Доклад: History of english Royal Family (The Middle Tudor Monarchs)

Доклад: History of english Royal Family (The Middle Tudor Monarchs)

The Middle Tudor Monarchs

Edward VI, the Boy King

Edward VI was born on October 12, 1537. His parents were England's King Henry

VIII and Jane Seymour, Henry's third wife. For more than a quarter century

Henry had desperately wanted a son, and Edward's birth caused great

rejoicing. But Queen Jane soon fell ill with childbed fever, and on October

24 she died.

Until the age of six Edward was raised by his nurse, Mother Jack, and other

servants. During that time Henry took two wives in quick succession, but both

marriages ended badly; Anne of Cleves was discarded because the king found

her ugly, and Katherine Howard was executed for adultery. In 1543 Henry

married Katherine Parr, who became a loving stepmother to Edward and his

older half sisters, Mary and Elizabeth. She was a highly learned woman who

personally oversaw Prince Edward's education.

Edward's tutors taught him geography, government, history, French, German,

Greek, and Latin. He was also given lessons in etiquette, fencing, horseback

riding, music and other gentlemanly pursuits. Perhaps most important to

Edward was his study of the Scriptures. He became a devout Protestant even

though his father, who had severed England's connection to the Roman Catholic

Church, remained conservative and mostly Catholic in his beliefs.

Although Edward was serious and studious, at times he displayed a savage

temper. According to one account, he once tore a living falcon into four

pieces.

Henry VIII died in 1547 and his nine-year-old son became King Edward VI. A

council was appointed to rule during Edward's minority, with Edward's uncle,

the duke of Somerset (Jane Seymour's brother), as Protector of the country

and the king.

Somerset's brother, Lord High Admiral Thomas Seymour, was jealous of Somerset

and schemed to put himself in power. The admiral was arrested and charged

with treason. Somerset hesitated to sign his brother's death warrant, so

Edward gave the council permission to have his uncle beheaded. Somerset

himself later fell from the king's favor and lost his role as Protector. The

duke of Northumberland took control of the king and council, and eventually

Somerset, like his brother, was arrested and charged with treason. Under

pressure from Northumberland, fourteen-year-old Edward signed Somerset's

death warrant. Somerset was executed in 1552.

By this time Edward had completed his education and was participating in

council meetings. It was decided that the king would take charge of the

country at age sixteen. This was bad news for his sister Mary, an ardent

Catholic who refused to cooperate with Edward's religious reforms. However,

Edward got along well with his other sister, Elizabeth, a moderate

Protestant.

Edward suffered a bout of smallpox in April 1552, and from that time his

health declined. By the next spring it was obvious that the king was dying of

consumption (tuberculosis). His father's will had specified that Mary should

become queen if Edward died without children, but Northumberland had

different ideas. He persuaded Edward to name the Protestant Lady Jane Grey as

his successor. Lady Jane was the granddaughter of Henry VIII's sister Mary;

she was also Northumberland's daughter-in-law, and through her Northumberland

hoped to rule England.

On July 6, 1553 Edward whispered his last prayer and died. He was fifteen

years old.

Jane Grey, Queen for Nine Days

Lady Jane Grey was born just two days before Edward VI, and may have been his

friend in childhood. Her father was Henry Grey, the marquis of Dorset (later

the duke of Suffolk). Her mother was Frances Brandon, a niece of Henry VIII

who was third in the royal line of succession. Jane had two younger sisters,

Katherine and Mary.

Jane's parents were, in her words, "sharp and severe" to her. She once told a

visitor to her family home, Bradgate Manor, that her mother and father

expected to do everything "as perfectly as God made the world, or else I am

sharply taunted, so cruelly threatened . . . that I think myself in hell."

She said that her parents pinched her and abused her in other ways she would

not name out of respect for them.

She found refuge in her studies, which she enjoyed so much that she cried

when her lessons were over for the day. "Whatsoever I do else, but learning,

is full of grief, trouble, fear, and whole misliking," she said.

Jane's parents had big dreams for their intellectual eldest daughter. They

hoped she would marry her cousin Edward and thus become queen of England.

When Jane was nine, her parents sent her to live with Henry VIII's widow,

Katherine Parr, and Katherine's new husband, Thomas Seymour. Jane was happy

with the Seymours, but Katherine soon died died and Thomas Seymour was

arrested, forcing Jane to return to her parents.

Once, on a visit to Henry VIII's daughter Mary, Jane openly disparaged Mary's

Catholic beliefs. Although Mary was hurt, she later sent Jane a pretty velvet

dress to wear to court. Jane, who thought fine clothes were sinful, tried to

refuse the gift, saying it would be "a shame to follow my Lady Mary against

God's word," but her parents insisted she wear it in the hope that it would

impress the king. Many people expected Edward to marry Jane, but he wanted to

marry Mary, Queen of Scots, or some other foreign princess.

By the time Jane was fifteen, her parents had abandoned their dream of

marrying her to King Edward. Jane now believed that she was betrothed to the

duke of Somerset's son, Lord Hertford. She was stunned when her parents

informed her that she was instead to marry Guildford Dudley, the youngest son

of the duke of Northumberland. Guildford was a handsome young man, one year

Jane's senior, but it seems Jane didn't like him very much. She refused to

marry him, and went on refusing until her mother literally beat her into

submission.

Jane married Guildford Dudley in May of 1553. The marriage was consummated

the following month at Northumberland's command, but the couple continued to

live apart. Jane's new mother-in-law visited her on July 3 and told her, "His

Majesty hath made you heir to his realm." Jane said later that this

unexpected news "greatly disturbed" her.

Three days later the king died. Northumberland kept the death secret for

several days to prevent Edward's sister Mary from claiming the crown. But on

July 9 Mary, who was in Norfolk, heard the news and proclaimed herself queen.

On the same day Jane was taken to Northumberland's house and led to a throne.

Everyone bowed or curtsied to her. Realizing what was happening, Jane began

to shake. Northumberland made a speech announcing that Jane was the new

queen, at which Jane fell on the floor in a brief faint. No one came to her

assistance and she remained on the floor, sobbing.

Finally she got to her feet and announced, "The crown is not my right, and

pleaseth me not. The Lady Mary is the rightful heir."

When her parents, husband, and father-in-law remonstrated with her, Jane

dropped to her knees and prayed for guidance. She asked God to give her "such

spirit and grace that I may govern to Thy glory and service, and to the

advantage of the realm." Then she took her seat on the throne and allowed

those present to kiss her hand and swear their allegiance to her.

The next day Jane made her state entry into London. Most people felt that

Mary was the rightful heir to the throne, and very few cheers greeted Jane.

She was taken to the Tower of London, as was traditional. She protested when

the Lord High Treasurer brought her the crown, but after a while she agreed

to wear it. When the treasurer said that another crown would be made for her

husband, Jane was displeased. Despite Guildford's rage and tears, she

insisted that she would not permit him to be king.

For a few days Northumberland stayed close to Jane, bringing her documents to

sign and generally telling her what to do. Despite Jane's objection to making

Guildford king, Northumberland announced that both she and her husband would

be crowned in two weeks. Then Northumberland left with an army to capture

Mary, who was marching toward London with an army of her own. While he was

gone the nervous royal council decided to proclaim Mary the rightful queen.

The proclamation was made on July 19. The people of London were jubilant.

Determined to save himself, Jane's father signed the proclamation making Mary

queen, then went to his daughter's apartments and tore down her canopy of

estate, telling her she was no longer queen.

"Out of obedience to you and my mother I have grievously sinned," Jane said

quietly. "Now I willingly relinquish the crown. May I not go home?"

Her father left without answering her. Jane remained in the Tower, where she

and Guildford soon became prisoners. Her father and Northumberland were also

arrested and brought back to the tower. Henry Grey was released after a few

days. He and Frances did not write to Jane or try to save her life. Although

Northumberland hastily converted to Catholicism and spoke of his desire to

live and kiss Mary's feet, he was executed in August.

On November 13 Jane and Guildford were tried and sentenced to death. Jane

wasn't worried, however, because she had been told that the queen would

pardon her. Then, in February of 1554, Sir Thomas Wyatt raised a revolt

against Mary. He was quickly arrested, but his rebellion hardened Mary's

heart against her enemies. She signed Jane and Guildford's death warrants.

When Jane heard the news she said, "I am ready and glad to end my woeful

days." The queen offered to reprieve Jane if she would convert to the

Catholic faith, but Jane refused.

Jane's father had supported the rebels, and he too was sentenced to death.

Now he wrote to Jane and asked for her forgiveness. She wrote back, "Although

it hath pleased God to hasten my death by you, by whom my life should rather

have been lengthened, yet can I patiently take it, that I yield God more

hearty thanks for shortening my woeful days."

Queen Mary granted Guildford permission to meet with Jane one last time, but

Jane refused to see her husband, saying that they would meet in a better

place, where friendships were happy.

On February 11 Jane watched from a window as her husband walked to Tower Hill

to be executed; later she saw his headless body being brought back to the

Tower, at which she cried, "Oh Guildford! Guildford! Oh, the bitterness of

death!"

About an hour later, Jane too made the walk to Tower Hill. On the scaffold

she knelt and recited the 51st Psalm, then blinded herself and asked the

executioner to kill her quickly. Unable to find the block, she exclaimed

"What shall I do? Where is it?" A bystander helped her to the block. She put

her head on it and said, "Lord, into Thy hands I commend my spirit." The

executioner killer her with one blow and held up her head, saying, "So perish

all the queen's enemies! Behold the head of a traitor!"

"Bloody" Queen Mary I

Mary was born on February 18, 1516. She was the only surviving child of Henry

VIII's first wife, Catherine of Aragon. Henry doted on Mary when she was

little, calling her "the greatest pearl in the kingdom." The princess

received an excellent education, and was carefully sheltered.

In 1522 Henry arranged Mary's betrothal to Holy Roman Emperor Charles V.

Charles was an adult, and Mary was just six years old; the marriage would

take place when she was twelve. Mary had met Charles and liked the idea of

marrying him. But in 1525 Charles broke off the engagement so that he could

marry Princess Isabella of Portugal. That same year Henry sent Princess Mary

to live in Wales, as was traditional for the king's heir.

The year 1527 started off well for Princess Mary. She returned to live at her

father's court and celebrated her engagement to a son of the king of France.

But Henry VIII's attitude toward Mary and her mother had started to change.

He had decided that God disapproved of his marriage to Catherine; why else

had the queen failed to produce healthy male children? And he was in love

with the woman who was to become his second wife: Anne Boleyn.

Soon Mary learned that Henry wanted to annul his marriage to her mother. For

this, the king needed the pope's permission. While he waited, he continued to

treat Catherine as his queen and Mary as his heir. But Mary's legitimacy was

now in doubt, making her less valuable on the marriage market. The French

engagement was broken off and no other match was arranged for her, although

her father's advisors considered marrying her to King Henry's illegitimate

son, Henry Fitzroy. (Fitzroy married someone else. He died young and without

heirs.)

Henry grew increasingly angry at Catherine for resisting his attempt to end

their marriage. Finally, in 1531, he sent Catherine away from court. After

being shuffled between various castles and palaces, the queen ended up a

prisoner at Kimbolton Castle, near Huntingdon. Realizing that the pope would

never grant his divorce, Henry split from the Catholic church, established

the Church of England, had his marriage declared invalid, and married Anne

Boleyn. Anne gave birth to a daughter, Princess Elizabeth, in 1533.

Mary was now officially a bastard, called "the lady Mary," but, like her

mother, she refused to accept her change in status. Henry was infuriated by

his daughter's defiance and threatened to have her executed if she did not

stop referring to herself as a princess. When Mary was eighteen, her

household was disbanded and she was sent to live in Princess Elizabeth's

household, where she was treated badly. Henry refused to see her, but he was

not completely indifferent to Mary. Once, glimpsing her at a window, he

nodded and touched his hat politely.

Catherine and Mary were not permitted to visit each other, and Catherine died

in 1536 without seeing her daughter again. Now Mary was alone. Four months

after Catherine's death, however, Mary's greatest enemy toppled from power

when Anne Boleyn was arrested on false charges of adultery and executed. Anne

had hated Mary and stated that she wanted her dead. With Anne gone, Henry

treated his eldest daughter somewhat more kindly. His third, fourth, and

sixth wives were all well-disposed toward Mary. (She got along less well with

his teenaged fifth wife, Katherine Howard.) Although she never regained her

former status or her father's affection, she was once again part of the royal

family.

At first she got along well with the king's other children. As Elizabeth and

Edward grew up, however, up their Protestant views put them at odds with

Mary, who never swayed from her devout Catholicism. As king, Edward scolded

and bullied Mary about her beliefs, and finally disinherited her in favor of

Jane Grey. But in 1553, at the age of thirty-seven, Mary at last became

queen.

Soon after her accession, Mary began considering the possibility of marrying

Prince Philip of Spain, the son of her former fiance, Emperor Charles V. It

worried her that Philip was eleven years her junior because he was "likely to

be disposed to be amorous, and such is not my desire, not at my time of life,

and never having harbored thoughts of love." With difficulty the emperor's

envoy convinced her that Philip was a stable, mature adult who would help

protect her kingdom.

Mary's subjects were alarmed to learn of her engagement to the Spanish

prince, fearing that England would become part of Spain. The queen, however,

had no intention of turning the country over to Philip. He arrived in England

on July 20, 1554, and met Mary for the first time on July 23. Mary liked

Philip from the start, and he treated her kindly, although he probably found

her unattractive. (The men who had accompanied him to England later described

Mary as old, badly dressed, and almost toothless.) The wedding took place two

days later. Two months later, Mary's doctors told her that she was pregnant.

In December a law was passed that allowed bishops of the Church of England to

convict heretics and sentence them to death by burning. Almost 300 people

were burned alive during Mary's reign with Mary's full approval, earning her

the nickname "Bloody Mary."

By the summer of 1555 it became obvious that Mary was no longer pregnant, if

she had ever been. Mary was bitterly disappointed. Philip left England that

August, promising Mary that he would soon return. Mary missed him

desperately. Philip didn't return to England until March of 1557. After a few

months he left to go to war; Mary never saw him again.

After Philip's departure, Mary experienced another humiliating false

pregnancy. She became depressed and paranoid. Adding to her misery was the

French conquest of the city of Calais, which had been in English hands for

over two hundred years. "When I am dead, you will find Calais lying on my

heart," she told one of her attendants.

Tortured by loneliness and unhappiness, Queen Mary fell ill. She died on

November 17, 1558 and was succeeded by her half-sister, Elizabeth.