Showtime's "The Tudors" TV series caused all kinds of confusion by amalgamating Henry VIII's two sisters in one character named Margaret, and throwing in lots of inaccuracies too! So, how much do you know about these two women and do you know which woman did what?
Grab a drink and snack, sit comfortably and get those little grey cells working with today's fun history quiz. Good luck!
Margaret or Mary?
Correct! Mary was born in 1496.
Wrong! Margaret was born in 1489, Mary was born in 1496.
Correct! Mary was born on 18th March, whereas Margaret was born on 28th November and so was a Sagittarius.
Wrong! It was Mary. She was born on 18th March, whereas Margaret was born on 28th November and so was a Sagittarius.
Correct!
Wrong! It was Mary's.
Correct! She was married to James IV of Scotland; Archibald Douglas, Earl of Angus; and Henry Stewart, Lord Methven.
Wrong! It was Margaret. She was married to James IV of Scotland; Archibald Douglas, Earl of Angus; and Henry Stewart, Lord Methven.
Correct! Margaret was only thirteen when she married James IV.
Wrong! It was Mary. Margaret was only thirteen when she married James IV.
Correct! Margaret's great-grandson James VI of Scotland became King James I in 1603.
Wrong! Margaret's great-grandson James VI of Scotland became King James I in 1603.
Correct! Mary died on 25th June 1533. Margaret died in 1541.
Wrong! It was Mary, she died on 25th June 1533. Margaret died in 1541.
Correct!
Wrong! It was Mary.
Correct! She was buried at the Carthusian Abbey of St. John's, Perth, Scotland. Mary was buried at Bury St Edmunds Abbey, which was Benedictine.
Wrong! It was Margaret. She was buried at the Carthusian Abbey of St. John's, Perth, Scotland. Mary was buried at Bury St Edmunds Abbey, which was Benedictine.
Correct! Mary's daughter, Frances, married Henry Grey, Duke of Suffolk, and their eldest daughter was Jane.
Wrong! It was Mary. Mary's daughter, Frances, married Henry Grey, Duke of Suffolk, and their eldest daughter was Jane.
The Tudors treated the audience as children. Neither sister became Queen of Portugal and they would have been easy to distinguish. Just put the right one with Charles Brandon, that is Mary and send Margaret to Scotland and you’re done.
I often get people saying to me that it would be good if Showtime carried on the series, but that would be impossible with the way they did it. Key characters just couldn’t exist with what they did. It was very messy the whole Mary/Margaret thing and I don’t understand their reasoning.
They wrote out Jane Grey with the mention of one son only to Charles Brandon and Margaret/Mary, with no daughters mentioned. He was given at least three different names and outlived the Duke. Margaret/Mary was married off to Portugal because Francis I was already King of France and the Field of the Cloth of Gold had already happened. Six years passed in six months and suddenly we are in 1525. When she left to get married we were in 1520 I think and she came back after a few months but history had been condensed. The writers said they merged the sisters Margaret and Mary so as not to cause confusion. They didn’t want too many characters. Well even I was confused when Brandon started to dance with Margaret at the Castle Vert which is set in 1522. I thought at first Margaret had popped down from Scotland for a visit and well as Brandon was sleeping with every female in the show at this point thought typical watered down history. It was only when they started talking about her marriage to some old King and Henry promised she could marry for love next time that I worked out we are talking about Mary who has been called Margaret. The series couldn’t have carried on with that sort of confusion as some of the next generation had vanished from history. No the Tudors was what it was, entertainment and great drama and forget history, with a take on Henry Viii never to be repeated.
The Tudors treated the audience as children. Neither sister became Queen of Portugal and they would have been easy to distinguish. Just put the right one with Charles Brandon, that is Mary and send Margaret to Scotland and you’re done.
I often get people saying to me that it would be good if Showtime carried on the series, but that would be impossible with the way they did it. Key characters just couldn’t exist with what they did. It was very messy the whole Mary/Margaret thing and I don’t understand their reasoning.
They wrote out Jane Grey with the mention of one son only to Charles Brandon and Margaret/Mary, with no daughters mentioned. He was given at least three different names and outlived the Duke. Margaret/Mary was married off to Portugal because Francis I was already King of France and the Field of the Cloth of Gold had already happened. Six years passed in six months and suddenly we are in 1525. When she left to get married we were in 1520 I think and she came back after a few months but history had been condensed. The writers said they merged the sisters Margaret and Mary so as not to cause confusion. They didn’t want too many characters. Well even I was confused when Brandon started to dance with Margaret at the Castle Vert which is set in 1522. I thought at first Margaret had popped down from Scotland for a visit and well as Brandon was sleeping with every female in the show at this point thought typical watered down history. It was only when they started talking about her marriage to some old King and Henry promised she could marry for love next time that I worked out we are talking about Mary who has been called Margaret. The series couldn’t have carried on with that sort of confusion as some of the next generation had vanished from history. No the Tudors was what it was, entertainment and great drama and forget history, with a take on Henry Viii never to be repeated.
May I request an article looking closer at the two sisters as a response to the Tudor confusion?
Thanks
LynMarie
Good idea! Thanks LynMarie!