Mary, 1553-1558 Flashcards
Reasons why having a queen was feared:
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
Fears over the queens marriage:
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
Possible husbands for Mary:
Phillip of Spain
Edward Courtenay
Possible husbands of Mary:
Philip of Spain
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
Possible husbands for Mary:
Edward Courtenay
Many in her council wanted her to marry him, because he was English and descended from Edward IV
Problems with the Spanish marriage proposal:
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
Marriage treaty:
Phillip was to have the title of King of England, but not have any of the powers
Causes of the Wyatt rebellion:
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
Why did the Wyatt rebellion fail?
Mary’s own response:
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
Why did the Wyatt rebellion fail?
Wyatt’s own errors:
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
How effective was Mary’s government?
Effective government:
Succeeded in restoring Catholicism
No rebellions after Wyatt
Marquis of Winchester, who served as Lord Treasurer under Edward VI provided continuity in financial policy
How effective was Mary’s government?
Lack of effective government:
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
Challenges to Mary:
Questions over a Female ruler
Wyatt Rebellion 1554
Reasons why Mary being a Female Ruler threatened the stability of her reign:
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
Reasons why Mary being a Female Ruler did not threaten the stability of her reign:
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
Reasons why the stability of Mary’s reign was threatened by the Wyatt rebellion in 1554:
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
Reasons why the stability of Mary’s reign was not threatened by the Wyatt rebellion in 1554:
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
Arguments Mary succeeded in making England a Catholic Country by 1558:
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
Arguments Mary failed in making England a Catholic Country by 1558:
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
