On Sunday 17 December 1508, the whole Tudor court gathered at Richmond Palace. This day was going to be a grand occasion; it was a day for a betrothal. Henry VII was seated on a dais whilst the rest of the court, including Henry, Prince of Wales and Katherine of Aragon were amongst those gathered to witness this momentous occasion. Henry VII had already succeeded in marrying two of his children; Margaret had married James IV of Scotland five years earlier, and Prince Arthur had married Katherine of Aragon, although Arthur had sadly died in 1502. On this day he would see his daughter Mary betrothed into one of the most powerful dynasties in Europe. Mary was about to be betrothed to Charles, Prince of Castile.
Charles was the son of Philip of Burgundy and Juana, queen of Castile, sister to Katherine of Aragon. His grandfathers, Maximilan, Holy Roman Emperor, and Ferdinand I of Aragon, between them, wielded much power within Europe. However, neither of these were present. By this point Philip was dead and Ferdinand was acting on behalf of his daughter to govern her realm of Castile, alleging her mental incapacity as a reason to do so. Philip and Juana had previously been guests, though unexpectedly, of Henry VII in 1506 when their ship blew off course. Negotiations for Mary’s betrothal had been ongoing since this time. Despite many setbacks, the day had finally arrived.
The young princess stood at the foot of the dais below her father, whilst Lord de Berghes, acting as proxy for Charles stood to the side. William Warham, Archbishop of Canterbury began proceedings with a long speech about the benefits of the union and the blessings of friendship between the two realms. Representing Charles’ court, Jean le Sauvaige, President of Flanders also delivered a speech. With the long speeches over it was time to commence with vows. Lord de Berghes went first, holding Mary’s hand and repeating the vows in the present tense as they were spoken by Sauvaige. When it came to Mary, she took the hand of de Berghes and spoke her vows in French;
‘I, Mary, by you John, Lord of Berg, commissary and procurator of the most high and puissant Prince Charles, by the grace of God Prince of Spain, Archduke of Austria, and Duke of Burgundy, etc. hereto by his commission and special procuration constituted and ordained, by your means and signifying this to me – take the said Lord Charles to my husband and spouse, and consent to him as to my husband and spouse. And to him and to you for him, I promise that henceforward, during my natural life, I will have, hold, and repute him as my husband and spouse; and for this I plight my troth to him and to you for him’.
With the vows over, de Berghes kissed Mary and placed a gold ring on her finger. After the ratifications had all been completed, the court attended Mass before the celebratory feasts and jousting took place over the following days. Mary was now Princess of Castile, and watched the jousting from her place of honour along with her sister-in-law Katherine of Aragon and their ladies. Henry VII is often referred to as being a miser but he certainly was not when it came to his family. He happily met all the costs of the betrothal but also paid for wine and food to be available for the inhabitants of London to share in the celebration.
The final day of celebrations consisted of a banquet where Charles’ embassy presented their new princess with gifts. Amongst the gifts was a piece of jewellery, sent by her betrothed. Sadly we do not know what this item was, but we do know it featured a golden letter ‘K’ for Karolus (Charles) set with diamonds and pearls. The words ‘Maria optimam partem elegit, quӕ non auferetur ab eâ’ (Mary chose the best part, which shall not be taken away from her) were engraved. Mary also received a large diamond with pearls and a ruby on behalf of Maximilian amongst other gifts.
With the celebrations concluded, Henry VII asked the embassy if they would like to remain at court to celebrate the festive season but they declined, leaving the court to return home. As the court began to prepare for the coming Christmas period, negotiations and preparations were now underway for Mary to travel to the court of Margaret of Austria, Duchess of Savoy, aunt of Charles, and regent of the Netherlands. Despite being a princess, Mary would need assistance in learning the customs of Charles’ court, although it wasn’t all bad as it meant new fashions and dances, something Mary likely relished the thought of. For now however, Mary could remain with her family and celebrate Christmas and the gift-giving season at New Year.
If you would like to read more about Mary, my book Mary Tudor, Queen of France, is currently available for preorder and will be published in February 2025. If you would like to support an independent bookshop, Mary can be ordered directly from Fox Lane Books and will be sent signed and dedicated. Preorder here: PRE-ORDER Mary Tudor: Queen of France - with SIGNED bookplate - out 28/2/25 | Fox Lane Books
Amy McElroy
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Amy enjoys seeing her family back in Liverpool, especially her little furry assistant in the form of cavapoo Cooper, and visiting her dad in Spain, especially in the summer. You can find out more about Amy at her blog - https://amymcelroy.blog/ and follow her on Facebook and Twitter @AmyMc_Books
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