The earliest reference to the Mary Rose by name appears in a record of
a payment made by Henry VIII for bringing the ship to the River
Thames. While it is often claimed that the Mary Rose was named after
Mary Tudor, Henry VIII's sister, there is no evidence for this. It's
more likely the ship was named after the Virgin Mary, who was also known
at the time as “The Mystic Rose”.
By the 1520s Henry had established a permanent ‘Navy Royal,’ the ancestor of today’s Royal Navy.
The Mary Rose first saw battle in 1512, in a naval operation with the Spanish against the French. The English attacked the French and Breton fleets in the English Channel, while the Spanish attacked them in the Bay of Biscay.
In 1513 the Mary Rose took part in a race against other ships in the English fleet, and was then chosen again by Howard as his flagship for another mission against the French fleet near Brest. The French had recently reinforced their fleet with galleys from the Mediterranean. Howard made a daring attack on the French galleys, boarding one of them himself but losing his life in the process.
Demoralised, the fleet limped back to Plymouth. Thomas Howard was appointed as the new Lord Admiral, and started planning a new attack. In August 1513 the Scots joined forces with the French, going to war against England. The Mary Rose was part of a fleet transporting troops to Newcastle, where they then went on to Northumberland to fight at the Battle of Flodden, where the Scottish King James IV was killed.
In 1522, England went to war against France once more. The Mary Rose helped escort troops over to France, and by 1 July the Breton port of Morlaix was captured. The Mary Rose then sailed home to Dartmouth.
In 1525 the Scots again joined the French side. The war came to an end when Francis I, king of France, was captured at the Battle of Pavia.
The Mary Rose was kept in reserve from 1522 to 1535 . Despite the ever-present threat of war, particularly from Scotland, the years were quiet ones for the Mary Rose. In 1527 she was caulked and repaired in a new dock at Portsmouth
In May 1545, the French navy gathered in the Seine estuary, intending to land troops on English soil. The English fleet mustered at Portsmouth under Viscount Lisle. In early July the French fleet set sail and entered the Solent with 128 ships on 16 July. The English had 80 ships in place to oppose them, including the Mary Rose, but retreated into Portsmouth harbour as the fighting vessels were most effective in sheltered water.
The first day of the Battle of the Solent consisted of a long range cannonade between the French galleys and the English fleet in which neither side suffered any real loss. On the night of the 18 July 1545, Henry VIII dined on the flagship, the Henry Grace a Dieu, along with his admiral Viscount Lisle.
There are conflicting accounts as to what happened in the battle. According to the French, early in the morning of the 19 July, the French galleys took up the battle, trying to lure the English within range of their main fleet. The calm allowed the French to pound the English ships all too easily. Suddenly, much to the delight of the French, the Mary Rose heeled over and sank.
Other accounts say that the French fleet attacked when Henry VIII was at dinner, and the Mary Rose sank towards the evening. What is certain is that hundreds of men aboard the Mary Rose drowned as she went down, with only around 25 survivors.
After sinking, the Mary Rose embedded herself deeply in the soft upper sediments of the seabed, resting on the hard clay below. For centuries she lay on her starboard side at an angle of around 60 degrees, and acted as a silt trap for the Solent currents.
Mary Rose with music
The Mary Rose first saw battle in 1512, in a naval operation with the Spanish against the French. The English attacked the French and Breton fleets in the English Channel, while the Spanish attacked them in the Bay of Biscay.
In 1513 the Mary Rose took part in a race against other ships in the English fleet, and was then chosen again by Howard as his flagship for another mission against the French fleet near Brest. The French had recently reinforced their fleet with galleys from the Mediterranean. Howard made a daring attack on the French galleys, boarding one of them himself but losing his life in the process.
Demoralised, the fleet limped back to Plymouth. Thomas Howard was appointed as the new Lord Admiral, and started planning a new attack. In August 1513 the Scots joined forces with the French, going to war against England. The Mary Rose was part of a fleet transporting troops to Newcastle, where they then went on to Northumberland to fight at the Battle of Flodden, where the Scottish King James IV was killed.
In 1522, England went to war against France once more. The Mary Rose helped escort troops over to France, and by 1 July the Breton port of Morlaix was captured. The Mary Rose then sailed home to Dartmouth.
In 1525 the Scots again joined the French side. The war came to an end when Francis I, king of France, was captured at the Battle of Pavia.
The Mary Rose was kept in reserve from 1522 to 1535 . Despite the ever-present threat of war, particularly from Scotland, the years were quiet ones for the Mary Rose. In 1527 she was caulked and repaired in a new dock at Portsmouth
In May 1545, the French navy gathered in the Seine estuary, intending to land troops on English soil. The English fleet mustered at Portsmouth under Viscount Lisle. In early July the French fleet set sail and entered the Solent with 128 ships on 16 July. The English had 80 ships in place to oppose them, including the Mary Rose, but retreated into Portsmouth harbour as the fighting vessels were most effective in sheltered water.
The first day of the Battle of the Solent consisted of a long range cannonade between the French galleys and the English fleet in which neither side suffered any real loss. On the night of the 18 July 1545, Henry VIII dined on the flagship, the Henry Grace a Dieu, along with his admiral Viscount Lisle.
There are conflicting accounts as to what happened in the battle. According to the French, early in the morning of the 19 July, the French galleys took up the battle, trying to lure the English within range of their main fleet. The calm allowed the French to pound the English ships all too easily. Suddenly, much to the delight of the French, the Mary Rose heeled over and sank.
Other accounts say that the French fleet attacked when Henry VIII was at dinner, and the Mary Rose sank towards the evening. What is certain is that hundreds of men aboard the Mary Rose drowned as she went down, with only around 25 survivors.
After sinking, the Mary Rose embedded herself deeply in the soft upper sediments of the seabed, resting on the hard clay below. For centuries she lay on her starboard side at an angle of around 60 degrees, and acted as a silt trap for the Solent currents.
Mary Rose with music
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