# Lady Mary — The Fifth Queen character guide

> Lady Mary in The Fifth Queen by Ford Madox Ford.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** the Lady Mary, the Lady Mary of England, Mary

**First appearance:** 0000-part-i-the-coming

## Snapshot

The king's Catholic daughter, suspected of treasonous correspondence with the Emperor, becomes the target of Cromwell's spy network.

## Who they are

Lady Mary is reported to plot with the Emperor, sending maps and plans of new castles, and Cromwell wants her channels discovered and stopped. She is also a pawn in the marriage market, with Duke Philip of Wittelsbach as her newest suitor, kept from her own betrothal feast by protocol. Her devotion and her danger make her the axis of the book's espionage plot, the woman Katharine is ordered to betray.

## Relationships

### [Katharine Howard](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_fifth_queen_se/characters/katharine_howard)

_friendship_

Katharine acts as a loyal friend and supporter to the embattled Princess Mary, offering comfort and political aid.

### [Nicholas Udal](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_fifth_queen_se/characters/nicholas_udal)

_friendship_

Lady Mary trusts Udal as a scholarly ally and messenger, using him to communicate with Katharine and her faction.

### [Thomas Cromwell](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_fifth_queen_se/characters/thomas_cromwell)

_rivalry_

Lady Mary despises Cromwell for his role in her mother's downfall and his relentless pressure to renounce her Catholic faith.

### [Katharine Howard](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_fifth_queen_se/characters/katharine_howard)

_friendship_

Katharine acts as a loyal friend and supporter to the embattled Princess Mary, offering comfort and political aid.

### [Katharine Howard](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_fifth_queen_se/characters/katharine_howard)

_friendship_

Katharine acts as a loyal friend and supporter to the embattled Princess Mary, offering comfort and political aid.

### [Nicholas Udal](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_fifth_queen_se/characters/nicholas_udal)

_friendship_

Lady Mary trusts Udal as a scholarly ally and messenger, using him to communicate with Katharine and her faction.

### [Thomas Cromwell](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_fifth_queen_se/characters/thomas_cromwell)

_rivalry_

Lady Mary despises Cromwell for his role in her mother's downfall and his relentless pressure to renounce her Catholic faith.

### [Thomas Cromwell](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_fifth_queen_se/characters/thomas_cromwell)

_rivalry_

Lady Mary despises Cromwell for his role in her mother's downfall and his relentless pressure to renounce her Catholic faith.

## In the story

### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_fifth_queen_se/chapters/i)

Udal's pupil, mentioned as a potential queen and as having a commentary on Plautus.

### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_fifth_queen_se/chapters/vi)

Remains cold and defiant toward Cromwell; refuses to submit to the King; endures hardships but will not compromise her principles.

### [Part II: The House of Eyes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_fifth_queen_se/chapters/part-ii-the-house-of-eyes)

The King's daughter, a figure of sympathy and potential danger, whose presence complicates the religious and political landscape.

### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_fifth_queen_se/chapters/v)

Coldly warns Katharine against plotting, shows her a torn letter from Cromwell, and refuses to aid her.

### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_fifth_queen_se/chapters/vi)

Subject of suspicion; believed to have treasonable correspondence with the Emperor.

### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_fifth_queen_se/chapters/ii)

Bitter and defiant, she uses Katharine to smuggle a letter and resists her father's attempts at reconciliation.

### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_fifth_queen_se/chapters/iii)

Refuses Katharine's request to write a letter aiding the King, citing her oath never to help her father's cause.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_fifth_queen_se/characters/lady_mary
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_fifth_queen_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_fifth_queen_se/characters