Mary I of England
Dutch c.1516/20–c.1576
Mary Tudor, Queen of England, second wife of Philip II 1554
oil on panel
109.0 x 84.0 cm
Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid (P02108)
Lived: 18 February 1516 – 17 November 1558
Reigned: Queen of England and Ireland 19 July 1553 – 17 November 1558
Second wife of Philip II and daughter of Henry VIII of England and his first wife Catherine of Aragon (making her and her husband second cousins).
At the age of 6 Mary was betrothed to her 22 year old cousin Charles I (Philip II’s father), however the engagement was cancelled. Eventually Charles I himself instigated the marriage of Mary and his son the Infante Philip which took place in England in 1554. A portrait of Philip by Titian was sent to Mary before their wedding. Antonis Mor, an artist that Philip particularly admired, accompanied him to England for the wedding, where he painted Mary’s portrait. Upon marriage, Philip became King of England and Ireland. Philip II spent extended periods away from Mary, conducting a war with France over control of Flanders and the couple did not produce an heir. Mary died at the age of forty-two, only four years after her wedding.