Random Dramatic Facts About The Life Of Mary Boleyn, The Other Boleyn (12 items)

(#7) Her Children Were Rumored To Have Been Fathered By Henry VIII

Over the course of her marriage to her first husband William Carey, Mary had two children: Catherine in 1524 and Henry in 1526. Though many have wondered if the Carey children were in fact the king's illegitimate offspring, they likely were not. The rumor of their royal birth actually stemmed from a vicar's suppositions years after their birth.

If Catherine and Henry Carey really were the king's children, he never bothered to acknowledge them. And Henry VIII wasn't above acknowledging illegitimate offspring. He bestowed his illegitimate son Henry Fitzroy with the title of Duke of Richmond in 1524.
(#10) Unlike Her Sister Anne, Mary Passed Happily Married In Obscurity

Though Anne received the legitimacy with King Henry VIII that her sister never did, it came at great cost. On May 19, 1536, her life was ended by the hands of the government after a swift, politically charged downfall. Anne's demise made way for yet another royal wife: Jane Seymour, whom Henry married the very next day.

Mary may never have been queen, but she got a happier ending than her sister. After leaving the king's bed, Mary married an obscure soldier and enjoyed life in the country until her passing in 1543.
(#5) She Was Given The Nickname 'The Great And Infamous Wh*re'

By 1519, Mary was back in England. It is popularly believed her royal liaison with the King of France earned her a notorious reputation as the "great and infamous wh*re" who had multiple partners.

However, historians have challenged the belief that Mary was well known as a wildly promiscuous woman. This "reputation" seems to be based on only one account: a letter from a bishop in France who wrote of Mary, "the French king knew her here in France 'for a great wh*re and infamous above all.'"

The problem? That letter was written decades after Mary's time at the French court and her subsequent affair with Henry VIII. According to historian Alison Weir, the fact that this is the only mention of Mary's supposed promiscuity - and from an unreliable source - makes the claim suspect. There are no contemporary claims to back it up.
(#3) Henry VIII Was A Guest At Mary's First Wedding

Historians still don't know when exactly Mary first met Henry VIII, but one thing is certain: the king was at her wedding.

In 1520, Mary Boleyn married the courtier William Carey. Henry attended their nuptials probably because it was custom for him to be a guest at court weddings. He presented the newlyweds with a monetary gift.
(#9) She Angered Anne And Henry VIII By Marrying A Man Beneath Her Social Class

After her relationship with Henry VIII had run its course, Mary Boleyn found love with another: William Stafford, a soldier far below her station. The couple secretly married in 1534.

Mary disclosed the marriage when she was already pregnant with Stafford's child. Enraged that the couple married without Henry and Anne's consent, they were exiled from court.

Defiantly in love with her husband, Mary said, "I had rather beg my bread with him than to be the greatest queen in Christendom."
(#2) Mary Was Henry VIII's Lover Before Being Displaced By Her Sister

Historians don't know when exactly Mary Boleyn began an affair with King Henry VIII, but it probably started sometime in the early 1520s. Their relationship lasted for a few years.

By 1522, Mary's sister Anne had arrived at England's royal court. Mary gamely introduced her sister to the king, though he did not immediately take an interest in her. Over the next few years, however, Henry's interest gradually shifted from one Boleyn sister to the other.

By 1527, the king was writing love letters to Anne Boleyn and had all but forgotten about Mary. Anne became his new wife in 1533, after Henry annulled his first marriage and launched the English Reformation.