Biography

Mary Boleyn was the sister of Anne Boleyn, Queen of England, husband to King Henry VIII. Mary was married to William Carey in 1520, and was a known mistress of King Henry VIII. Their affair likely started in 1522, and it is speculated whether Mary's two children, Catherine (Katherine) and Henry (born in 1524 and 1525, respectively) were the illegitimate children of Henry VIII. Mary's husband, William Carey, died in 1528 of the terrifying sweating epidemic, and Mary was secretly remarried to William Stafford in 1534. Stafford was far below her station, and she married him out of love, which led to her sister and King Henry banishing her from court. They likely never reconciled before Anne's death.