Mary I Flashcards
When was Mary I’s reign as queen?
1553 - 1558
Why was it illegal for the Duke of Northumberland to proclaim Lady Jane Grey queen instead of Mary?
Henry VIII’s will still had the force of law and said Mary should succeed Edward
How did Mary respond to Northumberland declaring Lady Jane Grey as queen?
She gathered her supporters in East Anglia
What was Northumberland’s response to the outpouring of popular support for Mary becoming queen?
He rode to East Anglia to meet her and proclaimed her queen in Cambridge market.
Why was there so much popular acclaim for Mary becoming queen?
Either enthusiasm for a legitimate Tudor accession, or because she was a Catholic and people wanted a return to Catholicism
Why was Mary unable to reward courtiers with access to her Privy Chamber?
Because she was a woman, so men weren’t allowed access to it
How did Mary reward courtiers without giving them access to her Privy Chamber?
She gave them a place on her Privy Council instead?
How many people did Mary appoint as Privy Councillors during her reign?
50
How many of Mary’s Privy Councillors actually played an active role in her government?
Only a handful
Who were the two Privy Councillors Mary relied upon for advice and support the most?
Bishop Stephen Gardiner and Lord Paget
Which three non-Privy Councillors did Mary rely on for advice?
Cardinal Pole; Philip of Spain; Simon Renard
In what year did Mary marry Philip of Spain?
1554
What restrictions were placed on Philip while he was King consort?
He would have the title of King but have no powers, no foreigners were allowed to hold offices of state, and if Mary died before Philip then he was to have no claim on the English crown
What did Parliament do to show that it didn’t consider Philip to be King?
In 1554 Parliament prevented Philip being included along with Mary in a bill that redefined treason, and in 1555 Parliament prevented Philip being coronated as a King
When did Mary name Elizabeth as her successor?
11 days before she died
What were Mary’s two foreign policy objectives?
To restore England to papal supremacy and marry Philip of Spain
Why was Paul IV becoming Pope in 1555 a disaster for Mary?
He hated Spain and he contributed to war breaking out between Spain and France. Mary ended up at war with France, fighting with Spain and effectively against the Pope
Why did England declare war on France in 1557?
Thomas Stafford, grandson of the Duke of Buckingham, landed at Scarborough with a group of French troops.
How did Mary’s war with France start well?
England successfully besieged St. Quentin
Why did Mary’s war with France become disastrous in January 1558?
England lost Calais
How did Mary reform the administration and finances of the Navy?
Six new ships were built and many others repaired, and £14,000 was allocated to the Navy in peace time
How was religion reformed in Mary’s first parliament?
The religious legislation passed during Edward’s reign was all repealed. The order of service at the death of Henry VIII was restored, and clergymen who had married during Edward’s reign could be removed from their positions in the church
When was Cardinal Pole sent to England from Rome as Papal Legate?
In 1554 once the Pope accepted that the lands taken from dissolved monasteries and chantries would not be returned
When did the Church of England return to Papal jurisdiction?
In January 1555 with the passage of the Act of Repeal which revoked the royal supremacy
How many protestants were burned at the stake during Mary’s reign?
289
Who were the three most prominent protestants burned at the stake in Mary’s reign?
Thomas Cranmer; Hugh Latimer; Nicholas Ridley
How did Pole try to reform Catholicism in England in his Legatine Synod of 1555-6?
He expected Bishops to live in their diocese, to preach regularly, and to monitor their parishes. There was also a proposal never enacted for each cathedral to have a seminary to train priests
What led to an increase in food prices and poverty in Mary’s reign?
Harvest failures in 1555 and 1556
What led to a period of very high mortality in 1557-8?
An outbreak of sweating sickness
How did the new Court of Exchequer manage crown finances more efficiently?
It consolidated the functions of the Court of First Fruits and Tenths and the Court of Augmentations
What action brought Mary some short-term popularity but damaged crown finances?
She remitted the final part of Edward’s last Subsidy
Where were there supposed to be simultaneous risings in protest at Mary’s marriage to Philip?
Devon, Hertfordshire, Leicestershire and Kent
When plans of the rebellion leaked out in January 1554 the rebels tried to put their plans into action quickly. Where was the only uprising to take place, and who led it?
Kent - Sir Thomas Wyatt
How many men did Sir Thomas Wyatt raise for his rebellion?
3,000
What were the motives of the rebels in Wyatt’s Rebellion?
The motives were partly religious, with many coming from the Protestant stronghold of Maidstone. The decline of the local cloth industry also probably motivated some others. But the main motive was opposition to Mary’s marriage to Philip.
What happened during Wyatt’s Rebellion?
The rebels marched from Kent to London, avoided an army led by the Duke of Norfolk, marched around the city and then surrendered at Ludgate, one of the city gates.
What was the failure of the Devyse?
- popular support quick to appear
Northumberland’s plans failed due to:
1) attempted to interfere with legitimate succession and had compounded this by promoting the claim of his son’s wife (sordid attempt to hold onto power)
2) behaviour was illegal, upset some of his committed supports on the council
3) little positive support (compared to Mary who acted decisively/quickly and gathered support from nobility/gentry/ordinary folk)
How was Mary greeted?
Greeted favourably by English people (questioned whether due to supporting legitimate succession or return to Catholic faith)
What problems did the Royal Government face?
Problems faced:
- inherited a kingdom which had fundamental religious divisions
- Catholic in a kingdom which had substantial Protestant minority
- not been brought up to rule, little political instinct to cope with challenges
- loyal and trusted supporters (e.g. Robert Rochester) had no serious experience in government
- Mary would have to rely on those who served Edward and was implicated in introduction of religious reforms that were distasteful to her
Who were Mary’s new councillors?
New Councillors included:
- Bishop Stephen Gardiner, her father’s secretary and steadfast upholder of religious conservatism during Edward’s reign in which he suffered imprisonment
- other churchmen, who had been excluded from influence during Edward’s reign
- some more conservative councillors who had at times served Edward, e.g. Lord Paget
- Mary never quite at ease with councillors. Lost confidence in Paget due to opposition to religious programme and never fully trusted Gardiner (failed to support mother during Break from Rome). Did regard Gardiner as indispensable, his death left a gap in government.
- thrown back on advice from two foreigners she trusted, Philip of Spain and Simon Renard
What was the relationship between Mary and parliament like?
- relationship between Mary + parliament usually one of cautious cooperation.
- some MPs (about 80) opposed reversal of Edwardian religious legislation, other opposition to Crown policies
- concern for property rights (due to self interest) ensured ex-monastic property would not be restored to the church, Mary did not press the point
- Mary quarrelled with Parliament over issue of succession
Problems of Succession
Spanish Marriage, 1554:
- she regarded it as essential to marry and produce an heir so a Catholic succession was guaranteed, required it happened as soon as possible as was 37
- raised issue of who to marry (one English candidate, Earl of Devon, but brought threat of factional rivalry as husband’s family would inevitably become more influential + Devon lacked courtly skills = unsuitable candidate)
- Mary personal favourite was Philip of Spain, her view easily reinforced by main advisor Simon Renard. Charles V offered guidance/support/advice during Mary’s years of unhappiness, so supported the match.
Difficulty:
- English public opinion hostile
- Parliamentary delegation attempted unsuccessfully to dissuade Mary from her intentions.
To allay fears a detailed marriage treaty was drawn up:
- Philip was to be given the title of king but was to exercise none of the power that went with the title
- no foreigners were to be permitted to hold English offices
- if Mary predeceased Philip then the latter could have no claim on the English Crown
Marriage took place in 1554 (Philip spent little time in England, due to foul weather, English court/people being unwelcoming, hostility from courtiers and Mary was 11 years older than him)
Parliament not happy either, 1554 rejected a bill that would specifically have included Philip along Mary in new law on treason and 1555 prevented Philip’s coronation as king
Plans for the Succession
- Elizabeth would succeed Mary if she died childless, creating immediate issue for Mary as she knew Elizabeth was protestant and would reverse religious policy back
- Mary did not love Elizabeth (due to Anne Boleyn being reason for her parents breakdown) and considered her illegitimate/no moral right to throne.
- to deny her the right of succession would require parliamentary legislation to overturn the 1544 act Henry VIII put in place or Elizabeth’s disqualification through treason
- Following Wyatt rebellion, Elizabeth confined in Tower of London. No proof she was implicated, did not want to pursue treason charge with no evidence, so Elizabeth released after 2 months
- attempts to change succession through Acts of Parliament came to nothing
- childless Mary forced to accept Elizabeth would be her successor, Mary health worsened, Mary formally named Elizabeth as her successor on 6th November 1558. Died 11 days later
What were Mary’s fp aims?
2 aims:
1) to restore England to papal supremacy
2) to marry Philip, heir to the Spanish throne
- both achieved, took longer than imagined. Two goals came into conflict with each other
Relations with Foreign Powers
- difficult for England to remain neutral in any Franco-Spanish conflict, one of main instigators in conflict was anti-Spanish Pope Paul IV. England dragged into war against France and effectively war against papacy (terrible blow)
- England finally declared war on France in 1557 following landing at Scarborough of French troops. Many members of nobility enthusiastic about prospect of war, offered a way for those who had been in disfavour because of Edward’s regime to regain some credit with the Crown
- militarily campaign had promising start, assisting Spanish at successful siege of St Quentin/ dealing easily with minor incursion into England by Scots (soon turned into disaster with loss in January 1558 of Calais. No attempt to recapture town, a full-scale attack on the port of Brest in summer 1558 failed dismally)
Which supporters were loyal but had little experience?
-Robert Rochester
-Edward Waldegrave
-Sir Henry Jerningham
-Sir Henry Bedingfield
What was Mary’s problem’s when she came to the throne?
She had to rely on supporters of Edward
Name some of Mary’s councillors
-Bishop Gardner (had been Henry VIII’s secretary and faced imprisonment under Edward)
-Other Churchmen who had been excluded from influence under Edward
-Others who had served Edward most importantly Paget
Who did Mary lose confidence in due to opposition to her religious programme?
Paget (and she never really trusted Gardner due to the fact he didn’t support Catherine during break of Rome, but he was important and left a gap when he died in 1555)
How many MP’s opposed the reversal of Edwardian religious legislation?
80
Who did Mary rely on after Gardner died for advice?
Two foreigners (Husband- Phillip of Spain and Simon Renard)
