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| Notes for King Philip OF SPAIN II | ||||||||||||||||||
| Had daughter, the Infanta Clara Eugenia, but mother is not specified417 Presided over the vast expansion of Spain's empire, particularly in the New World. Married Mary Tudor of England for imperial reasons, but left her broken-hearted when she turned out to have ovarian cancer instead of being pregnant with their child. He later made overtures to Mary's half-sister Elizabeth I, who would have none of him. He later sent his Armada against Elizabeth but was soundly defeated by incompetent leadership, poor provisioning, the English navy, and particularly the English weather! Philip became more rigid and uncompromising as he grew older, a religious fanatic, and died a somewhat warped man.1 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Notes for Queen Mary TUDOR I | ||||||||||||||||||
| Known as "Bloody Mary" for her persecution of Protestants. Also known as the monarch who lost Calais, the last foothold of England on French soil.1 Ascended throne 1553 after the ill-fated coup by Northumberland put Lady Jane Grey on the throne.120 The only Princess of Wales ever declared in her own right (1526).416 Mary grew up relatively secure as the only legitimate child of Henry VIII and his long-time wife Catherine of Aragon. But when Henry split with Rome in order to divorce Catherine and marry Anne Boleyn (and take over the wealth and prerogatives of the Church), Mary's life turned upside down. Eventually she was separated from her mother and not even allowed to visit Catherine when she was dying. She resisted Henry's attempts to force her to conform to the new English church, but eventually gave in, at least in public. When her younger half-brother Edward took the throne, Mary began having mass said openly in her household and became a rallying point for disaffected Catholic peers throughout the realm. Edward's Council went far beyond Henry VIII's religious settlements in favor of a more strict Protestantism. Mary resisted this, relying on the pressure being brought to bear by her cousin, Emperor Charles. When the Council declared Lady Jane Grey queen upon Edward's death, Mary (for once in her life) acted decisively and immediately declared herself queen by the terms laid down in Henry VIII's will (ignoring Edward's deathbed confirmation of the Protestant Jane as his successor, since Edward was still technically a minor). She gathered a large number of the gentry around her, and the Council (and Queen Jane's reign) collapsed within a matter of 9 days. Jane was kept in the Tower and would have remained there indefinitely, had not political necessities forced Mary to have her executed. Mary's own religious defiance was mirrored by her younger half-sister Elizabeth, who was firmly Protestant but not narrowly so. Mary repeatedly sent councillors to Elizabeth to demand she publicly adopt the Catholic faith, but Elizabeth proved too cunning an adversary. Mary always disliked Elizabeth, referring to her as the daughter of "that whore" (Anne Boleyn) who had ruined Mary's happiness. Mary also could see that Elizabeth was prettier, smarter, and attracting the attention of the Protestant faction. Eventually she had Elizabeth committed to the Tower (which provoked uncharacteristic terror on the part of Elizabeth, who seemed haunted by her mother's ghost) and would have gladly executed her on charges of conspiracy and treason, had not her husband Philip stayed her hand. Mary was a fanatic Catholic, and even before she was firmly on the throne had sent to the pope to request a formal re-establishment of ties. This was far more than the English people in general were willing to accept, since they'd had over 30 years of freedom from "popish" rule. While it was all very well to celebrate the mass, it was another thing to place England under papal rule. Even more to the point, none of the nobles who'd gained church lands and riches were in any mood to give them back. Mary was adamant in her resolve and ended up burning those who disagreed with her, creating the first Protestant English martyrs. In her six-year reign, she burned over 400 "heretics" at the stake. In contrast, in Elizabeth's 45-year reign, she had approximately the same number judicially murdered. But in Elizabeth's case, her approach was more shrewd and subtle: she had the condemned executed for treason, not heresy. In this way she was able to avoid the religious wars which had been brewing in England under Mary, which were rending Europe in half throughout E's reign, and which would eventually lead to England's own Civil War. Mary married Philip of Spain at age 37 with no experience of love or much interest in sex. She was as smitten as s schoolgirl and desperate to bear him an heir. Instead her hysterical pregnancy turned out to be ovarian cancer and Philip left her to pursue his conquest of the Netherlands and his mistresses. Mary became increasingly deranged with the progression of her illness, but the greatest blow came when she learned that Calais, the last English foothold on French soil and the tiny remnant of the magnificent empire founded by Eleanor of Acquitaine and Henry II, had been lost. She bemoaned her fate (a lifetime habit) but said that when it came down to it, if her breast were opened upon her death, they would see the word "Calais" written across her heart. She died shortly thereafter and a relieved country welcomed Elizabeth as their new queen.1 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Last Modified 1 Jan 2004 | Created 5 Jul 2005 by Reunion for Macintosh |