Mary Boleyn is best known as the sister of Anne Boleyn, the second wife and queen consort of King Henry VIII of England. But did you know that she is also an ancestor of the current Queen Elizabeth II? Here is how the two royal women are related through Mary’s daughter, Catherine Carey.
Mary Boleyn: The Other Boleyn Girl
Mary Boleyn was born around 1499 to Thomas Boleyn, a wealthy diplomat and courtier, and Elizabeth Howard, the daughter of the Duke of Norfolk. She grew up at Hever Castle in Kent, along with her siblings Anne and George. She was probably the eldest of the three, as she was married first, in 1520, to William Carey, a gentleman of the king’s privy chamber.
Mary caught the eye of King Henry VIII sometime in the early 1520s, and became his mistress for an unknown period of time. It has been rumoured that she bore two of his children, Catherine and Henry Carey, though the king never acknowledged them as his own. Mary’s affair with the king ended around 1526, when he became enamoured with her sister Anne.
Mary was also rumoured to have been a mistress of King Francis I of France, for some period between 1515 and 1519, when she was sent to the French court as a maid-of-honour to Queen Claude. However, there is no conclusive evidence to support this claim.
Mary’s husband William Carey died in 1528, leaving her in financial difficulties. She secretly married again in 1534, to William Stafford, a soldier of lower rank and status than her. This angered both King Henry VIII and her sister Anne, who was then queen. Mary was banished from court and disowned by her family. She lived in obscurity for the rest of her life, dying in 1543.
Catherine Carey: The Royal Bastard?
Catherine Carey was born around 1524, possibly as the illegitimate daughter of King Henry VIII and Mary Boleyn. She inherited her mother’s fair hair and complexion, and some historians have suggested that she also resembled the king. However, there is no definitive proof of her paternity, and she was never officially recognized by him.
Catherine married Sir Francis Knollys, a loyal supporter of the Protestant cause, in 1540. They had 14 children together, many of whom served at the court of Queen Elizabeth I, Catherine’s first cousin. Catherine herself was a close friend and confidante of Elizabeth, and became her chief lady of the bedchamber in 1559. She died in 1569.
The Line of Descent from Mary Boleyn to Queen Elizabeth II
Through Catherine Carey and her husband Sir Francis Knollys, Mary Boleyn’s lineage remains in the British royal family to this day. Here is how Queen Elizabeth II is descended from Mary Boleyn:
– Catherine Carey (c.1524-1569) m. Sir Francis Knollys
– Lettice Knollys (1543-1634) m. Walter Devereux, 1st Earl of Essex
– Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex (1565-1601) m. Frances Walsingham
– Frances Devereux (1599-1674) m. William Seymour, Duke of Somerset
– Jane Seymour (1637-1679) m. Charles Boyle, 3rd Viscount Dungarvan
– Charles Boyle, 2nd Earl of Burlington (d. 1704) m. Juliana Noel
– Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington (1695-1753) m. Dorothy Savile
– Charlotte Elizabeth Boyle (1731-1754) m. William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire
– Dorothy Cavendish (1750-1794) m. William Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland
– Lord Charles Bentinck (1780-1826) m. Anne Wellesley
– Reverend Charles Cavendish-Bentinck (1817-1865) m. Carolina Louis Burnaby
– Cecilia Nina Cavendish-Bentinck (1862-1938) m. Claude Bowes-Lyon, 14th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne
– Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (1900-2002) m. King George VI
– Queen Elizabeth II (1926-) m. Prince Philip
Conclusion
Mary Boleyn may have been overshadowed by her sister Anne in history, but she left behind a lasting legacy through her daughter Catherine Carey. Her descendants include some of the most prominent figures in British history and royalty, such as Queen Elizabeth I, Robert Devereux, Charles Boyle, and Queen Elizabeth II. She is indeed a royal matriarch, whose bloodline continues to shape the destiny of the nation.
