The Tudor Society

22 February – Marie de Guise, who avoided marrying Henry VIII!

On this day in Tudor history, 22nd February 1540, twenty-four-year-old Marie de Guise, or Mary of Guise, queen consort of King James V of Scotland, was crowned queen at Holyrood Abbey.

Did you know that Henry VIII was keen on making Marie de Guise his fourth wife? She declined, saying that her neck was small! Instead, she married James V.

Marie was, of course, the mother of Mary, Queen of Scots, and you can find out more about her in today's talk.

Also on this day in Tudor history, 22nd February 1511, fifty-two-day-old Henry, Duke of Cornwall, son of King Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, died. Find out more in last year’s video:

Also on this day in history:

  • 1571 – Death of John Bury, translator. He had never recovered from a fall from his horse in August 1570, which had resulted in him breaking a leg. He is known for his “The Godly Advertisement or Good Counsell of the Famous Orator Isocrates”, an English translation of Isocrates' Greek speech Ad demonicum.

Transcript:

On this day in Tudor history, 22nd February 1540, twenty-four-year-old Marie de Guise, or Mary of Guise, queen consort of King James V of Scotland, was crowned queen at Holyrood Abbey.

Her husband, the king, was the son of King James IV and Margaret Tudor, and Marie was the eldest daughter of Claude of Lorraine, Duke of Guise, and his wife Antoinette de Bourbon, and the widow of widow of Louis, duc de Longueville. James had previously been married to Madeleine de Valois but Madeleine had died shortly after arriving in Scotland in 1537. James was intent on another French wife and thought of Marie, but his widowed uncle, King Henry VIII, was also interested in taking Marie as bride. According to the French ambassador, who asked the English king why he was interested in Marie, Henry VIII had explained that Marie was big in person and that he needed a big wife. According to historian Antonia Fraser, Marie was not impressed with the idea of marriage to Henry and commented “I may be big in person, but my neck is small.” She chose to marry James instead and they were married by proxy in May 1538, and then in June 1538, following Marie’s arrival in Scotland, the couple married in person in a lavish ceremony at St Andrews. Forty days of celebrations followed the wedding and included feasting, hunting and hawking, archery competitions, and tournaments. Marie entered Edinburgh as queen on 16th November 1538.

Following a pilgrimage to the Shrine of St Adrian on the Isle of May in August 1539, a well-known place of pilgrimage for women having trouble conceiving, Marie became pregnant. Her husband the king began planning a fitting coronation for the mother of his child. A new crown of 35 ounces of gold decorated with precious stones and pearls was commissioned from the royal jeweller for the ceremony, and a French style silver-gilt sceptre was made. James also ordered his own crown to be remodelled. Tiered stands were erected in Holyrood Abbey so that spectators could see their queen, who was dressed in a purple velvet robe lined with white corded taffeta. Her husband also wore purple velvet, but lined with ermine.

Marie was crowned queen at Holyrood by Cardinal Beaton and following the mass, the royal couple retired to the state apartments for the coronation banquet and entertainment.

Marie gave birth to a son, James, on 22nd May 1540, and he was followed by a brother, Robert, in April 1541. Unfortunately, both boys died shortly after Robert’s birth. They were buried together at Holyrood Abbey.

On 8th December 1542, Marie gave birth to a daughter, Mary, while King James was ill. On 14th December 1542, James died, leaving the throne to his six-day-old daughter, who became Mary, Queen of Scots. Marie was not appointed regent at this time, but remained in Scotland to help her daughter. She did, however, act as regent from 1554, when her daughter was France preparing to marry the Dauphin, and remained queen regent until her her death on 11th June 1560 at Edinburgh Castle. Her body lay in a lead coffin in the castle’s St Margaret’s Chapel until March 1561 when it was transported to France and buried in the Convent of St Pierre, Rheims. She was given a funeral at Notre Dame in Paris.

Marie’s daughter, Mary, Queen of Scots, ended up being forced to abdicate the throne of Scotland in 1567 in favour of her son, James, who became King James VI of Scotland. This boy, Marie’s grandson, would, of course, become King James I of England following the death of Queen Elizabeth I in March 1603.

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22 February – Marie de Guise, who avoided marrying Henry VIII!