Miles - History 2. The significance of pressures on Mary Tudor Flashcards
Issue of Mary Tudor’s gender.
.
Mary I
Known as the ‘most unhappy lady in Christendom’, born 1516, she was the only surviving child of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon.
Henry put her under to that she would admit that his marriage with her mother was illegal.This made Henry the King of the English church.
Edward VI
Edward died at age 15 in 1553, he put forward an order so that his cousin Lady Jane Grey would be his successor. However, Henry’s will states that Mary was the successor.
Mary pt2
Mary was determined to restore England to Catholosism through Parliment, she wanted to produce a male heir.
Queen Mary’s marriage act passed in April 1554 - she married King Phillip of Spain which gave him the title of King but Mary still has sovreignity
Mary pt3
Phillip polluted her with bad political advice. They reinstated the Heresy Laws which allowed Protestants to be executed and 800 to be exiled during her reign.
This gave her the nickname ‘bloody Mary’
She died in 1558
What do we know about Mary I?
According to Giovvani Michiel, Venetian ambassador, he states that
Mary was ;
short,
used to be beautiful,
manly voice,
loud,
petit stature
John Knox extract
in 1558, Calvinist preacher John Knox stated that Mary’s gender was not fitting to rule a nation. He said in was unholy and it was an insult to God’s laws.
He saw Mary as weak and unreliable.
Theories on Queenship
16th century England was a Patriacal society. Men ruled in all governments and women were seen as inferior to men. However, by the mid 16th century, women rose to power in different places.
John Aylmer
As opposed to John Knox, he argues that men could be just as bad as women in power. However, Aylmer argued that a Queen would take orders from other men, he also stated that she couldn’t abuse the laws as they were enacted by men.
Solutions.
Function of a Queen is to produce a male heir.
Solution 1 - Mary could marry a foreign King and they would be similar status, however the child could not inherit land from both nations. This would cause problems.
Solution 2 - Mary could marry an Englishmen. However, would this cause problems? there would be disputes over status.
Mary speech
Mary’s speech infront of the Wyatt rebels showed that Mary was at least aware of the opposition against her and her religion. In that speech, she emphasised her lineage, being she son of Henry VIII which legitamises her role as the Queen.
John Guy - The Tudors
JohnGuy argues that Mary governs similar to Henry VIII. She gathers male advisers and reciprocates the ideas to the privy council.
Marriage of Mary Tudor and King Phillip.
.
Mary and marriage
It was Mary’s duty to provide a male heir as it was more likely to perpetuate the Catholic faith that she sought to restore
Phillip wasn’t keen on marrying Mary, however, he would be able to fulfill his dynastic interests and he could get credit for returning England to Papal fold.
The marriage Treaty
The Act of parliment for a marriage between Mary I and Prince Phillip of spain 1554 :
Terms - had to benefit all parties, however, some of them were detrimental
It was evident to see that the terms were in favour of Mary.
Terms
Benefitial to Mary and England
Phillip was to help administer England, preserving its rights, privileges and customs.
Detrimental to Mary and England - Nothing.
Terms pt2
Benefitial to Phillip and Spain ;
Phillip was titled King.
England and Spain’s friendship was consolidated.
Terms pt3
Detrimental to Phillip and Spain
If there were no heirs, or Mary were to die before Phillip, neither would have right to the throne.
Important dates 1557
March 1557 - Phillip returns to England to persuade Mary to join his war against France.
June 1557 - England declares war with france and Phillip leaves England
Important dates 1558
January 1558 - French forces capture Cailias, England’s last continental possession.
November 1558 - Mary died childless.
How was Mary’s marriage to Phillip detrimental?
He polluted her with bad political advice.
She didn’t even fulfill the bare minimum of producing an heir.
Lost last territory.
The state of the marriage.
-No courtship prior to the marriage.
-Met 2 days before for the first time.
-Phillip hardly spoke English.
-Mary claimed pregnant twice when she wasn’t pregnant.
-There was an arise of xenophobia in London against the Spanish.
‘A marriage of inconvenience’ - not beneficial
-Phillip spent most of his time abroad.
-No children resulted from the marriage.
-England was drawn into a war against France.
Beneficial
Provided Mary with an intermittent and distinct confidant.
Marriage treaty limited Phillip’s power in government, he helped restore England to papal authority.
Factional conflict between Paget and Gardiner under Mary
.
What is a faction?
A group of people, similar to a movement who share the same notions, and work together to make it happen.
Factions under Mary - overview
Critics argued Mary’s government was too big in order to function properly.
This is supported by a lack of formal council discussion about her decision to marry Phillip. However, routine administration was effective.
Mary kept councillors who has served Edwars and were willing to show her loyalty. This included William Paget.
pt2
Stephen Gardiner was released from the London Tower, where he was being kept for his Catholic beliefs.
‘Keninnghall Faction’ was a group who helped her to gain the throne and now become the Privy council leader as a reward for their loyalty.
Stephen Gardiner 1483-1555
Principal secretary for Henry VIII and Bishop of Winchester. He supported the break from Rome and he retained Catholic views. He was imprisoned under Edward VI.
When he was released, he became Lord Chancellor under Mary I.
Leader under the Conservative faction.
William Paget 1505 - 1563
Prospered under Henry VIII as a diplomat.
He was close to Somerset and Edward, he was a part of Somerset’s council.
He was excluded from the Privy council under Elizabeth when Mary died.
Part of the Reform faction.
Factions under Mary
Such a large group made her council unweildy. It was rare for all members of council to attend.
3 Developments helped this process.
3 developments
1554 - Councillors established a system of committees which excluded more casual members of council.
1555 - Phillip helped establish the ‘inner council’ of 9 men.
When Phillip left England in 1555, Gardiner died. Paget was able to dominate and complete reforms, establishing a councilor form of government.
Main factional dispute between Gardiner and Paget
Some argued that the establishment of the committee system in 1554 was Paget’s attempt to stop Gardiner from controlling council.
Disagreement over the Spanish marriage.
Gardiner’s attempt to revive the Heresy laws in 1554 were blocked when Paget urged the Lords to block his proposition.
Paget had a similar law passed the following year.
Faction and the marriage.
Privy council was divided on the matter. There were only 2 realistic candidates for Mary’s hand :
Edward courtenay
King Phillip of Spain.
Edward Courtenay
Earl of Devon - he was favoured by Gardiner to marry a member of English nobility was considered unacceptable because his elevation of power would cause jealousy, leading to conflict.
King Phillip of Spain
This was supported by Paget. Resented by many however.
The extent and result of religious change under Mary
.
What did Mary believe?
Mary was determined that she was going to restore Catholocism.
She has only accepted Royal supremacy of her father in 1536 under duress.
Cardinal Pope described this as a divine purpose - to bring England back to what she termed endorsement of the Catholic faith.
Mary’s quest to restore Catholocism was more rooted in religious conviction - the need to rescue England from -mortal sin- rather than in political astuteness.
What did Mary’s advisors believe?
Gardiner - unenthusiastic about a return to Papal supremacy.
Renard - worried about the property concerns.
Charles V and Pope Julius III - Urged caution for they feared that moving too quickly might cause unrest, thereby jeaprodising Mary’s throne itself
pt 2
Cardinal Pope - Appointed as a papal legate with a brief to restore Papal Supremacy.
Phillip - Reconciliation with Rome became his top priority in his first year of marriage with Mary. He wished to gain credit for helping to bring about ecclastical change in England.
pt 2
Cardinal Pope - Appointed as a papal legate with a brief to restore Papal Supremacy.
Phillip - Reconciliation with Rome became his top priority in his first year of marriage with Mary. He wished to gain credit for helping to bring about ecclastical change in England.
Key religious developments during Mary’s reign 1553
August - Proclamations that Mary didn’t compel her subjects until further order.
Autumn - Mary made her intentions clear by arrested important protestants such as Cranmer.
Parliment met and refused to repeal the Act of supremacy . Then, parliment restored the church to the Edwardian 1547 state through the 1st act of repeal.
1554
January - Mass exodus of protestants to Germany and Switzerland (800 in all)
March- Gardiner removed protestant bishops.
April-
Parliment initially rejected the reintroduction of the Heresy laws, but agreed when a promise was made that former monastic lands would not be restored to church ownership.
November- second act of repeal - brought back the 1529 state of the church.
1555
Mary appointed commission for the reintroduction of monastries.
12th nov - Gardiner died
13 nov - Pole took Cranmer’s job
1558
Mary and Pole died
Papal legate
Cardinal pope was appointed papal legate by Pope Julies III. Cardinal pope, with a brief effect on reconciliation was adamant that former church lands would have to be restored if England was to return to the authority of the Pope. His task was to orginise a return to Catholocism.
January 1555
The Great Act of repeal which united England with Rome , went through Parliment and received Royal assent on January 16th,1555.
Support for, and apposition to religious changes
.
Religious change under Mary and its social impact
Many parts of the country anticipated that Mary would restore Catholocism, even while Edwardian religious legislation still remained.
Although the restoration of Catholocism caused trouble in some areas, for the most part the local enthusiasm produced large sums of money, raised at great speed to devote to popular conservative religious projects. The populace was largely enthusiastic.
How did Mary ensure support for religious change?
Persuasion
and
prosecution
Used as a way of gathering the ‘lost sheep’ back into catholocism.
Persuasion
Pole, having the blessing of both Mary and Phillip, instituted a number of measures that sought to improve the quality of the church.
The war of words
Policy of censorship was incipient throughout Mary’s reign. Two of her earliest proclamations forbade printing of sedatious rumours (28th July 1553)
Towards the end of Mary’s reign, owning a book that condemned Catholicism was deemed as an act of treason, thereby it is punishable by death
….pt2
Commissions were set up in order to supress this.
19,000 copied of the Protestant prayer book was still in circulation at this time.
Marian government published propaganda as an act of reprisal.
Persecution
December 1554, the Heresey laws were restored and trials and executions began for those who resented the catholic Faith. (fatalism)
Mary’s burning of heretics
Mary obtained the nickname ‘bloody Mary’ after burning 280 Protestants, some well-renowned, the bulk of them were of humble status.
Protestantism was important to some who did not simply benefit financially from religious change.
However, Mary’s strategy of scaring Protestants misfired as the deaths encouraged public sympathy.
Foxe’s ‘Book of Martyns’
Published in 1563, Foxe condemned Mary for her tyranny and ungodliness, such views influenced historians’ interpretation of her reign and conduct.
Did the burnings work?
There were always administrative disruptions and delays during the burnings.
Foxe claims that these burnings, especially the London one, were sympathised with by the public.
Apart from this one instance, there is no other evidence that proves that this was the case.
The succession crisis
Although Mary had right to the throne, she still had to fight for it.
Northumberland tried to change the succession. As the succession Act of 1534 and 1536 making Mary and Elizabeth illegitamate had not been repealed, it was decided to disinherit them in favour of the Suffolk branch of the family.
Unfortunately for Northumberland, Edward VI died in July before plans to seize power could be completed.
…pt2
Northumberland’s plan was doomed from the start as:
He failed to arrest Mary and keep her in custody
He underestimated the support for Mary in the country.
Mary takes power.
July 14th, Northumberland marched into Suffolk with an army of 2000 men, but his troops deserted him. Privy council proclaimed Mary as Queen. Northumberland was arrested.
Two Acts were passed, one in 1553 and one in 1554 which resolved the constitutional positon.
Wyatt rebellion.
.
The causes of Wyatt’s rebellion
Spring 1554 followed a hot on the heels announcement of Mary’s marriage treaty to Phillip in January 1554. Wyatt and other rebels were xenophonic and condemned the marriage.
English interests would become subservient to those in Spain.
In a contemporary chronicle ‘The chronicle of Queen Jane and Queen Mary’ - xeneophonia is evident.
…pt2
Religious reasons - Henry did not wish to see a Catholic restoration.
John Proctor’s book - Portrays religion as the most important cause for the Wyatt rebellion.
Decline in the cloth industry- economic hardship tends to make people less tolerant to change and more likely to air their grievances.
There was also local political instability in Kent
Events of Wyatt’s rebellion 1553- Autumn
Gentry and MPs, introduced their idea of a Protestant succession. Mary would be deposed and Edward Courtenay, Earl of Devon, would marry Princess Elizabeth, who would become Queen.
December
Plans for a rebellion in Kent, Devon, Hererfordshire and Leicestirshire for a march in 1554.
27th December
Emporor’s commssioners arrived in England to begin negotiations on the marriage treaty.
1554
14th Jan - Terms of the marriage were announced. The rebellion started earlier than planned.
Mid January - Courtenay had to confess all he knew. 3/4 of places did not raise the support needed. However, in Kent, Thomas Wyatt raised 3000 armed men.
…pt2
3rd feb - Wyatt eventually reached the river Themes in Southwark.
12th feb - Wyatt led his troops about 20kn to kingston, before he eventually got stopped at Ludgate, half a km from the Queen at the tower. Wyatt and his supporters had to surrender.
Reaction to the rebellion
90 rebels were executed including Wyatt himself.
Lady Jane grey and her husband were executed, despite her innocence. Princess Elizabeth’s life was spared ash she did not have anything to do with Wyatt’s plans.
How serious were rebellions in the Tudor period?
Just because Wyatt’s rebellions marched all the way to London, doesn’t mean they planned on overthrowing her. Wyatt did not want a change in the monarch.
They were forced with the prospect of treason, Many scared the rebels would lie.
Many rebels simply didn’t like the marriage.
