Why did the Showcase series misname Henry's sister Mary, who married the Duke of Suffolk, Margaret?

Question

That was his other sister who married James IV of Scotland. Is it that difficult to research these things or do they just think we are stupid?

Answer 1

The character of Henry's sister, called "Princess Margaret" in the series, is actually a composite of his two sisters: the life events of his youngest sister, Princess Mary Tudor, coupled with the name of his eldest sister, Margaret Tudor (to avoid confusion with Henry's daughter, Mary I of England).

Historically, Henry's sister Princess Mary first married the French King Louis XII. The union lasted approximately three months, until his death. Mary subsequently married Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk. As The Tudors begins, Henry is already negotiating a peace treaty with Francis; the series' Princess Margaret thus marries the Portuguese king, who lives only a few days until she murders him in his sleep. By the time of the events of this series, the historical Brandon (who was already in his early 40s) and Princess Mary were long married with three children. Henry's eldest sister, Margaret Tudor, was actually married to King James IV of Scotland and became the grandmother of Mary, Queen of Scots.

Answer 2

I think it's because they thought we were stupid enough to confuse the names of Mary and Margaret (see link).  I really don't know why producers think the public who will watch their films feel that we are all idiots, and know nothing about history.  

It's quite easy to follow the fortunes of Margaret and Mary, Henry VIII's sisters, and there's no need to amalgamate them both together to cast a sop to our poor little intellects.  

What a pain!

"The character of Henry's sister, called "Princess Margaret" in the series, is actually a composite of his two sisters: the life events of his youngest sister, Princess Mary Tudor, coupled with the name of his eldest sister, Margaret Tudor (to avoid confusion with Henry's daughter, Mary I of England)."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tudors

I honestly think we can manage to work this all out for ouselves.

Answer 3

I agree with the previous posters but in reality, it probably saved them money by cutting out one actress, and since they weren't going into the plot lines of the sisters, they felt no need to distinguish the two.. I would think they would be pretty stupid not to realize that the people who watch that know that those two women contributed much to history... Mary who went on to become grandmother (?) to Lady Jane Grey who was Queen of England for 9 days.....and Margaret who was Grandmother (?) of James I

Answer 4

Do you mean, "The Tudors?"  New writers are often not very good.  The editors for newscasts by rule misuse the word "myself."  The answer is, 1)  They are stupid,  or, benefit of the doubt, they are trying to make an amalgam of Henry's sisters for efficiency.  BTW.  Mary did marry an old King before she married the Duke of Suffolk, but It was not the King of Portugal - it was the King of France..