What happens when a Tudor bad boy meets a powerful Habsburg duchess? Scandal, of course!
On this day in Tudor history, 10th January 1480, Margaret of Austria, Duchess of Savoy and regent of the Habsburg Netherlands, was born. Margaret was a remarkable woman—an accomplished ruler and a central figure in European politics. But in 1513, during a moment of celebration after Henry VIII’s victory in France, Margaret found herself at the centre of a scandal thanks to none other than Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk.
Flirtation, a stolen ring, and a royal joke gone wrong—what started as innocent courtly love spiralled into a full-blown international incident.
In 1513, Henry VIII was at war with France, his ally being Margaret’s father, the emperor. It was a successful campaign with both the besieged Thérouanne and Tournai surrendering to the Anglo-Imperial troops, and Brandon played a big part in the campaign. As part of the celebrations following the victory, Henry VIII, accompanied by Brandon, his best friend, was welcomed into Lille by Margaret and her nephew, the future Charles V. There, they enjoyed lavish banquets, pageants and tournaments, in which Brandon excelled. And it was during that time of celebration that Brandon and Margaret enjoyed some flirtation.
Marguerite was single at the time, being twice widowed. Her first marriage had ended after six months, due to the death of her husband, John, Prince of Asturias, the son and heir of Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile; and her second marriage, to Philibert II, Duke of Savoy, ended after three years with Philibert’s death. His death devastated her and it’s even said that she tried to throw herself out of a window. She then chose to have his heart embalmed so that she could keep it with her. But that had been nine years ago, and when Brandon flirted with her in 1513, she was, as historian Steven Gunn describes, "vivacious, not unattractive, and little older than Brandon". As for Brandon, he’d been married twice and was contracted to marry Elizabeth Grey, 5th Baroness Lisle. He wasn’t quite a free agent.
Margaret embraced the tradition of courtly love. This chivalric tradition saw a knight woo a lady, who was usually his superior with praise, gifts, poems and songs, while she, if she accepted his suit, would offer him kindness and allow him to wear her favour in tournaments. It was innocent flirtation, not sexual. Margaret’s court was a centre of courtly love so Brandon flirting with her was nothing unusual – he was a knight, she was his superior. At some point during their flirting, Brandon took a ring from Margaret. The regent told Henry VIII that Brandon had "put himself upon his knees before me, and in speaking and him playing, he drew from my finger the ring and put it upon his, and since showed it to me, and I took to laugh." She went on to explain that she had begged him many times to give it back to her, because she was concerned as the rings was well known as hers, but that he had not understood her. It was a real concern for Margaret. Brandon seems to have taken the courtly love game too far, and Henry VIII didn’t help matters when he stepped in to interpret. Gunn writes that the king mentioned marriage, probably, as Gunn explains, as no more than "a witty conceit", a joke. Margaret made it clear that she had no intention of marrying Brandon, and, in fact, no intention of marrying again, but, unfortunately for Margaret, rumours began circulating of a marriage between her and Brandon. This was scandalous, the emperor’s daughter marrying an English courtier! News got back to her father, the emperor, who was shocked, and poor Margaret had to explain exactly why Charles Brandon had her ring, something that could be seen as proof of a betrothal.
What was probably no more than a joke to the king and Brandon, caused Margaret harm. She was at the centre of an international scandal for a time, and she’d done nothing wrong. Brandon and the king had taken things far too far.
Just over a year later, Charles Brandon caused even more scandal when he married Mary Tudor, Henry VIII’s youngest sister, without the king’s permission. And, he’d go on to make a scandalous marriage following her death, marrying his fourteen-year-old war, a girl meant for his son.
And that’s not all, earlier in his life, Brandon left his pregnant fiancée to marry her aunt, then abandoned the aunt to go back to the fiancée. Yep! It was best to steer clear of Charles Brandon. I bet Margaret was relieved when he married Mary Tudor!
Margaret of Austria may have ruled with grace and skill, but her brief encounter with Charles Brandon proved that even the most powerful women could find themselves embroiled in scandal. For Brandon, this flirtation was just another notch on his belt of controversial relationships—a life marked by secret marriages, broken promises, and reckless decisions.
For Margaret, though, it was likely a lesson in the dangers of courtly love taken too far. After all, Charles Brandon wasn’t just a flirt; he was a walking scandal.
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