Brief notes on the Career and Achievements of Mary of England

After the death of Edward VI, Northumberland declared Lady Jane as the queen of England. The people however, refused to accept her as their queen Northumberland was compelled to give the throne to Mary, who was the daughter of Henry VIII with Catherine of Aragon.

She was brought up in a Catholic way and turned out to be a staunch champion of the faith. She considered reformation as sacrilegious and wanted to completely root it out Mary was half Tudor and half Spaniard and she was only 36 years old. She was not likely therefore to change her mind about the course of action she had chosen. Her claim to the throne was doubted because her mother was divorced and treated scandalously and she herself was declared to bean illegitimate child.

She was surrounded by enemies and considered half foreigner. Besides, since she supported the supremacy of Rome she was out of sympathy with England, but in spite of all this she was a welcome with the people of England, who considered her as the daughter of Henry VIII.

Phases of her Reign:

Mary ruled for a short period of about six years. The brief period had two facets.

(i) Reversal of reforms and consolidation made by Edward (ii) Her marriage with Philip of Spain and attempts to restore the power of Pope in England.

(I) first phase:

Mary began well and both the Queen and the people were happy she introduced. Mass again by popular approval Less than two months after her accession to the throne she called her Parliament and repealed the immature religious acts of Edward VI. She introduced divine service used in England in the last days of Henry VIII. The old occupants Winchester and London Bishop Gardiner and Bishop Bonner were restored to their respective jobs. Archbishop Crammer and the bishops Ridley and Latimer were deprived of their sees.

Prominent reformers like John Knox left the country. The people were so happy that they did not feel offended in the beginning about her ideas of marriage. The popular wish was that she should marry the Earl of Devon (last yerkist) courtenary Mary refused, under pressure of her cousin and the Spanish Ambessador, and insisted on marrying Philip of Spain.

Counter Reformation;

The Pope was worried about the protestantism started by Luther. He wanted that those who had turned protestant should be brought back to the fold of catholic faith. A council was convened at Treat in which it was decided so eradicate this heresy-protestantism.

Emperor Charles V and his successor favoured this reaction. Pope started a new organisation known as order of St. Jesus by the help of Gratius Loyalla. The clergymen of this organisation were known as Jesuits. Besides, the Pope ordered the bishops and the clergy to lead pious life and should give no occasion to Protestants to complain against their behaviour.

The Pope sought the co-operation and initiative from France and Spain in the restoration of the Catholic faith. These rulers warmly responded England was not spared either.

Earlier work undone:

Mary reigned only for six years. During this brief period she undid everything that was done by her father and brother Edward in so far as Reformation was concerned. She repealed all the Acts and Articles formulated during the reign of Edward for the establishment of protestantism.

The prayer book was also rejected. Protestant bishops and clergies were removed and replaced by Catholic clergymen. People did not resent this.

They, infact, welcomed it because most of them were old fashioned in the religious sphere.

Mary’s Idea:

Mary wanted to establish Catholic and restore influence of Pope in England. The people of England no doubt believed in the principles of Catholism, but they were in no mood to accept the domination and influence of Pope ever them. Particularly once they had shattered that and had been given an impression that Pope was a foreign on their soil and those bishops and clergies were his agents.

Foe them restoration of old order would prove very expensive for them. Every year lots of money was to be sent to Pope and ultimately the people had to pay it. Mary foolishly neglected the popular sentiments and emotions. She could not even follow that it was rather impossible to reverse the tide of history just like this.

(ii) Second phase:

Marriage with Philip:

Mary wanted to marry the king of Spain, Philip. Philip also eagerly wanted it because he wanted to benefit by the emerging naval power of England. When Mary received this proposal, she promptly accepted it, because apart from other political implications, she was in Love with him too. This marriage was very unpalatable to she people. There were many reasons for this:

(a) It was because of the matrimonial alliance with Spain that England had to face many difficulties in the time of Henry VIII. These complications were unnecessary arid could be avoided.

(b) England was bound to be influenced by the Catholic fanaticism of Spain. This apprehension turned cut to be true, in due course of time.

(c) This marriage was brought with dangers of the decline of British trade.

(d) People of England were also afraid that this matrimonial alliance may bring to ah end even the British independence.

This was the reason why the Parliament imposed many restrictions on the marriage but was obliged to accept the proposal. The marriage treaty was confirmed by Parliament in July 1554. Philip himself came over to England and married Mary away.

The Parliament had approved the marriage proposal on the tacit understanding that Spain would have no share in ruling over. England and the English armies and the naval fleets would not be compelled to participate in wars on behalf of Spain.

Though this marriage normally secured for England the friendship and alliance of Spain the most powerful country in Europe Yet it was the most threatening of all the dynastic marriages of the time. The marriage may also be regarded as a counter blow to the marriage between Mary Queen of Scots and the Dolphin.

Restoration of Catholicism:

It is believed that Mary wanted to reestablish catholism in England and she wanted to Procure Philips’s support, in 1994 Mary convened the third Parliament.

A papal legate was present in England at this time. Mary asked the Parliament to reaccept Catholicism. But the witch was that perhaps the lands and wealth confiscated from the church by the earlier rulers would have to be returned Parliament was assured that this would not be necessary perhaps Mary apologized to the Pope for the acts of the earlier monarchs and requested him to take England under the catholic fold again. The Act of supremacy was withdrawn.

Warner and Marten observe. “The Spanish match” is the turning point in Mary’s reign with Spain at her back. She set out on her scheme of restoring England to the Roman allegiance.

The Papal legate, Cardinal Pole, was permitted to land Careful management of the elections produced a complaint to Parliament which repealed Henry VIII’s ecclesiastical laws and begged that their sin of separating from Rome might be pardoned.

Pope accepted the submission, withdrew the interdict and England was again included in the Roman obedience. He yielded, indeed, something more; the old monastery lands were to be left to their present possessors. Every thing could not be rubbed off the slate all at once.

Protestant persecution under Mary:

Mary was not satisfied still. She was deadly against protestantism and its followers. Protestants appeared to her the country’s enemies and she wanted to give them different punishments. Hundreds of Protestants were burnt alive. The policy of persecution followed by Mary brought her the tile the ‘Bloody Queen’ or the ‘Bloody Mary’.

Her policy of persecution has been summed up by Innes in the following words “Henry before and Elizabeth after could be ruthless but while one reigned for thirty-eight years and the other for forty five, yet in neither reign was the aggregate of burnings or executions for religion as great as in these four years of Mary’s.”

So many Protestants were tried for heresy! Throughout the summer of 1555 the persecution sharpened. In September Crammer, Latimar and Ridly were tried together. The last two were burnt at Oxford; Burning of Crammer was delayed because it needed authorisation from Rome.

Ultimately he was also burnt. These martyrs wanted to die Protestants rather than live as Catholics Latimer’s bold words rang in the ears of his brother Bishop Ridle. “Play the man, Master Ridley, and we shall this day light such candle by God’s grace in England as I trust shall never put out.” And the candle was lighted

Effect of Persection:

In the words of the authors of the ‘Ground Work of British History’ Mary hoped by her persecution to convert England, and she did much to convert it but it was to the other side. A sullen hatred rewarded her and Pole and Bonner and the Catholics, and above all Mary’s Spanish husband, Philip, who it was assumed without much reason, had Pushed Mary to persecute. Yet little could be done.

A rebellion would fail without help from abroad, If French troops came, Spanish troops would certainly come also, and the realm would become a battle ground. Anything was better than that besides it was known that Mary was stricken with a moral disease. To wait was best. The effects of the persecution in short were the following.

(ii) Because of the policy of persecution followed by Mary the country lest many valuable scholars. They were burnt alive by Mary.

(ii) The policy of persecution cast a very negative ‘- influence on the protestant population. The non tolerance of Queen, religious tenacity and courage with which the protestant courted death gave night and courage to protestantism. People developed a sentiment of sympathy for the martyrs.

Thus the policy of Mary strengthened the cause of Reformation and protestantism in England instead of weakening it. People came to show more interest in the protestant faith.

(iii) Mary was the living symbol of catholic reaction in England. The net result of Mary’s Policy, was that Elizabeth gave a new shape to the Reformation in England by following a policy of religious settlement.

Conclusion:

On January 20, 1553 England lost celais-the France terri­tory. Warner and Marten say, “So vanished the last English possession in France. At first valuable as giving a gate to English trade to the continent, or as a point of attack on France the use of callous had long passed away.

England’s policy was changing to a new phase. She no longer -sought a conquest of Francs, her eyes were beginning to turn overseas: and Spain was to be hence forth her national foe. But that was not seen at the time, Calais had been in English hands since 1347.

It was the one fruit left of the harvest of crecy, Politiers and Agin- court the memorial of the Black prince. Henry, the nation’s’ credit seemed to rest on its safe keeping, and deep was the humiliation at its loss. Even Mary un-English as she was decla­red that when she died the word Calais would be found written on her heart”.