DID YOU KNOW? The Mary Rose was built in Portsmouth, which is also where its remains reside today
As the last vestiges of the Mary Rose were consumed by the very sea it sought to conquer, the men who would sink to the bottom of the ocean with it couldn’t have known that they were to become part of one of the greatest archaeological sites of the Tudor period, preserved like no other for historians of the 20th century to marvel at and analyse for decades. This particular disaster, unexpected and perhaps entirely unnecessary, was rare – the loss of life may have seemed futile, but without it we might have a very different understanding of the Tudor period. But it’s not only for its immense bounty of historical artefacts that the Mary Rose has endured as one of England’s – and perhaps the world’s – most notable shipwrecks. It’s also, as ever, the mysteries surrounding its story that have seen it remain a point of fascination for history enthusiasts and experts alike. There’s plenty we can’t be sure of when we ask why the Mary Rose sank.
What we do know is that the Mary Rose was commissioned by Henry VIII as part of a new navy. He had inherited a rather measly fleet, setting about improving it for the many battles that lay ahead with sea ships known as carracks – the Mary Rose and another commission, Peter Pomegranate. Historians still debate exactly who the boat was named after – and if it was named after a person at all, as this was not the trend at the time. Popular belief often sides with Henry’s sister, Mary Tudor, while it’s generally considered more likely the name was a tribute to the Virgin Mary, known at the time as the ‘Mystic Rose’. This also chimes well with the naming of Peter Pomegranate, as the pomegranate is a symbol of resurrection and eternal life, often associated with Jesus. The fruit is even shown in the hand of Jesus in some depictions of the Madonna and Child. The pomegranate was also a symbol of the house of Aragon, which was certainly a consideration when Henry chose the name for the boat, as he was married to Catherine of Aragon. When they divorced, Henry renamed Peter Pomegranate as Peter.
