You’ve heard of the six wives. You know the tragic story of Anne Boleyn and the drama of the Reformation. But there’s a woman who sat right at the center of the Tudor web—related to almost everyone and yet somehow ignored by the history books.
Mary Fitzroy, Duchess of Richmond and Somerset, was the only woman to ever call Henry VIII her father-in-law.
Honestly, her life was a bit of a nightmare. Born Mary Howard in 1519, she was the daughter of the Duke of Norfolk. That made her first cousins with both Anne Boleyn and Katherine Howard. In the 1530s, being a Howard meant you were basically royalty, but it also meant you had a massive target on your back.
In 1533, she married Henry Fitzroy. He was the King’s only acknowledged illegitimate son. They were both 14.
Because they were so young, the King actually forbade them from sleeping together. He was terrified that "early exertion" would kill his son, much like people thought it had killed his older brother, Arthur. It’s kinda ironic, given what happened next.
The Widow Who Fought the King
Henry Fitzroy died just three years later. He was 17, probably taken out by tuberculosis—what they called "consumption" back then. Suddenly, Mary was a 17-year-old widow.
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You’d think the King would take care of his son’s widow, right? Wrong.
Henry VIII was a nightmare about money. He used the fact that the marriage was never consummated to claim it wasn’t "real." He refused to pay her dowry or give her the lands she was owed. Mary didn't just sit there and take it. She fought.
She spent years in a legal battle against her own father-in-law. It took until 1540 for her to finally get a decent income—about £700 a year. In 1500s money, that was a lot, but she had to sell her jewels just to survive the wait.
That Time Her Brother Suggested Something Insane
The most shocking part of the Mary Fitzroy story involves her brother, Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey. He was a famous poet, but he was also incredibly arrogant.
In 1546, as the King was aging and clearly dying, Surrey had a "brilliant" idea. He told Mary she should seduce the King. He wanted her to become Henry VIII’s mistress so she could control him, much like Madame d'Etampes did in the French court.
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Mary’s reaction was legendary. She basically told him she’d rather cut her own throat than "consent to such villainy."
This fight changed everything. When Surrey and their father were eventually arrested for treason, Mary didn't protect them. She testified against her brother. Her evidence about his "hateful" comments regarding the King’s new advisors helped send him to the executioner's block.
A Secret Life of Poetry and Protest
While the men were busy getting beheaded, Mary was actually doing something pretty cool. She was one of the main contributors to the Devonshire Manuscript.
It’s this famous collection of courtly poetry. She, her friend Margaret Douglas, and several others would pass it around, writing poems and copying their favorites. It’s one of the few ways we can actually "hear" the voices of Tudor women today.
She was also a hardcore Protestant. Even though her father was the leader of the Catholic faction, Mary was hiring people like John Foxe (the guy who wrote the Book of Martyrs) to tutor her nieces and nephews. She was living a double life: a loyal Howard on the outside, a religious radical on the inside.
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What We Can Learn from Mary Fitzroy
If you're looking for a takeaway from Mary's life, it's about the power of saying "no."
- Financial Independence: She refused to be bullied out of her inheritance.
- Agency: She rejected a second marriage to Thomas Seymour, choosing to stay a widow so she could keep control of her own life.
- Legacy: She raised her brother's children after his execution, ensuring they were highly educated and safe.
Most people focus on the queens, but the Duchess of Richmond shows how a woman could navigate the most dangerous court in Europe and actually come out the other side. She died in 1557, outliving Henry VIII, Edward VI, and almost all her famous relatives.
If you want to understand the real Tudor era, stop looking at the crowns. Look at the women like Mary who survived in the shadows.
Next Steps for History Buffs:
Check out the Devonshire Manuscript at the British Library (online archives have great scans). It gives a much more personal look at the "mean girls" and poets of the 1530s than any textbook ever will. You can also visit St. Michael’s Church in Framlingham to see her tomb—she’s buried right next to the husband she was never allowed to live with.