13 August 1514 Princess Mary of England, sister to Henry Vlll, was married by proxy to the aged King Louis Xll of France to help strengthen the alliance between the two countries.  On 9 October 1514 they were officially married.  Just 82 days later on 1 January 1515 King Louis XII abruptly died.

Mary had made an agreement with her brother, the king of England to be allowed to marry for love after her marriage to Louis Xll. This is my favorite part of the story – The dowager queen of France did indeed marry for love – to Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk. I was a huge fan of the Showtime series, “The Tudors” and know about all the historical inaccuracies but loved the passion shown between the couple. I like to believe they were unbelievably happy.

 

History House of Tudor