Mary Flashcards
When did Wyatt’s Rebellion take place?
January 1554
What were the general causes of Wyatt’s Rebellion?
Mary’s marriage to Philip of Spain
Religion
Economic
Factional
What were the concerns of the nation regarding Mary’s marriage to Philip?
Philip would dominate Mary
Top gvmt positions and patronages would go to Spaniards
England would become an outpost of the Hapsburg Empire - loss of national independence
Philip would drag England into European conflicts - would drain resources + result in tax increase
No guarantee Philip would keep to the terms of the marriage treaty as it couldn’t be enforced
Protestants worried they would be targeted as Philip was the head of the world’s Catholic superpower which was carrying out the Spanish Inquisition at the time
What were the terms of Mary and Philip’s marriage treaty?
A son of the marriage would inherit England but not Spain
If there were no heirs, or if Mary were to die before Phillip, neither he nor his heirs would have any claim to the English throne
Philip was to receive the title’ king’ and rule as joint sovereign, but could not possess any sovereign authority in his own right
Philip was not allowed to promote foreigners to hold office in England
Why did Wyatt stress the impact of the royal marriage in his propaganda?
Easy to play on peoples fears and foster nationalist and patriotic sentiment, firing up rebellious attitude
More effective than appealing to religion in a religiously divided country (would’ve gained no Catholic backing)
Was Wyatt’s Rebellion religiously motivated?
YES:
- Only contemporary account of the uprising (by John Proctor) emphasises religious motivation
- Leaders of the intended four-pronged attack all aligned with Protestantism
- No prominent rebels were Catholic
- The area in which Wyatt garnered the most support (Maidstone, Kent) was religiously radical
- The only real violence that occurred was the attack on the property of Stephen Gardiner, Bishop of Winchester
- Protestants were particularly concerned about the marriage between Mary and Philip
NO:
The account written by John Proctor was written on behalf of the gvmt who wanted to condemn rebels as Protestant traitors
What was the economic motivation behind Wyatt’s Rebellion, and was this a notable cause?
Decline in the Kent cloth trade (this was the only area where the rebellion really took off)
BUT, difficult to find proof that this was an actual motivator as over 30 different trades were involved in the rebellion
What were the factional motivations behind Wyatt’s Rebellion?
When Mary came to the throne, many prominent former members of the Edwardian regime lost their positions of influence.
Leaders of the rebellion fell into this category (+ had tried to keep LJG on the throne). Rebellion was the only way to regain influence.
Fears over Spaniards taking positions of power increased this concern
Did the start of Wyatt’s rebellion go to plan?
No. Initially, the plot involved 4 simultaneous rebellions in Kent, Devon, Leicestershire, and on the Welsh borders, but it was hard to persuade potential supporters to leave their homes in the winter.
The rebellion only really took off in Kent, as in Devon people were still mindful of the events of 1549 and there was little support for the scheme in Leicestershire and Wales.
Why DID Wyatt’s Rebellion pose a threat to the monarchy?
Wyatt’s aim (though he disguised it well) was to overthrow the monarchy
Plotters had secured foreign assistance in the form of aid from the French, who would provide naval help in securing ports in the south west of the country
Wyatt was able to assemble a force of 2500-3000 men quickly as he was of high standing within local society
The rising took place close to London, making it much easier for rebels to strike the heart of the regime (London). Rebels reached London and may have conquered the capital had Wyatt not delayed.
Mary’s initial attempt to shut down the rebellion, sending troops under the Duke of Norfolk, failed disastrously.
What was Mary’s reaction to Wyatt’s Rebellion?
Initially tried to suppress it by sending troops under the aged Duke of Norfolk, but many royal soldiers deserted to Wyatt with the cry “ We are all Englishmen”.
Then changed tactics and instead of leaving London to confront the rebels, she stayed in place and used the time to fortify the capital.
She gave a speech to the citizens of london to rally them to her cause. She used flattery, fear of destruction, and the proclamation of Wyatt as a traitor to garner support.
She offered Wyatt a committee to discuss the rebels’ grievances and a pardon for those who went home, which delayed Wyatt further as the offer was considered, giving Mary more time to prepare. The offer of a pardon was also intended to divide the rebels.
Why did Wyatt’s Rebellion fail?
Wyatt on at least two instances delayed instead of moving quickly to London.
Mary’s skilful way of handling the situation.
The public didn’t want further chaos after the unrest of 1549, and were unwilling to see another succession crisis after the LJG affair. They had rallied to Mary’s defence less than a year earlier and were not going to abandon her so soon.
Widespread public resentment of Mary had not yet set in as many of her radical religious policies had not yet been enacted and she hadn’t yet earned her nickname of ‘Bloody Mary’.
Wyatt was unable to attract support from the nobility and instead had to rely for leadership on social groups below the highest ranks. The lack of nationally known men among the leadership meant that, as they moved towards London, they were unable to attract enough support to turn the rising into a large-scale revolt.
In what ways did Wyatt’s Rebellion expose weaknesses in the Marian regime?
Many had remained neutral during the rising as rebels marched on London, waiting to see how events played out rather than picking a side. This showed that although there was no widespread hatred for Mary at the time, she did not have many faithful supporters.
Part of what made the public reluctant to side with Mary was the Spanish marriage - showed the negative impact of this on the popularity of the regime.
Following the rebellion, Mary was aware her position was vulnerable, so didn’t have either Elizabeth or Courtenay executed for their involvement, and only had less than 100 rebels executed. Doing these would have risked further unrest and the regime losing more support
In what ways was Wyatt’s Rebellion successful?
The rebellion prevented the coronation of Philip, which he took as an affront to his dignity and in turn encouraged him to spend as little time in the country as possible - helped ensure no Catholic succession
Also derailed Mary’s plan to disinherit Elizabeth by statute, further ensuring a Protestant succession, and forced her to abandon any plans she might have had to try to restore former monastic lands to the church.
Thus, although Wyatt failed to remove Mary and replace her with Elizabeth in the short term, he did indirectly achieve his goal of ensuring a Protestant nation.
What was the aim of Wyatt’s Rebellion?
To replace Mary with Elizabeth and engineer a Protestant succession, with Elizabeth married to Edward Courtenay
