15-Mary I and her ministers
The Failure of the Devyse
Northumberland’s plan failed for several reasons:
He attempted to interfere with the legitimate succession.
Promoted the claims of his son's wife, which led many to believe it was an attempt to hold on to power.
His behavior was illegal, which upset his supporters on the Council.
Had less hostility than Somerset among his colleagues, but little positive support.
Mary acted bravely, decisively, and quickly, gathering support from nobility, gentry, and ordinary folk.
Royal Government under Mary
Mary's accession was greeted favorably, either due to the legitimate succession or because she promised Catholicism.
Catholicism was the most important issue for her.
Mary’s New Councillors
Bishop Stephen Gardiner:
Had been her father’s secretary and an upholder of religious conservatism.
Imprisoned for his role in this.
Other churchmen who had been excluded from influence.
More conservative councillors who had served Edward:
Lord Paget.
Mary’s Opinion of Her Councillors
Never at ease with her councillors.
Lost confidence in Lord Paget due to his opposition to her religious program.
Never fully trusted Gardiner, who had failed to support her mother (Catherine of Aragon) during the break with Rome.
Regarded Gardiner as indispensable, but his death in 1555 left a gap in government that was never satisfactorily filled, especially as Cardinal Pole distanced himself from secular issues.
Consequence: Mary was thrown back onto the advice of two foreigners:
Philip of Spain (her husband, 1554).
Simon Renard (the ambassador of her cousin and father-in-law, Charles V).
Mary’s Relationship with Government
Relationship with parliament was one of cautious cooperation.
A minority of about 80 MPs opposed the reversal of Edwardian religious legislation, primarily motivated by concerns over property rights:
They wanted to ensure that monastic property would not be restored to the Church.
Mary did not press this point.
A bill in 1555 allowed for the seizure of property from Protestant exiles but was defeated.
Mary quarrelled with parliament over the issue of the succession.
Support for Mary’s Policies
Mary lost the majority of her support.
Failed to realize that the country had undergone significant changes, and reversing the direction of those changes had to be done slowly and cautiously.
How Mary Acted at the Beginning of Her Reign
Impatiently:
She interpreted the popularity that greeted her succession as a sign that her subjects were welcoming Catholicism rather than as a reaction against Northumberland and Lady Jane Grey.
Her quick reversal of religious policies promoted by reformers in the 1540s/1550s, along with her decision to marry her nephew Philip, turned her popularity into doubt and dislike.