Mary I and her ministers

When was Lady Jane Grey proclaimed queen?

+BUT

1553

but popular support for Mary was quick to appear

How was Northumberland’s plan taken down by Mary?

on learning of Northumberland’s intentions to proclaim Lady Jane Grey, Mary gathered together Catholic supports, including members of the nobility, in Norfolk

Northumberland immediately summoned troops + sent a naval squadron to wait off the coast to intercept Mary should she try to set sail

however little love for Northumberland in Norfolk because of cruelty with which he put down Kett’s Rebellion - ships he sent proved disloyal and declared allegiance to Mary

at this, other members of the Council decided to proclaim Mary as queen on 19 July 1553

Northumberland realised his plan had failed and proclaimed Mary as queen in the marketplace at Cambridge on 20 July

Why did the Deyse fail?

had attempted to interfere with the legitimate succession and had compounded this by promoting the claims of his son’s wife, thus leading many people to decided that it was simply an attempt to hold on to power

his behaviour was also illegal and upset even some of his more committed supporters on the Council

although Northumberland generated less enmity than Somerset among his colleagues, he had less positive support

Mary had acted bravely, decisively and quickly, gathering support from nobility, gentry and ordinary folk

How did the English people greet Queen Mary’s accession?

favourably

though it has been debated whether this was primarily because the English people supported the legitimate succession or because they welcomed England’s probable return to the Catholic faith

From Mary’s point of view, what took priority over all other issues of government?

the restoration of the Catholic faith

What were considerable problems regarding Mary’s accession?

she inherited a kingdom that had fundamental religious divisions

she was a Catholic in a kingdom which had a substantial Protestant minority

she had not been brought up to rule, and had little in the way of political instinct to help her cope with the challenges with which she was confronted

her loyal and trusted supports had no serious experience in government

Mary would have to rely on those who had served her half-brother and were therefore implicated in the introduction of religious reforms that were distasteful to her

Who did Mary’s new councillors include?

Bishop Stephen Gardiner - had been her father’s secretary, steadfast upholder of religious conservatism during Edward’s reign in which he had suffered imprisonment

other churchmen, who had been excluded from influence during Edward’s reign

some of the more conservative councillors who had at various times served Edward, most importantly Lord Paget

How many councillors did Mary appoint during her reign?

What did this lead to?

50 councillors

large number of councillors inevitably led to inefficient + faction-ridden government, claim backed by fact that Mary’s most important decision - to marry Philip of Spain - was never discussed formally in Council

Why is the claim about Mary’s councillors misleading?

she seems to have regarded ‘councillor’ as an honorary title - the working council board was much smaller and was dominated by such experienced figures as Stephen Gardiner (Bishop of Winchester) and William Paget

her trusted group of advisers included Cardinal Pole, who was never a member of the Privy Council

Was Mary at ease with her key councillors?

never quite at ease with her key councillors

lost confidence in Paget on account of his position to her religious programme

never fully trusted Gardiner, who had failed to support her mother, Cathrine, at the time of the break with Rome - however regarded him as indispensable, his death in 1555 left a gap in government that was never satisfactorily filled, particularly as Cardinal Pole distanced himself from secular issues

As a consequence of never being quite at ease with her key councillors, who was Mary thrown back on to the advise of?

two foreigners whose judgement she trusted implicitly - her husband from 1554, PHILIP OF SPAIN, and SIMON RENARD, the ambassador of her cousin and father-in-law, Charles V

What was the relationship between Mary and Parliament usually like?

What did they disagree on?

one of cautious cooperation

a substantial minority of MPs (about 80) opposed the reversal of the Edwardian religious legislation, and there were other examples of opposition to Crown policies

concern for property rights (doubtless motivated by self-interest in many cases), ensured that ex-monastic property would not be restored to the Church, and Mary did not press the point

a bill in 1555 to allow the seizure of property of Protestant exiles was defeated

Mary also quarrelled with Parliament over the issue of succession

Why was Mary anxious to get married once she became queen?

she needed to produce an heir so that a Catholic succession might be guaranteed

her relatively advanced age (37) required that the marriage take place as soon as possible

Why were the problems with the English candidate for marriage - the Earl of Devon?

whilst it was possibly to prevent a foreign marriage, and it was Gardiner’s choice

marriage to an Englishman brought with it the threat of factional rivalry, as the husband’s family would inevitably become more influential

he also lacked courtly skills and was therefore seen as an unsuitable candidate by many, including Mary herself

Who was Mary’s preference for marriage, and why?

Philip of Spain - easily reinforced as her main adviser on the issue was Simon Renard, who himself was Spanish, Catholic and politically experienced

Philip’s father, Charles V, had offered advice, guidance and moral support throughout Mary’s years of unhappiness

Why was the matter of Mary’s marriage not concluded without difficulty?

English public opinion was hostile + a parliamentary delegation had attempted unsuccessfully to dissuade Mary from her intentions

Why was a marriage treaty drawn up?

in an attempt to allay fears

What were the terms of the marriage treaty?

Philip was to be given title of king but was to exercise none of the power that went with the title

no foreigners were to be permitted to hold English offices

if Mary predeceased Philip then he would have no claim on the English Crown

Was Philip impressed with his new wife?

no

he resolved to spend as little time as possible in England

Was Parliament happy with Mary and Philip’s marriage?

NO

1554 - rejected a bill that would specifically have included Philip along with Mary in a proposed new law on treason

1555 - prevented Philip’s coronation as king

What had Mary’s overthrow of Northumberland and Edward’s Devyse restored?

Henry VIII’s will, as established under the Succession Act of 1544, as the legal mechanism for determining succession

under its terms, Mary would be succeeded by her half-sister, Elizabeth, should she die childless

Why was the restoration of the 1544 Succession Act a problem for Mary?

if she died childless her half-sister Elizabeth would take the thrown

Elizabeth was known to be a Protestant and therefore was likely to move religious policy back in a Protestant direction

Mary’s disliked her half-sister, who personified the reason for the breakdown of her mother’s marriage to Henry VIII, and Mary could never believe that Elizabeth was other than illegitimate and had no moral right to succeed the throne

To deny Elizabeth’s right of succession, what would this require?

parliamentary legislation to overturn the 1544 Act or Elizabeth’s disqualification through treason

Where had Elizabeth been since Wyatt’s Rebellion of 1554?

When was she released?

in the Tower

however, although Mary suspected that Elizabeth was implicated in the rebellion, she had not proof, and was more reluctant than her father to pursue treason charges when there was no compelling evidence

released from Tower after two months, but in effect kept under house arrest - meanwhile attempts to change the succession through Air of Parliament came to nothing

Foreign relations - what happened January 1554?

Marriage treaty between Mary and Philip drawn up

Wyatt’s Rebellion against the Spanish marriage

Foreign relations - what happened July 1554?

Marriage between Mary and Philip takes place

Foreign relations - what happened May 1555?

the fiercely anti-Spanish Paul IV is elected Pope

Foreign relations - what happened April 1557?

Scarborough raid followed by England declaring war against France

Foreign relations - what happened January 1558?

England loses Calais

What were Mary’s two main aims when she came to the throne in terms of her relationship with foreign powers?

to restore England to papal supremacy

to marry Philip, the heir to the Spanish throne

Were both Mary’s main foreign policy aims achieved?

What did she not anticipate?

yes, but in each case it took longer than Mary had anticipated

couldn’t have anticipated the extent to which very soon the two foundations of her foreign policy would come into conflict

What was England’s relation to the Franco-Spanish conflict?

event it would be difficult for England to remain neutral

one of the main instigators of the renewed Franco-Spanish conflict was the anti-Spanish Pope, Paul IV - this complicated matter

England was dragged into war against France, Mary found herself effectively at war with the papacy, awful for such a loyal daughter of the Catholic Church

When did England finally declare war on France?

What did it follow?

1557

following a bizarre landing at Scarborough of French troops led by Thomas Stafford, Brandon of the Duke of Buckingham who had been executed in 1521 (Stafford might have been set up by Paget who was the English minister most anxious for war)

How did members of the nobility feel about the prospect of war?

enthusiastic, it also offered a way for those who had been in disfavour because of their links with Edward’s regime to regain some credit with the Crown

How did the military campaign against the French go?

promising start, assisting the Spanish and dealing easily with a minor incursion into England by the Scots

soon turned into a disaster - humiliating loss of Calais in January 1558, had been in English hands for centuries - no attempt made to recapture town

full-scale attack on the port of Brest in the summer of 1558 failed dismally

What navy and militia reforms took place during Mary’s reign?

complete reorganisation of the administration and finance of the navy - six new ships built, many others repaired, Crown finances budgeted for a peacetime allocation of £14,000 to the navy (Elizabeth subsequently reduced this)

system worked effectively

long term: reforms laid the basis for the organisation of the navy which, crucially for Elizabeth, was to defeat the Spanish Armada

also reformed at end of reign were methods for raising of troops, important in a country that lacked a standing army, was a landmark in English military organisation

Was Mary’s foreign policy a success or a failure?

FAILURE

both she and her country feel the humiliation of the loss of Calais

Did Mary’s marriage produce a Catholic heir to the throne?

NO

left Mary unable to prevent the succession of her despised half-sister Elizabeth, whom she knew would overturn the religious changes which she had been so anxious to introduce

Despite foreign policy and failure to secure succession, how was Mary not without her strengths?

she showed her character and determination admirably when seizing the throne and later when facing down rebellion

her death after just over five years on the throne was not something she could control, but it curtailed a lasting Catholic legacy