Page 36 - All About History 48 - 2017 UK

Bloody Mary On Trial

1553: THE YEAR OF THREE SOVEREIGNS

Henry VIII’s heirs and the e th

Earlyin1553,EdwardVIlaydying. previou e For The Succession.In
The 15-year-old king was unmarried and never formally legitimated. this,Edwardnamedhissecond
andhadnochildren,thusthoughts Moreover, Edward was determined cousin, the Protestant Lady Jane
turned to the succession. By the toensureaProtestantsuccession, Grey,ashisheir.Janehadalready
termsofthelateKingHenryVIII’s which would be impossible should been named as the next heir by
will,passedinparliament,should Mary succeed. Henry VIII should his children die
Edward die childless then the Realisinghecouldnotexclude childless,butatthestrokeofapen
throneshouldpassfirsttothe onehalf-sisterwithoutalso shesupersededbothoftheking’s
king’s eldest daughter, Mary, and excluding the other, Edward cut daughters. There was no time for
herheirs,followedbyhisyoungest both Mary and Elizabeth out of Edward to pass his Devise through
daughter,Elizabeth,andherheirs. thesuccessionbymeansofan parliament,sowhenhediedon6
Both daughters had, however, been extraordinary do : My July 1553, the Devise was illegal.

marriage, and it had always been anticipated attractive prospect to Mary because of his Spanish Unknown to Mary, there were those in the country
that she would marry abroad. She had been heritage and his familial links with her mother, whoweredeterminedtoprotestagainstthe
briefly betrothed to her cousin, the Holy Roman but she was naïve if she thought that her decision marriage,andaplotwasafootthatwouldtestthe
Emperor Charles V, when she was only six wouldbeacceptedwithoutprotest:herpersonal loyaltyofhersubjects,andthreatenedtoundo
years old, but the negotiations had come to wishes overruled her political judgement. everything she had fought for.
nothing. Almost immediately after her accession Under the leadership of Sir Thomas Wyatt, a
therefore, thoughts of matrimony began to Rebellion, death Kentishgentleman,arebellionwasplannedthat
occupy not only Mary’s mind, but those of her and imprisonment soughtnotonlytopreventMary’smarriageto
councillors, too. Though various candidates PhilipbutalsotodepriveMaryofherthrone.
were suggested, the most popular being Mary’s TheideaofaSpanishmarriagewasunpopularin Instead, she would be replaced with her Protestant
English cousin, Edward Courtenay, in Mary’s England, butthequeenwasblindtotheconcerns half-sister, Elizabeth, who almost certainly had
mind the decision had already been made. She ofhersubjects.NotonlywasPhilipaCatholic,he some prior knowledge of the plot. More crucially,
declared her intention to wed her second cousin, was also a foreigner; the English were suspicious oneofthekeyconspiratorswasHenryGrey,duke
Philip of Spain. He was the son of the emperor, of foreigners, and it was greatly feared that Philip ofSuffolk,thefatherofLadyJaneGreywhohad
and was 11 years Mary’s junior. He was an wouldtrytoembroilEnglandinSpain’swars. beenincarceratedintheTowersinceMary’s
accession. Upon learning of the rebellion, Mary
took matters into her own hands. Standing in
“ Under enormous pressure from her front of her subjects at London’s Guildhall, she

advisers she had no choice but to beseeched her subjects to stand firm against the
traitorWyattandhisfollowers,andtoremain
order Jane’s execution” true to their anointed sovereign. Her powerful
words had the desired effect, and Mary’s people
remained loyal to their queen. The rebellion was
a washout, and Wyatt and his followers were
captured.Maryhadbeenvictoriousonceagain.
ThefailureoftheWyattRebellionhad
disastrous consequences for Lady Jane Grey, and
her father’s involvement sealed her fate. Mary’s
hand was now forced, and under enormous
pressurefromheradvisersshehadnochoicebut
toorderJane’sexecution.Maryagonisedoverthe
decision,andtriedtofindawayaroundit,but
therewasnone.On12February1554,17-year-old
Jane was executed.
It was not just Jane who was to suffer as a result
of Wyatt’s treason. Before long, Mary’s officers had
arrivedatElizabeth’sdoorinordertosummon
her to London for questioning over her role in the
rebellion. Pleading ill health, upon her arrival in
thecapitalElizabethhadthecurtainsofherlitter
drawnbacksothatthecitizenscouldwitnessthe
pitifulstateshewasin.Dressedinwhite,shemade
a startling impression against the blood-red livery
Lady Jane Grey spends ofherguards.Itwasacleverploy,onedesigned
her last moments praying tomovethecitizenstosympathyonElizabeth’s
beforethefallofthe behalf, and it worked. It was precisely the type of
executioner’s axe

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