Charles Brandon 1st duke of Suffolk

Charles Brandon Suffolk, 1st duke of , d. 1545, English nobleman. A member of the court of Henry VIII, he received many preferments. He was created (1513) Viscount Lisle on his betrothal to his ward, Elizabeth Grey, Viscountess Lisle (in her own right), but the title was canceled when Elizabeth, on coming of age, refused to marry him. He was created duke of Suffolk in 1514, perhaps to aid him in his suit of Margaret of Austria, regent of the Netherlands. In 1515, while on an embassy to the new king of France, Francis I, Suffolk married Mary of England , recent widow of Louis XII of France and sister of Henry VIII. This ambitious marriage, complicated by the fact that one of Brandon's two former wives was still living, angered Henry, and it was only by the payment of jewels and large sums of money that the couple regained favor. Suffolk accompanied Henry to the Field of the Cloth of Gold (1520) and led an invading army into France (1523). He supported the king's divorce from Katharine of Aragón, received confiscated monastery lands, led troops against the rebels in the Pilgrimage of Grace (1536), and led an invasion of France (1544).

Suffolk, Charles Brandon, 1st duke of (1484–1545). Brandon managed a spectacular career from modest beginnings. Son of Sir William Brandon, standard‐bearer for Henry VII at Bosworth, where he was killed, Brandon's rise began with the accession of Henry VIII in 1509. They were both fond of athletic pursuits and Brandon excelled in jousting. In 1515 he was created Viscount Lisle. The Garter followed. He fought in the campaign in France in 1513 and in February 1514 was made duke of Suffolk. His most extraordinary advance came in 1515 when, six weeks after the death of her husband Louis XII, he married Mary, queen of France and sister of Henry VIII. Brandon bought himself out of the king's anger with gifts. After this, he continued in favour, serving as earl marshal 1524–33, lord president 1530–45, chief justice in Eyre south of Trent 1534–45, and lord steward 1540–5.

Suffolk, Charles Brandon, 1st duke of (1484–1545). Brandon managed a spectacular career from modest beginnings. A son of Sir William Brandon, standard-bearer for Henry VII at Bosworth, where he was killed, Brandon's rise began with the accession of Henry VIII in 1509: the king was seven years his junior. They were both fond of athletic pursuits and Brandon excelled in jousting. In 1515 he was given the wardship of Elizabeth, Lady Lisle, and created Viscount Lisle. The Garter followed. He fought in the campaign in France in 1513 and in February 1514 was made duke of Suffolk a few months after the death of the last de la Pole duke. His most extraordinary advance came in 1515 when, six weeks after the death of her husband Louis XII, he married Mary, queen of France and sister of Henry VIII. Brandon bought himself out of the king's anger with gifts. After this, despite Mary's death in 1533, he continued in favour, serving as earl marshal 1524–33, lord president 1530–45, chief justice in Eyre south of Trent 1534–45, and lord steward 1540–5. He commanded against the Pilgrimage of Grace in 1536 and campaigned in France in 1544. His two sons died of the sweating sickness in 1551, when the dukedom became extinct.

J. A. Cannon