The Reign of Mary I: Who were key members in Mary's Reign?

Tuesday 24 March 2009

Who were key members in Mary's Reign?

Charles V
Holy Roman Emperor, Marys cousin and Philip II's father. Mary maintained ocrrespondence with him and he was a father figure.

Stephen Gardiner
Bishop of Winchester and Lord Chancellor - imprisoned during Edwards reign.

Simon Renards
Imperial ambassador for Charles V.

Reginald Pole
Cousin of Marys who became Papal legate with brief to restore Catholicism.

Julius III
Pope wanted lands returned to Church.

Paul IV
Pope from 1555 - Anti-habsburg therefore clashed with England.

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Claim to the Throne

When Edward died of Tuberculosis in 1553 at the young age of 15, he made sure that the crown would not pass to Mary as he feared she would restore Catholicism and undo his reformation. Edward excluded his own sister from the line of sucession, but was told by his advisors that he would also have to remove Elizabeth (even though she too was Protestant). Influenced by John Dudley, Edward excluded both of his sisters from the succession in his will. Instead of Mary rising to the throne, Edward chose Lady Jane Grey (Dudleys daughter-in-law) as his successor. However, the support for Jane quickly fell, and she was removed as Queen nine days later. Mary then rode into London with popular support and legally assumed the crown. Her first act was to imprision Jane and Dudley in the Tower of London.

Return to Catholicism

With Catherine of Aragon as her Catholic mother, Mary had always rejected the break with Rome her father had introduced for his marriage to Anne Boleyn. As Queen, Mary was indeed concerned about heresy and the English Church. One of her acts was to have England reconcile with Rome and Reginald Cardinal Pole, who she later greatly relied on for advice. In the Statute of Repeal Act (1553), Mary abolished Edward's religious laws and church doctrine was restored to the form it had taken in the 1547 Six articles. Mary had also began to persuade Parliament to repeal the Protestant religious laws passed by Henry VIII. This meant that tens of thousands of acres of monastery lands which had been confiscated were now to be returned. This action was later approved by the Papacy in 1554, along with the Revival of the Heresy Acts.

Spanish Marriage and Pregnancy

Once she had become Queen, Mary turned her attention to marriage and producing an heir so that Protestant Elizabeth would not succeed to the throne. Her cousin, Charles V, suggested she marry his only son, Philip II of Spain. They were married on 25th July 1554, only two days after their first meeting. Many people opposed to the mariage as they believed she would be influenced by a foreign husband.
Mary also suffered from two 'phantom pregnancies', which later led to Philip heading off to Flanders to command his armies against France, and this left Mary heartbroken and she soon fell into a depression.

The Reign of Mary I

Tuesday 24 March 2009

Who were key members in Mary's Reign?

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Mid Tudor Crisis Links

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Mary I

Claim to the Throne

Return to Catholicism

Spanish Marriage and Pregnancy

Death