Mary, 1553-1558

Question 1

Reasons why having a queen was feared:

Answer 1

Woman would not be able to lead men into battle

Woman was not thought strong enough to control mighty nobles

Woman would not be clever enough to make decisions of government

Woman would need to marry to have an heir, but women were regarded as subservient to their husbands

Question 2

Fears over the queens marriage:

Answer 2

If she married an Englishman it would increase the power of her husbands family

Is she married a foreigner it was feared that England would be dominated by another country

Question 3

Possible husbands for Mary:

Answer 3

Phillip of Spain

Edward Courtenay

Question 4

Possible husbands of Mary:

Philip of Spain

Answer 4

Son of Charles V, therefore represented Spain and Catholicism, both of which were very important to her

Believed the marriage would bring her happiness and an heir

Question 5

Possible husbands for Mary:

Edward Courtenay

Answer 5

Many in her council wanted her to marry him, because he was English and descended from Edward IV

Question 6

Problems with the Spanish marriage proposal:

Answer 6

Spanish marriage proposal stirred up a furore amount the English, swing Spanish power as a threat to English liberty and commercial interests

In November, a parliamentary delegation tried to dissuade her

Eventually, she persuaded both her council and Parliament that she would protect English rights and in fact the marriage treaty was extraordinarily favourable to England

Question 7

Marriage treaty:

Answer 7

Phillip was to have the title of King of England, but not have any of the powers

Question 8

Causes of the Wyatt rebellion:

Answer 8

Spanish marriage

Religion: leaders of the 4 planned rebellions all had Protestant sympathies

Economic: Kent, where many of the rebels came from, was badly affected by the slump in the cloth trade in the 1550s

Political: most of rebel leaders had played prominent role in local policies in Edward VI’s reign but had lost power under Mary and saw rebellion as only way to regain their power

Question 9

Why did the Wyatt rebellion fail?

Mary’s own response:

Answer 9

Refrained from appealing to Charles V, realising perhaps that foreign troops would have played into Wyatt’s hands

Remained in London and ordered fortification of the city

1 February Mary issued a personal appeal from the Guildhall and played on Londoners

Question 10

Why did the Wyatt rebellion fail?

Wyatt’s own errors:

Answer 10

Wyatt made error by diverting his forces to take control of Cooling Castle held by Lord Cobham

Castle surrendered, but Wyatt had lost a day and was late in reaching the Thames at Southwark where London Bridge had been fortified

Did not manage to cross the Thames for another 6 days, only to be met by formidable defences in Kensington and Fleet Street

Question 11

How effective was Mary’s government?

Effective government:

Answer 11

Succeeded in restoring Catholicism

No rebellions after Wyatt

Marquis of Winchester, who served as Lord Treasurer under Edward VI provided continuity in financial policy

Question 12

How effective was Mary’s government?

Lack of effective government:

Answer 12

Due to her early death Mary failed to restore Catholicism on a permanent basis

Marriage to Phillip II was undoubtedly a failure as provoked the Wyatt rebellion and did not produce to Catholic heir Mary so desperately wanted. Also did involve England in a war against France

Question 13

Challenges to Mary:

Answer 13

Questions over a Female ruler

Wyatt Rebellion 1554

Question 14

Reasons why Mary being a Female Ruler threatened the stability of her reign:

Answer 14

Last female monarch, Matilda, had provoked a civil war in the mid 12th century

Assumed that a female ruler would be too weak to control the nobility + would certainly not be able to lead an army into battle

Mary’s marriage was only a problem b/c she was female

B/c she was female, Mary could not win whomever she married: her marriage to Phillip led to fears that Spain would dominate England

Question 15

Reasons why Mary being a Female Ruler did not threaten the stability of her reign:

Answer 15

Fact that M was clearly the rightful heir mattered more than her gender

M acted promptly + decisively both against Jane in 1553 + against Wyatt in 1554 showing that her gender mattered less than her determination + political skill

M had good advisors e.g. Winchester = finance/ Pole + church

She was able to govern effectively despite her gender, as shown by the improvements in the Navy + the land defence system resulting from the French war

Question 16

Reasons why the stability of Mary’s reign was threatened by the Wyatt rebellion in 1554:

Answer 16

If all 4 of the rebellions against the Spanish marriage had taken place or if Wyatt had not delayed his march on London by besieging Cooling Castle the Wyatt rebellion could have succeeded, either in forcing her to change her choice of husband or perhaps even replacing her with Elizabeth

Fact that the London militia defected to Wyatt shouting “We are all Englishmen!” showed how unpopular the Spanish marriage was

Mary was only saved by the loyalty of a few nobles + their retainers

Fact that there were very few executions after the Grey conspiracy + fewer than 100 after Wyatt suggest that Mary’s govt. did not feel strong enough to be as brutal as Henry VIII had been

Question 17

Reasons why the stability of Mary’s reign was not threatened by the Wyatt rebellion in 1554:

Answer 17

Mary acted promptly + decisively against Wyatt, wisely ignoring the advice of her councillors + staying in London to rally support there

Memories of the Wars of the Roses in the previous century + the hatred towards the gentry shown by the 1549 rebels made the gentry reluctant to support any rebellion for fear that it would lead to a breakdown of law + order, threatening both their property + their social status

Despite the factional rivalry between Paget + Gardiner over the Spanish marriage, M’s Privy Council generally governed effectively, especially in terms of increasing royal revenue

No further rebellions after Wyatt despite the bad harvests + trade depression

Question 18

Arguments Mary succeeded in making England a Catholic Country by 1558:

Answer 18

In bringing back the Mass + Catholic doctrines like transubstantiation + clerical celibacy, Mary was returning to her father’s policy - M therefore had a strong base on which to build

It is not true that Mary relied solely on persecution to restore Catholicism. Cardinal Pole, her Archbishop of Canterbury, had constructive plans for reform, such as a crackdown on clerical abuses like pluralism + non-residence, a Cath. translation of the New Testament, a Cath. Book of Homilies + a seminary in each diocese

Burnings may not have been as unpopular as is often assumed. Local authorities in London offered the burnings to be held in the mornings to reduce the crowds, but this may have been due to a fear of the general disorder which often attends such large gatherings e.g. pickpockets rather than fear of demonstrations in support of the victims

Parliament readily agreed to the restoration of the Mass in 1553 + the restoration of the heresy laws in 1554 was only delayed b/c MPs feared that the monastic lands many of them had purchased would have to be given back

Churchwarden’s accounts in different parts of the country suggest that parishes were quick to restore alters, images, mass vestments

Evidence suggests that M’s policies were succeeding + ultimately failed b/c she died to early + failed to leave a Catholic heir, enabling Elizabeth to restore Protestantism

Question 19

Arguments Mary failed in making England a Catholic Country by 1558:

Answer 19

Like the Prot. religious changes in E’s reign, M’s policies did not have enough time to make an impact before they were reversed

Determining factor in the English Reformation was obedience to the monarch. M’s success in claiming the throne owed more to the fact that she was legitimate heir than to her religion

M failed to make England strongly Catholic by 1558 to prevent Elizabeth restoring Protestantism

Cath. sources in M’s reign shown the survival of Prot. in London + the South East

M could restore the Mass, clerical celibacy, the papal supremacy etc but not the monasteries of chantries b/c the gentry who had brought their lands were determined to hold onto them