Instability and Consolidation: 'the Mid-Tudor Crisis', 1547–1563 - Succession Crisis of 1553 Flashcards
Why did Northumberland want to change the line of succession?
- Edward VI was seriously ill and likely to die
- Mary I was next in line and she was a devout Catholic
- Protestant reforms would be reversed and Northumberland’s life would be endangered
What act decided the line of succession for the Tudor children?
- 1544 Third Succession Act
What order were the Tudor children in for the crown?
- Edward VI
- Mary
- Elizabeth
When did Edward VI become seriously ill?
- January 1553
What was the name of the plan to change the succession?
- Devyse
- Devise
How did Northumberland try justifying a change in the succession?
- Parliament had previously declared Elizabeth and Mary illegitimate
- Henry didn’t set aside claims that his younger sister’s family might make
When did Parliament declare Mary and Elizabeth as illegitimate?
- July 1536, through Second Succession Act
- Following Anne Boleyn’s execution
- Elizabeth (Anne’s daughter) and Mary (Catherine’s daughter) made illegitimate
- Superseded by 1544 Third Succession Act
- Put pressure on Jane Seymour to bear a male heir
Which person did Northumberland pick to inherit the throne?
- Lady Jane Grey
Why did Northumberland pick Lady Jane Grey?
- She was married to Northumberland’s son, Guilford Dudley
- Grey was Protestant
When did Lady Jane Grey marry Guilford Dudley?
- May 1553
What was Lady Jane Grey’s claim to the throne?
- She was Henry VIII’s great granddaughter
- Descendant of Mary Tudor (Henry VIII’s younger sister)
How did Edward VI react to the Devise?
- He agreed with the plan and recent research suggests he was a keen instigator
- He signed the agreement
- Wanted to protect Protestantism
When did Edward VI sign the agreement to the Devise?
- Days before his death in July 1553, aged fifteen
When did Edward VI die?
- 6 July 1553
How did parliament respond to the Devise?
- Edward had died before parliament could sanction the Devise
- So, the Devise became illegal
When did Lady Jane Grey become queen?
- 9 July 1553
- 3 days after Edward VI’s death
How did the Privy Council react to the Devise?
- Privy Council needed a lot of persuasion to support Northumberland
- Partly agreed because it was the dying King’s wish
Did the people support Mary or Lady Jane Grey?
- Mary
Why did the people support Mary?
- Mary was seen as God’s rightful choice of monarch, Lady Jane Grey was a usurper
- As Lady Jane Grey was related to Northumberland, it seemed like a ploy so he could keep power
- Much support for traditional ways outside of London
Who supported Lady Jane Grey?
- Local authorities inside London
- Berwick on Scottish border
- King’s Lynn in East Anglia
How did Mary react to the Devise?
- Mary gathered together Catholic supporters, including nobles, in Norfolk
- Little love for Northumberland in Norfolk, due to crushed Kett’s Rebellion
How did Mary claim the throne?
- Mary gathered supporters from nobility, gentry and ordinary folk
- Northumberland’s supporters deserted him, after realising Mary was more popular
- Mary is proclaimed queen in the marketplace at Cambridge on 20 July 1553
When was Mary proclaimed queen?
- 20 July 1553
What happened to Lady Jane Grey?
- Mary was reluctant to execute her, she was just a pawn
- But she represented hope for Protestants
- After Wyatt’s rebellion led by Duke of Suffolk, Lady Jane Grey’s father, Mary changed her mind
- Lady Jane Grey executed in February 1554
When was Lady Jane Grey executed?
- Convicted and beheaded for treason
- February 1554
