She Wolves (34 page)
Mary had always been a devout Catholic and this orthodoxy brought her into conflict with Edward VI’s council. Edward VI’s council was made up of religious reformers and England was quickly moved in a more Protestant direction. Mary always made it clear that she disapproved of this religious change and as the heir apparent, this was a major threat to the council. During 1549 Mary was visited by two members of Edward’s council who came to examine her over her adherence to the new religious laws. Mary must have presented a formidable figure to the councillors and replied that ‘she would have the old service until the king came of age, and would not obey the Protector’s laws because he was no king’.
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This attitude displeased Edward’s protector, the Duke of Somerset, and pressure was put on Mary to conform. As the cousin of the emperor, however, Mary had a powerful supporter and she appealed to Charles V for help. Charles V immediately sent his ambassadors to the Duke of Somerset. He demanded that Mary be given an assurance that she could use her own services regardless of what the law said in England.
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Faced with threats from the emperor, Somerset capitulated and gave Mary a verbal assurance that she could follow the Roman Catholic faith in her own household. Mary must have been glad of this victory and she made a point of allowing anyone who wished to hear her mass.
Whilst Mary had an assurance from Somerset, she soon found that this was worthless. In 1549, John Dudley, Earl of Warwick engineered a coup against Somerset, appointing himself Protector and creating himself Duke of Northumberland. Northumberland was not prepared to turn a blind eye to Mary’s Catholicism and sent commissioners to Mary at Kenninghall.
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Mary was no longer a girl of seventeen and she stood up to the commissioners imperiously answering them that she was not subject to the council and so did not have to follow their religion. The pressure on her was not relieved, however, and members of Mary’s household were arrested for attending her church services. By May 1550 Mary had had enough of the council’s harassment and asked the Spanish ambassador for the emperor’s help in escaping to the continent.
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Edward VI was twelve years old and in good health; Mary must have foreseen years of pressure from the king and his council. In June 1550 two imperial ships landed at Harwich. They then moved on to Woodham Water near one of Mary’s manors, pretending to sell corn. When the captain of one of the ships landed and went to Mary, he found her still unpacked and refusing to leave. This was Mary’s last chance of escape to her family in Spain and it marked a turning point for her, finally committing herself to life in England. Soon after the ships had left, the council heard of the escape plan and Mary was forced to move inland.
In spite of her decision to remain in England, Mary’s troubles were not over. Late in 1550, Mary was summoned before the council to account for her religion.
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Mary, perhaps with new resolution following her decision to remain in England, remained stubborn in her religion in spite of being berated by Northumberland. She must have been relieved during her stay at court when a message arrived from Charles V threatening war if Mary was not permitted to hear mass. The council were forced to relent in the face of threats of war and Mary was allowed to return to her house at Newhall. Northumberland and the council were still concerned with Mary’s status as heir to the throne, however, and it is likely that, in spite of her victory, Mary knew that they were working against her. In late 1552 she must have heard reports that Edward VI was ill and probably followed them closely. On 4 July 1553, both Mary and Elizabeth received summonses to visit Edward at court at Greenwich. Mary was unsure of what action to take and began to move hesitantly towards London. She was at Hoddesdon on 6 July 1553 when she received word that Edward had already died and that her summons was a trap. Mary acted decisively and she and eight followers fled during the night to her house at Kenninghall.
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Mary had always been very popular in England and rumours of her rebellion against Northumberland spread through East Anglia.
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In Mary’s absence, Northumberland proclaimed Lady Jane Grey as queen and Mary immediately wrote to the council in London claiming the throne for herself. By taking this action, Mary realised that Northumberland would send an army against her. Recognising that Kenninghall could not withstand an attack, she moved her forces to her castle at Framlingham, the strongest fortification in Suffolk. Without even having to muster troops, people flocked to Mary to fight for her and she must have been glad of this show of loyalty towards her. It is likely that Mary gradually grew in confidence as she received reports that towns across England were declaring for her rather than Jane. On 20 July, Mary was finally ready to meet Northumberland and she mustered and inspected her army at Framlingham. Mary was completely unaccustomed to war and rode her usual horse to review her troops:
While her majesty was approaching, the white horse which she was riding became rather more frisky at the unaccustomed sight of such an army drawn up in formation than her womanly hesitancy was prepared to risk, so she ordered her foot-soldiers, active and dutiful men, to lift up their hands and help their sovereign until she was ready to get down.
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Mary’s review of the troops shows just how unusual a situation this unmarried woman of 37 found herself in. She acquitted herself well, however, surveying the troops on foot, speaking and approaching her men, gaining her soldiers’ love. Mary must have been pleased at what she saw of her troops although she was probably apprehensive at her coming military campaign against Northumberland. When Mary returned to the castle later that day she was informed that Northumberland’s army had deserted and that she had been proclaimed queen throughout England.
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Mary was jubilant and always considered her victory over Northumberland to be a miracle from God.
Mary spent the next few days discharging her army before setting out in triumph to London where she was met by celebrations.
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One of Mary’s first acts as queen was to repeal her parent’s divorce and to declare herself legitimate, something which probably gave her a great deal of personal satisfaction.
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She then turned her attention towards religion. Mary, who was so staunch in her own beliefs, never realised the extent to which Protestantism had been adopted in England and she never understood that Protestants could be as convinced of their own justification as she was of hers. Before the end of July 1553, Mary had written to the Pope to request that England return to his authority.
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Mary did not envisage too many problems with the implementation of this policy but as her reign progressed, she became increasingly vicious in her attempts to stamp out Protestantism in England.
Mary was the first queen regnant of England to be crowned and she arranged a magnificent ceremony. On 30 September 1553, Mary rode in an open carriage magnificently dressed.
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Mary’s headdress alone was so decked in precious stones that the weight required Mary to hold her head up with her hands.
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Mary must have felt triumphant and probably still believed that her triumph was God’s work and that he favoured her and her work. On 1 October, Mary, dressed in a long scarlet robe, was escorted by the same company to Westminster Abbey. In the Abbey she was crowned and anointed as England’s first queen regnant to assert a lasting authority over England. At that moment, Mary must have felt that the unhappiness of her earlier life was washed away and she was even content to give a prominent position to her much younger sister, Elizabeth, the daughter of her greatest enemy, Anne Boleyn. Mary probably felt secure in her position and did not yet see Elizabeth as a rival. Mary also probably saw her coronation as a single female as an oddity and it was expected by all, including Mary, that she would quickly marry and provide England with a king.
Mary had always relied on her cousin Charles V for advice and, soon after her accession, she declared to Simon Renard, the Imperial ambassador that she would follow Charles’s advice over her choice of a husband.
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This was an opportunity Charles had been waiting for and he offered his son and heir, Philip of Spain. Philip was twenty-six and already a widower with a son.
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He was also renowned across Europe for being sombre, dull and dedicated to his work. Mary first protested at this offer, arguing that, at thirty-seven, she was too old for Philip. There is no doubt, however, that Philip was the bridegroom that Mary wanted. Despite her protestations she quickly consented. Mary had always felt a closeness with her mother’s Spanish family and it probably pleased her to strengthen her ties with Charles V. Despite Mary’s happiness with her choice it was widely disapproved of in England. News of the proposed Spanish marriage spread fear amongst the xenophobic English and there was widespread opposition to Mary’s choice.
Soon after Mary’s marriage treaty was concluded in early 1554, she received word that a rebellion had broken out in Kent, led by Sir Thomas Wyatt.
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Mary was in London when she heard the news and immediately showed the same spirit that had won her the throne of England. According to the
Vita Mariae Angliae Reginae
:
The Queen left the palace and came to the City Guildhall, riding through the streets preceded by her council and followed by a company of ladies, addressing the people as she went with wonderful good nature and uncommon courtesy, and all the time exhibiting a cheerful countenance, worthy of such a princess. Dismounting, she entered the Guildhall and delivered a splendid speech to her citizens; the good princess, an incomparable oratrix, could command such eloquence that with her gentle and pleasant speech she completely calmed the Londoners, who were in such tumult over the Spanish marriage.
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Mary’s speech saved the situation. The following day on 5 February, when Wyatt and his rebels arrived at Southwark, they found the Bridge closed and the Londoners refused to open it for them. On 6 February, Wyatt attempted to seize Kingston Bridge but again found it defended and was forced to camp at Brentford whilst he formulated a new plan. The next day he managed to cross the Thames into London but was quickly arrested whilst his men either fled or were killed. Mary must have been relieved that the rebellion was over, but she had been badly frightened and her reaction, which would have been considered normal in a king, was considered savage in a queen.
Wyatt was tried for treason on 15 March 1554 and implicated Mary’s half-sister, Elizabeth, claiming that he wrote to her declaring his plans to rebel.
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Mary had already begun to suspect that her sister was involved and on 18 March Elizabeth was taken as a prisoner to the Tower. Wyatt was executed on 11 April and died proclaiming that Elizabeth was innocent of complicity in his rebellion. Mary remained unconvinced. Although Elizabeth was released from the Tower, she was placed under house arrest at Woodstock where she remained for several months.
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Mary was unable to prove that Elizabeth had been involved in the rebellion but she never trusted her sister again. Mary had been fond of Elizabeth whilst she was a child but as Elizabeth grew older, Mary came to see in her an unnerving resemblance to Anne Boleyn. Mary was fond of declaring that Elizabeth was not her sister at all and looked like Mark Smeaton, one of Anne Boleyn’s supposed lovers.
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The thought of Elizabeth succeeding her filled Mary with dread and she was desperate to marry quickly and bear a child.
Despite Wyatt’s rebellion, plans for Mary’s wedding continued unaffected. On 19 July 1554 Philip landed at Southampton.
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Mary travelled to Winchester to meet him and she and Philip talked privately for over an hour on their first meeting.
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Mary, who had already fallen half in love with Philip’s portrait, was very impressed with her bridegroom. Philip was less impressed and the Spaniards in his train declared privately that Mary looked older than had been expected and was badly dressed. Philip knew where his duty lay, however, and was nothing but courteous to Mary during their early meetings. On 25 July 1554, Mary and Philip were married in Winchester Cathedral by the Bishop of Winchester. Before the service, the Bishop declared that Charles V had abdicated the thrones of Naples and Jerusalem to his son so that Mary would not have to marry a mere prince.
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This probably appealed to the romantic in Mary who had been waiting for a husband to come for her all her adult life. Mary clearly had a romanticised idea of marriage and wanted the ceremony to fit with her own romantic ideas. According to one report, ‘the queens marriage ring was a plain hoope of gold without any stone in it: for that was as it is said her pleasure, because maydens were so married in olde tymes’.
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Mary always expected Philip to become King of England and on 5 May 1554 he was granted the crown matrimonial for the duration of her lifetime.
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Mary believed that her accession to the crown was a miracle and that God would also give her a child to continue her work when she was gone.
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She was therefore pleased to be told by her doctors in September 1554 that she was expecting a child.
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Mary confidently expected that she would give birth to a healthy prince and she showed all the signs of pregnancy. At Easter 1555, Mary went into confinement at Hampton Court for a child that was expected in May. On 30 April 1555, the news broke throughout England that Mary had given birth to a healthy prince and bonfires were lit and church bells rung.
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By 2 May, this news had also reached the imperial court at Antwerp and Charles V ordered immediate rejoicing for the birth of his grandson.
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Mary must have been embarrassed by this celebration since it quickly became clear to everyone that the news was nothing but an unfounded rumour and no child had yet been born.