Mary Boleyn – King Henry VIII’s Other Woman And Sister Of Anne Boleyn

David Tee  AncientPages.com - King Henry VIII was known for his extra-marital affairs and activities. But this does not diminish Mary’s role in his life. Mary Boleyn never reached the high station as her sister during her life, but she seemed content with her lesser role.

Who Was Mary Boleyn?

Mary was the oldest child of Thomas Boleyn and Elizabeth Howard.  She was the great-granddaughter of Geoffrey Boleyn who eventually rose to the position of Lord Mayor of London. Her father Thomas spent a lot of his career as a foreign diplomat which mean that both Mary and Anne, her sister spent part of their formative years growing up overseas.

Left: Portrait of Mary Boleyn (c. 1499/1500 - 1543). Credit: Public Domain - Right: A portrait of Henry VIII. Credit: Public Domain

Mary’s acceptance of the maid of honor’s position given by Henry VIII’s youngest sister took her to France where she may have come in contact with King Francis. The rumors that flew after this meeting seemed to not hinder Mary’s social life and they may have brought her to the attention of Henry VIII’s wandering eye years later.

Despite the supposed notoriety, her father was able to secure a position in Queen Catherine of Aragon's maids of honor for her. It was here attending to Queen Catherine that Mary met her first husband, William Carey.

He was a gentleman in the King’s Privy Chamber which may have made it easier for Henry and Mary to meet secretly.  Now some historians claim it was a very public affair while others say it was very discreet.

Whatever the case the question of the parentage of Mary’s children has come in to some question. With little information or credible records to work with, it is not known if her two children were her husband’s biological children or if they were a product of Henry’s extra marital activities.

It really did not matter that much since William Carey died about 3 years after Mary’s last child was born. There are also some questions as to the order of birth. Some say that the daughter, Catherine, was born first in 1524 while others state that Henry was born first in 1525 or 1526.

Nothing can be said for certain because there is no real record telling us when Mary and Henry VIII had their affair. Eric Ives claims that Henry was born first in 1526.

King Henry VIII’s Meeting With Mary’s Sister, Anne Boleyn

It may have been through his affair with Mary that Henry VIII’s wandering eye caught a glimpse of her sister Anne. Anne was free to be wooed as two previous romances fell through. Anne was far more ambitious than Mary and could have used Mary’s example as motivation to make sure she replaced Henry VIII’s current wife Queen, Catherine.

Anne Boleyn in the Tower by Edouard Cibot (1799–1877). Credit: Public Domain.

On May 19, 1536, Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry VIII was beheaded for adultery, treason and incest. Read more

During this time, it is hard to say how the sisters related to each other. The records do not show their personal interactions.  It is possible that they were still on speaking terms and Mary provided some insights on how to manipulate Henry VIII.

It was Anne Boleyn’s demand that Henry VIII divorces his wife and make her Queen that led to Henry VIII’s scandal with the Roman Catholic Church. It was also Anne that guided Henry to form the Church of England. For some reason, Mary never showed this kind of intelligence, scheming or daring.

Mary Boleyn’s Scandal

It seems strange that Anne received her objective and became Queen in 1533, her father was made an Earl of Wiltshire, and brother George was made Viscount Rochford. But for Mary, no such rewards were granted.

It is well known that Henry VIII was a bit on the cheap side when it came to treating his former mistresses well. There was also no attempt to find her another husband to take care of her as she grew older. This left Mary to alter the situation by her own devices.

It did not go well. It is said that Mary fell in love with a landless, penniless young man who was also part of Henry VIII’s court. The fact that Mary did this all without permission from anyone led to her new downfall.

Mary was banned from the court by her sister, her parents cut her off and she received little to no help from anyone else. She had to appeal to Master Secretary Cromwell for aid. What aid she received is not recorded, that is if she received any at all.

In one letter, Mary explains that receiving aid was not that much of a priority for her. She wrote that she would rather beg and be with her husband than be made Queen. She also wrote that she felt her husband would not leave her if given the opportunity to be king.

In other words, she married for love, was loved and she was content and happy. Their life together may have kept them safe after all.

Mary Boleyn Left The Court And Was Happy

Mary’s new life took her away from the court and its intrigues. Her scandalous marriage may have spared her the fate of her sister Anne and her brother George. Both were executed for their roles in the life of Henry VIII. As were 5 old friends they used to spend time with when Mary was part of the court.

Mary’s parents also died around the same time. Mary may have had her allowance cut off when she married the young Stafford. But she was not cut off from receiving any inheritance when her parents passed on. She inherited the Boleyn lands in Essex and lived comfortably until her death in 1543.

For all the ambition that drove her parents, sister and brother, Mary is the only one who left the Boleyn family with its legacy. Her children went on to be favored by Elizabeth I and reached high positions in the royal court.

Mary may have been a mistress, but she seemed to be the sensible one of the Boleyn family. She held the key to the Boleyn longevity and honor.

Written by – David Tee AncientPages.com Staff Writer

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