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Welcome to Noble Blood, a production

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of I Heart Radio and Grimm and Mild

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from Aaron Minkie. Listener discretion

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is advised. When

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Mary Tudor was seventeen years

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old, she was summoned back to court

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after years of exile. Her

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letters to her father, the King, had

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been going unanswered or given

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kurt reply by one of his courtiers.

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Mary was forbidden to even write

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to her mother, Catherine, who had

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obediently accepted exile

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at the hands of her husband, but who

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still refused to accept that their

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marriage had not been valid in

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the eyes of God. Young

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Mary, their teenage daughter, had been

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sent to live in the dreary palace

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of Hudson House in Hertfordshire,

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isolated her staff,

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and her connections to the outside world

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slowly diminishing. Her

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mother, Catherine had been sent even further

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to a drearier, colder

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and lonelier place. They

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said her health was failing, and

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so while a letter inviting Mary

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back to court might have seemed promising

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a return to prominence for the young girl

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who had grown up as England's only princess,

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Mary was well aware that she was coming

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back only as an exercise

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in humiliation. Even

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though the Pope had it dissolved

1:27

Henry the Eighth's first marriage,

1:30

Henry had broken from Rome and

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declared himself head of the Church

1:34

of England. With that, he proclaimed

1:36

that his marriage to Catherine had never been

1:39

valid, and then he privately married

1:41

the woman with whom he had already

1:43

been infatuated with for years,

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Anne Boleyn. The

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creation of the Church of England is one of

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the major seismic events of

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European history, with massive ramifications

1:56

across the globe, but one of

1:58

its first victims was

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the young teenage Mary Tudor.

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The princess was informed by her

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father's men that she was retroactively

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a bastard, that she was no longer

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Princess Mary, but Lady

2:13

Mary. Mary was being

2:15

summoned to Hatfield, not to

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reconcile with her father, but

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to serve as a maid for her

2:22

new infant half sister, Elizabeth.

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King. Henry believed that isolating

2:28

and humiliating his former wife

2:30

Katherine and their daughter Mary would

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be the way to get the proud Catholic

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women to renounce their positions.

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They were stones in his shoe, popular

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both domestically and with allies abroad,

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and they were guilty reminders

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that his gambit with Anne Boleyn was

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becoming a desperate one.

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Mary Tudor would outlast Anne

2:54

Boleyn and go on to become England's

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first female monarch in her own

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right, bar during the questionable

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claims of twelfth century Empress Matilda

3:04

and the nine day attempted

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coup that crowned Jane

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Gray. The conflict

3:10

between Mary's mother Catherine

3:12

and Anne Boleyn, and the larger

3:15

conflict in England between Catholicism

3:17

and Protestantism would define

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not only Mary's teenage years

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but also her brief reign as queen.

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Today she's most commonly known

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as Bloody Mary, but in

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her lifetime, Princess Mary

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Tudor was a girl whose life

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was torn out from under her. I'm

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Danish Schwartz and this is noble

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blood. Princess

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Mary was born in fifteen

3:49

sixteen beneath the four poster

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bed with a golden canopy, on

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a day bed with red silk embroidered

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with the coats of arms for her father,

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King Henry the Eighth and her mother,

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Queen Catherine of Arragon. Mary

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was christened with the name of Henry's

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favorite sister and The chapel

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was lushly decorated for her baptism

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with jewel incrusted tapestries.

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Mary was baptized Catholic and

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a fond used exclusively for

4:19

royalty. Her birth

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was a source of joy, but it was also

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a source of tension and disappointment.

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She wasn't the son her parents had

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so desperately been praying for.

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The couple had been trying for seven

4:34

years to produce an heir, ever

4:36

since Henry, then just eighteen

4:38

years old, had chosen to marry

4:41

the pretty Spanish princess Katherine,

4:44

daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella. Catherine

4:47

had originally been married to Henry's

4:50

older brother, Arthur the

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Boy, who was supposed to be king, but

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he was sickly and mere months

4:57

after he and Katherine wedd Arthur

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was dead and Catherine was stranded

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in England, all but a prisoner

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of King Henry the Seven, who didn't

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want to return her generous dowry

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but also didn't want to pay for her household.

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She was alone in a foreign

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country with no husband and

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no prospects until

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Henry the Seventh died and

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the young, dashing Henry

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the Eighth came in as her Knight

5:26

in Shining Armor to marry

5:28

her. She was twenty three.

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Because she had been married to Henry's older

5:39

brother, this marriage required

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a special papal dispensation from

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Rome, which they received. Catherine

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swore before God and a court

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that her marriage with Arthur had never been

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consummated. The people

5:54

and Henry rejoiced they

5:56

had a beautiful, patient, virtuous

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queen and a virile young king.

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Young Henry the Eighth had saved

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the Spanish dowry and the

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alliance with the important country. Within

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weeks of the wedding, Catherine was

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pregnant, but the months

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continued and no baby

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appeared. She had miscarried,

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though her belly had remained swollen

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with an infection, a constant

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mocking reminder of her own failure.

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Because, of course, in the sixteenth century,

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a woman unable to have a child was

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considered her failure. The

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miscarriages continued, the

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cycle of breathless hope and

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then bitter disappointment. Finally,

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one bright New Year's Day, Catherine

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gave birth to a living child, a

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son. Henry rode

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out to a shrine, where he sank

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to his knees and gave thanks, and

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he began organizing a festival

6:58

joust in honor of his new son,

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whom he of course named Henry.

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But their joy was short lived. The

7:06

infant lived for only three

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weeks, and so

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the pregnancy and birth of the

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future Princess Mary was an

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event of tremendous superstition

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and anxiety. The birthing

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room was transformed into a cocoon

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for the mother, the floor lined

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with carpet, the walls hung with

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tapestries, though no tapestries

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with any specific or literal

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imagery lest the mother be

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provoked into bad dreams. In

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the room, crucifixes, candlesticks,

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and relics were carefully placed

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on an altar for Catherine to pray to. For

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the entire period leading up until

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the birth, no men were allowed

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into the chamber. Male servants

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bearing food or fresh laundry

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had to leave it at the door. The

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baby girl was born healthy,

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but she was born a girl. If

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Henry was disappointed, and of course

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he was disappointed, well,

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Henry hit it well. Already.

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The ambassadors were making snyde remarks

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about how we would have announced the sex of the

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infant already if it had been a boy.

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When one ambassador congratulated

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him on the birth. Henry replied

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that he and Katherine were still young. If

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it be a daughter this time, God willing

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sons may follow. In

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the meantime, the young Princess Mary

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was spoiled and pampered. As

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an infant. She had a full household,

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a mistress ahead of staff, a wet

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nurse, a laundress just for

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her own clothing, and three

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rockers to soothe her. She

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had an everyday cradle and another

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cradle, a cradle of a state with

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an embossed canopy, and an ear mean

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quilt that Mary would be put in

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when she was expect acting visitors.

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She was given a princely education,

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taught music and languages, a

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specialty curriculum that her mother had

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drawn up just for her. One

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of the most important figures in her young

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life, her godmother, the Countess of Salisbury,

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was assigned the role of her governess,

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and the two became so close that

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Mary came to see her almost as a second

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mother. Salisbury was

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one of the most fascinating women of the

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era in her own right, a distinguished

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noblewoman, niece of King Edward

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the fourth and Richard the third, and

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one of only two women to be a Purist

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in England at the time, in her own right,

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without a titled husband, and

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the fifth richest peer in all of

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England. When Mary

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was a toddler, Henry would parade

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through court with her riding on his shoulders.

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He called her his pearl, and

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he frequently delighted in inviting

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her to perform music for visiting

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dignitaries. This child

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never cries, Henry bragged

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to an ambassador. He knelt

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down and kissed the young Mary's

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extended hand. She was

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a pretty child, with red hair like her

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father, and talented in all of

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her lessons. In other words,

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she was incredibly valuable as a

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diplomatic pawn when it came

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to her future marriage. When

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Mary was two, she was engaged

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to the Daufin of France, Francis.

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Only four years later she was engaged

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to her cousin, the Holy Roman Emperor

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Charles five, an alliance

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against the French. The

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relationship between England and the Holy

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Roman Empire was essential in

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Henry's ambitions to reclaim

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his ancient birthright the French throne.

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Charles agreed that with marrying Mary,

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he would back an English force invading

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France, but the time

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finally came for an invasion, and

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the English troops were slowed both

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by bad weather and unexpectedly

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strong French resistance, and

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Charles the Fifth failed to initiate

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an offensive. Henry,

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disappointed and distrustful, considered

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breaking the betrothal and marrying Mary

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to some one else, maybe James the fifth

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of Scotland. Those rumors

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reached Charles, who was equally skittish

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now about the future match. But

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Cardinal Wolseley, the King's adviser,

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quelled their anxieties. He

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had Young Mary sent her cousin

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in emerald ring as a sign

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of her devotion and love for

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young Mary. Those feelings weren't

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just courtly politeness. She

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was infatuated with her older

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Spanish cousin, her mother's

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nephew, a dashing boy

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in his twenties, who wore black velvet

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and always treated her kindly. Looking

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at portraits of him now with

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a modern eye, you might not understand

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why she was so enthused. Charles

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has what is generously referred

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to as a habsburg chin, But

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Charles the Fifth shared the fondness for

12:13

his young cousin. When he received

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the ring, he put it on his pinky finger

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and promised he would never take it off.

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But it was still years before Mary would

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be old enough for marriage, and Charles

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was getting impatient. The lands

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he inherited were vast, and

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he wanted to get married sooner rather

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than later, so that he could set

12:35

his wife up ruling Spain while

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he toured and consolidated his

12:39

power elsewhere. Tantalizingly

12:42

close was Isabella of Portugal,

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already of marrying age. Rather

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than break up his engagement with Mary

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outright, Charles the Fifth insisted

12:53

that Mary be handed over to him immediately

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so she could begin to learn Castilian and

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the habits of his court, so that when

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she did finally get her period, there would be

13:02

no time wasted. Henry

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refused, and so the betrothal

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was broken. Almost immediately,

13:10

Charles married Isabella of Portugal.

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Mary was heart broken, her first

13:15

love no longer destined to become her husband.

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Her mother, Catherine was heartbroken as well.

13:21

The end of the betrothal meant the end

13:24

of the Spanish Anglo alliance, a

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strong link between her homeland

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and her married home, But

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soon the loss of that engagement

13:33

would be the least of their worries. Henry

13:41

was nervous. The War of the

13:43

Roses the devastating civil

13:45

war between the Yorks and the Lancasters

13:48

was still within living memory. Some

13:51

still suggested that Henry's father, Henry

13:53

the seventh, was a usurper. Without

13:57

an air and a clear line of succession,

13:59

the country was at risk of descending

14:02

once more into civil war. Someone

14:05

with an older families than Henry's

14:08

could easily swoop in and overpower

14:10

the claim of a young girl.

14:13

Though Henry treated Princess Mary as

14:16

his heir, informally positioning

14:18

her as the Princess of Wales, there

14:21

was no indication that the country would

14:23

accept a female ruler, at

14:25

least not unanimously until

14:27

he had a legitimately born son.

14:30

The tutor line was vulnerable. Henry

14:33

was nervous, and he was nervous

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that he didn't have a son yet because he

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was being punished. In

14:40

Leviticus, the Bible says,

14:43

if a man marries his brother's wife,

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it is an act of impurity. He has

14:47

dishonored his brother. They will be

14:50

childless. He had married

14:52

his brother's wife, hadn't he, And

14:54

sure they weren't childless,

14:56

but not having a son was as good

14:59

as being child lost for a king. There

15:02

were rumors that Queen Catherine had stopped

15:04

menstruating. It had been years

15:07

even since a failed pregnancy,

15:09

and a woman named Anne Boleyn had

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arrived at court, dazzling

15:14

wit and a preternatural grace

15:17

at the Chateau There Pageant, the new

15:19

lady maid, just arrived from a childhood

15:21

in French Court, played the part

15:24

of perseverance in the evening's

15:27

play, wearing a white satin

15:29

gown. Henry's infatuation

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became an obsession. Anne

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represented everything that Catherine

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wasn't. Flirtatious where

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she was pious, dark haired,

15:41

where she was fair, young, where

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she was old. Anne represented

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the promise of a new dynasty

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of sons. Their

15:51

flirtation became an open

15:53

secret. Catherine turned a blind

15:55

eye. Henry had had affairs

15:58

before he had even borne a son, with

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a woman named Bessie Blunt. She

16:03

didn't know how determined Henry was

16:05

to make Anne the queen. Henry

16:16

had sent his personal secretary to Rome

16:18

to appeal to the Pope for an annulment of

16:21

his marriage to Catherine. To overthrow

16:23

the ruling of the previous pope. Henry

16:27

and Anne appeared together in public as

16:29

a couple for the first time at the

16:31

Greenwich Ball in May of fifty

16:34

seven. Just twelve days

16:37

later, Henry secretly met

16:39

before a tribunal led by

16:41

Cardinal Wolsey to discuss

16:43

the religious problems with a

16:45

marriage to a dead brother's wife.

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Catherine had had no idea that the

16:51

threat to her position had become so

16:53

serious until Henry

16:55

came to her chambers one evening and

16:58

gave a rehearsed speech about

17:00

how his conscience had been troubling him

17:03

that he wanted their marriage annulled.

17:05

She and Mary would be cared for, of course,

17:08

not as queen and princess,

17:10

but provided for Nonetheless, Henry

17:13

didn't happen to mention his intention

17:15

to marry Anne Boleyn, but

17:18

he didn't have to. Catherine,

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in her shock and fear, began

17:23

to weep. Henry lost

17:25

his nerve. He mumbled that everything

17:27

was going to be done for the best, and he quickly

17:29

told her to keep what he had said a secret.

17:35

If Henry had been expecting Catherine

17:37

to go quietly to

17:39

live a dignified retirement in

17:41

a position as the king's sister, he

17:44

could not have been more wrong. Catherine

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was a deeply religious Catholic woman

17:50

who had sworn that her marriage with

17:52

Arthur had never been consummated. She

17:55

knew that her marriage with Henry was valid,

17:57

and she didn't want her daughter married to become

17:59

a mastard. If Henry

18:01

wanted their marriage to end, it would

18:04

take the Pope. Unfortunately

18:06

for Henry, his appeals to the

18:08

Pope were not going to make much

18:11

progress thanks to the

18:13

sacking of Rome, where the Imperial

18:15

army had pillaged the city. Pope

18:17

Clement the seventh was basically

18:19

a prisoner of the Holy Roman Emperor,

18:22

the Holy Roman Emperor Charles,

18:24

the Holy Roman Emperor.

18:27

Catherine of Argan's nephew. Catherine

18:30

wrote to her nephew, who immediately

18:33

wrote to Henry in defense of the queen.

18:36

Charles wrote that he couldn't believe quote

18:39

that having as they have, so sweet

18:41

a princess of their daughter, that the

18:43

king would consent to have her or her

18:45

mother dishonored a thing so monstrous

18:48

of itself and holy without

18:50

precedent in ancient or modern

18:52

history. The pope

18:55

was stuck between a rock and

18:57

a hard place. He didn't

18:59

want to dis appoint Henry, and

19:01

he couldn't disappoint Charles,

19:03

and so his strategy was just to deflect

19:06

and delay. So

19:09

for the time being twelve year

19:11

old Princess Mary. She was still Princess

19:13

Mary for the time being. Henry

19:16

and Catherine were living together

19:18

at Court, an uneasy period

19:21

of distrust and anger on Henry's

19:23

part and growing fear on

19:25

Catherine and Mary's. Catherine

19:28

continued to hope that Henry's feelings

19:30

for Anne Boleyn would fade in

19:32

fight. When the sweating

19:34

sickness broke out in London, Court

19:37

was dispersed to protect themselves.

19:40

Anne left the city to the seclusion

19:42

of the Bowlin residents at Heaver Castle,

19:44

but the sickness caught her. Princess

19:47

Mary was nearly as religious as

19:49

her mother, but I think the young girl

19:51

could be forgiven if she had

19:53

ill thoughts towards Anne's recovery.

19:57

Anne was the other woman, threatening

19:59

not just her parents marriage, but

20:01

the very shape of her own life.

20:04

Unfortunately for Mary, Henry

20:06

sent his own personal physician to Hubert

20:09

to take care of band, and she recovered.

20:16

The Pope had punted the issue of Henry's

20:19

marriage back to England, and so in

20:21

fifteen twenty nine, the first

20:23

public trial of the King's marriage to

20:25

Catherine of Aragon was held in

20:27

the Parliament chambers of the Dominican Friary

20:30

at Blackfriars in London. Though

20:32

Henry sent proxies, Catherine

20:35

surprisingly arrived in person. She

20:37

appealed, protesting that the trial

20:40

was happening at all, saying that as

20:42

a foreigner she couldn't expect a fair

20:44

trial in England. The court

20:46

adjourned, and when they reconvened the next

20:49

week, the King was present

20:51

in person too. He argued

20:53

that Catherine expecting their case to be settled

20:56

in Rome was unreasonable as well, considering

20:59

the whole her nephew holding the pope

21:01

hostage thing, but that she would

21:03

definitely get a fair trial and that she could

21:05

choose her lawyers the best lawyers whoever

21:08

she wanted. At this Catherine

21:11

came over to her husband and

21:13

knelt at his feet. She

21:15

begged him in broken English to

21:17

consider the honor of her, her

21:20

daughter, of him, and of

21:22

her family abroad. At

21:24

several times during her impassioned

21:27

speech, Henry, visibly

21:29

uncomfortable, tried to get

21:31

her to rise. She didn't.

21:34

She set her peace, and then, without

21:36

waiting for reply, stood

21:39

and left the court room. The

21:41

legate upon whom the decision rested,

21:44

Campeggio, said that he

21:46

couldn't make a decision, and that the court

21:48

would continue up again in a few months.

21:51

It never did. Meanwhile,

21:54

Mary found that her father was

21:56

dodging her, becoming more

21:58

reluctant to see her, not

22:00

inviting her to the events that she used

22:02

to attend. Her father,

22:04

who had once adored and praised

22:07

and cherished her, now ignored

22:09

her all at the behest

22:11

of the paranoid Anne Boleyn, who

22:14

believed that if Princess Mary was

22:16

alone with her father, she might

22:18

turn him against her. Mary

22:21

was sent away from court to Richmond

22:24

without her mother. King

22:26

Henry. Separating Mary and her mother

22:28

Catherine was a strategic

22:30

move, intending to make them unhappy

22:33

and docile, hoping that then

22:36

they would agree to his terms, agreeing

22:38

that the marriage was illegitimate, then

22:41

they would be able to see each other again. Henry

22:45

demanded that Catherine choose between

22:47

his company and that of their daughters,

22:50

implying that if she left court to visit

22:53

Mary, she wouldn't be allowed back.

22:56

Catherine replied, saying, I

22:58

won't leave you for my daughter, nor

23:01

for anyone else in the world, breaking

23:03

her own heart, her loyalty

23:06

to Henry, and her self sacrifice

23:09

would ultimately be for nothing. Mary

23:12

would never see her mother again. From

23:18

fifty one, Mary

23:21

became frequently sick to her stomach,

23:24

sweating and pale, her cramps

23:26

so bad she could sometimes scarcely

23:28

leave the bed. Historians

23:31

aren't sure if they were symptoms of her

23:33

regular menstruation, or of the stress

23:36

or depression at being kept

23:38

from both of her parents, the stress

23:41

of her entire life being pulled out from

23:43

under her, maybe all of the above.

23:46

The girl, who was the only

23:48

legitimate child of the King of England

23:51

was living in a distant palace and

23:53

then given word that she was being

23:56

sent to an even further palace,

23:58

one with a dampness that even

24:01

her loyal servants and the fires

24:03

they let couldn't keep out. Though

24:06

Mary was of marriageable age,

24:08

there were no more talks of prospects

24:10

for her betrothal. Her only

24:13

company was her ladies and

24:15

her Governess Salisbury,

24:17

but her staff was slowly disappearing.

24:20

Henry was attempting to starve

24:22

his daughter out. Queen

24:24

Catherine was similarly isolated,

24:27

sent to her own distant palace, and

24:29

forbidden from contacting the King in

24:31

any way. When she tried

24:33

to send him a gold cup, Henry

24:36

scolded the servant who presented it

24:38

to him, and the cup was sent back for

24:41

the first time in their lifetimes.

24:43

Henry didn't send Mary or Catherine

24:46

presents for the New Year's and

24:48

he insisted that his counsel do the

24:50

same. Anne, on

24:52

the other hand, was gifted a room

24:54

of gold and silver cloth and

24:57

crimson satin beautifully embroidered.

25:00

She was living in the rooms that the queen

25:03

used to occupy, and accompanied

25:05

by as many ladies as

25:07

if she were already the Queen. While

25:12

Mary and Catherine were still isolated,

25:15

stranded in the countryside with fewer

25:18

and fewer servants and no kindness,

25:21

Henry declared himself head of

25:23

the Church of England and he married

25:25

Anne Boleyn. Workmen

25:28

removed Catherine of Arragon's arms

25:30

from Westminster and from the royal

25:33

barge. Catherine's new

25:35

title was Dowager Princess

25:37

of Wales, the titles she had

25:39

only from being married to Henry's older

25:41

brother, and Catherine was kept

25:44

under house arrest at Buckton Palace.

25:47

The rumors came to Mary about

25:50

her father's remarriage, her mother's

25:52

banishment and then subsequently

25:54

diminishing health. Mary

25:57

wasn't allowed to even write letters

25:59

to her mother, not even simple

26:01

letters, just to ask about how she was feeling.

26:04

She begged her father, saying

26:06

that he could have someone vet the letters

26:09

just to make sure that she was only asking about

26:11

Catherine's health, or the

26:13

King could himself read all of their

26:15

correspondence. Just please

26:18

please let her contact her mother. Henry

26:21

refused. Anne Boleyn,

26:24

the new Queen of England, openly

26:26

bragged that she would have the former

26:28

Princess Mary serving as

26:30

her lady's maid, or that she

26:32

would marry marry off to some common

26:35

varlet. Her stereotypical

26:38

evil stepmother. Cruelty came

26:40

from a place of fear. She knew

26:42

that Catherine and Mary both remained

26:44

popular throughout England. People

26:47

had hissed at Anne's barge when

26:49

it came down the Thames. Catherine

26:52

and Mary were still the Queen and princess

26:55

in the people's minds, and

26:57

Mary still being eligible for prominent

27:00

marriage made her a threat.

27:05

Anne Boleyn was pregnant immediately,

27:08

but in September she gave birth not

27:10

to the long promised son that

27:13

Henry had up ended all of Christendom

27:15

for, but to a daughter. Courtiers

27:18

and ambassadors loyal to Catherine and

27:20

Mary murmured that it was God's

27:23

punishment, but

27:25

it was still a legitimate child. Henry

27:28

was married to Anne. Now she was queen

27:30

and her children were the ones in line

27:32

for the throne. Mary was

27:35

swiftly demoted, told

27:37

that she was no longer Princess Mary

27:39

but Lady Mary. Her

27:41

household was dissolved, and

27:43

her loyal companion, the Countess

27:46

of Salisbury, Margaret Pole, was

27:48

dismissed. Even as the Countess

27:50

begged to stay on, stating

27:53

that she would pay for the household and all

27:55

expenses, she was refused.

27:58

Henry couldn't risk eating Mary

28:00

as a princess any longer. There

28:03

must be no appearances that indicated

28:05

that Henry's marriage to Catherine was

28:08

or ever had been valid. All

28:11

loyalty to Mary and Catherine

28:13

needed to be quashed. Symbolism

28:16

would be effective, particularly

28:19

having the new quote Lady

28:21

Mary serve as Princess

28:23

Elizabeth's lady maid. When

28:26

Mary was informed that she was no longer

28:28

a princess by an apologetic courtier,

28:31

Mary wrote to her father, quote,

28:34

this morning, my chamberlain came and

28:36

showed me that he had received a

28:38

letter from Sir William paula

28:41

comptroller of your household, wherein

28:44

it was written that the quote

28:46

Lady Mary, the King's daughter, should

28:49

remove to the place afort said, leaving

28:52

out the name of Princess, which

28:54

when I heard, I could not a little

28:57

marvel, trusting verily

28:59

that your race was not privy to the same

29:01

letter as concerning the leaving

29:04

out of the name of princess for

29:06

us so much I doubt not in your goodness,

29:09

but that your grace doth take me

29:11

for his lawful daughter born

29:13

in true matrimony. Wherefore,

29:16

if I were to say to the contrary,

29:18

I should, in my conscience run

29:20

to the displeasure of God, which

29:23

I hope assuredly your grace would

29:25

not that I should. And

29:28

in all other things your

29:30

grace should have me always as

29:32

humble and obedient daughter and

29:35

handmaid, as ever was child

29:37

to the father. Mary

29:39

signed the letter your most

29:42

humble daughter, Mary

29:44

Comma Princess. Was

29:47

it bravery, stubbornness,

29:50

pride self preservation? Surely

29:53

she had to know that she would be treated

29:55

with more kindness and mercy if

29:57

she just accepted the King's decision and

29:59

a agreed to live happily as his bastard

30:02

daughter. But she couldn't. Her

30:05

love for her mother was greater than

30:07

her fear, her dignity greater

30:09

than her vanity. The King

30:12

didn't write back personally, but

30:14

she received a letter from court. The

30:17

King is surprised to be informed,

30:20

both by Lord Hughcy's letter and

30:23

by his daughter's own, delivered

30:25

by one of her servants, that she, forgetting

30:28

her filial duty and allegiance, attempts,

30:31

in spite of the commandment given to

30:33

her, arrogantly to usurp

30:35

the title of princess, pretending

30:38

to be heir apparent, declaring

30:40

that she cannot in conscious think that she

30:43

is but the King's lawful daughter, born

30:45

in true matrimony, and believes

30:47

that the King and his conscious thinks the

30:49

same. The rebuke

30:52

was sharp. In December

30:55

thirty three, Mary was forced

30:57

to join Princess Elizabeth's household.

30:59

It had field. Mary refused

31:01

to denounce her own status or give in

31:04

to her father's demands, and she

31:06

wasn't allowed to see or speak to her

31:08

mother, even via messenger, Even

31:10

as rumors of Catherine's deteriorating

31:13

health continued to swirl. Catherine

31:16

was clearly ill. Some

31:18

said that she was dying of heartbreak, but

31:21

some said that the King or his men

31:23

were poisoning Catherine to get her out

31:25

of the way. Catherine

31:28

died in January of fifteen

31:30

thirty six. Mary never

31:32

got to say goodbye to her mother. Just

31:35

four months later, Anne Boleyn

31:37

was beheaded. Their downfalls

31:39

had coincided in the end. Two

31:43

weeks after Anne Boleyn's death, Mary

31:46

had a new stepmom, Jane Seymour,

31:48

who helped foster a reconciliation

31:51

between Mary and her father. At

31:53

the urging of Mary's longtime ally,

31:56

her cousin, Charles five, Mary

31:58

eventually signed documents agreeing

32:01

to the King's terms and her new position

32:03

at court. From that point

32:05

on, at least, she was given her

32:07

own household and her own expenditures.

32:11

It would remain a long journey

32:13

for Mary until she became queen in

32:15

her own right. Her loyalty

32:18

to her mother, her fervent dedication

32:20

to Catholicism, they were

32:22

the keys to protecting her title, but

32:25

in the end they might also have been the factors

32:28

that contributed to her downfall.

32:31

Mary's younger half sister would

32:33

also become queen, of course, the

32:35

future Elizabeth, the first. The

32:38

two of them, Mary and Elizabeth

32:40

would be in their lifetimes

32:42

both allies and enemies,

32:45

but that's a story for a later episode.

32:56

That was the story of young Princess

32:58

Mary Tutor. But keep listening

33:01

after a brief sponsor break to hear

33:03

a little bit more about one of the main side

33:05

characters in this story. It's

33:15

at this point in the show that I usually offer

33:17

a tidbit about where the story went from

33:19

there. But I'm so fascinated

33:21

about Mary's life, and there's so much to say

33:23

about her after she became queen that

33:26

I'm going to give her rein its own entire

33:28

episode. But do you remember

33:30

Mary's beloved governess, the

33:33

wealthy Countess Salisbury, Margaret

33:35

Pole, Well, she had her own

33:37

wild story that could have merited

33:40

its own episode. After

33:42

King Henry's death during the reign

33:44

of his son Edward the sixth, Salisbury

33:47

gets implicated in a plot of Catholic

33:50

loyalty orchestrated by one

33:52

of her sons. She's locked

33:54

in the Tower of London and eventually

33:56

beheaded. Famously, Henry

33:59

the Ape had fired a French swordsman

34:02

to expertly remove Anne Boleyn's

34:04

head. The Countess of Salisbury,

34:07

Margaret Pole, was offered no

34:09

such grace. She was given

34:11

an inexperienced axemen

34:14

who required so many thrusts

34:16

to cut through Salisbury spine that

34:19

her neck and shoulders were hacked

34:21

to pieces before she was dead.

34:24

Sorry to leave you on such a gruesome

34:27

bummer of a note, but this

34:29

is, after all, a podcast

34:31

called Noble Blood. Noble

34:38

Blood is a production of I Heart Radio and

34:40

Grimm and Mild from Aaron Minky.

34:42

The show was written and hosted by Dana Schwartz

34:45

and produced by Aaron Mankey, Matt Frederick,

34:47

Alex Williams, and Trevor Young.

34:50

Noble Blood is on social media at Noble

34:52

Blood Tales, and you can learn more about

34:54

the show over at Noble blood tails dot

34:56

com. For more podcasts from I Heart

34:59

Radio, visit at the I heart Radio app,

35:01

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen

35:03

to your favorite shows. M

35:06

M