Three Queens and a King

 

1547:   Henry VIII dies, and Edward VI becomes King

 

Edward VI (r. 1547-1553)

 

·        9 Years old when crowned; a “Boy King,” who will be dominated by his advisors

 

·        He made the Anglican church Protestant in doctrine (he is very Calvanistic)

o       Repealed the Six Articles and replaced them with the 42 Articles

o       Introduced the Book of Common Prayer, the protestant prayer book, into all churches

o       Removed altars and images from churches

o       Allowed priests to marry

o       Replaced services spoken in Latin with English (common vernacular)

 

***Lady Jane Grey (The Nine-Days’ Queen)

·        She was Henry VIII’s sister’s daughter (so cousin to Edward)

·        Edward was forced to sign a paper saying she would be his successor (she is a Protestant).

·        She is queen for 9 days before Mary and the people, who were in favor of a true heir being in charge, overthrow her.

·        Mary throws her into the Tower of London.

 

Mary I / “Bloody Mary” (r. 1553-1558)

 

·        She restored England to the Catholic Church

o       Catholic ritual and doctrine revived

o       The primacy of the pope is acknowledged

o       Altars and statues restored

o       The Book of Common Prayer is repressed

o       Priests could no longer marry

o       Heresy (Protestantism) is punished by flame (300 executions by being burned alive at the stake)

 

·        Major Sister Issues

o       To her, Anne Boleyn is “the Whore” and Elizabeth is “the Bastard.”

o       Through all of the hardships of her life, Mary had only her faith to turn to. Elizabeth tries to convince her that she is not trying to overthrow her and is leaning towards Catholicism (although she is truly a Protestant).

 

·        She is Married to Philip II of Spain (Chicken legs!) who is a Catholic and the son of Charles V

o       He is not very excited about being married to Mary, but to her, he is her fairy-tale  prince

o       She sees Catholics running England forever with her children

o       Thinks all of the unhappiness throughout her life is now over

o       She has several false pregnancies. This last one is the saddest. Instead of a baby, there is a tumor growing in her womb. The uterine cancer will eventually kill her.

 

·        Even though she does not like or trust Elizabeth, she will not sign her death papers. However, Mary will put Lady Jane Grey to death by beheading.

 

Elizabeth I “The Virgin Queen” (r. 1558-1603)

 

·        Why didn’t she marry?

o       She is afraid that a dominant male will take over the throne, and she keeps in open for maneuvering purposes in terms of diplomacy. If she has to marry for an alliance, she can do so. It gives her power to control and get her ideas accomplished.

 

I am already bound unto a husband, which is the Kingdom of England.” – Elizabeth

 

·        She is another Politique (like Catherine de Medici and Henry of Navarre)

o       “I have no wish to open windows into men’s souls.” – Elizabeth

o       “There is only one Christ Jesus and one faith: the rest is a dispute about trifles.” – Elizabeth

o       Her primary goal is to maintain a unified, peaceful kingdom

o       She sought a “middle way” between Catholics and Protestants

o       She insisted on outward loyalty to her and the Church of England

§        She executed only those who openly flouted her authority or threatened her life

 

 

·        “The Elizabethan Settlement”

o       Elizabeth recognized as the “supreme governor” of the Church of England

o       Maintains the Episcopal church organization

o       39 Articles sought to blend Protestant and Catholic ideas – “Maximize Appeal.”

§        Doctrine is basically Calvanistic but vague enough to satisfy most Catholics

§        A revised Book of Common Prayer is adopted

§        Much of Catholic Church décor and vestments are retained

o       Private Catholic worship is tolerated (had to pay a fine)

§        In public, she demanded that you had to at least appear to be a faithful follower of the Church of England. Do NOT challenger her power!

 

·        In 1570, she is excommunicated by the Pope

 

Mary, Queen of Scots

·        She is the Catholic heir to the throne

·        Implicated in numerous plots against the life of Elizabeth

·        She has to flee Scotland for England, where she is arrested and jailed for 19 years

·        She is executed in 1587 after much delay by Elizabeth, who had not wanted to take the issue that far

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