Marriage & succession

why was Mary anxious to get married?

so she could produce an heir & the Catholic succession could be guaranteed. Her advanced age (37) required that the marriage take place as soon as possible

who were the two main candidates for Mary to marry?

Edward Courtenay (Earl of Devon) & Phillip of Spain

what was the problem with marrying Courtenay?

brought with it the threat of factional rivalry as her husband’s family would inevitably become more influential. Courtenay also lacked courtly skills & was seen as an unsuitable candidate by many - including Mary who never properly considered him a potential husband

why did Mary prefer Phillip?

her like for him was reinforced as her main advisor on the issue of marriage was Simon Renard, a Spanish subject, Catholic and politically experienced. Phillip’s father, Charles V, had offered advice and guidance throughout Mary’s life & was keen on the match

Edward Courtenay being English meant that…

marrying him would avoid a foreign marriage, and the potential of influential foreigners in government

Courtenay was….

Gardiner’s choice for Mary to marry as he was an English Catholic and would therefore ensure a Catholic loyal succession

Phillip was a powerful…

Catholic king who could help support Mary’s Catholic reforms

Phillip was king of Spain. Spain was wealthy & …

wealthy and powerful and therefore may be able to help England in conflict with France

A problem with Phillip being king of Spain meant that…

this may drag England into wars which it may not be ready for

Phillip’s father was Charles V who had…

offered support to Mary while she was de-legitimised

how did Phillip feel about the marriage?

Philip was not as keen on the marriage as his father, but was prepared to ‘do his duty’ if required

a marriage with Phillip of Spain ran the risk of England being…

de facto contolled by Spain

Phillip was Mary’s...

personal preference

…. dissuade English hostility & ensure that Spain had no claim over the English monarchy so England would remain an independent nation from Spain

A marriage treaty was drawn up to attempt to

A marriage treaty was drawn up to attempt to…

dissuade English hostility & ensure that Spain had no claim over the English monarchy so England would remain an independent nation from Spain

what was the marriage treaty’s 3 main terms?

• Phillip was to be given the title of king but was to exercise none of the powers that accompanied the title

• No foreigners were permitted to hold English offices

• If Mary predeceased Phillip, he would have no claim on the English crown

how did Phillip respond to the marriage?

The marriage took place in 1554. Phillip was prepared to do his duty but spent as little time in England as possible, not enjoying English weather & the hostility from English courtiers. He was also less than fond of the fact that Mary was 11 years his senior and held very child-like views on marriage

how did Parliament respond to the union?

Parliament was also not happy towards the union, in 1554 they rejected a bill that would have included Phillip in the proposed new law on treason & in 1555 they prevented his coronation as king

what was the problem when Mary overthrew Edward’s devise

restored H8s as established under the 1544 succession act, that Mary would be succeeded by Elizabeth should she die childless. Elizabeth was protestant & would conduct a protestant religious policy within England.

why else did Mary want to exclude Elizabeth from the succession?

she represented the reason for the breakdown of her parents' marriage - she viewed Elizabeth as illegitimate

why coulnd’t Mary change the succession?

To deny Elizabeth her right of succession, Mary needed parliamentary legislation to overturn the succession act or Elizabeth’s disqualification through treason against the crown - of which there was no evidence

what was Elizabeth’s life like during Mary’s reign?

Elizabeth was imprisoned in the Tower of London for 2 months after Wyatt’s rebellion (Jan 1554) having been suspected by Mary to be implicated in the rebellion. After she suffered house arrest, which became more lax during the end of Mary’s reign, until Mary’s death where Mary was forced to accept the fact that Elizabeth would succeed her as she had no heir & Phillip also accepted her inevitable assumption of the throne