The elder sister of Anne, Mary Boleyn's relationship with the king helped spark dramatic changes in England before she disappeared from public view until today.
The name Boleyn elicits images of the elegant, beautiful young woman who brought a king and a church to their knees. Read the name Bullen and suddenly there is no connection to the famous Queen Anne. Perhaps that was the hope of the descendants of Mary Boleyn, especially after the entire stink their relative caused. There are many reasons Mary and her family disappeared into obscurity until recent years.
A Love Affair and a Marriage
Anne was not the only sister who is reported to have possessed astounding beauty. Mary developed into a striking, blonde-haired, and blue-eyed young woman. Both of the young Bullen sisters were introduced to Henry VIII at a festival: The Field of the Cloth of Gold, and it was here that the king first took great notice of Mary, and thereafter began an affair with her.
Mary’s marriage to William Carey is a detail which is the subject of much debate. Some historians content that she was married to Carey soon after her return to England from her time in France, while others argue that she had an intimate relationship with King Henry and was married off to Carey only after she became pregnant. Regardless of the timing, the couple was present at court and she was involved in an illicit relationship with the king.
Impact on Anne and the Family
Mary’s relationship with King Henry helped to advance her father’s career. His steady succession of rising positions as ambassadors and as a member of court close to the king helped strengthen his favor and his pocket book.
Anne’s introduction to Henry is almost guaranteed to have been the result of her sister having been his mistress. Also, it is important to note that Anne’s resistance to Henry’s advances was a direct result of how he treated her sister when he grew tired of her.
Fall from Grace
Of the sisters’ saga, few things can be certain. What is definite is that by 1527, Henry was interested in Anne. Mary became an embarrassment to her sister and family. Eventually widowed, her son, who may or may not have been the son of Henry VIII became the ward of her sister Anne and was reared far from his mother.
In the course of what Henry and Anne called “Our Matter,” many members of the Boleyn/Bullen family received titles. Mary was among them and was restored to some of her former glory when she was named Lady Mary Rochford.
Mary eventually decided to marry for love when she wed Sir William Stafford in secret. He was a man of little or no means, and they were able to keep their marriage a secret until the ever-fertile Mary’s pregnancy began to show. Her family disowned her, which eventually became convenient for herself and may have saved her from the chopping block which her sister and brother were not so lucky as to avoid.
Legacy
Little is known of Mary after her sister’s fall. What is certainly known is that her children served their cousin, Queen Elizabeth I well and were apparently beloved by her. Catherine Carey served in Elizabeth’s Privy Chamber and eventually became the mother of a favorite: Lord Essex. Henry Carey was a faithful advisor to the queen.
While Mary Bullen’s story is fragmented at best, her involvement with King Henry VIII helped to bring about the English Reformation. Her children quietly helped to keep it alive. It is to this shadowy figure of Tudor history that a great deal of credit is due. It is hoped one day that more of her life will come into the light.
“Mary Boleyn” British Heritage. HistoryNet: http://www.historynet.com/mary-boleyn.htm
Starkey, David. Six Wives: the Queens of Henry VIII. New York: Harper Collins, 2003
