The Spanish Marriage and Wyatt’s Rebellion

Philip’s Pedigree Philip II of Spain Son of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, Philip held the title of Duke of Burgundy until he became King Philip II of Spain at this father’s abdication in For Philip the marriage was purely political, designed to enhance Spanish power at the expense of the French. He had to be persuaded into the marriage by his father.

Why did Mary I marry Philip of Spain? She wanted to produce a Catholic heir to ensure the Catholic succession. She knew Elizabeth would not continue the faith. She was 37 and knew that she had little time to waste if she was to marry and become pregnant. Philip was Spanish and this would cement the alliance between England and Spain against France. He was also a Catholic which fitted in with Mary’s own beliefs and much, it would seem, of England’s. He was politically experienced and his father was Charles V, Mary’s trusted ally. Mary had a personal preference for Philip II of Spain (!). She was encouraged in this by Simon Renard, Charles V’s ambassador. He was not impartial and he had great influence on Mary’s policy making. Marriage to an Englishman could inflame factional rivalry. The husband’s family would become more influential. Edward Courtenay, the Earl of Devon, was the English candidate and he did not measure up to the job, lacking courtly skills.

English Reaction to the Marriage As Gardiner and key members of parliament had predicted the general reaction in England was one of hostility. In an attempt to allay fears a detailed treaty was drawn up:- Philip was to be given the title of King but was to exercise none of the power that went with the title No foreigners were to be permitted to hold English offices If Mary predeceased Philip (died before him) then he would have no claim on the English Crown. However, this treaty failed to prevent rebellion.

The Plan A rebellion had been planned in November There were to be four simultaneous risings: in Devon (led by Courtenay), Hertfordshire, Leicestershire and Kent. The plans leaked out in January 1554 forcing the rebels into action. However, only Kent experienced a serious uprising where Sir Thomas Wyatt raised a force of about 3000 men.

Why did the Kent rebellion happen? Some were motivated by religion with many of Wyatt’s urban supporters coming from Maidstone, a Protestant stronghold. The government would try to play this motive down. Xenophobia, a fear and dislike of foreigners. Philip was Spanish. The decline in the local cloth industry might have motivated some of the poorer rebels, it would have been an outlet for their grievances The rebellion attracted some of the gentry who had lost office within the county.

What happened? Wyatt marched on London either to dissuade Mary from marrying Philip or, if that failed, to stage a coup and remove Mary and replace her with Elizabeth. Mary sent the aged Duke of Norfolk to confront the rebels but this failed and Mary had to fortify London. Wyatt delayed and this gave the Mary the chance to gather support from the City and defend it more effectively. He found his route across the river was blocked so he went upstream to Kingston. However, the City’s defences couldn’t be breached and the rebels eventually surrendered. Wyatt and his chief supporters were captured and executed, although the vast majority of his followers were released.

Why was the rebellion significant? It showed that although Protestants were a minority their religious opinions could not be ignored It demonstrated the extent to which there was popular suspicion of the proposed Spanish marriage Lady Jane Grey was executed, an innocent victim of her father’s support for the rebellion. Elizabeth herself was arrested and confined to the Tower as Mary looked about her with a heightened sense of suspicion. Mary was justifiably convinced that Elizabeth was aware of the rebels’ intentions. However, Wyatt did not implicate her. In addition, her interrogators were Gardiner and Paget and they did not dig deeply. Gardiner had links with Courtenay and Paget because he knew that Elizabeth would one day be Queen. In the end the allegations against Elizabeth could not be substantiated and she was eventually released. The uprising had come close to success. Wyatt had raised and kept a large following, outmanoeuvred the Duke of Norfolk and come close to securing the City of London. Had he succeeded in taking the City Mary’s reign may well have come to an end However, Mary showed that she was brave and resolute and her councillors stood by her with no important defections to the rebel cause.

After all the fuss, was the marriage a success? The marriage took place in July in Winchester. Philip found the welcome as warm as the weather! There was instant hostility between the Spaniards and the English courtiers. The marriage failed in that Mary was never pregnant. Indeed, Philip vowed to spend as little time in England as possible. It failed in that England was once again drawn into the Habsburg (rulers of Spain and HR Empire) Valois (France) rivalry which would have military consequences. In addition, the new Pope elected in 1555 was anti-Spanish which meant Mary’s relations with the papacy were tense.