Mary I and her ministers Flashcards
Why did Northumberland’s Devyse fail?
-Tried to interfere with the legitimate succession and promote the claims of his son’s wife.
-Lead many to believe he was simply trying to hold onto power.
-Behaviour was illegal and upset his committed supporters on the Council.
-Little support.
-Mary acted decisively and quickly, gathering support from nobility, gentry and ordinary folk.
What was the attitude to Mary’s accession?
-Favourable
-People favoured the legitimate succession.
-People welcomed the return to Catholicism.
What were problems Mary faced on accession?
-Religious divisions
-Substantial Protestant minority
-Not been brought up to rule
-Loyal trusted supporters has no experience in government e.g Robert Rochester, Edward Waldegrave, Sir Henry Bedingfield, Sir Henry Jerningham.
-Mary would have to rely on those who served her half-brother and therefore those who assisted religious reform which she was against.
Who were Mary’s councillors?
-Appointed 50 councillors during her reign
-Bishop Stephen Gardiner (religious conservative)
-Churchmen who had been excluded during Edward’s reign
-More conservative councillors who had at various times served Edward e.g Lord Paget
What was he relationship with her councillors?
-Lost confidence in Paget due to opposition to her religious reforms.
-Never fully trusted Gardiner but did regard him as indispensable.
-Gardiner’s death in 1551 left a gap in gov that was never satisfactory filled.
-Trusted advice came from her husband, Philip of Spain, and Simon Renard, the ambassador of Charles V.
Mary’s relationship with Parliament.
-Cautious cooperation
-Minority of 80 MPs opposed the reversal of Edwardian legislation.
-Mary did not press the matter of restoring ex-monastic property to the Church (compromise).
-Bill in 1555 to allow seizure of property from Protestant exiles was defeated.
-Mary quarrelled with Parliament over the issue of succession.
What was Mary’s marriage?
-She deemed it essential to marry and produce an heir.
-She was 37, relatively advanced age, so needed to marry fast.
-Marriage to an Englishman threatened factional rivalry.
-Mary’s personal preference was Philip of Spain, Catholic.
-Matter concluded with difficulty due to hostile public opinion.
-Marriage treaty drawn up.
What was Mary’s marriage treaty?
-Philip given title of king but was not the powers of king.
-No foreigners could hold English offices.
-If Mary predeceased Philip then he could have no claim to the English Crown, nor any foreigners he was tied to.
-Marriage took place 1554 but Philip was unimpressed with his new wife.
-Parliament unimpressed.
What was Mary’s plan for succession?
-Forced to accept that Elizabeth was her successor.
-Formally named her as the successor on 6th November 1558, 11 days before her death.
What were Mary’s foreign policy aims? Did she achieve them?
-Restore England’s papal supremacy.
-Marry Philip, the heir to the Spanish throne.
-Both eventually achieved but they conflicted.
Foreign policy issues.
-Difficult for England to remain neutral in any Franco-Spanish conflict due to marriage alliance.
-Highly ani-Spanish Paul VI was elected as Pope.
-Paul IV was one of the main instigators in the renewal of war between France and Spain.
-Mary was dragged into war against France and was effectively at war with the papacy.
War with France.
-England declared war on France 1557 led by Thomas Stafford, following landing of French troops on Scarborough
-Many of nobility enthusiastic about war.
-Promising start assisting the Spanish at siege of St Quentin.
-Soon turned into disaster as England lost Calais, which had been in English hands for centuries.
-No attempt made to recapture it and full-scale attack of the port of Brest in summer 1558 failed.
Mary’s overall strengths and weaknesses.
Strengths:
-Character and determination in seizing the throne.
-Successful in facing down rebellion.
-Good cooperation and compromise with Parliament e.g not demanding return of ex-monastic property to the Church.
Weaknesses:
-Loss of Calais marked her foreign policy as a failure.
-Spanish marriage failed to produce an heir.
-Mary unable to prevent the succession of Elizabeth who would overturn her religious changes.
