Post by Mr Modica on Sept 25, 2013 12:15:11 GMT
Mary I: Wyatt’s Rebellion
16 November 1553 Parliament petitioned Mary not to marry Philip of Spain. She declined and plans were laid for a coup to persuade the Princess Elizabeth to marry Edward Courtney, earl of Devon, and to place her on the throne. When it was clear that political support for such a coup would not be forthcoming the plotters planned a national, popular uprising.
The leading plotters were important men in their locality, but their nationalistic anger at the prospect of a Spanish marriage was undoubtedly fuelled by their desire for greater rewards than they currently held. The leading plotters were:
• Sir James Croft, who had been Lord-Deputy of Ireland, 1551-2.
• Sir Peter Carew, who had acted for Somerset during the Western Rebellion in 1549 and had been MP for Devon in 1553,
• Sir Thomas Wyatt, who had been a member of the English council in France.
• Henry Grey, duke of Suffolk, and father of Lady Jane Grey.
There are strong potential religious motives for the rising, Carew had a reputation as a Protestant, Croft has introduced the Protestant liturgy to Ireland in 1551 and Suffolk had entertained the Swiss reformer Bullinger. However Wyatt always maintained that there was no religious motivation behind the revolt.
The rising was planned for 18 March 1554, just before Philip was due to leave for England. News of the plot however leaked out. Renard informed the Queen, and Gardiner was able to extract the gist of the plot from Courtney on 21 January.
Wyatt was the most successful of the plotters in starting the revolt. He was one of the leading landowners in Kent and had served as sheriff in 1550. During the revolts of 1549 he had drawn up plans for a hand-picked militia to protect the government. He took a keen interest in military matters and had written a treatise on the militia.
On 25 January 1554 Wyatt raised the standard of revolt in Maidstone and set up his HQ in Rochester, where by 27 he had about 2,000 supporters, plus other forces in Tonbridge and Sevenoaks.
Wyatt effectively used propaganda, suggesting that there were already small parties of armed Spaniards in Kent making their way to London. He also framed his revolt in traditional terms, saying that he meant no harm to the Queen, but wanted the removal of her councillors.
When Wyatt revealed his true intent to depose Mary to his captains, some said they “wished themselves under the earth for being so unhappy as to be so acquainted with so damnable an enterprise.”
The Duke of Norfolk had been sent from London with about 500 ‘Whitecoats’, members of the London trained bands. He was joined by the loyalist Lord Cobham with about 300 men and advanced towards Rochester. However there appears to have been some collusion between the rebels and the Whitecoats, as on first contact many of the Londoners defected to Wyatt’s side (shouting “we are all Englishmen!”). Norfolk was forced to retreat towards London with the tattered remnants of his force.
Mary used a lull in the rebels advance to win London over to her side, declaring Wyatt et al to be traitors trying to overthrow her religion, she promised to follow Parliament’s advice on her marriage and by 3 February, when Wyatt arrived at Southwark, he found London Bridge guarded against him.
Wyatt crossed the Thames at Knightsbridge, but found Ludgate closed to him and he began to retreat, at which point he was attacked and forced to surrender with about 300 of his followers.
Mary now had a problem of what to do next. Renard urged her to execute Courtney and Elizabeth (the latter was placed in the Tower for a time, but no evidence was found against her). Mary and Gardiner were convinced their victory meant they had support for the re-introduction of Catholicism and that heresy could be safely exterminated (a view which Philip, when he arrived, opposed). Paget however, whose faction was in the ascendant, urged leniency. Only two conspirators were tried, one was acquitted, the other pardoned after a period of imprisonment.
About 480 rebels were tried, though the vast majority were pardoned. 90 were executed, including Wyatt.
Also executed were Guildford and Lady Jane Grey – paying for Suffolk’s treason, although there was no evidence that they were even aware of the rising.
A religious revolt?
There were links between the leading rebels and more extreme forms of Protestantism, although Wyatt never claimed a religious motivation. Mary however saw the revolt in terms of opposition to the restoration of Catholicism (an attitude which allowed her to down play the opposition to her marriage). Many leading Protestants in Kent remained loyal to Mary, however Maidstone was known as a centre of radical Protestantism.
However other local factors were at work. Most rebels came from areas where the local gentry supported Wyatt. Many of the gentry were upset over a recent shake-up of office holders in the county and feared Philip’s arrival would deprive them further of local offices.
Consequences for the marriage:
Whatever Mary may have said about the causes of the revolt Renard and Philip were clear it was a revolt against the marriage. This made Philip even more reluctant to come to England. He managed to put off any decision until July 1554 – during which time the English court made and unmade preparations for his arrival, being largely kept in the dark on Philip’s arrival.
Mary herself spent a month waiting near Southampton for Philip’s arrival and it was not until 23 July 1554 that they finally met at Winchester.
Philip’s arrived with a large retinue, which put paid to the hopes of many English gentlemen who had hoped to find a position within his household.
The marriage took place on 25 July in Winchester. Philip was by all accounts dutiful and solicitous to his new wife, and gracious to all he met, but within a month had arranged for a ship to be made ready to take him back to Spain.
Despite in many ways his best efforts Philip attracted a high degree of hatred and xenophobia, exemplified by Parliament’s repeated insistence that he should not be crowned King – something that deeply offended him.
16 November 1553 Parliament petitioned Mary not to marry Philip of Spain. She declined and plans were laid for a coup to persuade the Princess Elizabeth to marry Edward Courtney, earl of Devon, and to place her on the throne. When it was clear that political support for such a coup would not be forthcoming the plotters planned a national, popular uprising.
The leading plotters were important men in their locality, but their nationalistic anger at the prospect of a Spanish marriage was undoubtedly fuelled by their desire for greater rewards than they currently held. The leading plotters were:
• Sir James Croft, who had been Lord-Deputy of Ireland, 1551-2.
• Sir Peter Carew, who had acted for Somerset during the Western Rebellion in 1549 and had been MP for Devon in 1553,
• Sir Thomas Wyatt, who had been a member of the English council in France.
• Henry Grey, duke of Suffolk, and father of Lady Jane Grey.
There are strong potential religious motives for the rising, Carew had a reputation as a Protestant, Croft has introduced the Protestant liturgy to Ireland in 1551 and Suffolk had entertained the Swiss reformer Bullinger. However Wyatt always maintained that there was no religious motivation behind the revolt.
The rising was planned for 18 March 1554, just before Philip was due to leave for England. News of the plot however leaked out. Renard informed the Queen, and Gardiner was able to extract the gist of the plot from Courtney on 21 January.
Wyatt was the most successful of the plotters in starting the revolt. He was one of the leading landowners in Kent and had served as sheriff in 1550. During the revolts of 1549 he had drawn up plans for a hand-picked militia to protect the government. He took a keen interest in military matters and had written a treatise on the militia.
On 25 January 1554 Wyatt raised the standard of revolt in Maidstone and set up his HQ in Rochester, where by 27 he had about 2,000 supporters, plus other forces in Tonbridge and Sevenoaks.
Wyatt effectively used propaganda, suggesting that there were already small parties of armed Spaniards in Kent making their way to London. He also framed his revolt in traditional terms, saying that he meant no harm to the Queen, but wanted the removal of her councillors.
When Wyatt revealed his true intent to depose Mary to his captains, some said they “wished themselves under the earth for being so unhappy as to be so acquainted with so damnable an enterprise.”
The Duke of Norfolk had been sent from London with about 500 ‘Whitecoats’, members of the London trained bands. He was joined by the loyalist Lord Cobham with about 300 men and advanced towards Rochester. However there appears to have been some collusion between the rebels and the Whitecoats, as on first contact many of the Londoners defected to Wyatt’s side (shouting “we are all Englishmen!”). Norfolk was forced to retreat towards London with the tattered remnants of his force.
Mary used a lull in the rebels advance to win London over to her side, declaring Wyatt et al to be traitors trying to overthrow her religion, she promised to follow Parliament’s advice on her marriage and by 3 February, when Wyatt arrived at Southwark, he found London Bridge guarded against him.
Wyatt crossed the Thames at Knightsbridge, but found Ludgate closed to him and he began to retreat, at which point he was attacked and forced to surrender with about 300 of his followers.
Mary now had a problem of what to do next. Renard urged her to execute Courtney and Elizabeth (the latter was placed in the Tower for a time, but no evidence was found against her). Mary and Gardiner were convinced their victory meant they had support for the re-introduction of Catholicism and that heresy could be safely exterminated (a view which Philip, when he arrived, opposed). Paget however, whose faction was in the ascendant, urged leniency. Only two conspirators were tried, one was acquitted, the other pardoned after a period of imprisonment.
About 480 rebels were tried, though the vast majority were pardoned. 90 were executed, including Wyatt.
Also executed were Guildford and Lady Jane Grey – paying for Suffolk’s treason, although there was no evidence that they were even aware of the rising.
A religious revolt?
There were links between the leading rebels and more extreme forms of Protestantism, although Wyatt never claimed a religious motivation. Mary however saw the revolt in terms of opposition to the restoration of Catholicism (an attitude which allowed her to down play the opposition to her marriage). Many leading Protestants in Kent remained loyal to Mary, however Maidstone was known as a centre of radical Protestantism.
However other local factors were at work. Most rebels came from areas where the local gentry supported Wyatt. Many of the gentry were upset over a recent shake-up of office holders in the county and feared Philip’s arrival would deprive them further of local offices.
Consequences for the marriage:
Whatever Mary may have said about the causes of the revolt Renard and Philip were clear it was a revolt against the marriage. This made Philip even more reluctant to come to England. He managed to put off any decision until July 1554 – during which time the English court made and unmade preparations for his arrival, being largely kept in the dark on Philip’s arrival.
Mary herself spent a month waiting near Southampton for Philip’s arrival and it was not until 23 July 1554 that they finally met at Winchester.
Philip’s arrived with a large retinue, which put paid to the hopes of many English gentlemen who had hoped to find a position within his household.
The marriage took place on 25 July in Winchester. Philip was by all accounts dutiful and solicitous to his new wife, and gracious to all he met, but within a month had arranged for a ship to be made ready to take him back to Spain.
Despite in many ways his best efforts Philip attracted a high degree of hatred and xenophobia, exemplified by Parliament’s repeated insistence that he should not be crowned King – something that deeply offended him.