Marriage + The Succession

Question 1

Why did Mary need to get married fast?

Answer 1

• She was 37 (old)

- Needed to produce an heir

Question 2

What were the two marriage options for Mary?

Answer 2

1) Edward Courtenay, Earl of Devon

2) Philip of Spain, son of King of Spain Charles V

Question 3

Who in the Privy Council preferred suitor Edward Courtenay?

Answer 3

Gardiner

Question 4

Who in the Privy Council preferred suitor Philip of Spain?

Answer 4

Paget

Question 5

Which suitor did Mary choose?

Answer 5

Philip of Spain

Question 6

Did Mary consult the Privy Council about her marriage choice?

Answer 6

No

Question 7

What were the positives + negatives of the suitor Edward Courtenay?

Answer 7

POS
- Prevent issues of a foreign marriage

NEG

• Marrying English nobility would elevate his family, bring factional rivalry
• Lacked courtly skills
• Mary didn’t prefer him

Question 8

What were the positives + negatives of the suitor Philip of Spain?

Answer 8

POS

• Strengthen foreign relations with Spain (Philip heir to Charles V)
• Strengthen foreign relations with Habsburgs’ HRE (Philip son of Charles + a Habsburg)
• Mary favoured him

NEG
- England could become dominated by Spain or drawn into their foreign affairs

Question 9

What were the terms of the marriage treaty (1554)?

Answer 9

(Favourable to England)

• Power to govern England rested with Mary alone
• Philip had title ‘King of England’ only for Mary’s lifetime
• No foreigners allowed to hold English offices
• England wouldn’t become involved in or fund Spain’s wars
• If Mary died childless, succession passes to Elizabeth

Question 10

Did the people of England generally agree with Mary’s marriage to Philip? How do we know?

Answer 10

No - Wyatt’s Rebellion

Question 11

When did Mary marry Philip?

Answer 11

25th July 1554

Question 12

Why were the people of England + Parliament concerned about the marriage to Philip?

Answer 12

Worried about the implication in Spanish affairs + the potential that Philip could end up ruling England

Question 13

We’re Parliament happy with Mary marrying Philip? How do we know?

Answer 13

No - stopped Philip’s coronation in 1555

Question 14

Did Philip approve of his marriage to Mary?

Answer 14

No

• Found the English unwelcoming
• Unimpressed with Mary (11yrs older yet had childlike attitude to love + marriage)
• Determined to spend as little time in England as possible

Question 15

What was the act that dictated who would succeed Mary I?

Answer 15

Succession Act (1544)

Question 16

According to the 1544 Succession Act, who was Mary’s heir if she died childless?

Answer 16

Elizabeth

Question 17

What were the 3 main reasons Mary didn’t want Elizabeth to succeed her?

Answer 17

• Elizabeth was Protestant
• Elizabeth personified reason for break with Rome + Henry’s divorce of Mary’s mother that she had strongly opposed
• Mary didn’t trust Elizabeth (particularly after Wyatt’s Rebellion)

Question 18

What did Mary need to do to prevent Elizabeth being her heir?

Answer 18

Have a child

Question 19

Did Mary have a child?

Answer 19

No - but she had 2 fake pregnancies/phantom pregnancies

Question 20

How many ‘fake’/phantom pregnancies did Mary have?

Answer 20

2

Question 21

When was Mary’s first phantom pregnancy? What happened?

Answer 21

Spring 1555

• Confinement at Hampton Court
• Due 6th June
• 4th Aug left with no baby

Question 22

When was Mary’s second phantom pregnancy?

Answer 22

Near end of her reign

Question 23

What were the two main outcomes of Mary’s phantom pregnancies?

Answer 23

• Unable to produce an alternative heir to Elizabeth

- Became an embarrassment - Philip left country

Question 24

How did Mary die?

Answer 24

Illness from May -> Nov 1558

Some saw ovarian cysts/uterine cancer/influenza

Question 25

On what date was Mary forced to name Elizabeth her heir?

Answer 25

6th Nov 1558

She was ill + clearly dying without an heir

Question 26

When did Mary die?

Answer 26

17th Nov 1558