Tudor Mirror World: The Many Wives of Charles Brandon

I said we'd begin with a painting and it's this one. It shows Henry Brandon, Earl of Lincoln. However, according to Wikipedia, the painting was once thought to depict Edward VI.

Obviously, it's easy to understand how such confusions can arise. Sometimes it can be hard to identify people in photographs, let alone paintings that are centuries old. Still, there's always the allure that such confusions offer clues to deeper mysteries and confusions.

The father of Edward VI was, of course, Henry VIII. So who was the father of the above shown Henry Brandon?

The answer: this guy

Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk

On first glance you'd be forgiven for thinking it was Henry VIII himself. The similarities don't end there though. His record with women was also pretty similar.

So let's look at his marriages..

He was married four times. Not quite the six, but pretty close. Plus, there were a few near misses.

The first was a lady by the name Margaret Howard. This marriage was declared void by the Archdeaconry Court of London, then later by Papal Bull. Much like Henry's first marriage was declared null and void - though he had to break with Rome to get that one ended.

Secondly, he married a woman called Anne (as did Henry). Here Anne Brown - not quite Anne Boleyn.

Charles was then contracted to marry Elizabeth Grey, 5th Baroness Lisle. This contract was annulled - one of the near misses.

Then came the big one: his third marriage to Mary Tudor - sister of Henry VIII. It was Mary who was the mother of the above depicted Henry Brandon. She was also mother to Lady Frances Brandon - who in turn was mother to Lady Jane Grey, the "Nine Days Queen."

(Mary and Charles)

After her death he then married his fourth wife, Katherine Willoughby.

(Katherine in some ways mirrors Henry's sixth wife, Katherine Parr. They were friends and both were devout Protestant reformers. Katherine Willoughby's former chaplain, John Parkhurst, entered Queen Katherine's service. They were also both goddaughters of Catherine of Aragon.

And, according to Wiki, "it was rumoured that King Henry had considered marrying Katherine as his seventh wife, while he was still married to his sixth wife, Catherine Parr".

That would've made it three Catherines on the bounce ..and four in total :)

1533

It's likewise worth noting how the year 1533 was a busy marital year for both men.

Mary Tudor died in June 1533. Charles Brandon then married Kathrine Willoughby a few months later.

Henry VIII married Anne Boleyn in Jan 1533, prior to his official divorce from Catherine of Aragon in May 1533.

As a final addendum it's perhaps worth noting that Charles Brandon was referred to as a "second king."

Wikipedia: "One of the agents of Margaret of Savoy, governor of the Netherlands, reminded her that Brandon was a "second king" and advised her to write him a pleasant letter."

It would be interesting to find the direct reference for this in order to fully infer the context.