Instability and Consolidation: 'the Mid-Tudor Crisis', 1547–1563 - Succession Crisis of 1553 Flashcards
Why did Northumberland want to change the line of succession?
- Edward VI was seriously ill and likely to die
- Mary I was next in line and she was a devout Catholic
- Protestant reforms would be reversed and Northumberland’s life would be endangered
What act decided the line of succession for the Tudor children?
- 1544 Third Succession Act
What order were the Tudor children in for the crown?
- Edward VI
- Mary
- Elizabeth
When did Edward VI become seriously ill?
- January 1553
What was the name of the plan to change the succession?
- Devyse
- Devise
How did Northumberland try justifying a change in the succession?
- Parliament had previously declared Elizabeth and Mary illegitimate
- Henry didn’t set aside claims that his younger sister’s family might make
When did Parliament declare Mary and Elizabeth as illegitimate?
- July 1536, through Second Succession Act
- Following Anne Boleyn’s execution
- Elizabeth (Anne’s daughter) and Mary (Catherine’s daughter) made illegitimate
- Superseded by 1544 Third Succession Act
- Put pressure on Jane Seymour to bear a male heir
Which person did Northumberland pick to inherit the throne?
- Lady Jane Grey
Why did Northumberland pick Lady Jane Grey?
- She was married to Northumberland’s son, Guilford Dudley
- Grey was Protestant
When did Lady Jane Grey marry Guilford Dudley?
- May 1553
What was Lady Jane Grey’s claim to the throne?
- She was Henry VIII’s great granddaughter
- Descendant of Mary Tudor (Henry VIII’s younger sister)
How did Edward VI react to the Devise?
- He agreed with the plan and recent research suggests he was a keen instigator
- He signed the agreement
- Wanted to protect Protestantism
When did Edward VI sign the agreement to the Devise?
- Days before his death in July 1553, aged fifteen
When did Edward VI die?
- 6 July 1553
How did parliament respond to the Devise?
- Edward had died before parliament could sanction the Devise
- So, the Devise became illegal
