A Tudor Princess

Mary Tudor was an extremely attractive and lively young lady. Henry VIII, her brother, was engaged in the delicate task of restoring England to the place from which she had fallen during the terrible Wars of the Roses. To give the newborn House of Tudor prestige among the kings of Europe, matches with the important houses must be made. Henry wanted Mary to marry a certain Charles of Austria, who in addition to being head of the Holy Roman Empire, owned most of Europe as well. But Mary did not want to marry Charles. She wanted to marry Charles Brandon, the young duke of Suffolk. Henry raged and fumed, and was on the point of forcing his rebellious sister to obey, when a sudden shifting in international affairs brought a hasty offer from King Louis XII for the hand of the Princess Mary. Louis XII was old and bad, and when Mary learned that her royal brother's mind was set on this new and important match, she decided to forget she was a princess. So she ran away with the man she loved. But they did not get very far. Henry sent guards after them and brought them back. He was in one of his most dangerous moods, and when Mary openly defied him, commanded that Brandon should be instantly beheaded. To save her lover's life, Mary at last consented to marry the old king of France. So they sent her over to France, and there the beautiful girl was married to a man almost old enough to be her grandfather. Charles Brandon followed her to France, and gaining admission to her salon, begged the young queen to fly with him. While he was in the midst of his fervid entreaty, King Louis entered. Brandon was seized and cast into a dungeon to await his execution. But before the sentence could be carried out, King Louis died, and the throne passed to his nephew, Francis of Angouleme. Partly because he hated Henry VIII and partly because of Mary's persuasive ways, Francis agreed to liberate Brandon from captivity. Mary returned to her brother's court, where she was shortly afterward joined by Brandon. The princess bided her time, and waited until Henry was in a good humor. Then she asked him if he wouldn't let her marry Brandon, and the mollified king at last consented.