Mary Boleyn Biography: Husband, Parents, Children, Age, Net Worth, Wikipedia, Nationality, Ethnicity

Mary Boleyn, often referred to as Lady Mary, was the sister of Anne Boleyn, the second wife of King Henry VIII and Queen Consort of England.

The Boleyn family held significant influence at the Tudor court during Henry VIII’s reign.

Mary is best known for her role as one of King Henry VIII’s mistresses during the early to mid-1520s.

Though unacknowledged by the king, it has been widely speculated that she bore him two children, Catherine Carey and Henry Carey.

Prior to her involvement with Henry VIII, Mary is also believed—though the claim remains debated among historians—to have had an affair with King Francis I of France while serving at the French court between 1515 and 1519.

Profile

• Full Name: Mary Boleyn
• Stage Name: Lady Mary
• Born: 1499
• Died: 30 July 1543
• Age: 44 years old
• Birthplace: National Trust – Blickling Estate, Blickling, United Kingdom
• Nationality: British
• Occupation: Sister of English queen consort Anne Boleyn
• Height: Unknown
• Parents: Thomas Boleyn, 1st Earl of Wiltshire, Elizabeth Boleyn, Countess of Wiltshire
• Siblings: Anne Boleyn
• Spouse: William Stafford (m. 1534–1543), William Carey (m. 1520–1528)
• Children: Catherine Carey, unknown male Stafford, Henry Carey, 1st Baron Hunsdon
• Relationship: Married
• Net Worth: Unknown

Early Life And Education

Mary Boleyn was born on 5 February 1499 at Blickling Hall in Norfolk, England, to Thomas Boleyn, 1st Earl of Wiltshire, and Lady Elizabeth Howard.

She was likely the eldest of their three children, which included her sister Anne Boleyn, who would later become Queen of England.

Mary was of white ethnicity and was raised in the Roman Catholic faith, as was customary for English nobility during that period.

Career

Mary Boleyn began her courtly life in the early 1510s, serving in the French royal household before returning to England around 1519.

In 1520, her father arranged her marriage to William Carey, a prominent courtier, which brought her closer to the English royal court.

Soon after, she became a lady-in-waiting to Queen Catherine of Aragon, placing her in the orbit of King Henry VIII.

Between roughly 1522 and 1525, Mary is believed to have been the king’s mistress, a relationship kept discreet and free from scandal.

During this period, she gave birth to two children, Catherine and Henry, who some contemporaries speculated may have been fathered by the king, though he never publicly acknowledged them.

Unlike her sister Anne Boleyn, who strategically used her relationship with the king to rise in status, Mary remained largely uninvolved in political machinations.

After Henry VIII’s attention turned to Anne, Mary’s influence at court diminished.

Following the death of her husband William Carey in 1528, Mary faced financial difficulties.

Anne, then gaining favor with the king, secured her sister a small pension and arranged for the education of Mary’s son, yet Mary’s standing remained unstable, especially as her family’s future became increasingly dependent on Anne’s favor with the king.

In 1534, Mary married William Stafford, a soldier of lower rank, without seeking the approval of the king or her family.

This secret marriage led to her banishment from court and estrangement from the Boleyns.

She lived the rest of her life away from public life, in relative obscurity and modest circumstances, until her death in 1543.

Though closely connected to the center of Tudor power, Mary Boleyn’s legacy reflects a life shaped more by personal choices and changing fortunes than by ambition or political influence.

Social Media

Mary Boleyn does not have any social media accounts.

Personal Life

Mary Boleyn was married twice during her lifetime.

Her first marriage was to William Carey, a respected courtier, on 4 February 1520.

The couple had two children, Catherine (born 1524) and Henry (born 1526).

While William Carey was their legal father, there has been longstanding speculation that King Henry VIII may have been their biological father, as Mary was involved in a discreet affair with the king between approximately 1522 and 1525.

However, Henry VIII never acknowledged the children as his own.

Mary’s affair with the king ended around the time she was expecting her second child.

Unlike her sister Anne, Mary did not seek political influence through her royal connection and gradually faded from court life.

She later married a second time, to William Stafford, though the union produced no children and led to her estrangement from her family due to Stafford’s lower social status.

Mary Boleyn died in relative obscurity, on either 19 or 30 July 1543, at the age of approximately 43 or 44.

Despite her close ties to some of the most powerful figures of the Tudor era, her legacy remains one of quiet endurance rather than political ambition.

Net Worth

Mary Boleyn’s exact net worth is unknown, but her financial standing was largely tied to her marriage to William Carey, who benefited from royal favors and land grants—likely a result of Mary’s relationship with King Henry VIII.

These benefits provided the couple with a measure of wealth and status during their time at court.