Hello! I have been a big fan of your site for some time. I love Tudor history and I think that this is a fabulous site that gives people so much information on Tudor history.
I've learn so much reading other people's posts, I wanted to write my own. Anways, I was reading Alison Weir's Children of Henry VIII and states that Edward wrote to is sister Mary that he would keep any secrets she wished to confide to him. Does anyone have any speculations to what kind of secrets Edward would wish to hear from his older sister?
[Note from Lara - Thanks for the kind words!!]
Is it possible that Edward VI might have been referring to Mary hearing Catholic mass in her own home,secretly?. Mary was given permission to hold mass in her home by Edward he protector, but only if done so in secret. That's the only secret that I'm aware of in regards to Mary.However, I find the question fascinating,and I'm looking forward to reading other peoples response,and finding out the truth.
ReplyDeleteTudorfan - Does Weir provide a date for Edward's letter? That would help provide context.
ReplyDeleteI also wondered if Edward was referring to Mary hearing mass but without a date it's hard to know as at some point it was common knowledge at court that she was hearing mass. There was a great deal of correspondence regarding this, especially with her Spanish royal relatives (now included in the state papers).
If Edward's letter was before the 1549 Book of Common Prayer, it might refer to something else - perhaps something more innocent. Although what Mary did and her level of foreign support was always a level of concern.
Hmm, I couldn't get find a date of when Edward wrote the letter, but Weir's book seemed to indicate that he wrote it when he was still a child, most likely before thier father died.
ReplyDeleteWhen Edward was eight he chided his sister about her love of merriments writing that "Foreign dances and merriments do not become a most Christian princess!"
ReplyDeletePerhaps he was referring to that?