On this day in Tudor history, 13th October 1553, Queen Mary I wrote a very interesting letter to the imperial ambassador, Simon Renard. In it, she asked the ambassador to meet with her secretly, and she'd encouraged him previously to come to her secretly and in disguise.
Why? What was going on? And why did Mary seem to trust the emperor and his ambassadors more than her own council?
Find out more about the situation...
Also on this day in Tudor history, 13th October 1549, Edward VI’s council abolished his uncle Edward Seymour’s protectorate and membership of the Council.
It was the beginning of the end for Seymour and you can find out what he’d done to provoke his downfall, and what happened next, in this video...
Philip was the best choice for Mary and England and Mary was careful not to let Spain dictate terms and the contract she negotiated was a good one. It specified that England would return to England if Mary died first, that any children born remained the property of the state and would not be educated abroad without the permission of the English Council and it limited our involvement in wars by Spain. It also gave England trade access to the territory of the Spanish Netherlands and other trade links. England wouldn’t become a satellite of Spain.
England was very xenophobic especially about Spain at this time, which was partly the reason for the Wyatt Rebellion, unfounded concerns about the marriage and an attempt of a Protestant coup. Mary remained in London during this uprising which came to nothing. She gave a rallying speech at the Guild Hall and the citizens closed the gates against Wyatt who was forced to surrender.
However, in 1557 England was drawn into war against France and won a great victory at Saint Quentin. However, the French attacked Calais in 1558,_which was lost after 700 years of English occupation. It did us a favour financially but it was our last bit of France. I find it interesting and intriguing Mary having secret meetings to get advice from her cousin, the Emperor Charles V because it makes her much more intriguing as a person.