Mary had become Queen of England in 1553, and she had married Philip of Spain in July 1554. She was at 37 years old at the time, and that was considered to be near the end of her childbearing age. So if she wanted to have children, and she did desperately, she would need to [read more]
Though by now we’ve had quite a few Queens in their own right in the United Kingdom, none of these women were ever created Princess of Wales in their own right. Henry VIII faced a dilemma when his only surviving child by Catherine of Aragon proved to be a healthy girl. Though we now know [read more]
One of her godparents was Catherine of York, who was by then the only surviving child of Edward IV and thus Mary’s great-aunt. Catherine had married William Courtenay, later 1st Earl of Devon, in 1495. Her grandson Edward was later seen as a suitable husband for Mary. Mary was an inveterate gambler, and she had [read more]
Now that Mary was Queen, she wished to settle the succession with a child of her own. Her heir at the time was Elizabeth, and she was a Protestant. Mary’s chosen husband was Philip of Spain, who was the son of her first cousin Charles V. They finally married on 25 July 1554, just two [read more]
It was the Duke of Suffolk, Lady Jane Grey’s father, who walked out onto Tower Hill, commanding his men-at-arms to leave their weapons behind, “I am but one man, but I here proclaim the Lady Mary’s Grace Queen of England.” Jane never saw her father again. Meanwhile, the Duke of Northumberland was arrested. He was [read more]
The Duke of Northumberland chose not to cause bloodshed and the final boost for Mary’s supporters came from John de Vere, Earl of Oxford, who declared for Mary on the ninth day of Lady Jane’s reign. Mary was now convinced that she had succeeded and she issued the following declaration, “By the Queen. Know ye [read more]
Copyright © 2024 | MH Magazine WordPress Theme by MH Themes