othal of the jilted Princess Mary of ten to the middle-aged widower
who sat upon the throne of France. An embassy came to London from the
Queen Regent of France, whilst Francis was still a prisoner in Madrid in
1525, to smooth the way for a closer intimacy. Special instructions were
given to the ambassador to dwell upon the complete recovery of Francis
from his illness, and to make the most of the Emperor's unfaithfulness to
his English betrothed for the purpose of marrying the richly dowered
Portuguese. Francis eventually regained his liberty on hard conditions
that included his marriage with Charles's widowed sister Leonora, Queen
Dowager of Portugal; and his sons were to remain in Spain as hostages for
his fulfilment of the terms. But from the first Francis intended to
violate the treaty of Madrid, wherever possible; and early in 1527 a
stately train of French nobles, headed by De Grammont, Bishop of Tarbes,
came with a formal demand for the hand of young Mary Tudor for the already
much-married Francis. Again the palace of Greenwich was a blaze of
splendour for the third nuptials of the little princess; and the elaborate
mummery that Henry loved was re-enacted.[39] On the journeys to and from
their lodgings in Merchant Taylors' Hall, the Bishop of Tarbes and
Viscount de Turenne heard nothing but muttered curses, saw nothing but
frowning faces of the London people; for Mary was in the eyes of Henry's
subjects the heiress of England, and they would have, said they, no
Frenchman to reign over them when their own king should die.[40] Katharine
took little part in the betrothal festivities, for she was a mere shadow
now. Her little daughter was made to show off her accomplishments to the
Frenchmen, speaking to them in French and Latin, playing on the
harpsichord, and dancing with the Viscount de Turenne, whilst the poor
Queen looked sadly on. Stiff with gems and cloth of gold, the girl,
appearing, we are told, "like an angel," gravely played her part to her
proud father's delight, and the Bishop of Tarbes took back with him to his
master enthusiastic praises of this "pearl of the world," the backward
little girl of eleven, who was destined, as Francis said, to be the
"cornerstone of the new covenant" between France and England, either by
her marriage with himself, or, failing that, with his second son, the Duke
of Orleans, which in every respect would have been a most suitable match.

No sooner had the treaty of betrothal b