Those who read about Tudor times generally hear about Henry VIII and his six wives, “Bloody Mary,” or the  ”Virgin Queen” Elizabeth I. The sisters of Henry VIII are often overshadowed by these other Tudor personalities. However, Mary and Margaret Tudor lived extremely “Tumultuous” lives as covered in Maria Perry’s book The Sisters of Henry VIII: The Tumultuous lives of Margaret of Scotland and Mary of France. She chronologically covers the lives of these sisters, from birth to reigning as queens of Scotland and France. Both remarried after the deaths of their first husbands and were very unconventional for the time.

Margaret Tudor

Margaret as Queen of Scotland

Margaret as Queen of Scotland

Margaret Tudor was born on Nov. 28, 1489. She was the eldest daughter of King Henry VII and Queen Elizabeth (of York) of England. In 1502 Margaret married James IV of Scotland. Upon his death in 1513, Margaret became guardian of their sons James and Alexander. In 1514 she married into the powerful Douglas family. Margaret bore Douglas a daughter, Lady Margaret Douglas (later a favorite at the court of her uncle, King Henry VIII). However, the marriage was not happy and divorced Douglas in 1527 (much to her brother, King Henry VIII’s disapproval). In 1528 she married Henry Stewart, another unhappy marriage. Towards the end of her life, Margaret became friends with Mary of Guise, her son James V’s wife from France. With Mary’s help, Margaret and Stewart were reconciled. She died in 1541 from a stroke.

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Mary Tudor

Mary Tudor with her second husband Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk

Mary Tudor with her second husband Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk

Mary Tudor was born on March 18, 1496 to King Henry VII and Queen Elizabeth of York. In 1514 she married the aging King Louis XII of France. He died in Jan. 1515 on New Years Day freeing Mary to marry again. She chose Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk and married in secret. When her brother, King Henry VIII found out, he was not happy. Despite this rough start, the couple were happy and were eventually forgiven by the King. She bore Brandon three children. Her eldest daughter, Lady Frances Brandon, was the mother of the ill-fated Lady Jane Grey, the nine days queen. Mary died on June 25, 1533.

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I really enjoyed this book and am excited to share it with you this week (even if it is a little late…).

Here’s the link to a nice review for the book and Here’s the amazon link.