Mary Boleyn, also known as Lady Mary, (c. 1499 – 19 July 1543) was the sister of English queen consort Anne Boleyn, whose family enjoyed considerable influence during the reign of King Henry VIII.
Mary was one of the mistresses of Henry VIII for an unknown period. It has been rumoured that she bore two of the King's children, though Henry did not acknowledge either. Mary was also rumoured to have been a mistress of Henry VIII's rival, King Francis I of France, for some period between 1515 and 1519.
Mary Boleyn was married twice: in 1520 to William Carey, and again, secretly, in 1534, to William Stafford, a soldier from a good family but with few prospects. This secret marriage to a man considered beneath her station angered King Henry VIII and her sister, Queen Anne, and resulted in Mary's banishment from the royal court. She died seven years later, having spent the remainder of her life in obscurity.
Early life
Mary was probably born at Blickling Hall, the family seat in Norfolk, and grew up at Hever Castle, Kent. She was the daughter of a wealthy diplomat and courtier, Thomas Boleyn, later Earl of Wiltshire, by his marriage to Elizabeth Howard, the eldest daughter of Thomas Howard, then Earl of Surrey and future 2nd Duke of Norfolk, and his first wife Elizabeth Tilney, therefore Mary was a niece of the future 3rd Duke of Norfolk, and a first cousin of both the poet and soldier Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, and Henry VIII's future fifth wife, Catherine Howard, daughter of Lord Edmund Howard, Mary's uncle.
There is no evidence as to Mary's exact date of birth, but it occurred sometime between 1499 and 1508. Most historians suggest she was the eldest of the three surviving Boleyn children. Evidence suggests that the Boleyn family treated Mary as the eldest child; in 1597, her grandson Lord Hunsdon claimed the earldom of Ormond on the grounds that he was the Boleyns' legitimate heir. Many ancient peerages can descend through female heirs without an immediate male heir. If Anne had been the elder sister, the better claim to the title would have belonged to her daughter, Queen Elizabeth I. However, it appears that Queen Elizabeth offered Mary's son, Henry, the earldom as he was dying, although he declined it. If Mary had been the eldest Boleyn sister, Henry would have the better claim to the title, regardless of a new grant from the Queen. There is more evidence to suggest that Mary was older than Anne. She was married first, on 4 February 1520; an elder daughter traditionally married before a younger sister. Moreover, in 1532, when Anne was created Marchioness of Pembroke, she was referred to as "one of the daughters of Thomas Boleyn". Were she the eldest, that status would probably have been mentioned. Most historians now accept Mary as the eldest child, placing her birth sometime in 1499.
During her early years, it is most likely that Mary was educated alongside her brother George, and her sister Anne at Hever Castle. She was given the conventional education deemed essential for young ladies of her rank and status, which included the basic principles of arithmetic, grammar, history, reading, spelling and writing. In addition to her family genealogy, Mary learned the feminine accomplishments of dancing, embroidery, etiquette, household management, music, needlework, singing, and games such as cards and chess. She was also taught archery, falconry, riding, and hunting.
Mary remained in England for most of her childhood until she was sent abroad in 1514 around the age of fifteen when her father secured her a place as maid-of-honour to the King's sister, Princess Mary, who was going to Paris to marry King Louis XII of France.
Royal affair in France
Mary was joined in Paris by her father Sir Thomas and her sister Anne, who had been studying in France for the previous year. During this time, Mary is supposed to have embarked on sexual affairs, including one with King Francis I himself, Francis having succeeded Louis XII who had died shortly after his marriage to Princess Mary. Although most historians believe that the reports of her sexual affairs are exaggerated, Francis referred to her as "The English Mare", "my hackney", and as "una grandissima ribalda, infame sopra tutte" ("a very great whore, the most infamous of all").
She returned to England in 1519, where she was appointed a maid-of-honour to Catherine of Aragon, the queen consort of Henry VIII. Mary was reportedly considered to be a great beauty at both the French and English courts.