Part IV Ríghts or Royals? The Tudors and Stuarts
The 5^^ y^if^^y, iji^iiíiiiMlg""""' IN THE Coufn- oç HENRY'Mn
'Successíul rogai seefe long term caring Yelationskip v^Hk íertUe In this part...
Lidor England had two of the strongest rnonarchs ever Tto sit on the English throne: Henry VIU and his daugh- ter Elizal.>eth i. Their portraits si)e;l! power and coiitrol, and so did liíeir governnieíits, yet neither i-oukl crack the niost basic probiein oí ali: Wlio was to succeed ihem? Henry VIIls desperate search for a niale heir led hini into liis íamons six marriages, vvhiic Elizabeth sougiú refugo in her image as the Virgin Queen, But as long as tl-se succes- sion vvas unclear. evei! tJiese great monarciis couid not iie easy.
IJnderlying ali this was the terribie destructive power of rcligious conflict. As new religious learning found its vvay into Britain. the Britisli peojjie were divided Isetween those vvho enibraced change. and tlK)se wtio upheld tiíeir o!d faitJi. Through ali of tliis. ttie English parliament wa.s speak- ing with increasing confidence: There were arguments about religion and about the crown. but parliament became a central part of the politicai scene. It led to civil war, which heralded ashort-lived republic. And Tfien Ahnq Carne Hemif (the l/lU, that is)
Henry Vli didn't just spend his time fighting off pretenders. He married his children into the leading rullng houses in Europe and he negotiated good trading agreements with the Netherlands. So there was a lot of money in the treasury that he handed over to his handsome and gifted son, who in 1509 .wo became King Henry VIII.
Bad Ideas of the Sixteenth Centuri^ - No 1: Marri^inç Hemi^ VIU
Henry VIII was a good example of the ideal Renaissance Prince (see Chapter 14 for a bit more on what the Renaissance was ali about) - he was handsome, strong, good at jousting and wrestling but also highiy educated, good at . ^ music, interested in theology, and a good mover on the dance floor. He seemed to have everything he could possibly want - except a son.
If you didn't want lots of squabbiing over the succession in the sixteenth cen- tury you needed a good supply of sons. (Daughters could succeed, but the last time a daughter assumed the throne, England had fallen into a civil war, explained in Chapter 7. As a result, folks weren't too keen on trying that again). That's why you get ali those paintings of large Tudor families through the gen- erations - nothin' wrong with our virility, theyVe saying - and why Tudor men wore those enormous codpieces to show off their manhood. Henry VII had managed two boys. Henry VIU and his older brother Prince Arthur, who died ' young, and two girls, Margaret and Mary (see Figure 1 l-I for details here). • :>l f Henry VIII wanted to do even better, and that meant finding the right wife.
Wife No. 7: Katharine of Aragon When he came to the throne, Henry was married to Katharine of Aragon. Katharine's family were the up-and-coming Kings of Spain, so marrying her was a major diplomatic coup. She had been married to Henrys brother Arthur, but Arthur died, and in any case, according to Katharine. she and Chapter 11: Uneasy Lies the Head that Wears the Crown Part IV: Ríghts or Royals? The Tudors and Stuarts
Henry was furious. First, he sacked Wolsey. Then he simply closed down the Arthur never consummated the marriage (and she ought to l
At (irst, the marriage went well. Katharine trashed the Scots at the Battle of Wife No.2: Anne Boleyn Flodden while Henry was away losing to the French (see the section "The Henry was crazy about Anne. Couldn't resist her. He had spotted her when Stewarts in a Stew" later in this chapter for info on that event). But then she she was lady-in-waiting to Katharine of Aragon and he couldn't take his eyes gave birth to a daughter, Mary. That was no good. Henry wanted a son! Even off her As soon as he got his divorce from Katharine he married Anne in worse, when she got pregnant again, with boys as it turned out, the children secret, and nine months later, he got his reward: a healthy baby. Another girl. always died. Henry wasn't just angry, he was worried: Was God trying to tell This one named Elizabeth. He was not pleased. him something? From then on things went downhill for Anne. She had enemies at court, and Henry got his Bible out. There it was, in blacic and white: Thou shalt not try as she might she didn't produce a boy. Three years after her glittering uncover the nakedness of thy brother's wife - Leviticus. Henry reckoned the coronation Anne's enemies struck. They had her arrested and charged with dead babies were God's way of punishing him for living in sin. But the Pope adultery - with her own brother, Lord Rochford, if you please. Henry sent for had given Henry a dispensation. He had specially put the rule aside. Could a special executioner ali the way from France, who could cut Anne's head off the Pope possibly put the rule back again? in one go with his sword, instead of hacking at it the way those axemen used to do it. Wasn't that a kind thought? Henrif qets a diiJorce - and a neu/ Church Henry sent his chief minister, Cardinal Wolsey, to Rome to have a word íC/Vcs Nos 3-6: A Jane, an Anne, and tWo more Catherínes with the Pope, but when Wolsey got there, he found the Pope had been taken Jane Seymour was a lady-in-waiting to both Katharine of Aragon and Anne prisoner by Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor, who just happened to be Boleyn. They were both dead by the time Henry married her so there was no Katharine of Aragon's nephew. Charles wasn't going to let anyone insult - or problem about whether or not the marriage was valid. It was Jane who finally divorce - his auntie. Wolsey went home to tell Henry the bad news. gave Henry the son he had been hoping for for so long, Edward. Edward was a sickiy child (he'd probably inherited Henry's syphilis), but he lived. Jane didn't. She died giving birth.
Anne of Cleves was a German princess. You can blame Henry's marriage to her on Henry's chief minister and staunch Protestant, Thomas Cromwell. At the time it looked like war with the Catholic Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, so scheming Thomas suggested to Henry that they should link up with the German Protestants. The best way, he said, was for Henry to marry a German princess, Anne of Cleves. To judge by Holbein's portrait, Anne was a bit shy, but not bad lookíng. Henry, however, found her completely unattractive. "Good God, she's like a Flanders mare", he said, but he went through with the wedding anyway, ali the time thinking, "This had better be worth it". Then the Emperor changed his mind about attacking England. Henry had got married for nothingi He was the perfect gentleman. He divorced Anne and gave her a nice house and an income. Then he cut Cromweirs head off. Chapter 11: Uneasy Lies the Head that Wears the Crown
The First Elizabeth
Elizabeth I was Anne Boleyn's daughter and nobody's fool. Her sister, Queen Mary, had put her in the Tower because she thought Elizabeth was plotting against her. Elizabeth, therefore, Icnew ali about how dangerous sixteenth century politics could be. When she became Queen, she needed to see to three things straight away: Religion, security, and getting married.
Religion was urgent, and Elizabeth and Parliament set up a not-too- Protestant Church of England which, she hoped (wrongly) both Catholics and Protestants could go to (head to Chapter 12 for more on the religion issue).
Security was always a problem - the Tudors knew ali about people trying to seize the throne. The best way to guard against danger was to have an heir, and that meant that Elizabeth needed to find a husband. Here were her options:
)^ King Piíilip of Spain: No kidding: he did offer. The English couldn't stand him, and - more importantly - if Elizabeth married him, England would become some sort of Spanish province. No thank you. 1^ A Frencli prince: This made politicai sense. It would mess up France's alliance with Scotiand and set the King of Spain's nose out of joint. The French king sent his son the Duke of Anjou over, and Elizabeth seemed very interested. Danced with him, called him her "frog", and kept him hanging on. And on. Until in the end, he gave up and went home.
1^ Robert Dudiey, Earl of Leicester: Ah, Elizabeth liked him! He was her "Robin". But there was a problem. He was already married, to a lady called Amy Robsart - at least he was until they found poor Amy lying dead at the foot of the staircase one day. Very fishy. After that, there was no way Elizabeth could marry her Robin. Just think of the scandal.
Whoever Elizabeth chose, there would be trouble: Either there would be protests, or her husband would try to take over So she decided not to choose. She would remain a virgin, married only to her people, and not share her power with anyone. Not an easy decision to make.
The Virgin Queen i/s. the not'SO'(/irçin Mari^
Elizabeth didn't like talking about the succession, but other people had to. She had only been on the throne for a few years when she nearly died of smallpox. She might not be lucky enough to survive the next illness. Her clos- est adviser, Sir William Cecil, was desperately worried and with good reason. Part IV: Rights or Royals? The Tudors and Stuarts Chapter 11: Uneasy Lies the Head that Wears the Crown 18]
First there was Mary, Queen of Scots who was aiready saying that she was the Off With her head! rightfui Queen of England and having the royal arms of England put into her Even before the Babington Plot carne to light Cecil was desperate for own coat of arms. Second, but even worse, was the major biow that fell in Elizabeth to put Mary to death. Keeping her alive was far too dangerous - 1570 when the Pope excommunicated Elizabeth. Like it or not, she was now well, you can see why. But Elizabeth wouldn't hear of it. First, Mary was her in serious danger. Cousin (well, first-cousin-once-removed). Second, Mary wasnt an English sub- ject, so how could you accuse her of treason? And third, but most important, Excommunication was the most dire punishment the Catholic Church could Mary was a Queen and so was Elizabeth. Start putting monarchs on trial and issue. It meant casting someone out of the Church, with no hope of salvation executing them and heaven knows where it'll end up. after death unless they performed a very big act of penance. In the case of a monarch, like Elizabeth, it could also mean that they had no right to be on But even Elizabeth couldn't ignore the Babington Plot. So Mary, Queen of the throne, and that loyai Catholics were allowed - supposed, even - to over- Scots, went on trial, and the court found her guilty. Ali they needed was a throw her death warrant, and ali that needed was Elizabeth's signature. Elizabeth didn't want to sign the warrant, so her secretary put it in the middle of a lot of other Catholic piots aqainst Elizabeth papers that needed signing so that Elizabeth could "pretend" she hadn't known it was there. (This ruse nearly cost the secretary his life: Elizabeth tried to The following are the Catholic pIots to kill Elizabeth and put Mary, Queen of make out that she hadn't known anything about it and had the poor fellow Scots on the throne: sent to the Tower. If Cecil hadn't stepped in, he'd have been executed.)
1^ Revolt of the Northern Earls, 1569: Earis oí Northumberland and Westmorland stage a major rising to rescue Mary. Revolt defeated; Earls Mary went to her execution in a black velvet dress. She whipped it off to flee to Scotiand; hundreds of their followers executed. reveal a blood-red dress underneath. Everyone was in floods of tears. It took three gos to chop her head off, and when the executioner finally held her Ridolfi Plot, 1571: Florentine banker Roberto Ridolfi and the Catholic head up by the hair for everyone to see, the head fell out - her fine "hair" was Duke of Norfolk plan a coup with help from Philip II of Spain and the a wig. Even after death, Mary could upstage them ali. Pope. Plot discovered. Both piotters executed.
Jesuits, 1580: Jesuit missionaries Robert Parsons and Edmund Campion arrive secretiy in England and are suspected (wrongly) of plotting against the Queen. Campion is arrested and executed; Parsons escapes Enqtish sea do^s 0s. the Spanish Armada to Spain. During Elizabeth's reign is when the English first really started messing about 1^ Throckmorton Plot, 1584: Catholic Francis Throckmorton arrested and in boats. There were two main reasons: one was adventure and the other was tortured. Reveals plot with Spanish ambassador to murder Elizabeth and money. You could try and make your fortune finding a way round the top of stage a French invaslon. Throckmorton executed, ambassador sent Canada (the "Northwest Passage") to the wealthy spice islands of Asia, or home. you could just steal from the Spanish.
These pIots are getting more serious. Cecil and Secretary of State Sir Francis The Spanish were sitting on gold and silver mines in their colonies in South Walsingham decide to play dirty. Mary is kept in ever-closer confinement in America, so sea dogs like John Hawkins and Francis Drake simply sailed to England, and they keep a dose watch on her. In particular, they read ali her the Spanish colonies, opened fire, took what they could, and ran - and very letters, especially the secret ones hidden in kegs of ale - which reveal that wealthy this enterprise made them. Drake even sailed ali the way round the she is up to her neck in the Babington Plot. worid to show the Spanish that they could run from him, but they couldn't hide. Hawkins found a nice lucrative market supplying the Spanish colonies with African siaves. Ali this experience was to be very usefui for the English lhe Babinçton Plot (1586) and the end of Marif when Spain decided to turn the tables and attack England. Catholic Anthony Babington piotted to murder Elizabeth, and he got Mary, Queen of Scots, to agree to it. Thafs when Cecil and Walsingham, who'd been By 1588, King Philip II of Spain had had enough. Not only were Drake and reading Mary's correspondence, decided to pounce. They had Mary just Hawkins and Co. attacking his ships, but Elizabeth was knighting them for it. where they wanted her It was time to teach England a lesson once and for ali. And so Philip put together the largest fleet in history, the Great Armada, and sent it against England. And it was a total disaster. Bm(e in the Channei Everything went wrong. Philip's best commander died, so he had to put the Duke of Medina Sidónia, who had never fought at sea and suffered from sea- sickness, in charge, Then Drake suddenly appeared at Cadiz and burned the still harbour-bound fleet - "singeing the King of Spain's beard" Drake called it. Finally in 1588, the massive Armada set sall up the Channei in a tight crescent shape that the English weren't able to break. What the English did instead õon't (et the sun qo doWn on me was to prevent the Spanish from landing in England. The Spanish, kept on the move, had to put into Calais, which meant that they couldn't pick up the pow- Elizabeth hated the idea of getting old. She plastered herself with make-up erful Spanish army in the Netherlands. Then the English sent fire ships - and hid her thinning hair under a great red wig. Artists had to use a stencil of think floating bombs - into Calais harbour. Panicking, the Spanish scattered her face which showed her as a handsome young woman. Even when she was any which way, enabling the English to pick them off one by one. Then fierce dying, Elizabeth was still a prince and proud of it. When her chief minister, storms forced the Spanish to keep going north, round Scotiand and Ireland, Lord Robert Cecil (son of old Sir William - they were a family on the up) told where many of them sank. Less than haif of Philip's Grand Armada limped her she must rest, she turned on him: "Must! Is must a word to be addressed back to Spain. to princes? LIttle man, little man! Thy father, if he had been alive, durst not have used that word." Ouch!
As death approached, Elizabeth was carried to the throne room and laid The seeds of an Empire down on the steps of the throne. Almost her last words were to say who should succeed her: King James VI, the son of Mary, Queen of Scots. Henry Henry VII started the practice of sending English expeditions overseas when he VII had married his daughter Margaret to the King of Scotiand and now a King sent John Cabot to the New World to see what he could find (you can find out of Scotiand was to inherit his throne. The Tudor wheei had come full circie: more about ali this in Chapter 19) - and he found Newfoundland. But there How would the Stewarts fare? Find out in Chapter 13. didn't seem much to do in Newfoundland, and it wasn't until Eli2abeth's reign that the English had a serious go at settling in North America. In the 1580s Sir Walter Raleigh set up a colony at Virgínia, but it didn't take off. The English had better luck trading in Rússia and the Baltic. In 1600 the Queen granted a char• ter to the East Indía Company which went on to lay the foundations for the British Empire in índia and the east. See Chapter 19 for the full story.