In the quiet corners of a Leicestershire manor house, a volume of immense historical gravity lay overlooked for nearly three centuries. Bound in weathered leather and emblazoned with the royal monogram of Mary I, the book—a 1555 edition of Polydore Vergil’s Anglica Historia—is far more than a mere chronicle of English kings. It contains a series of hand-drawn maps that represent a defiant, cartographic assertion of power during one of the most tumultuous periods in British history.

Now, this artifact, described by experts as "perhaps the most significant artifact of Tudor intellectual history still in private hands," is heading to the New York International Antiquarian Book Fair with a staggering price tag of $1.6 million. Its emergence offers a rare, intimate glimpse into the mind of England’s first queen regnant, a woman often reduced to the caricature of "Bloody Mary," but who was, in reality, a sophisticated Renaissance intellectual.

Main Facts: A Sovereign’s Private Library

The volume in question is a posthumously published third edition of Anglica Historia, a comprehensive history of England originally commissioned by Mary’s grandfather, Henry VII. While the text itself is a cornerstone of Tudor historiography, the true value of this specific copy lies in its unique customizations and provenance.

The Artifact at a Glance

• Anglica Historia (also known as Anglicae Historiae) by Polydore Vergil.
• Date: 1555 edition.
• Key Features: Decorated with the coat of arms and "M.R." (Maria Regina) monogram of Mary I. It includes four custom-made, hand-colored maps of Scotland, Ireland, England, and the English Channel.
• Price: $1.6 million (offered by Barry Lawrence Ruderman Antique Maps).
• Significance: One of the few surviving items from Mary I’s personal library; contains some of the earliest known detailed maps of the British Isles as a collective entity.

The maps are of particular interest to historians. One map, dated 1558, depicts the English flag flying over Calais—the last English territory in mainland France. Crucially, Calais fell to the French in January 1558, meaning the map serves as a "continued cartographic assertion of sovereignty," a refusal to acknowledge on paper a loss that Mary reportedly felt in her very heart.

Chronology: From the Tudor Court to a Manor Library

The journey of this volume spans nearly five centuries, moving from the heights of royal power to the obscurity of a country estate, and finally to the center of the global antiquarian market.

The Tudor Origins (1555–1558)

Polydore Vergil, an Italian humanist, began his history of England at the behest of Henry VII. By the time the 1555 edition was published, Mary I had been on the throne for two years. This edition was particularly resonant for the Queen; it contained a revised section on her father, Henry VIII, which treated her mother, Catherine of Aragon, with profound sympathy—a rarity in a period dominated by the Henrician Reformation.

Historians believe the book was either commissioned by Mary herself or presented to her as a high-status New Year’s gift. The inclusion of the custom maps suggests it was intended for strategic use, providing the Queen with a visual representation of her "dominions" at a time when her sovereignty was under constant threat.

The Survival and Succession (1558–1750)

Following Mary’s death in November 1558, the book likely entered the possession of her half-sister and successor, Elizabeth I. Provenance research suggests two possible paths:

1. The Lady-in-Waiting Path: It may have been gifted to Anne Rede, one of Mary’s ladies-in-waiting, who then passed it to her son, Sir John Fortescue.
2. The Tutor Path: Elizabeth I may have gifted the volume to Fortescue, who served as her tutor and was a noted intellectual of the era.

By the mid-18th century, the book had found its way to Bosworth Hall in Leicestershire, the seat of the Fortescue-Turville family. There it remained, shelved and largely forgotten, as generations passed.

Rediscovery and Recent Sales (2024–2026)

In early 2024, Peter Leech, a musicologist from Cardiff University, was conducting research in the library at Bosworth Hall when he identified the distinctive "Medallion Binder" style of the volume. Recognizing the royal monogram, he alerted auctioneers.

In September 2024, the book was sold at Dominic Winter Auctioneers for approximately $237,000 (£168,000), far exceeding its initial estimate. It was purchased by a consortium including Barry Lawrence Ruderman Antique Maps, HS Rare Books, and Clive A. Burden Ltd. After extensive research and conservation, the price has been adjusted to $1.6 million for its April 2026 debut in New York.

Supporting Data: The Cartographic and Financial Context

The $1.6 million valuation is supported by the rarity of Tudor-era maps and the unique nature of the book’s binding.

The "Medallion Binder"

The volume’s binding is attributed to the "Medallion Binder," an anonymous but highly skilled craftsman active at the Tudor court between the reigns of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. The presence of this specific binder’s work is a hallmark of royal or high-aristocratic ownership. Only a handful of volumes from Mary I’s personal library are known to exist today, making this an outlier in the market.

Market Comparison

The leap from the 2024 auction price of $237,000 to the 2026 asking price of $1.6 million reflects the "discovery premium." Alex Clausen, president of Ruderman Antique Maps, noted that the initial auction estimate failed to fully account for the maps’ significance. "We were willing to pay a substantially higher amount… because it was just totally unlike anything that we have seen in decades," Clausen explained. The maps represent some of the earliest attempts to visualize the British Isles not as separate warring kingdoms, but as a unified imperial concept—a precursor to the British Empire.

Official Responses and Expert Opinions

The sale has sparked significant interest among historians and curators, many of whom see the book as a vital tool for rehabilitating Mary I’s historical reputation.

Alex Clausen, President of Ruderman Antique Maps:
"The map reflects the queen’s contemporary strategic concerns and England’s enduring vision of itself as a cross-channel power, even as direct control of its continental territories slipped away. Before this period, there was no series of maps covering England, Scotland, and Ireland together."

Linda Porter, Historian and Biographer of Mary I:
"Mary was a highly educated woman, a true Renaissance princess, with command of the classics and several modern languages. The atlas provided a clear idea of the geography of her dominions and must have given her great pleasure. It reminds us how much Mary I and her reign are still overlooked and underappreciated."

Peter Leech, Musicologist and Discoverer:
Leech emphasized the cultural history of British Catholicism represented in the book. He noted that the survival of such an object in a Catholic manor house like Bosworth Hall is a testament to the "hidden" history of the faith in England post-Reformation.

Implications: Reclaiming "Bloody Mary"

The sale of this volume carries implications that extend beyond the world of high-end collecting. It serves as a catalyst for a broader historical re-evaluation of Mary I.

Beyond the "Bloody Mary" Myth

For centuries, Mary’s reign has been defined by the execution of approximately 280 Protestants, leading to her "Bloody Mary" moniker. However, modern historians argue that this focus is a product of Victorian-era Protestant bias and sexism. When compared to her father, Henry VIII (who executed thousands), or her sister, Elizabeth I (who oversaw the brutal suppression of Catholic rebellions), Mary’s record is not uniquely violent for the 16th century.

The Anglica Historia highlights a different side of the Queen: a woman engaged with the intellectual currents of her time, interested in global exploration, and deeply invested in her family’s legacy. The sympathetic portrayal of her mother, Catherine of Aragon, within the text suggests that Mary used her library as a space to validate her own legitimacy and honor the memory of a mother who had been cast aside by the state.

The Export Ban and National Heritage

The volume is currently subject to a UK export ban. This legal mechanism allows British institutions time to match the sale price to keep the item within the country. If a British museum or library cannot raise the $1.6 million, the book will be permitted to leave the UK for a private or institutional collection abroad.

The potential loss of the artifact to an overseas buyer has reignited debates about the preservation of Tudor heritage. As the sale date approaches, the question remains: will a British institution step in to save this "heart of Calais" for the nation, or will it become the crown jewel of a private collection in the United States?

Regardless of the outcome, the rediscovery of Mary I’s maps has already succeeded in one regard: it has forced the world to look past the "Bloody" legend and see the sophisticated, resilient, and intellectually curious Queen who once held this very volume in her hands.