Following the death of her mother, Katharine of Aragon, Mary found herself alone and vulnerable, reduced to a lady in waiting for her half sister, the Princess Elizabeth.
Anne Boleyn and Mary
The relationship between the eldest daughter of Henry VIII and his new Queen was bound to be frayed and difficult. Mary viewed Anne as the reason for her parents' divorce and considered her father a pawn for Anne's ambitions.
It seems that Anne did not do much to encourage the reconciliation of Mary and her father, believing her own fate and that of her daughter to rest upon him favouring the two of them over his "illegitimate" children.
However, Anne did made several half hearted attempts at friendship with her step daughter, at various times offering to talk to the King on Mary's behalf and receive her at court if Mary would accept Anne as Queen. Mary refused, stating that she knew no other Queen but her mother, added "but if you Madam, as my father's mistress would intercede for me with him, I should be grateful".
Lady in Waiting to Princess Elizabeth
As a result of the relationship between Mary and Anne Boleyn, the relationship between Mary and her half sister was also difficult and cold. Upon her arrival at Elizabeth's residence, Hatfield House in Hertfordshire , Mary refused to pay her respects to the new princess. When implored to do so, she claimed that she knew of no other Princess but herself, often dissolving into tears after an angry outburst.
Despite this, Mary did reassure Thomas Cranmer, the Archbishop of Canterbury, that she would be willing to consider the new baby her sister, as she considered the Duke of Richmond her brother (Henry VIII's illegitimate son from his affair with Bessie Blount).
Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn were attentive parents to their daughter and often visited her, upon these occasions, it was expected that Mary stay out of sight and was usually confined alone to her room.
Not surprisingly, the situation had an adverse effect up the health of Mary. Always frail and prone to illness as a child, she now began to experience extreme depression and paranoia. Fuelled by rumours spread by enemies of the new Queen, Mary became convinced Anne Boleyn meant to have her killed. During one occasion, during the removal of Elizabeth's household, Mary became so hysterical in her belief that she was to meet her death, she had to be forcibly thrown into a carriage.
The Death of Anne Boleyn
Following the execution of her step mother in 1536, Mary fully expected to be welcomed back by her father, but this did not happen. Indeed, it was not until Mary finally relented (under persuasion from her cousin, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V) and wrote to her father excepting his authority as Head of The Church of England and renouncing the marriage to her mother as sinful that she was welcomed back to court.
Mary quickly formed a friendship with her new step mother, Jane Seymour and was named Godmother to her half brother Edward. Mary was now permitted to reside in Royal Palaces and was granted the Palace of Beaulieu as her official residence.
Following the death of Jane Seymour, Mary acted as chief mourner at her funeral and was created lady in waiting to the last wife of the King, Katharine Parr.
In 1543, Henry VIII enacted the Third Succession Act, which declared that should his son Edward die leaving no legitimate heirs, the throne would pass to Mary.
To read about the childhood of Mary I, click here.
Sources:
Mary Tudor: England’s First Queen, Anna Whitelock, Bloomsbury Publishing PLC; First Edition edition, May 2009
Bloody Mary: The Life of Mary Tudor, Carolly Erickson, Robson Books Ltd, Nov 2001
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