Sir Francis Bryan was an English courtier and diplomat during the reign of Henry VIII.
21 Facts About Francis Bryan
1.
2.
Francis Bryan was Chief Gentleman of the Privy chamber and Lord Justice of Ireland.
3.
Unlike many of his contemporaries, Bryan always retained Henry's favour, achieving this by altering his opinions to conform to the king's.
4.
Francis Bryan was the son of Sir Thomas Bryan and Margaret Bourchier, and came to court at a young age.
5.
Francis Bryan was rewarded for his friendship with the king by a number of public offices, Master of the Toils, Constable of the castles of Hertford, Harlech and Wallingford.
6.
Francis Bryan was Joint Constable of Warwick Castle from 1528, Cipherer of the Household, Gentleman of the Privy Chamber, and Esquire of the Body by 1522.
7.
Francis Bryan was knighted in 1522 for his courage during the capture of Morlaix in Brittany.
8.
Under the influence of Cardinal Wolsey, Sir Francis Bryan was removed from the Privy chamber in 1519, and again in 1526 as part of the Eltham Ordinances.
9.
In 1528, when Sir William Carey's death left a vacancy in the Privy chamber, Francis Bryan returned to fill his place, possibly through the good offices of his cousin Anne Boleyn.
10.
Francis Bryan was employed on a number of important overseas diplomatic missions.
11.
Francis Bryan sat in the Parliament of England as Member for Buckinghamshire probably in 1529 and certainly in the parliaments of 1539,1542 and 1545.
12.
Francis Bryan was a half cousin of both Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard as well as half second cousin to Jane Seymour.
13.
Francis Bryan promoted the family of the latter, which was less well connected than the Boleyns and tried to find her a husband after her family had grown notorious because of the affair between Catherine Fillol and Jane's father.
14.
Francis Bryan remained a friend of the King, with Henry even ending his pursuit of a lady when he heard that Bryan was seriously interested in her.
15.
However, by 1536, Francis Bryan was working with Thomas Cromwell to bring about his cousin's downfall as queen.
16.
Sir Francis Bryan returned to favour following Cromwell's demise, becoming vice-admiral of the fleet, and then Lord Justice of Ireland during the reign of Edward VI.
17.
Francis Bryan was a distinguished diplomat, soldier, sailor, cipher, man of letters, and poet.
18.
Francis Bryan was a trimmer, changing his views to suit Henry's current policy, but was one of the few men who dared speak his mind to the king.
19.
Francis Bryan is a character in Hilary Mantel's novel Wolf Hall.
20.
Francis Bryan is portrayed by actor Felix Scott in the BBC television adaptation.
21.
Francis Bryan is played by actor Alan van Sprang in Season 3 of the television series, The Tudors.