Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, was one of the favorites, and along with his son-in-law of Henry VIII, the English king from the Tudor dynasty. He was married to Henry's sister, the Dowager Queen of France, Maria Tudor. Charles's whole life and career was closely connected with the royal family, with the court and its politics.
Origin
Charles's parents, William Brandon and Elizabeth Bruin, got married around 1475. As for the birth date of Charles Brandon, it is not precisely defined. Most likely, his birth was not later than 1484 or 1485.
The Brandon family was loyal to the Lancaster. Sir William was under the English king Henry VII Tudor as a standard bearer. In 1485, he died at the hands of King Richard III in the Battle of Bosworth. The boy’s mother died either in 1493 or in 1494. After his father died, Charles was sent to the royal court.
Court life
From the first days of his stay at the court of King Henry VII, the young man enjoyed his favor. Charles was a friend of the Prince of Wales, Arthur, the king’s eldest son. Since 1503, the young man was among those who served at the table to the monarch. In the period from 1505 to 1509, Brandon was in the service of the Earl of Essex as a horse.
The successful political and court career of the future Duke of Suffolk began in 1509, when Henry VIII, to whose close circle he entered, ascended the English throne. Throughout their lives they have been friends. First, Brandon was granted the position of Royal Estate Manager in North Wales. Later, other profitable destinations followed.
Viscount Lyle
In 1512, the king appointed Charles Brandon the guardian of seven-year-old orphan Elizabeth Gray. She was the only daughter of the Viscount Lyle and his heiress. Young Lady Gray was the owner of not only great wealth, but also the title of Viscountess Lyle. Charles planned to marry her when Elizabeth came of age. In accordance with the marriage contract drawn up in 1513, after the engagement, Charles got the title of Viscount Lyle. And although later the marriage contract was canceled, the title remained with him.
New title
During the conflict with France in 1513, Brandon participated in the siege of Tournai and Teruana, where he established himself as a brave warrior. In the same year, he became a holder of the Order of the Garter and was present at the negotiations on the marriage between the king’s younger sister, Mary, and Karl, the grandson of the Holy Roman Emperor. Upon his return, he was granted the title of 1st Duke of Suffolk, as well as land holdings.
Some aristocrats belonging to the ancient clans were unpleasantly struck by such a rapid rise of the “upstart” of noble origin.
Relative of the king
The year 1514 was marked by a turn in the foreign policy of England. A course was taken towards rapprochement with France. Upon learning that the Habsburgs had entered into a secret armistice with the French, Henry terminated the engagement of Karl and Mary. He fought for the king of France, Louis XII, and entered into a political alliance with him.
It should be noted that at this moment Maria and Charles Brandon were seriously carried away by each other, but did not dare to go against the will of the king. However, Mary was not destined to remain Queen of France for a long time. Three months after the wedding, she became a widow.
To accompany Mary back to England, the Duke of Suffolk came for her. With the support of King Francis who entered the French throne, the lovers secretly married. Henry VIII was very dissatisfied with this, but the marriage recognized. At the same time, he ordered the couple to compensate for dowry expenses. They were forced to return all the dishes of gold and silver, jewelry, as well as almost 1 thousand pounds annually to the treasury.
Career development
Further, the career of the Duke of Suffolk under Henry VIII developed as follows:
- In 1523, after the renewal of the alliance with the Habsburgs against France, Charles Brandon went to Calais at the head of the English army. Having invaded Picardy, the British crossed the Somme River and caused a commotion in Paris. However, with the onset of winter, the army ingloriously returned to their homeland.
- In 1530, Suffolk was granted another honorary position: he became Lord Chairman of the Privy Council.
- In 1536, the duke participated in the trial of the second wife of Henry VIII, Anna Boleyn, as a jury, he was also present at the execution of her execution.
- At the end of that year, the Duke of Suffolk led the suppression of the rebellion in the northern counties, caused by dissatisfaction with church reforms. The uprising was called the "Pious pilgrimage." The rebels demanded the restoration of Catholicism and monasteries.
- In 1541, Suffolk was appointed manager of the entire royal household. He was among those who arrested one of the royal wives, Catherine Howard, when she was charged with adultery.
- In 1544, Suffolk was one of the commanders during the next military campaign in France. The troops under his command captured Boulogne, but soon it had to be abandoned due to the approach of the French army.
Marriages
In addition to marriage with the king's sister, the Duke Charles Suffolk entered into other unions. When Mary died suddenly in 1533, he soon married again. His chosen one was Catherine Willoughby, 12th Baroness Willoughby de Erzy. However, she had previously been engaged to his son Henry.
However, before this, Charles Brandon had two more wives. During the service of the Earl of Essex, he was engaged to the governor's daughter, Calais, Anne Brown, and lived with her as his wife, without being married.
In 1507, Charles married Margaret Neville, who was a wealthy widow. But this marriage was annulled a year later due to close kinship and an earlier agreement with Ann Brown. He still married the latter in 1508, but she died in 1510.
Eight children were born from three marriages. The duke of Suffolk himself died suddenly in 1545 in Guildford, he was buried in the chapel of St. George in Windsor Castle.