne Sophia (May 12, 1686 – 2 February 2, 1687, died of smallpox
• Miscarriage (January 21, 1687)
• Stillborn son (October 22, 1687)
• Miscarriage (April 16, 1688)
• Prince William, Duke of Gloucester (July 24, 1689 – July 30, 1700
• Mary (born and died October 14, 1690)
• George (born and died April 17, 1692)
• Stillborn daughter (March 23, 1693)
• Miscarriage (January 21, 1694)
• Miscarriage of daughter (February 17 or 18, 1696)
• Miscarriage (September 20, 1696)
• Miscarriage (March 25, 1697)
• Miscarriage of twins (early December 1697)
• Stillborn son (September 15, 1698)
• Stillborn son (January 24, 1700)

Anne and her longest surviving child, Prince William, Duke of Gloucester; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1685, Anne’s uncle King Charles II died without any legitimate children despite having at least 14 illegitimate children. Anne’s father, who had converted to Roman Catholicism, succeeded his brother as King James II. Anne and her elder sister Mary, who had married their first cousin Willem III, Prince of Orange, were James’ only surviving children and were first and second in the line of succession followed by William who was third as the only child of King Charles I’s eldest surviving daughter Mary, Princess Royal. King James II was now set on a course of restoring Catholicism to England. He issued a Declaration of Indulgence removing restrictions that had been imposed on those that did not conform to the Church of England. England might very well have tolerated King James II knowing that his heirs were the Protestant daughters of his first wife Anne Hyde, Mary and Anne. However, on June 10, 1688, James’ second wife Maria Beatrice of Modena, who had no surviving children, gave birth to a son, James Francis Edward. Immediately, false rumors swirled that the infant had been smuggled into the queen’s chambers in a warming pan.

On November 5, 1688, Willem III, Prince of Orange, the nephew and son-in-law of King James II, landed in England vowing to safeguard the Protestant interest. He marched to London, gathering many supporters. James panicked and sent his wife and infant son to France. He tried to flee to France about a month later but was captured. William had no desire to make his uncle a martyr, so he allowed him to escape. James was received in France by his cousin King Louis XIV, who offered him a palace and a pension.

Back in England, Parliament refused to depose James but declared that having fled to France, James had effectively abdicated the throne and that therefore the throne had become vacant. James’s elder daughter Mary was declared Queen Mary II and she was to rule jointly with her husband Willem, who would be King William III. This overthrow of King James II is known as the Glorious Revolution. James was determined to regain the throne and landed in Ireland with a French force in 1689. He was defeated by his nephew William at the Battle of the Boyne on July 1, 1690, and was forced to withdraw once again to France where he lived in exile for the rest of his life. William and Mary were crowned at Westminster Abbey on April 11, 1689.

On December 28, 1694, Anne’s sister Queen Mary II died of smallpox. She was just 32 years old. King William III continued to reign alone for the remainder of his life. As William and Mary had no children, Anne was now the heir presumptive to the throne and her son William was second in the line of succession.

On July 24, 1700, Prince William, Duke of Gloucester celebrated his eleventh birthday at a party held at Windsor Castle. Jenkin Lewis, his servant, reported, “He complained a little the next day, but we imputed that to the fatigues of a birthday so that he was much neglected.” In the evening, William complained of a sore throat and chills. Two days later, he was no better and had developed a fever and was delirious. The doctors suspected smallpox, but no rash appeared, so they used the usual treatments of the time, bleeding and blistering, which no doubt, made William’s condition worse. William died on the morning of July 30, 1700, at Windsor Castle, probably of pneumonia. His body was taken to the Palace of Westminster where it lay in state in his apartments. William was interred in the Henry VII Chapel at Westminster Abbey during the evening of August 7, 1700. His uncle, King William III wrote to the Duke of Marlborough, that William’s death was “so great a loss to me as well as to all of England, that it pierces my heart.”

Prince William, Duke of Gloucester, shortly before his death; Credit – Wikipedia

Anne and her husband George were devastated. This death and the failure of the Protestant Stuarts to produce heirs meant the end of the Protestant Stuart dynasty as the legitimate descendants of King Charles I were either childless or Roman Catholic. The Act of Settlement 1701 secured the Protestant succession to the throne after William’s sister-in-law and heir presumptive Princess Anne. The act excluded the former King James II (who died a few months after the act received royal assent) and the Roman Catholic children from his second marriage and also excluded the descendants of King James II’s sister Henrietta, the youngest daughter of King Charles I. Parliament’s choice was limited to the Protestant descendants of Elizabeth Stuart, Electress Palatine, the only other child of King James I not to have died in childhood. The senior Protestant descendant was Elizabeth Stuarts’s youngest daughter Sophia, Electress of Hanover. The Act of Settlement put Sophia of Hanover and her Protestant heirs in the line of succession after Anne.

Queen Anne, circa 1702; Credit – Wikipedia

On February 20, 1702, King William III went riding on his horse at Hampton Court Palace. The horse stumbled on a molehill and fell and broke his collarbone. It was set by a surgeon, but instead of resting, William insisted on returning to Kensington Palace that evening by coach. A week later, it was discovered that the fracture was not mending well and William’s right hand and arm were puffy and did not look right. His condition continued to worsen and by March 3, William had a fever and had difficulty breathing. King William III died on March 8, 1702, and was succeeded by his sister-in-law and cousin Anne. Queen Anne’s coronation took place on St George’s Day, April 23, 1702. Despite being only 37 years old, Anne was so overweight and infirm that she had to be carried in a sedan chair to Westminster Abbey. At the coronation, Anne’s husband Prince George paid homage to her. He was the first husband of a reigning queen to do so and it was not to be repeated until Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh paid homage to his wife Queen Elizabeth II at her 1953 coronation.

Queen Anne; Credit – Wikipedia

During Queen Anne’s reign, England was engaged in the War of the Spanish Succession, in which England, Austria, and the Dutch Republic fought against France and Spain. On March 6, 1707, the Acts of Union were passed. England and Scotland were united into a single kingdom called Great Britain. Anne’s husband, Prince George died at age 55 on October 28, 1708, at Kensington Palace and was buried at Westminster Abbey. Anne deeply grieved for her husband and wrote to his nephew King Frederik IV of Denmark, “the loss of such a husband, who loved me so dearly and so devotedly, is too crushing for me to be able to bear it as I ought.”

Anne with her husband, Prince George of Denmark, painted by Charles Boit, 1706; Credit – Wikipedia

Queen Anne suffered a stroke on July 30, 1714. She died at Kensington Palace on August 1, 1714, at the age of 49 after suffering another stroke. Her remains were buried at Westminster Abbey in a vault under the monument to George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle in the Henry VII Chapel. Charles II, William III, Anne’s sister Mary II, and Anne’s husband George of Denmark were also buried in this vault. Anne had become so obese that her coffin was much larger than the other coffins in the vault as can be seen in the drawing below. Electress Sophia of Hanover, the heir to the throne according to the Act of Settlement, had died on June 8, 1714, just six weeks before the death of Queen Anne, and so Sophia’s son became King George I and started the Hanover dynasty.

Inscription on the floor of the Henry VII Chapel at Westminster Abbey marking the graves of Queen Anne and Prince George; Credit – findagrave.com

Stuart Royal Vault at Westminster Abbey; Photo Credit – www.westminster-abbey.org

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Recommended Book: Ungrateful Daughters: The Stuart Princesses Who Stole Their Father’s Throne by Maureen Waller, 2002

House of Stuart Resources at Unofficial Royalty

• United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Index
• House of Stuart Index
• Coronations after the Norman Conquest (1066 – present)
• First Cousins of Queen Mary II and Queen Anne
• History and Traditions: Stuart Weddings
• House of Stuart Burial Sites
• House of Stuart Christenings

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2016

Queen Mary II of Englandby Jan Verkolje, 1685; Credit – Wikipedia

Her Highness The Lady Mary was the eldest daughter and the second child of James, Duke of York (the future King James II of England) and his first wife Anne Hyde.  Mary was born at St. James’ Palace in London, England on April 30, 1662. Her elder brother Charles lived for only six months and had died before Mary was born. Except for the short time one or more of her three younger brothers were alive, Mary was second in line to the throne after her father, brother of King Charles II.

Mary had seven siblings, of whom only Mary and her sister Anne survived childhood:

• Charles, Duke of Cambridge (1660 – 1661), died of smallpox at seven months
• James, Duke of Cambridge (1663 – 1667), died of the bubonic plague or smallpox at age 3
• Queen Anne of Great Britain (1665 – 1714), married Prince George of Denmark, no surviving issue
• Charles, Duke of Kendal (1666 – 1667), died in infancy
• Edgar, Duke of Cambridge (1667 – 1671), died at age 3
• Henrietta Stuart (born and died 1669), died in infancy
• Catherine Stuart (born and died 1671), died in infancy

The Family of James, Duke of York. The Duke (later King James II and VII) and Duchess of York (previously Anne Hyde) were painted by Peter Lely in between 1668 and 1670. Their two daughters, Mary (left) and Anne (right), later Queen Mary II and Queen Anne, were added by Benedetto Gennari in or after 1680. Windsor Castle is in the background; Credit – Wikipedia

Mary was christened in the Church of England on May 9, 1662, at the Chapel Royal in St. James’ Palace. Her godparents were:

• The Duchess of Buckingham (born The Honorable Mary Fairfax, wife of George Villiers, 2nd Duke of Buckingham)
• The Duchess of Ormonde (born Elizabeth Preston, wife of James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde)
• Prince Rupert of the Rhine, her father’s first cousin

Mary’s mother and father converted to Roman Catholicism, but on the orders of King Charles II, Mary and her sister Anne were brought up in the Church of England. Mary’s mother died of breast cancer in 1671 when Mary was 9 years old. At that time, Mary and her younger sister Anne were declared “children of the state” and their education became the responsibility of their uncle King Charles II. The two sisters were moved away from their father’s Catholic influence and given their own household at Richmond Palace on the River Thames under the care of Sir Edward Villiers and his wife Frances. The Villiers daughters were educated with Mary and Anne, and the girls had lessons in religion, French, drawing, music, and dancing.

In 1673, Mary’s father James made a second marriage with the Catholic 15-year-old Maria Beatrice of Modena. Mary was only four years younger than her stepmother and James told his daughters that he had provided them with a new playmate.

Mary had seven half-siblings via her father’s second marriage with Maria Beatrice of Modena, but only two survived childhood:

• Catherine Laura Stuart (1675 – 1676)
• Isabel Stuart (1676 – 1681)
• Charles, Duke of Cambridge (born and died 1677), died of smallpox
• Elizabeth Stuart (born and died 1678)
• Charlotte Maria Stuart (born and died 1682)
• James Francis Edward, Prince of Wales “the Old Pretender” (1688 – 1766), married Mary Sobieski, had issue
• Louisa Maria Teresa Stuart (1692 – 1712), died of smallpox

In 1677, when Mary was 15 years old, it became apparent that Catherine of Braganza, the wife of King Charles II, would not provide a Stuart heir. In addition, Maria Beatrice of Modena had two miscarriages and two daughters, one who had died in infancy and one who was sickly and not expected to survive. Mary’s marriage became a matter of dynastic importance for the House of Stuart. The bridegroom her uncle chose for her was William III, Prince of Orange, her first cousin. William was the only child of Mary’s paternal aunt Mary, Princess Royal and Willem II, Prince of Orange who had died of smallpox a few days before his son’s birth. William was fourth in line to the English throne after his uncle James and his cousins Mary and Anne.

William III, Prince of Orange, age 27; Credit -Wikipedia

15-year-old Mary and 27-year-old William were married on November 4, 1677, in Mary’s bedchamber at St. James’ Palace with only the closest relatives attending. The bride was miserable, the groom acted with cool correctness, the father of the bride was grimly resigned to the marriage, and the stepmother of the bride, who was very pregnant, was in tears at the prospect of losing her stepdaughter. The bride’s aunt Catherine of Braganza tried to comfort Mary saying, “When I came to England I had not even seen the King,” to which Mary replied, “Madam, you came into England, but I am going out of England.” Mary’s sister Anne and her governess Lady Frances Villiers were unable to attend as they were both ill with smallpox. Only the bride and groom’s uncle, King Charles II, was his usual cheerful and tactless self. Upon closing the curtains around the marital bed, Charles remarked, “Now nephew, to your work! Hey! St. George for England!”

Mary in 1677 by Sir Peter Lely; Credit – Wikipedia

William and Mary made a formal entry into The Hague, the seat of William’s Dutch Republic, on December 14, 1677. Mary soon became pregnant but suffered a miscarriage which may have prevented any future successful pregnancies. It is suspected that she had at least two more miscarriages. Her inability to have children was Mary’s greatest unhappiness. Despite their physical mismatch, Mary was quite tall (5 feet 11 inches; 180 cm) and towered over the undersized and asthmatic William (5 feet 6 inches; 167 cm), William adored Mary and Mary was devoted to William. Unlike his uncles, Charles II and James II who had many mistresses, William reputedly had only one mistress, Elizabeth Hamilton, Countess of Orkney.

In 1685, William and Mary’s uncle King Charles II died without any legitimate children despite having at least 14 illegitimate children. Mary’s father, who had converted to Roman Catholicism, succeeded his brother as King James II. Mary and her younger sister Anne were James’ only surviving children and were first and second in the line of succession followed by William who was third as the only child of King Charles I’s eldest surviving daughter. King James II was now set on a course of restoring Catholicism to England. He issued a Declaration of Indulgence removing restrictions imposed on those that did not conform to the Church of England. England might have tolerated King James II knowing that his heirs were the Protestant daughters of his first wife Anne Hyde, Mary and Anne. However, on June 10, 1688, James’ second wife Maria Beatrice of Modena, who had no surviving children, gave birth to a son, James Francis Edward. Immediately, false rumors swirled that the infant had been smuggled into the queen’s chambers in a warming pan.

On November 5, 1688, William III, Prince of Orange, the nephew and son-in-law of King James II, landed in England vowing to safeguard the Protestant interest. He marched to London, gathering many supporters. James panicked and sent his wife and infant son to France. He tried to flee to France about a month later but was captured. William had no desire to make his uncle a martyr, so he allowed him to escape. James was received in France by his cousin King Louis XIV, who offered him a palace and a pension.

Back in England, Parliament refused to depose James but declared that having fled to France, James had effectively abdicated the throne and that therefore the throne had become vacant. James’s elder daughter Mary was declared Queen Mary II and she was to rule jointly with her husband William, who would be King William III. This overthrow of King James II is known as the Glorious Revolution. James was determined to regain the throne and landed in Ireland with a French force in 1689. He was defeated by his nephew William at the Battle of the Boyne on July 1, 1690, and was forced to withdraw once again to France where he lived in exile for the rest of his life.

William and Mary were crowned at Westminster Abbey in London, England on April 11, 1689. Since they were joint sovereigns, a duplicate coronation chair and a duplicate set of regalia were required for the coronation ceremony. At previous coronations, monarchs had sworn to uphold the laws made by their ancestors. However, William and Mary swore to rule according to “the statutes in Parliament agreed upon and laws and customs of the same” and promised to uphold the Protestant reformed religion.

On December 16, 1689, Parliament passed the Bill of Rights 1689 which limited the powers of the monarch and set out the rights of Parliament. The Bill of Rights 1689 along with the Act of Settlement 1701 are still in effect in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth realms although both have been amended by the Perth Agreement 2011 which took effect on March 26, 2015. The Bill of Rights also confirmed the succession to the throne. Following the death of either William or Mary, the other was to continue to reign. Next in the line of succession would be any children of the couple, to be followed by Mary’s sister Anne and her children. Last in the line of succession stood any children William III might have had from any subsequent marriage. Beginning in 1690, William was often on military campaigns in Europe and left Mary to reign. She was not keen on assuming such power but did so with the advice of a nine-member Cabinet Council.

William and Mary left a legacy in the United States. In 1693, William and Mary granted a royal charter to found the College of William and Mary, now in present-day Williamsburg, Virginia. It is the second oldest university in the United States after Harvard University and the only university in the United States with a royal charter. The College of William and Mary educated American Presidents Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, and John Tyler, and other key figures important to the development of the United States as a nation, including Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall, Speaker of the House of Representatives Henry Clay, sixteen members of the Continental Congress, and four signers of the Declaration of Independence.  Another alumnus of The College of William and Mary is this writer’s son.

William and Mary depicted on the ceiling of the Painted Hall, Greenwich, by Sir James Thornhill; Credit – Wikipedia

In early December 1694, Mary became ill. Smallpox was spreading through London and it was feared that Mary might have contracted the disease, a disease that had previously killed both of William’s parents. Mary was in a weakened state having been upset about William’s latest illness and the sudden death of John Tillotson, Archbishop of Canterbury. One morning when Mary awoke, she felt particularly ill and noticed a rash on her arms. Eventually, the doctors confirmed that Mary was suffering from smallpox, which she accepted with an attitude that surprised all around her. The first thing Mary did was to send away everyone who had not had smallpox. William, who had survived the disease, had a bed put in Mary’s room and oversaw her medical care.

Prayers were said for Mary in all the churches on Christmas Day 1694. Mary said that she had slept well and felt better. The rashes seemed to have disappeared and the doctors were hopeful that perhaps it had been measles. However, when Mary was examined in the evening, the nine doctors attending her discovered that the rashes had turned inward and sunk into her skin, which was not a good sign. Mary had an uncomfortable night and her throat was hemorrhaging. The desperate doctors tried all sorts of remedies: bleeding Mary, applying hot irons to her forehead, and giving her various potions. Mary was told that she was dying. The usual unemotional William broke down and burst into tears. Mary begged him to control himself and not to make her suffer by seeing him so upset. She told him that she was “not so bad” to which William replied, “that if God caused this blow to fall, it would be all over for me.”

Dr. John Radcliffe, the renowned doctor, examined Mary on December 27. He confirmed that Mary’s condition was hopeless. Mary received Communion and tried to pray, but she was too weak, and in a whisper, asked others to pray for her. In the evening, Mary was much weaker. She tried to talk to William, but the effort was too much for her. William approached her in tears and Mary motioned him away. Soon she lapsed into unconsciousness. In the early morning of December 28, 1694, Mary peacefully died. She was just 32 years old. William was terribly grief-stricken, collapsed at Mary’s bedside, and had to be carried, nearly insensible, from the room. For a few days, it was feared that William too would die.

Queen Mary II lying in state © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Mary lay in state in the Banqueting Hall of Whitehall Palace. Despite the cold weather, large crowds lined up to file past their Queen and pay their respects. On March 5, 1695, in a heavy snowstorm, the funeral procession traveled the short distance from Whitehall Palace to Westminster Abbey. The King was not present, according to custom, but all members of both Houses of Parliament, all wearing black, attended the funeral. The noted English composer Henry Purcell specially composed Music for the Funeral of Queen Mary.

• YouTube: Purcell – Music for the Funeral of Queen Mary

Queen Mary II was buried in a vault under the monument to George Monck, Duke of Albemarle in the Henry VII Chapel of Westminster Abbey. Charles II, Mary’s husband William III, Mary’s sister Anne and her husband George of Denmark were also buried in this vault. A joint monument for William III and Mary II was designed but never constructed. An inscription on the floor marks her grave. William reigned alone until he died in 1702 when he was succeeded by Mary’s sister Anne.

Inscription on the floor of the Henry VII Chapel at Westminster Abbey marking the grave of Mary II;  Credit – findagrave.com

Stuart Royal Vault at Westminster Abbey;  Credit – www.westminster-abbey.org

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Recommended Book: William and Mary by John Van der Kiste, 2003
Recommended Book: Ungrateful Daughters: The Stuart Princesses Who Stole Their Father’s Throne by Maureen Waller, 2002

House of Stuart Resources at Unofficial Royalty

• United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Index
• House of Stuart Index
• Coronations after the Norman Conquest (1066 – present)
• First Cousins of Queen Mary II and Queen Anne
• History and Traditions: Stuart Weddings
• House of Stuart Burial Sites
• House of Stuart Christenings