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Charles Brandon - Historical profile
 | History of Charles Brandon 1st Duke of Suffolk Click EasyEdit to update this page! |  |
| Charles father, William Brandon, died fighting for Henry Tudor (later King Henry VII) in 1485. A large, athletic man, young Brandon was about the only member of Henry VIII’s entourage capable of standing up to Henry VIII in a tournament. He proved his personal courage in the 1513 campaign against France (for which he received a viscountcy), but, when he was later given military commands (1523 and 1542–44), he displayed only incompetence. In February 1514, Henry made Brandon Duke of Suffolk. Early the following year Suffolk was sent to Paris to promote a match between Henry’s sister Mary and King Francis I of France; instead Suffolk married her himself, thereby incurring the danger of being accused of treason. Henry’s wrath was apparently assuaged by his chief minister, Thomas Cardinal Wolsey, and the duke soon returned to royal favour. Nevertheless, in 1529 Suffolk helped overthrow Wolsey, and for several years thereafter he appeared to be among the dominant members of the king’s council, though he was a man devoid of the qualities of leadership. He welcomed the demise of Anne Boleyn. Suffolk’s granddaughter, Lady Jane Grey, was titular queen of England for nine days following the death of King Edward VI in 1553. | Scandals: Young Charles had undergone an embarrassing marital situation which revealed his ambition and callousness. In 1505, he had become engaged to Anne Browne, a young woman of impressive lineage.Charles and Anne were betrothed per verba de praesenti, a binding contract under canon law. In such cases, there was no ceremony or witnesses; as one can imagine, this led to several unpleasant cases of men and (more rarely) women repudiating their betrothed if they lacked proper respect for church law. Charles apparently did. He and Anne slept together, as evidenced by the birth of a daughter in 1506, but he did not marry her. Instead, he married her aunt, a very wealthy widow named Margaret Neville Mortimer. The marriage was never taken seriously due to its mercenary nature and, more importantly, legal action begun by Anne's angry family. Eventually, the Mortimer marriage was annulled due to the previous contract and Charles married Anne in a well-attended public ceremony. They had another daughter in 1510; Anne Browne died just two years later. By late 1512, Charles had recovered from his grief enough to contemplate yet another union. This was perhaps even more mercenary since his betrothed was an eight-year-old orphan. It was common practice for the Crown to assume guardianship of an orphaned minor child who had inherited property. The Crown then sold the guardianship to the highest bidder, often the child's own relatives who wanted to receive the property revenues until the child came of age and decide whom they would marry. Charles had been given the wardship of Elizabeth Grey, the heiress to Lord Lisle of Sparsholt in Berkshire. This, along with various offices, grants & pensions, was a mark of Henry's continued favor. In early 1513, Charles announced his engagement to the girl and, on 15 May 1513, the king created him Viscount Lisle, in right of his betrothed wife. Charles Brandon finally had a noble title and even more property. |
 Henry's sister Mary fell for Charles and all contemporary accounts remark on Mary's great beauty, particularly her clear complexion and long red-gold hair, the Tudor trademark so Charles too became smitten. |  He made a fool of himself by flirting with Margaret, the twice-widowed, 33-year-old daughter of Hapsburg Emperor Maximilian. Once again, Charles Brandon was demonstrating his heavy-handed flair for the ladies. In the end, he greatly offended Margaret by encouraging gossip about their meeting. In particular, it stressed her attraction to him and a possible marriage. As a Hapsburg princess, she was not amused and Henry VIII was forced to make a public apology. But he was not angry with his friend because soon after, he made him Duke of Suffolk. |
 The Widow Mary   | On 31 December 1514, King Louis of France died after an 82 day marriage leaving Henry's sister Mary a widow at 19 years old. Charles had been sent to France by Henry, specifically promising to keep his relations with the widow on a formal basis. It was a most emotional reunion between Mary & Charles as Mary was already in love with him. She accused him of taking her to England only to have her married off again against her will. He protested but she would have none of it. She issued an ultimatum - either marry me now or never marry me at all. There would be no better time, she said, for he had jealous enemies on the Privy Council who would prevent it in England. She had her brother's explicit promise that she could follow her heart and Henry knew her greatest desire. Charles was always ambitious and rarely foolish but he knew that Mary would be a great prize; after all, he harbored no overt dynastic ambitions but six years of marriage had produced no living child for Henry VIII. Perhaps Suffolk and Mary would create a new royal line. And she was a royal princess and queen, just twenty years old and madly in love with him. Suffolk was swayed by tears and ambition and, sometime in February 1515, they married secretly at the Cluny chapel. Henry's reaction was not favorable. Brandon had written to Wolsey for support and he received a prompt reply but it hardly comforted him; the king could not believe his most trusted friend had betrayed him but, if it were true, the newlyweds had to pay a stiff penalty - literally. They must pay back Mary's marriage portion in annual installments of 4000 pds, leaving her just 6000 pds to live on. She must return all the plate and jewels she had taken to France as her dowry as well as the many gifts King Louis had given her. Beyond that, they must hasten to beg the king for forgiveness. Suffolk and Mary did just that, both blaming her for the hasty marriage. Suffolk wrote: "Sir, for the passion of God, let it not be in your heart against me, and rather than you should hold me in mistrust, strike off my head and let me not live." We can assume that Wolsey had perhaps exaggerated Henry's displeasure since he wanted Suffolk's gratitude. Henry was willing enough to forgive his best friend and favorite sister, after she turned over all her jewels and plate from France and signed a contract to repay the 24000 pds spent on her first marriage in the annual installments of 4000 pds. It was obvious that Henry was not surprised by the marriage; he was mostly angry at Suffolk for breaking his word. Suffolk and Mary were wed again at Greenwich Palace on 13 May with King Henry VIII and Queen Katherine of Aragon in attendance. There was feasting and celebration but it was strictly a family affair and foreign ambassadors wondered if they should congratulate the couple. After all, the situation was odd and there were some (mostly on the king's council) who disapproved of the match. But, for the most part, there were no hard feelings or grudges. Suffolk was a popular man, good-looking and charming, and few - even in Tudor England - could resist such a grand love story. After all, they had risked everything to be together. Before long, the Suffolks were back in the king's good graces. |
| By 1531, Suffolk's daughters with Anne Browne were wed to titled men. His eldest daughter with Mary, the Lady Frances, was engaged to Henry Grey third Marquess of Dorset, descendent of the famous Elizabeth Woodville; before Edward IV, she had been married to a Grey and had two sons by him. It was from the elder son that Henry Grey was descended. Frances and Henry were the parents of Lady Jane Grey. The celebration of Frances's wedding to Henry Grey was held at the Suffolk home in London. It was Mary's last visit to the city. She was increasingly ill and also uncomfortable with her brother. His favor was no longer certain. He had married the pregnant Anne Boleyn in a secret ceremony. Suffolk was put in charge of the new queen's coronation. Therefore, he was not with his wife when she passed away quietly at their home in Westhorpe on 26 June 1533. She was thirty-eight years old. Her death was not considered important news since most people were concerned with the impending birth of Anne Boleyn's child, destined to be Queen Elizabeth I. Mary had seen her husband in early May but his duties kept him busy; it was a hurried visit and she simply wasted away in the next few weeks. Her brother ordered requiem masses to be sung at Westminster Abbey but showed no other sign of mourning. He was, after all, in the midst of the Reformation. Charles Brandon did not attend the funeral but it was a marvelous affair | Suffolk remained in Henry's favor. The king gave his old friend the unpleasant task of persuading Queen Katharine of Aragon to accept the break with Rome and the new title Princess Dowager. He was also to move her to Somersham near Cambridge, a manor known for its dank and unhealthy atmosphere. Katharine would not be bullied; she told Suffolk that he would have to bind her in ropes if he wanted to move her anywhere. After a week of such talks, Suffolk left, having accomplished precious little. He never saw Katharine again. He did attend all the momentous events of the 1530s - he sat at the trials of Sir Thomas More and Anne Boleyn, he was even present at the scaffold when she was beheaded. He also helped lead forces to end the Pilgrimage of the Grace, one of the most serious problems of Henry's reign. Meanwhile, his wife gave birth to a second son called Charles and his daughter Frances, after two still-births, gave birth to a healthy baby girl, named Jane Grey, probably after Queen Jane Seymour. The exact date of birth is not known, but it was probably October and eclipsed by the birth - finally! - of Henry's son, Prince Edward Tudor\. Suffolk acted as godfather to the new prince. |
 circa 1545 - approx 60 yrs old The last years of his life were quite happy. He and Catherine Brandon (Willoughby) were affectionate, they had two healthy sons, and the dissolution of the monasteries allowed the king to grant him more lands and pensions. He and his wife entertained the king and his new wife Katherine Howard; and, of course, Suffolk was one the men who arrested and extracted a confession from that queen. He died quite suddenly on 22 August 1545, his last official business being plans for an invasion of France. But he was sixty years old, a good age at the time, and - once the news was known - it was not surprising. Suffolk requested a quiet funeral but the king would have none of it - he ordered a lavish ceremony at St George's Chapel in Windsor. Henry planned and paid for the service. It was undoubtedly an emotional occasion for him; after all, Charles Brandon had been his companion for virtually his entire life. In fact, Suffolk was one of the few men who could still remember the Bluff King Hal of legend. Henry was now overweight, bald, and suffering from a variety of physical ailments. He would only outlive his friend by about eighteen months. In that time, he had good cause to regret the death of his one true friend. |  Catherine Willoughby (called Catherine Brooke in the series)Brandon's ward & his son's betrothed who became his 3rd wife (after the death of Princess Mary - called Princess Margaret Tudor in the series) & mother of Charles & Henry 2nd and 3rd Dukes of Suffolk   Charles Brandon's Sons by Holbein 1541 Left: Charles Brandon, 3rd Duke of Suffolk - aged 3 (born 1537 - died 1551) Right: Henry Brandon, 2nd Duke of Suffolk - aged 5(born 1535 - died 1551) both died of the sweating Westhorpe Hall, Suffolk, was built for Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, in c. 1526-33 as his main country residence, but financial problems following the death of his wife, Mary Tudor, resulted in the reversion of the property to the Crown. A lack of interest in the Hall resulted in its rapid demise, and it was finally pulled down in the mideighteenth century so there are no pictures of his residence. |
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