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Elizabeth and Mary- Were there ever such devoted sisters
The relationship between Mary Tudor and Elizabeth Tudor was complex to say the least. Mary had been the cherished only living child of Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon, and the presumed heiress of England. Then Henry VIII’s lust for a legitimate son and his wife’s beautiful maid of honor, Anne Boleyn, turned Mary’s world upside down. Her honors and titles were stripped along with any friendly adherents, her Lady Governess and tutors. Instead of being Princess of Wales, as she was named by Henry in 1525, Mary was declared a bastard child of an incestuous marriage and sent to serve her younger half sister. The same younger half sister…
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Cardinal Thomas Wolsey
Thomas Wolsey was born in about 1473, the son of Robert Wolsey, allegedly a butcher and his wife Joan Daundy. He attended first Ipswich School, and then Magdalene College School, where he proved to be intelligent and a good student, meticulous and hard-working. He passed a degree at age 15 and went on to study theology at Magdalene College, Oxford. He was ordained as a priest in 1498 in Marlborough, before taking a position as Master of his former school at Magdalene. This position was short-lived as Wolsey was quickly promoted to become Dean of Divinity, and by 1500 had removed to take on the living at St Mary’s Church,…
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How do you solve a problem like Jane Gray?
God was smiling on Mary Tudor. After the Duke of Northumberland’s attempt to put his daughter in law, the former Lady Jane Grey, on the throne, everyone thought she was done for. Even Charles V of Spain, her most ardent partisan, sent greetings on the ascension of Queen Jane and his envoys advised Mary not to press her claim. Obstinate is ever, Mary did not listen, and sent Jehan Scheyfve and Simon Renard, the Imperial ambassadors from Charles V, a copy of her proclamation speech. They were all horrified and urged Mary to accept she was beaten and accept Jane as queen and hope the Privy Council would be lenient…
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The Bastards
We can’t talk about Henry VIII unless we bring up the many illegitimate children he has repudiated to have. Henry only acknowledged one of his bastards that being Henry Fitzroy born 15 June 1519, he was the son of Bessie Blount. Henry gave him a dukedom. Perhaps Henry felt that his lack of a male heir was a slur upon his manhood and quickly acknowledged Fitzroy. Fitzroy died at St. James’s Palace on 23 July 1536. Had he outlived his father with no legitimate sons, he could have perhaps been king. Certainly Henry VIII seemed to pay no heed to convention with regard to illegitimate children. His son was raised…
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Lady Jane Grey and the Crown
Death of Edward VI sent all of England into mourning. He had been a sickly boy, but had been the leader of the new Protestant Revolution. Some of the counselors under his command had grown rich on the dissolution of the monasteries while others had gotten drunk on religious fervor. They had hailed him as “young King Solomon” come to end “heathen rites and detestable idolatory”, but now their King Solomon was failing too young. Henry VIII’s will stipulated the next in line for the throne was Mary, as ardent a Catholic as Edward was a Protestant. The counselors muttered amongst themselves. This would undo all their gains. Something must…
