s3.c15 Marys authority and succssion Flashcards
Inheritance: What was the situation Mary inherits in terms of religion, economy, finance, and foreign policy?
-R: Edward has established an almost entirely protestant religious system, narrowly failing to pass the 42 articles, but this would still be a lot for Mary to undo. Country was also religiously divided.
-E: Debased coinage had not yet been recalled, and so prices were still extreme.
-Fi: Had inherited £180,000 worth of debt.
-Fp: Fairly poor, Habsburg-Valois war is still raging, and Scotland are no less of a problem. The only remaining French territory was Calais!
Inheritance: What problems did Mary face in terms of her succession? What did she therefore do?
-Northumberland has established the devyse, which dictated that the crown would pass the Lady Jane Grey, this had not yet been passed through Parliament, simply signed by individuals like Cranmer & 22 peers, and yet Grey was proclaimed queen.
-Mary, on the 10th July, proclaimed herself queen, and gathered support from people (noble+gentry) in East Anglia, who still harboured resentment from the Kett’s rebellion.
Inheritance: How did Northumberland try to stop Mary? Why did this not work?
-He had sent his sons with a small force, but they failed to intercept her.
-He then, on 13th July, set out himself, with 2,000 troops.
-However, his troops soon started to desert him, when rumours spread that Mary had 30,000 troops, and they refused to go past Bury St Edmunds. The Privy Council also failed to send reinforcement that Northumberland had requested.
-Mary actually had 20,000, and was helped by the Earl of Oxford, and by this point people had begun to celebrate Mary’s accession in London.
-On th 20th July, Arundel arrested Northumberland, and by the 22nd August, he had been executed.
Inheritance: How did Mary’s gender pose a problem for her, and how was this overcome? How did people react to her?
-As the first woman to rule as sovereign in England, there were many who questioned her ability to rule, and Henry had massively worried about the prospect of a queen, but government quickly passed an act declaring Mary’s authority, and ensuring that she had authority just as he male predecessors.
-3rd August 1553, she had ridden through London, and trumpets sounded, rejoicing her accession (though the extent to which people were happy about her, rather than unhappy with Northumberland is questioned).
Inheritance: What were some actual problems the Mary might’ve faced in securing her authority?
-She had previously been removed for the succession order, under the 1534 Act of Succession, so there were very clear questions about her legitimacy.
-She had been brought up separately from family, and denied access to court & politics, particularly after she was declared illegitimate.
-Her situation was very similar to that of Henry VII, and, as a man who usurped the throne, this wasn’t very promising.
Government: How did Mary use government? What problems did she face?
-On the whole, she avoided those who had supported Edward, relying almost entirely on Simon Renard, the imperial ambassador, and her husband.
-Mary’s most trusted supporters, like Robert Rochester, had no serious experience in government, and so she had trouble replacing Edward’s councillors. She opted for individuals like Stephen Gardiner, who were imprisoned by Edward, and William Paget, who had been more conservative during Edward’s reform.
-However, she found many of these councillors difficult to trust, and mainly operated in her ‘inner circle.’
Government: What did Mary do with opponents?
-She promptley released some political prisoners, like the Duke of Norfolk and Stephen Gardiner.
-She was not extreme with her executions, only killing Northumberland, and 2 of his closest advisors.
-Some members of Northumberland’s council, like Cecil, were imprisoned, but others were allowed to retain their positions, like Paget
Government: In what ways was her government a crisis?
Crisis
-Council was far too large, having at msot 43 councillors, to easily conduct business. Also, the size of the council meant that there was massive rivalry, particularly between Catholics & Moderates.
-She also failed to exert assertive leadership over her council, and didn’t consult them over matters until she had already spoken to Renard.
No Crisis
-Parliament readily welcomed her. After the execution of Cranmer, Ridley, and Latimer, most of Lords supported her, particularly the higher clergy. In Commons, on 80 MPs actually opposed the reversal of the Edwardian religious reform.
-Mary worked around the size of her council by operating mainly within this inner circle.
Marriage: When did Mary get married & to whom? What did the marriage treaty assert?
-25th July, 1554, Mary married Philip II of Spain, the son of Charles V.
-The marriage treaty, drawn up by apprehensive councillors, stated that: Philip would have the title king, but have none of the powers; no foreigners would be appointed to English offices; if Mary died, Philip would have no claim to the English throne; England would have to send 6,000 troops, if the Netherlands were attacked by France.
Marriage: What were some problems faced by Philip?
-He had to establish a joint household of his Spanish entourage, and the English personnel appointed to him, causing friction between the 2 groups.
-Parliament were staunchly opposed to him. In 1554, rejected a bill that included Philip in laws on treason, and in 1555 they prevented his coronation as king.
Marriage: Give some evidence that England were pleased with the marriage?
-Wyatt’s Rebellion (Jan 1554) was not wholly motivated by marriage, and was somewhat religious, as John Proctor’s book 1554 suggested. Also, it started in Kent, where there were prominent economic issues, with the decline of the cloth trade.
-3/4 of the places failed to join the rebellion, as Renard caught wind, and 90 rebels were executed after it was easily put down.
Marriage: Give some evidence that England were not pleased with the marriage.
-There was considerable anti-spanish feeling in London, and in May 1555 a disturbance of 500 men led to the deaths of 5/6 men.
-On the 13th June, 1555, a mob attacked a church in which Spaniards were worshipping.
-Wyatt’s Rebellion publicly opposed Mary’s marriage to a foreigner, arguing that England would become subservient to Spain.
-The fact that 90 men were arrested suggested that Wyatt’s rebellion was somewhat significant, and they got to Ludgate (11.5km away from the queen) before being stopped.
Foreign Policy: What were Mary’s aims in foreign policy? What was the situation she inherited?
-Restore England to Papal Supremacy.
-Marry Philip, to ensure a strong Habsburg alliance.
-By 1555, Charles had abdicated and Philip had taken over in the west of the Habsburg empire.
-The Habsburg-Valois War was nearing its end, but still dominated Europe.
Foreign Policy: What happened from 1554-6?
-1554: Marriage takes place.
-1555: Philip encourages Mary to reorganise and improve her Navy, this means that the number of ship goes from 3 in 155 to 21 in 1557.
-Spring 1555: Mary acted as a mediator between France and the Habsburgs at Gravelines.
-May 1555: Pope Paul IV, anti-Spanish, is elected.
-Feb 1556: Treaaty of Vaucelles establishes peace between France & Spain.
-July 1556: Alliance between France and the papacy reopened the Habsburg-Valois War.
Foreign Policy: What happened from 1557-8?
-March 1557: Philip returned to England to press for support in war against the Netherlands, Mary agrees to send 6,000 troops, but they are there to resist, not to attack.
-April 1557: Thomas Stafford lands in Scarborough, supported by the French, but he is arrested within 3 days.
-June 1557: England declare war on France, as a result of Stafford’s attack. 7,000 soldiers were sent to aid Spain.
-Aug 1557: Victory for Phillip II at St Quentin, achieved with minimal English support.
-Jan 1558: Calais captured by French forces, which leads to greater English involvement, and 140 ships being sent to attack.
-War ends with the 1559 Treaty of Cateau-Cambresis (passed after Mary’s death, but she was involved in its negotiation).
Foreign Policy: What evidence is there that Mary’s foreign policy was a crisis?
-War w/ France = Bad.
-She ends up in an Anti-Papal alliance, which directly contradicts her initial aims. Pope Paul was from Naples, which Spain controlled, as so he massively opposed Philip.
-She lost Calais, which had been the final bit of English-controlled French territory.
-She had been forced to give support to the Netherlands, due to the conditions of her marriage treaty.
-The War did not end in her reign, and had to be finally cleared up by Elizabeth.
Foreign Policy: What evidence is there that Mary’s foreign policy was a success?
-Navy & Army recruitment style were improved, which had a great long-term benefit, and the improved Navy massively benefitted Elizabeth.
-Alliance with the Habsburgs was strong, as her aims had hoped for.
-Mary had done a lot of work to mediate the Habsburg-Valois War, particularly at Gravelines & through the Treaty of Vaucelles.
Foreign Policy: What evidence is there that this was caused by Mary?
WAS
-She is ultimately the one who decided to marry Philip. Many had opposed the match for this exact reason, and so she should be held accountable for the failures of the marriage.
-Troops in the Netherlands had to be sent due to the treaty.
WASN’T
-Mary refused to commit troops, it was only when France threatened England’s security that she sent a (very moderate) force.
-Philip had issues with France & the Papacy, not Mary.
-She’s actually trying to mediate peace & she is not at fault when this peace unravels.
Foreign Policy: What were the positives of Mary’s Spanish Alliance/
-The Spanish alliance was, in theory, very effective, and many of its failures were unforseeable consequences of events.
-The loss of Calais was not obvious, and she resisted involvement as long as she feasibly could, and she sent a fairly modest amount of troops in the end.
-The French attack took place in Winter, and it would’ve been unreasonably costly to proerly reinforce the English garrison against a strong attack.
-Naval developments came under the advice of Philip, and it was managed better than every before in history. Also led to the reform of the army recruitment system, and JPs/Lord Lieutenants took on the responsibility of finding soldiers. This system lasted 300 years
Foreign Policy: What were some negatives of the Spanish Alliance?
-Mary’s pursuit of pro-Spanish policy distanced her from her people, and made her increasingly unpopular (before 1555 she had been generally well-liked).
-English people generallly felt that they were being treated as a Spanish pawn, and the Spanish-led foreign policy resulted in England becoming a new battleground in the Habsburg-Valois War.
-Led to the loss of Calais, and set the scene for Spain to become England’s biggest rival under Elizabeth, unlike the traditional France.
Foreign Policy: How bad was the loss of Calais?
-It was a matter of national humiliation, as England had held the land since 1347. However, this sense of humiliation was certainly heightened by the work of propagandists.
-Calais had been used as a springboard for attacks on France, but it had become fairly irrelevant in terms of strategy, and was too costly to maintain.
-While it had, in the past, been important for traditional trade, these markets were already in decline.
-Frankly, it had just been a matter of time before France would reclaim Calais, and it was unrealistic to think that England would hold onto it forever.
