WEBVTT 00:00:00.129 --> 00:00:06.049 Mary Fitzroy's family was desperate to remain in Henry the Eighth's favor, so they came up 00:00:06.049 --> 00:00:11.198 with a disturbing plan, and she was at the center of it. But Mary didn't take their 00:00:11.198 --> 00:00:16.690 manipulation sitting down. She betrayed them in an unforgettably brutal way. 00:00:20.079 --> 00:00:25.620 Mary Fitzroy was born into a powerful and ambitious noble family in 16th century England, 00:00:26.149 --> 00:00:31.440 and her prospects only improved when she married the illegitimate son of the king. The 00:00:31.440 --> 00:00:36.798 untimely loss of her husband, however, threw the young Duchess into a whirlwind of political 00:00:36.798 --> 00:00:39.418 brinksmanship, betrayal, and battle. 00:00:45.039 --> 00:00:51.439 Born Mary Howard in 1519, she was the third of five children of Lady Elizabeth Stafford and 00:00:51.439 --> 00:00:57.490 Thomas Howard, the Earl of Surrey. At the time of her birth, Mary's father was the 3rd highest 00:00:57.490 --> 00:01:02.929 ranking nobleman in England. He held the influential court positions of Earl Marshall 00:01:03.079 --> 00:01:07.948 and Treasurer of the Royal household, further cementing his sway over matters of great 00:01:07.948 --> 00:01:13.209 importance for the kingdom. Mary's grandparents were the Dukes and Duchesses of 00:01:13.209 --> 00:01:18.088 Norfolk and Buckingham respectively, making both of her grandfathers the most powerful 00:01:18.088 --> 00:01:24.808 peers in the kingdom and her family a significant political force. The 00:01:24.808 --> 00:01:30.049 Howard family wielded a lot of influence in the kingdom of England, both politically and 00:01:30.049 --> 00:01:35.769 militarily. Her father had led English forces to a decisive victory in the Battle of Flawdon, 00:01:36.099 --> 00:01:40.948 where he crushed Scottish opposition and cemented his position in the King's good graces, 00:01:41.168 --> 00:01:47.918 at least for now. The family were a well established dynasty with great ambitions toward 00:01:47.918 --> 00:01:53.359 power, and they weren't afraid to wield that influence, even if at times it risked 00:01:53.359 --> 00:01:59.540 alienating them from those in power. Throughout their history, the Howards became 00:01:59.540 --> 00:02:05.400 well-known for falling in and out of royal favor, a result of their constant scheming and 00:02:05.400 --> 00:02:11.838 factionalism. Mary's powerful family tree didn't stop at her parents and grandparents. 00:02:12.129 --> 00:02:18.020 Among her cousins she counted Anne Boleyn, Henry the 8th's 2nd wife, Jane Seymour, his 3rd 00:02:18.020 --> 00:02:24.929 wife, and Catherine Howard, his 5th. Each of these wives tried to exert their influence 00:02:24.929 --> 00:02:30.210 over the King and Mary's family watched with bated breath from the sidelines waiting to make 00:02:30.210 --> 00:02:36.899 their next move. Henry the Eighth's reign was a significant one, with seismic shifts 00:02:36.899 --> 00:02:41.618 in England's religious landscape occurring during his tenure, namely that of the 00:02:41.618 --> 00:02:46.278 Protestant Reformation, spurred on by his desire to divorce his first wife. 00:02:48.308 --> 00:02:53.479 Mary's family maintained an outlook of conservative Catholicism, however, instilling 00:02:53.479 --> 00:02:59.639 these values in her from a young age. Although not all her siblings necessarily toed this line. 00:03:01.860 --> 00:03:06.778 While Mary's two sisters achieved little of historic significance, her brothers were 00:03:06.778 --> 00:03:11.899 different. Her older brother Henry became a well-known poet and founder of the English 00:03:11.899 --> 00:03:17.020 Renaissance poetry movement. Her younger brother Thomas became a politician more in line 00:03:17.020 --> 00:03:22.500 with the family's values and would later feud with his poet brother. But no one could say the 00:03:22.500 --> 00:03:29.338 Howard children had a tough childhood. Mary grew up primarily across her family's 00:03:29.338 --> 00:03:36.189 many properties in the idyllic area of East Anglia. There are little surviving details of 00:03:36.189 --> 00:03:41.629 her upbringing, but she likely experienced the finest childhood possible at that time with 00:03:41.629 --> 00:03:47.860 lavish parties, servant-filled homes, and the best food England had to offer. In 00:03:47.860 --> 00:03:53.710 1520, with the Emerald Isle under the brutal boot of English colonial rule, Mary's father 00:03:53.710 --> 00:03:58.990 was appointed Lord Deputy of Ireland, and he made regular visits to fulfill his 00:03:58.990 --> 00:04:05.080 authoritarian duty. It's very likely that Mary accompanied her father on at least a few of 00:04:05.080 --> 00:04:10.758 these trips and probably learned a bit about governance along the way. Her parents, because 00:04:10.758 --> 00:04:16.238 of their conservative Catholicism, were incredibly strict. But as was the case with so 00:04:16.238 --> 00:04:21.199 many fanatical religious people throughout history, her father was a massive hypocrite. 00:04:22.338 --> 00:04:28.189 Tensions within the household peaked in 1527 when after the deterioration of her parents' 00:04:28.189 --> 00:04:33.028 marriage, Mary's father took a mistress, Elizabeth Holland, and moved her into the 00:04:33.028 --> 00:04:39.528 family home. As she got older, Mary proved to be an intelligent and capable young woman and 00:04:39.528 --> 00:04:46.178 received an education appropriate to her class . Along with her smarts, she was also 00:04:46.178 --> 00:04:51.170 beautiful and would deploy both traits skilfully in her adult years. And with her 00:04:51.170 --> 00:04:57.920 family troubles escalating, she would need all her wits about her. Mary's maternal grandfather, 00:04:58.000 --> 00:05:02.879 the 3rd Duke of Buckingham, was as ambitious as any of the Howards and made many high 00:05:02.879 --> 00:05:08.809 profile connections with other aristocrats outside the King's inner circle. The king 00:05:08.809 --> 00:05:14.290 eventually grew suspicious of this and ordered one of his cardinals to investigate. Mary's 00:05:14.290 --> 00:05:19.809 grandfather was eventually tried and sentenced to execution for treason. Oddly enough, this 00:05:19.809 --> 00:05:26.048 meant good news for her father's side of the family. With Buckingham now out of the picture, 00:05:26.509 --> 00:05:31.379 there remained only two dukes in the kingdom of England, the Duke of Suffolk and Mary's 00:05:31.379 --> 00:05:37.988 paternal grandfather, the Duke of Norfolk. The latter died in 1524, raising Mary's father to 00:05:37.988 --> 00:05:44.759 the position of Duke. In 1525, the king ordained a new duke through the elevation of 00:05:44.759 --> 00:05:50.199 his illegitimate son, Henry Fitzroy, naming him the Duke of Richmond and Somerset. 00:05:51.649 --> 00:05:56.970 Mary's father's position of importance had taken a slight dip, but the politically astute 00:05:56.970 --> 00:06:02.410 Duke of Norfolk seized another opportunity when it presented itself. The king had placed 00:06:02.410 --> 00:06:08.009 his newly ordained son into the care of Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, but Henry the 8th was a 00:06:08.009 --> 00:06:12.949 fickle man. And when Wolsey failed to secure an annulment for the king's marriage, the 00:06:12.949 --> 00:06:18.459 Cardinal fell from grace and was imprisoned. Mary's father saw his opportunity. He 00:06:18.459 --> 00:06:24.108 volunteered to take Henry Fitzroy under his guidance, to which the king agreed. And with 00:06:24.108 --> 00:06:30.869 that, Mary became the perfect bargaining chip. The king was pleased with the progress his son 00:06:30.869 --> 00:06:36.858 made under Norfolk, and soon he sought to join his family with the dukes. It was suggested 00:06:36.858 --> 00:06:41.910 either by the King himself or by Anne Boleyn, who was close to the Howard family, that the 00:06:41.910 --> 00:06:48.088 newly elevated Fitzroy should marry young Mary Howard. Her parents quickly completed the 00:06:48.088 --> 00:06:54.449 marriage negotiations, and in November 1533, Mary Howard wedded the king's illegitimate son, 00:06:54.600 --> 00:07:00.410 Henry Fitzroy. It was a triumphant moment for both the Howard and Boleyn families, their 00:07:00.410 --> 00:07:06.170 political ambitions materializing before their very eyes. The two newlyweds, of course, had 00:07:06.170 --> 00:07:12.500 little say in the matter. At the time of their wedding, Mary and her new husband were very 00:07:12.500 --> 00:07:17.678 young, an unfortunately common practice in arranged aristocratic marriages of the era. 00:07:17.980 --> 00:07:24.009 Henry was 14 years old on his wedding day, and Mary was as young as 13. Their status as young 00:07:24.009 --> 00:07:30.290 teenagers would play a significant role in the drama that followed. With her marriage to Henry, 00:07:30.338 --> 00:07:36.298 the new bride was now Mary Fitzroy, Duchess of Richmond and Somerset. The Howard family now 00:07:36.298 --> 00:07:41.500 had both a Duke and Duchess in the family, their daughter proving to be a lucrative 00:07:41.500 --> 00:07:47.500 political bargaining chip. The new Duchess was a former member of Queen Anne's household, 00:07:47.920 --> 00:07:52.639 meaning the ambitious Bolinns knew her well and could bend the young girl to their will. 00:07:53.928 --> 00:07:59.178 Mary also seemed open to religious reform, something the Boleyn family strongly advocated 00:07:59.178 --> 00:08:04.428 for. But the young girl wasn't just a pawn, the marriage strengthened her own position too. 00:08:06.420 --> 00:08:11.149 At the time of Mary's wedding, Henry the 8th had no legitimate sons, meaning there was no 00:08:11.149 --> 00:08:16.829 male heir to the throne. Now a duke, Henry Fitzroy was seen as the most likely candidate 00:08:16.829 --> 00:08:22.829 to ascend the throne. Mary likely already had dreams of being crowned Queen of England, but 00:08:22.829 --> 00:08:28.220 fate had other plans. Three years into their marriage, Mary's husband contracted 00:08:28.220 --> 00:08:34.619 tuberculosis and died on July 23, 1536, a little over a month after his 00:08:34.619 --> 00:08:41.249 17th birthday. Upon Mary's marriage to Henry, the king, fearing that bedroom activity too 00:08:41.249 --> 00:08:47.048 early was unhealthy, forbade the newlyweds from consummating their marriage. After Henry 00:08:47.048 --> 00:08:52.888 Fitzroy's death, this agreement came back to have real consequences. Henry the 8th insisted 00:08:52.888 --> 00:08:58.889 that because the marriage wasn't consummated, it wasn't valid. In normal circumstances, 00:08:58.969 --> 00:09:04.609 marriage entitled aristocratic widows to lands in the event of their spouse's untimely demise. 00:09:05.009 --> 00:09:09.129 Because of the king's assertion that the marriage wasn't legitimate, Mary was stripped 00:09:09.129 --> 00:09:14.038 of many of the lands she would have otherwise inherited. But while the king remained tight 00:09:14.038 --> 00:09:19.450 with his purse strings, he also kept Mary in his good graces, and the royal family permitted 00:09:19.450 --> 00:09:25.500 her to stay at court. She settled into a quiet widowhood amongst her fellow courtiers and 00:09:25.500 --> 00:09:32.330 continued building her social circle. Mary Fitzroy was a jovial and well-liked presence at 00:09:32.330 --> 00:09:37.288 court, and she had a few of her own favorites among her fellow aristocrats. She grew 00:09:37.288 --> 00:09:42.609 particularly close to her late husband's cousin, Margaret Douglas. Pushing politics to 00:09:42.609 --> 00:09:47.719 the side, the two women curated and contributed to the. Devonshire manuscript, an 00:09:47.719 --> 00:09:53.239 impressive collection of Tudor era poetry, featuring works by the women themselves, along 00:09:53.239 --> 00:09:58.678 with several pieces by various court poets. Mary seemed perfectly content to live out her 00:09:58.678 --> 00:10:05.389 days creatively, but soon, political scandal reared its head. By 1542, 00:10:05.509 --> 00:10:11.070 Henry the Eighth had married his fifth wife, Mary's first cousin, Catherine Howard. After 00:10:11.070 --> 00:10:16.548 hearing allegations of Catherine's infidelity, however, the king imprisoned her and her entire 00:10:16.548 --> 00:10:22.849 extended family. Mary Fitzroy ended up in the Tower of London with the rest of the Howards. 00:10:23.269 --> 00:10:28.190 The Howards found themselves in a tricky bind, and Mary's father could think of only one way 00:10:28.190 --> 00:10:34.109 out for his daughter, marrying her off again. The Earl petitioned the King for Mary to marry 00:10:34.109 --> 00:10:39.580 his third wife, Jane Seymour's brother, Thomas Seymour. Surprisingly, the King gave the 00:10:39.580 --> 00:10:44.428 approval for Mary to marry his ex brother-in-law. The Howards breathed a sigh of 00:10:44.428 --> 00:10:48.989 relief as they saw a potential way back from their fall from grace through their treasured 00:10:48.989 --> 00:10:55.109 daughter. But not all Howards were on board, especially not the one that mattered. Despite 00:10:55.109 --> 00:11:00.580 her predicament, Mary had no interest in marrying Thomas Seymour. She strongly objected, 00:11:00.668 --> 00:11:06.428 and as a result, the marriage never took place . She wasn't alone in her protest. Her brother 00:11:06.428 --> 00:11:12.099 Henry, the Earl of Surrey, also objected to the match. It turns out he had an idea of his 00:11:12.099 --> 00:11:18.798 own. Mary's brother was scheming independently of his father to get the Howard family into the 00:11:18.798 --> 00:11:24.009 King's good graces. And like his father, the Earl of Surrey was not hesitant to use his 00:11:24.009 --> 00:11:29.908 sister as a pawn. Surrey suggested Mary seduce the king himself. 00:11:30.739 --> 00:11:35.989 This suggestion outraged the young Duchess, and she wasn't shy about making her feelings 00:11:35.989 --> 00:11:41.340 known. The two stubborn siblings had a falling out and ceased all communication with one 00:11:41.340 --> 00:11:47.058 another. This would have devastating consequences for Mary's brother. Soon after, 00:11:47.178 --> 00:11:53.440 Mary's father and brother ended up on trial for treason, and Mary's next move shocked 00:11:53.440 --> 00:12:00.379 everyone. She testified at the trial against her family members. Whether acting 00:12:00.379 --> 00:12:05.859 out of self-interest or from her genuinely held beliefs, Mary's dramatic testimony sealed 00:12:05.859 --> 00:12:11.019 the fates of two of the most powerful Howards and represented a complete severance of 00:12:11.019 --> 00:12:16.719 familial ties for the cunning Duchess. Mary's father and brother were deemed guilty of 00:12:16.719 --> 00:12:21.759 treason, and both were sentenced to execution. Her brother, the Earl of Surrey, faced the 00:12:21.759 --> 00:12:28.519 music on January 19th, 1547. Her father was next on the chopping block, but he was 00:12:28.519 --> 00:12:35.279 saved by the knell. Mary's father was to be executed on January 28th, 9 days after his son. 00:12:35.729 --> 00:12:41.168 However, a stroke of cosmic luck spared his life. In the early hours of that morning, Henry 00:12:41.168 --> 00:12:46.849 the 8th died, throwing the kingdom into disarray. King Edward the 6th ascended to the 00:12:46.849 --> 00:12:52.038 throne after his father's demise, and he never bothered to see through the execution of a man 00:12:52.038 --> 00:12:56.729 who was charged with treason against his predecessor. Mary's father was instead 00:12:56.729 --> 00:13:02.690 imprisoned in the Tower of London for the remainder of the new king's reign. Mary grew up 00:13:02.690 --> 00:13:08.250 Catholic. In fact, her father was the premier Roman Catholic nobleman in England. Despite her 00:13:08.250 --> 00:13:13.450 pious upbringing, however, Mary was much more sympathetic to reformist ideas than the other 00:13:13.450 --> 00:13:18.788 Howards, a contrarian position that perhaps explains her willingness to turn on her family 00:13:18.788 --> 00:13:23.849 in their darkest hour. Though she never had any children of her own, Mary took charge of 00:13:23.849 --> 00:13:29.190 her brother's 5 children after their father's execution. Given the direction of the religious 00:13:29.190 --> 00:13:34.989 currents at court, the Duchess set her wards up wisely, hiring Protestant martyrologist John 00:13:34.989 --> 00:13:41.029 Fox to tutor the kids and ensure they remained in the Royal Family's good books. Interestingly, 00:13:41.190 --> 00:13:46.509 Mary never remarried after losing her husband. This is particularly strange considering her 00:13:46.509 --> 00:13:50.509 stature, the young age at which she was widowed, and the fact that she never 00:13:50.509 --> 00:13:55.070 consummated her marriage to begin with. Perhaps it speaks further to the Duchess's 00:13:55.070 --> 00:14:01.000 autonomous nature. Mary largely faded into the background after the demise of Henry the 8th, 00:14:01.259 --> 00:14:06.820 becoming essentially a faceless courtier, exercising no meaningful power or influence 00:14:06.820 --> 00:14:13.099 again. She was probably more than happy to do so. January of 1556 saw the beginning of the 00:14:13.099 --> 00:14:18.690 reign of Queen Mary the First, a period of upheaval in the English monarchy. The Queen 00:14:18.690 --> 00:14:23.349 attempted to reverse many of the reforms implemented by her father. And though Mary 00:14:23.349 --> 00:14:28.580 Fitzroy had advocated reform in the past, she wasn't worried about facing the Queen's wrath, 00:14:28.759 --> 00:14:34.750 because she was her sister-in-law. Mary Fitzroy, Duchess of Richmond and Somerset, died 00:14:34.750 --> 00:14:41.729 on December 7th, 1557 at the age of 37 or 38 possibly after a difficult bout 00:14:41.729 --> 00:14:47.759 of flu. The Duchess left behind a legacy of quiet independence and wisely deployed 00:14:47.759 --> 00:14:54.700 political smarts. Thanks for watching History 00:14:54.700 --> 00:15:00.460 expose. If you love uncovering the best stories in history, hit like and subscribe to 00:15:00.460 --> 00:15:05.500 keep exploring with us. If you enjoyed this video, check out the others on screen for more 00:15:05.500 --> 00:15:06.940 amazing history content.