1 | <html>
|
---|
2 |
|
---|
3 | <head>
|
---|
4 | <meta name="author" content="Marilee Mongello">
|
---|
5 | <meta name="content" content="Queen Elizabeth I: Biography, Portraits with commentary, Primary Sources Elizabeth Tudor 1533 to 1603 The Virgin Queen Gloriana">
|
---|
6 | <meta name="page_topic" content="Queen Elizabeth I: Biography, Portraits with commentary, Primary Sources Elizabeth Tudor 1533 to 1603 The Virgin Queen Gloriana">
|
---|
7 | <meta name="GENERATOR" content="Microsoft FrontPage 5.0">
|
---|
8 | <meta name="ProgId" content="FrontPage.Editor.Document">
|
---|
9 | <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=windows-1252">
|
---|
10 | <meta http-equiv="Content-Language" content="en-us">
|
---|
11 | <title>Queen Elizabeth I: Biography, Portraits, Primary Sources</title>
|
---|
12 | <style fprolloverstyle>A:hover {color: #0000FF; font-weight: bold}
|
---|
13 | </style>
|
---|
14 | </head>
|
---|
15 |
|
---|
16 | <body link="#0000FF" vlink="#0000FF" alink="#0000FF">
|
---|
17 |
|
---|
18 | <table border="0" cellpadding="3" width="100%" height="667">
|
---|
19 | <tr>
|
---|
20 | <td width="25%" height="29"></td>
|
---|
21 | <td valign="top" width="50%" height="29"><p align="center"> </td>
|
---|
22 | <td width="25%" height="29"></td>
|
---|
23 | </tr>
|
---|
24 | <tr>
|
---|
25 | <td width="25%" height="3"></td>
|
---|
26 | <td width="50%" height="3">
|
---|
27 | <p align="center">
|
---|
28 | <IMG height=98 alt="Queen Elizabeth I"
|
---|
29 | src="eliz1-queenuse.gif" width=422></td>
|
---|
30 | <td width="25%" height="3"></td>
|
---|
31 | </tr>
|
---|
32 | <tr>
|
---|
33 | <td width="25%" height="610"></td>
|
---|
34 | <td valign="top" width="50%" height="610">
|
---|
35 | <p align="center">
|
---|
36 | <IMG height=444
|
---|
37 | alt="'The Rainbow Portrait' of Elizabeth I, c1600"
|
---|
38 | src="eliz1-rainbow.jpg" width=350 align=center border=2><blockquote>
|
---|
39 | <p align="left">
|
---|
40 | </blockquote>
|
---|
41 | <DIV align=left>Visit
|
---|
42 | <a href="http://www.marileecody.com/eliz1-images.html">Elizabethan
|
---|
43 | Images</a> to view portraits of the queen and her courtiers, with
|
---|
44 | commentary.<BR>Read poems, letters, and speeches by the queen at <A
|
---|
45 | href="../primary.html">Primary
|
---|
46 | Sources</A>.<BR> </DIV>
|
---|
47 | <DIV align=left>Read ES Beesly's 1892 biography of Queen
|
---|
48 | Elizabeth I at <a href="../secondary.html">
|
---|
49 | Secondary Sources</a>.<BR> </DIV>
|
---|
50 | <DIV align=left>Visit <A
|
---|
51 | href="boleyn.html">the Anne
|
---|
52 | Boleyn website</A> to learn more about Elizabeth's mother.<BR>Visit <A
|
---|
53 | href="../relative/maryqos.html">the Mary,
|
---|
54 | queen of Scots website</A> to learn more about Elizabeth's
|
---|
55 | cousin.<BR><BR>Test your knowledge of Elizabeth's life and times at <A
|
---|
56 | href="../tudor1.html">Tudor
|
---|
57 | Quizzes</A>.</DIV>
|
---|
58 | <DIV align=left> </DIV>
|
---|
59 | <DIV align=left>Meet other Elizabethan enthusiasts at
|
---|
60 | <a href="http://www.alassea.net/fl/elizabeth/">The Virgin Queen
|
---|
61 | fanlisting</a>.</DIV>
|
---|
62 | <DIV align=left> </DIV>
|
---|
63 | </td>
|
---|
64 | <td width="25%" height="610"></td>
|
---|
65 | </tr>
|
---|
66 | </table>
|
---|
67 |
|
---|
68 | <blockquote>
|
---|
69 | <blockquote>
|
---|
70 | <blockquote>
|
---|
71 | <p> </p>
|
---|
72 | <p><B>Elizabeth Tudor is considered by many to be the greatest monarch in
|
---|
73 | English history. When she became queen in 1558, she was twenty-five
|
---|
74 | years old, a survivor of scandal and danger, and considered illegitimate
|
---|
75 | by most Europeans. She inherited a bankrupt nation, torn by
|
---|
76 | religious discord, a weakened pawn between the great powers of France and
|
---|
77 | Spain. She was only the third queen to rule England in her own
|
---|
78 | right; the other two examples, her cousin Lady Jane Grey and half-sister
|
---|
79 | Mary I, were disastrous. Even her supporters believed her position
|
---|
80 | dangerous and uncertain. Her only hope, they counseled, was to marry
|
---|
81 | quickly and lean upon her husband for support. But Elizabeth had
|
---|
82 | other ideas. </B> <BR><B>She ruled alone for nearly half a century,
|
---|
83 | lending her name to a glorious epoch in world history. She dazzled
|
---|
84 | even her greatest enemies. Her sense of duty was admirable, though
|
---|
85 | it came at great personal cost. She was committed above all else to
|
---|
86 | preserving English peace and stability; her genuine love for her subjects
|
---|
87 | was legendary. Only a few years after her death in 1603, they
|
---|
88 | lamented her passing. In her greatest speech to Parliament, she told
|
---|
89 | them, 'I count the glory of my crown that I have reigned with your
|
---|
90 | love.' And five centuries later, the worldwide love affair with
|
---|
91 | Elizabeth Tudor continues.</B></p>
|
---|
92 | <hr>
|
---|
93 | </blockquote>
|
---|
94 | </blockquote>
|
---|
95 | <p><font size="4">'Proud
|
---|
96 | and haughty, as although she knows she was born of such a mother, she
|
---|
97 | nevertheless does not consider herself of inferior degree to the Queen,
|
---|
98 | whom she equals in self-esteem; nor does she believe herself less
|
---|
99 | legitimate than her Majesty, alleging in her own favour that her mother
|
---|
100 | would never cohabit with the King unless by way of marriage, with the
|
---|
101 | authority of the Church.... <BR>She prides herself on her father and
|
---|
102 | glories in him; everybody saying that she also resembles him more than the
|
---|
103 | Queen does and he therefore always liked her and had her brought up in the
|
---|
104 | same way as the Queen.' </font><FONT size=-1> <I>the Venetian
|
---|
105 | ambassador Giovanni Michiel describes Elizabeth; spring 1557</I></FONT></p>
|
---|
106 | <blockquote>
|
---|
107 | <blockquote>
|
---|
108 | <hr>
|
---|
109 | <p>Elizabeth Tudor was born on 7 September 1533 at Greenwich
|
---|
110 | Palace. She was the daughter of <A
|
---|
111 | href="henry8.html">King Henry
|
---|
112 | VIII</A> and his second wife, <A
|
---|
113 | href="boleyn.html">Anne
|
---|
114 | Boleyn</A>. Henry had <A
|
---|
115 | href="../faq.html#Eleven-b">defied the
|
---|
116 | papacy</A> and the Holy Roman Emperor to marry Anne, spurred on by love
|
---|
117 | and the need for a legitimate male heir. And so Elizabeth's birth
|
---|
118 | was one of the most exciting political events in 16th century European
|
---|
119 | history; rarely had so much turmoil occurred on behalf of a mere
|
---|
120 | infant. But the confident predictions of astrologers and physicians
|
---|
121 | were wrong and the longed-for prince turned out to be a princess.
|
---|
122 | </p>
|
---|
123 | <P>Eustace Chapuys, the Imperial ambassador and enemy of Anne Boleyn,
|
---|
124 | described the birth to his master as 'a
|
---|
125 | <IMG height=324 alt="portrait of Elizabeth's mother, Anne Boleyn"
|
---|
126 | src="elizmom.jpg" width=250 border=2 align="left">great disappointment and sorrow to
|
---|
127 | the King, the Lady herself and to others of her party.' But for the
|
---|
128 | next two years, Henry VIII was willing to hope for a son to join this
|
---|
129 | healthy daughter. Immediately after Elizabeth's birth, he wrote to
|
---|
130 | his 17 year old daughter, <A
|
---|
131 | href="mary1.html">Princess
|
---|
132 | Mary</A>, and demanded she relinquish her title Princess of Wales and
|
---|
133 | acknowledge both the annulment of his marriage to her mother, <A
|
---|
134 | href="aragon.html">Katharine of
|
---|
135 | Aragon</A>, and the validity of his new marriage. Mary refused; she
|
---|
136 | already blamed Anne Boleyn (and, by extension, Elizabeth) for the sad
|
---|
137 | alteration of her own fortunes. In December, she was moved into her
|
---|
138 | infant half-sister's household. When told to pay her respects to the
|
---|
139 | baby Princess, she replied that she knew of no Princess of England but
|
---|
140 | herself, and burst into tears. </P>
|
---|
141 | <P>Henry already ignored Mary and Katharine's constant pleas to meet; now
|
---|
142 | he began a more aggressive campaign to secure Anne and Elizabeth's
|
---|
143 | position. For one mother and daughter to be secure, the other pair
|
---|
144 | must necessarily suffer. Most Europeans, and indeed Englishmen,
|
---|
145 | still believed Katharine to be the king's valid wife. Now old and
|
---|
146 | sickly, imprisoned in one moldy castle after another, she remained a very
|
---|
147 | popular figure. Anne Boleyn was dismissed in polite circles as the
|
---|
148 | king's 'concubine' and their marriage was recognized only by those of the new
|
---|
149 | Protestant faith. Henry attempted to legislate popular acceptance of
|
---|
150 | his new queen and heiress. But the various acts and oaths only cost
|
---|
151 | the lives of several prominent Catholics, among them <A
|
---|
152 | href="../citizens/more.html">Sir Thomas
|
---|
153 | More</A> and Bishop John Fisher. The English people never accepted
|
---|
154 | 'Nan Bullen' as their queen. </P>
|
---|
155 | <P>But while she had the king's personal favor, Elizabeth's mother was
|
---|
156 | secure. And she held that favor far longer than any had
|
---|
157 | expected. It was only after she miscarried twice that Henry began to
|
---|
158 | consider this second marriage as cursed as the first. The last
|
---|
159 | miscarriage occurred in January 1536; Katharine died that same
|
---|
160 | month. With her death, the king's Catholic critics considered him a
|
---|
161 | widower, free to marry again. And this next marriage would not be
|
---|
162 | tainted by the specter of bigamy. It was only necessary to get rid
|
---|
163 | of Anne, and find a new wife - one who could hopefully deliver a
|
---|
164 | son. The king already had a candidate in mind; her name was <A
|
---|
165 | href="seymour.html">Jane
|
---|
166 | Seymour</A>, a lady-in-waiting to both Katharine and Anne. </P>
|
---|
167 | <P>In the end, Henry VIII was not merely content to annul his marriage to
|
---|
168 | Anne. She was arrested, charged with a variety of crimes which even
|
---|
169 | her enemies discounted, and executed on 19 May 1536. Her little
|
---|
170 | daughter was now in the same position as her half-sister, Princess
|
---|
171 | Mary. However, all of Europe and most Englishmen considered Mary to
|
---|
172 | be Henry's legitimate heir, despite legislation to the contrary. No
|
---|
173 | one believed Elizabeth to be more than the illegitimate daughter of the
|
---|
174 | king. Also, there were already disparaging rumors of her mother's
|
---|
175 | infidelities; perhaps the solemn, red-headed child was not the king's
|
---|
176 | after all? It was to Henry's (small) credit that he always
|
---|
177 | acknowledged Elizabeth as his own, and took pride in her intellectual
|
---|
178 | accomplishments. As she grew older, even Catholic courtiers noted
|
---|
179 | Elizabeth resembled her father more than Mary did. </P>
|
---|
180 | <P>Henry married Jane just twelve days after Anne's execution and his
|
---|
181 | long-awaited son, <A
|
---|
182 | href="edward6.html">Prince
|
---|
183 | Edward</A>, was born in October 1537. Elizabeth participated in the
|
---|
184 | christening, carried by Thomas Seymour, the handsome young brother of the
|
---|
185 | queen. Jane died shortly after the birth of childbed fever.
|
---|
186 | Henry VIII married <A
|
---|
187 | href="cleves.html">Anne of
|
---|
188 | Cleves</A> on Twelfth Night (6 January) 1541. The marriage was a disaster,
|
---|
189 | and Henry quickly divorced Anne and married <A
|
---|
190 | href="howard.html">Catherine
|
---|
191 | Howard</A>. Catherine was a cousin of Anne Boleyn; they were both
|
---|
192 | related to Thomas Howard, 3rd duke of Norfolk and perhaps Henry's most
|
---|
193 | nervous peer. The king enjoyed a brief few months of happiness with
|
---|
194 | his fifth wife. But Catherine was thirty years younger than Henry
|
---|
195 | and soon enough resumed an affair with a former lover. She was
|
---|
196 | executed in February 1543 and buried beside Anne Boleyn in the Tower of
|
---|
197 | London. </P>
|
---|
198 | <P>For Elizabeth, these changes in her father's marital fortunes did not
|
---|
199 | pass unnoticed. She was part of her half-brother Edward's household;
|
---|
200 | her days were spent mostly at lessons, with the occasional visit from her
|
---|
201 | father. As a child, no one expected her to comment upon her
|
---|
202 | various stepmothers. It was only when she reached adulthood and
|
---|
203 | became queen that its psychological effects were revealed. Elizabeth
|
---|
204 | had a dim view of romantic love and, given her father's example, who can
|
---|
205 | blame her? </P>
|
---|
206 | <P>It was Henry's sixth and final wife, <A
|
---|
207 | href="parr.html">Katharine
|
---|
208 | Parr</A>, who had the greatest impact upon Elizabeth's life. A kind
|
---|
209 | woman who believed passionately in<img border="2" src="eliz1-scrots.jpg" align="right" alt="Princess Elizabeth, c1546, attributed to William Scrots" width="370" height="495"> education and religious reform,
|
---|
210 | Katharine was a devoted stepmother. Understandably, she had far more
|
---|
211 | of an impact with the young Edward and Elizabeth than with Mary, who was
|
---|
212 | just four years her junior. Katharine arranged for 10 year old
|
---|
213 | Elizabeth to have the most distinguished tutors in England, foremost among
|
---|
214 | them Roger Ascham. As a result, Elizabeth was educated as well as
|
---|
215 | any legitimate prince, and she displayed a genuine love and aptitude for
|
---|
216 | her studies. 'Her mind has no womanly weakness,' Ascham would write
|
---|
217 | approvingly, 'her perseverance is equal to that of a man.' And
|
---|
218 | later, 'She readeth more Greek every day, than some Prebendaries of this
|
---|
219 | Church do in a whole week.' And so she did; Elizabeth's love of
|
---|
220 | scholarship never faltered and, in an age when women were considered
|
---|
221 | inferior to men, she was a glorious exception. </P>
|
---|
222 | <P>
|
---|
223 | Along with
|
---|
224 | such classical subjects as rhetoric, languages, philosophy, and history,
|
---|
225 | Elizabeth also studied theology. Ascham and her other tutors were
|
---|
226 | famous Cambridge humanists who supported the Protestant cause.
|
---|
227 | Likewise, Katharine Parr was devoted to the reformed faith. Unlike
|
---|
228 | their half-sister Mary, both Edward and Elizabeth were raised Protestant
|
---|
229 | during its most formative years. Yet while Edward was known for his
|
---|
230 | piety and didacticism, Elizabeth already displayed the pragmatic character
|
---|
231 | which would make her reign successful. She studied theology and
|
---|
232 | supported the Protestant cause; she had been raised to do so and knew
|
---|
233 | only Protestants recognized her parents' marriage. But she was never
|
---|
234 | openly passionate about religion, recognizing its divisive role in English
|
---|
235 | politics. </P>
|
---|
236 | <P> Most people viewed the adolescent Elizabeth as a serious young
|
---|
237 | woman who always carried a book with her, preternaturally composed.
|
---|
238 | She encouraged this perception, which was as accurate as any, by dressing
|
---|
239 | with a degree of severity virtually absent at the Tudor royal court.
|
---|
240 | But she was not so serious that she avoided all the material trappings of
|
---|
241 | her position. Her household accounts, which came under the
|
---|
242 | management of William Cecil (who later became her secretary of state),
|
---|
243 | show evidence of a cultivated and lively mind, as well as a love of
|
---|
244 | entertainment: fees for musicians, musical instruments, and a
|
---|
245 | variety of books. As she grew older and her position more prominent,
|
---|
246 | her household also expanded. During her brother Edward's reign, she
|
---|
247 | lived the life of a wealthy and privileged lady - and apparently enjoyed
|
---|
248 | it immensely. </P>
|
---|
249 | <P>Elizabeth was thirteen years old when her father died. They
|
---|
250 | were never particularly close though he treated her with affection on her
|
---|
251 | few visits to his court. He even occasionally discussed the
|
---|
252 | possibility of her marriage for, in the 16th century, royal bastards were
|
---|
253 | common and often used to great advantage in diplomacy. Under the
|
---|
254 | 1536 'Second Act of Succession', which declared both her and the 19 year
|
---|
255 | old Mary illegitimate, Parliament gave Henry the ability to determine his
|
---|
256 | children's status, as well as the actual succession. Typically for
|
---|
257 | Henry, he simply let both his daughters live as princesses and gave them
|
---|
258 | precedence over everyone at court except his current wife. But they
|
---|
259 | had no real claim to the title of 'princess' and were known as 'the lady
|
---|
260 | Elizabeth' and 'the lady Mary'. This was often followed by the
|
---|
261 | explanatory 'the king's daughter.' It was an awkward situation which
|
---|
262 | the king saw no reason to resolve. His will did recognize his
|
---|
263 | daughters' crucial place in the succession. If Edward died without
|
---|
264 | heirs, Mary would inherit the throne; if Mary died without heirs,
|
---|
265 | Elizabeth would become queen. He also left them the substantial
|
---|
266 | income of 3000 pds a year, the same amount for each daughter. </P>
|
---|
267 | <P>Did Elizabeth mourn her father? Undoubtedly so, for at least
|
---|
268 | under Henry VIII she was three steps from the throne and protected by his
|
---|
269 | rough paternal affection. After his death, she had good cause to
|
---|
270 | wish him alive again. Ten year old Edward was king in name
|
---|
271 | only. The rule of England was actually in the hands of his uncle,
|
---|
272 | the Lord Protector Edward Seymour, soon titled duke of Somerset.
|
---|
273 | Elizabeth was now separated from her brother's household, moving to
|
---|
274 | Katharine Parr's home in Chelsea. This was perhaps the happiest time
|
---|
275 | of her adolescence. </P>
|
---|
276 | <P>But Katharine married again quickly, to the man she had loved before
|
---|
277 | Henry VIII had claimed her. Her new husband was Thomas Seymour, the
|
---|
278 | younger brother of Lord Protector Somerset and uncle to the new King
|
---|
279 | Edward. He was handsome, charming, and very ambitious. He also
|
---|
280 | had terrible political instincts. Seymour was not content to be
|
---|
281 | husband of the Dowager Queen of England. He was jealous of his
|
---|
282 | brother's position and desperate to upstage him. And so he
|
---|
283 | inadvertently played into the hands of the equally ambitious John Dudley,
|
---|
284 | earl of Warwick. Dudley wished to destroy the Seymour protectorship
|
---|
285 | and seize power for himself. He allowed the feuding brothers to
|
---|
286 | destroy each other. </P>
|
---|
287 | <P>For Elizabeth, the main problem with Seymour was his inappropriate and
|
---|
288 | very flirtatious behavior. As a teenaged girl with little experience
|
---|
289 | of men, she was flattered by his attention and also a bit
|
---|
290 | frightened. Certainly it placed great strain on Katharine Parr, who
|
---|
291 | had become pregnant soon after her marriage. The queen originally
|
---|
292 | participated in Seymour's early morning raids into Elizabeth's room, where
|
---|
293 | he would tickle and wrestle with the girl in her nightdress. But
|
---|
294 | while Katharine considered this simple fun, her husband was more
|
---|
295 | serious. He soon had keys made for every room in their house and
|
---|
296 | started visiting Elizabeth while she was still asleep and he was clad in
|
---|
297 | just his nightshirt. She soon developed the habit of rising early;
|
---|
298 | when he appeared, her nose was safely in a book. Edward's council heard
|
---|
299 | rumors of these romps and investigated. Elizabeth proved herself
|
---|
300 | circumspect and clever; she managed to admit nothing which would
|
---|
301 | offend </P>
|
---|
302 | <P>She left the Seymour home for Hatfield House in May 1548, ostensibly
|
---|
303 | because the queen was 'undoubtful of health'. Elizabeth and
|
---|
304 | Katharine exchanged affectionate letters, but they would not meet
|
---|
305 | again. The queen died on 4 September 1548 of childbed fever.
|
---|
306 | </P>
|
---|
307 | <P>After her death, Seymour's position became more dangerous. It was
|
---|
308 | rumored that he wished to marry Elizabeth and thus secure the throne of
|
---|
309 | England in case Edward died young. He had already bought the
|
---|
310 | wardship of <A
|
---|
311 | href="../relative/janegrey.html">Lady Jane
|
---|
312 | Grey</A>, a Tudor cousin and heir in Henry VIII's will. He planned
|
---|
313 | to marry Jane and Edward, thus securing primary influence with his
|
---|
314 | nephew. Eventually, his grandiose plans unraveled and he was
|
---|
315 | arrested. Perhaps the most damning charge was his planned marriage
|
---|
316 | to Elizabeth. Immediately, the council sent Sir Robert Tyrwhit to
|
---|
317 | Hatfield with the mission to take control of Elizabeth's household and
|
---|
318 | gain her confession. He immediately arrested Elizabeth's beloved
|
---|
319 | governess Kat Ashley and her cofferer, Thomas Parry; they were sent to the
|
---|
320 | Tower. Now, Tyrwhit told the princess, confess all; he wanted
|
---|
321 | confirmation of the charge that Seymour and Elizabeth planned to
|
---|
322 | wed. If she confessed, Tyrwhit said, she would be forgiven for she
|
---|
323 | was young and foolish - her servants should have protected her. </P>
|
---|
324 | <P>
|
---|
325 | <IMG height=122 alt="Elizabeth's signature as Princess of England"
|
---|
326 | src="elizsig-sm.jpg" width=200 align=left border=2>Elizabeth did not hesitate to demonstrate her own wit and
|
---|
327 | learning. Indeed, she drove Tyrwhit to exasperation; 'in no way will
|
---|
328 | she confess any practice by Mistress Ashley or the cofferer concerning my
|
---|
329 | lord Admiral; and yet I do see it in her face that she is guilty and do
|
---|
330 | perceive as yet she will abide more storms ere she accuse Mistress
|
---|
331 | Ashley,' he wrote to Somerset, 'I do assure your Grace she hath a very
|
---|
332 | good wit and nothing is gotten of her but by great policy.'
|
---|
333 | Elizabeth refused to scapegoat her loyal servants and defiantly asserted
|
---|
334 | her complete innocence. She told Tyrwhit she cared nothing for the
|
---|
335 | Admiral and when he had mentioned some vague possibility of marriage, she
|
---|
336 | had referred him to the council. She also secured permission to
|
---|
337 | write to Somerset and, upon doing so, demanded a public apology be made
|
---|
338 | regarding her innocence. She also demanded the return of her loyal
|
---|
339 | servants for if they did not return, she said, her guilt would be
|
---|
340 | assumed. She read Ashley and Parry's 'confessions' in which they
|
---|
341 | described Seymour's romps with her at Katharine Parr's home. The
|
---|
342 | details were undoubtedly embarrassing but she recognized their
|
---|
343 | harmlessness. In short, she demonstrated every aspect of her
|
---|
344 | formidable intelligence and determination. Poor Tyrwhit left for
|
---|
345 | London with no damaging confession. </P>
|
---|
346 | <P>But the council didn't need Elizabeth's confession to execute
|
---|
347 | Seymour. He was charged with thirty-three other crimes, and he
|
---|
348 | answered only three of the charges. He was not given a trial; a
|
---|
349 | messy execution was always best passed by a Bill of Attainder. He
|
---|
350 | was executed on 20 March 1549, dying 'very dangerously, irksomely,
|
---|
351 | horribly... a wicked man and the realm is well rid of him.' Contrary
|
---|
352 | to some biographies, Elizabeth did not say, 'This day died a man with much
|
---|
353 | wit, and very little judgment.' The 17th century Italian novelist
|
---|
354 | Leti invented this, as well as several forged letters long supposed to be
|
---|
355 | hers. </P>
|
---|
356 | <P>Soon enough, Seymour's brother followed him to the scaffold.
|
---|
357 | Somerset was a kind man in private life and genuinely dedicated to
|
---|
358 | economic and religious reform in England but, as a politician, he failed
|
---|
359 | miserably. He lacked charisma and confidence; he preferred to bully
|
---|
360 | and bluster his way through council meetings. He simply did not
|
---|
361 | understand how to manage the divisive personalities of Edward VI's privy
|
---|
362 | council. Meanwhile, John Dudley had been quietly manipulating other
|
---|
363 | councilors and the young king to gain ascendancy. Upon Somerset's
|
---|
364 | execution, Dudley became Lord Protector; he was also titled duke of
|
---|
365 | Northumberland. He was the first non-royal Englishman given that
|
---|
366 | title. </P>
|
---|
367 | <P>For Elizabeth, these events were merely background noise at
|
---|
368 | first. Dudley took pains to cultivate a friendship with her, which
|
---|
369 | she wisely avoided. He sent her and Mary amiable letters.
|
---|
370 | Since Mary was a Catholic, and Dudley a Protestant who had benefited
|
---|
371 | materially from the Reformation, he was necessarily more friendly to
|
---|
372 | Elizabeth. For example, Edward VI had given Dudley Hatfield House,
|
---|
373 | which was currently Elizabeth's residence. Dudley graciously
|
---|
374 | returned it to her in exchange for lesser lands in her possession.
|
---|
375 | He also passed the patents to her lands, which allowed her more
|
---|
376 | income. This, of course, should have been done at Henry VIII's
|
---|
377 | death. So Elizabeth at first benefited from Dudley's rise to
|
---|
378 | power. She was now a well-respected and popular princess, a landed
|
---|
379 | lady in her own right with a large income and keen mind. She was
|
---|
380 | also an heir to the English throne, though still officially recognized as
|
---|
381 | a bastard. But she was shown every respect, and a degree of
|
---|
382 | affection from Edward VI completely lacking in his relations with their
|
---|
383 | sister Mary. </P>
|
---|
384 | <P>Their mutual faith was an important connection with the increasingly
|
---|
385 | devout Edward. Elizabeth visited Court occasionally, corresponded
|
---|
386 | with her brother, and continued her studies mainly at Hatfield. She
|
---|
387 | had always been excessively cautious and very intelligent, qualities she
|
---|
388 | displayed to great effect during the Seymour crisis. The only time
|
---|
389 | in her life when she demonstrated any recklessness had been during the
|
---|
390 | Seymour debacle; she had learned its lesson well. </P>
|
---|
391 | <P>She also cultivated the image of a sober Protestant young lady.
|
---|
392 | When queen, she became known for her love of beautiful gowns and
|
---|
393 | jewels. But before 1558, she took care to dress soberly, the image
|
---|
394 | of chastity and modesty. This was perhaps a conscious attempt to
|
---|
395 | distance herself from Mary, a typical Catholic princess who dressed in all
|
---|
396 | the glittering and garish finery she could afford. It is an ironic
|
---|
397 | note on Mary's character that she has become known as a dour, plain woman;
|
---|
398 | she was as fond of clothes and jewelry as her sister would become.
|
---|
399 | It was Elizabeth who dressed plainly, most often in severely cut black or
|
---|
400 | white gowns. She wore each color to great effect. She had
|
---|
401 | matured into a tall, slender and striking girl, with a fair, unblemished
|
---|
402 | complexion and the famous Tudor red hair. She wore her hair loose
|
---|
403 | and did not use cosmetics. When she traveled about the countryside,
|
---|
404 | crowds gathered to see her, a Protestant princess renowned for her virtue
|
---|
405 | and learning, her appearance modest and pleasing. In this respect,
|
---|
406 | she was emulated by her cousin Jane Grey. When Jane was invited to a
|
---|
407 | reception for Mary of Guise, the regent of Scotland, Mary Tudor sent her
|
---|
408 | 'some goodly apparel of tinsel cloth of gold and velvet laid on with
|
---|
409 | parchment lace of gold.' Jane, a devout Protestant, was offended;
|
---|
410 | such apparel reflected the material trappings of Catholicism. When
|
---|
411 | her parents insisted she wear it, Jane replied, 'Nay, that were a shame to
|
---|
412 | follow my Lady Mary against God's word, and leave my Lady Elizabeth, which
|
---|
413 | followeth God's word.' </P>
|
---|
414 | <P>Elizabeth was honorably and extravagantly received at her brother's
|
---|
415 | court. For example, on 17 March 1552, she arrived at St James's
|
---|
416 | Palace with 'a great company of lords, knights and gentlemen' along with
|
---|
417 | over 200 ladies and a company of yeomen. Two days later she left St
|
---|
418 | James for Whitehall Palace, her procession accompanied by a grand
|
---|
419 | collection of nobles. The visit was a marked success for Edward was
|
---|
420 | open in his affection. She was his 'sweet sister Temperance,' unlike
|
---|
421 | Mary who continued to defy his religious policy. The Primary Sources
|
---|
422 | section of this site contains an excerpt from Edward VI's journal in which
|
---|
423 | he records a religious argument with Mary. In that matter, Elizabeth
|
---|
424 | remained distant, preferring to let her siblings argue without her.
|
---|
425 | </P>
|
---|
426 | <P>Edward's ministers, especially after the Seymour affair, were careful
|
---|
427 | with her. Dudley recognized Elizabeth's formidable
|
---|
428 | intelligence. When Edward VI became ill in 1553 and it was clear he
|
---|
429 | would not survive, Dudley had a desperate plan to save himself from Mary
|
---|
430 | I's Catholic rule - place Henry VIII's niece, Lady Jane Grey on the
|
---|
431 | throne. (This is discussed in great length at the <A
|
---|
432 | href="../relative/janegrey.html">Lady Jane
|
---|
433 | Grey</A> site.) Simply put, Dudley believed he would be supported
|
---|
434 | because Jane was Protestant and the English would not want the Catholic
|
---|
435 | Mary on the throne. Of course, the question arises - Elizabeth was
|
---|
436 | Protestant, so why not put her on the throne instead of Jane? The
|
---|
437 | main reason is that Dudley was well aware that Elizabeth Tudor would not
|
---|
438 | be his puppet, unlike Jane Grey whom he had married to his son
|
---|
439 | Guildford. As for Edward VI, he went along with the plan because of
|
---|
440 | two main reasons: Elizabeth was illegitimate so there might be resistance
|
---|
441 | to her rule and, as a princess, she might be persuaded to marry a foreign
|
---|
442 | prince and England would fall under foreign control. Jane was
|
---|
443 | already safely wed to an Englishman. </P>
|
---|
444 | <P>
|
---|
445 | <IMG height=228
|
---|
446 | alt="a profile portrait of Elizabeth's half-brother, King Edward VI"
|
---|
447 | src="edward4-cr.jpg" width=150 border=2 align="left">Edward VI's decision should not indicate any great dislike of
|
---|
448 | Elizabeth. He was primarily determined to preserve the Protestant
|
---|
449 | regime in England. He believed this was necessary for his personal
|
---|
450 | and political salvation. He was also practical. He
|
---|
451 | disinherited Mary because of her Catholicism; however, it was officially
|
---|
452 | sanctioned because of her illegitimacy. Like Elizabeth, Mary had her
|
---|
453 | illegitimacy established by an act of Parliament during Henry VIII's
|
---|
454 | reign. Since he had ostensibly disinherited Mary because of this
|
---|
455 | act, he couldn't let Elizabeth inherit - it simply wasn't logical.
|
---|
456 | So the throne would pass to the legitimate - and Protestant - Lady Jane
|
---|
457 | Grey. As most know, she ruled for just nine days before Mary became
|
---|
458 | queen of England. It should be noted that Edward originally told
|
---|
459 | Dudley that, though he didn't want Mary to succeed him, he saw no logical
|
---|
460 | reason for Elizabeth to be disowned. It was Dudley who pointed out
|
---|
461 | the logical inconsistency - that Mary 'could not be put by unless the Lady
|
---|
462 | Elizabeth were put by also.' </P>
|
---|
463 | <P>Dudley attempted to place Mary and Elizabeth in his power while Edward
|
---|
464 | was dying. He knew that if he imprisoned the two princesses, they
|
---|
465 | would be unable to rouse popular support against his plan. But if
|
---|
466 | that failed, he was determined to prevent them from seeing Edward,
|
---|
467 | especially Elizabeth. Dudley feared that Edward's affection for his
|
---|
468 | sister, and Elizabeth's cleverness, might persuade Edward to rewrite his
|
---|
469 | will in her favor. Like her sister, Elizabeth would undoubtedly
|
---|
470 | destroy Dudley, making him the scapegoat for Edward's ineffectual
|
---|
471 | regime. In fact, Elizabeth had suspected her brother was ill and set
|
---|
472 | out from Hatfield to visit him just a few weeks before Edward died, but
|
---|
473 | Dudley's men intercepted her and sent her home. She then wrote her
|
---|
474 | brother a number of letters, inquiring about his health and asking
|
---|
475 | permission to come to Court. These were intercepted as well.
|
---|
476 | </P>
|
---|
477 | <P>But as Edward's health continued to deteriorate and death was imminent,
|
---|
478 | Dudley sent a message to Hatfield, ordering Elizabeth to Greenwich
|
---|
479 | Palace. She may have been warned of his intentions - more likely she
|
---|
480 | guessed them. She refused the summons, taking to her bed with a
|
---|
481 | sudden illness. As a further precaution, her doctor sent a letter to
|
---|
482 | the council certifying she was too ill for travel. As for Mary,
|
---|
483 | Dudley had told her that Edward desired her presence; it would be a
|
---|
484 | comfort to him during his illness. She was torn - though Dudley hid
|
---|
485 | the true extent of the king's illness, the Imperial ambassador had kept
|
---|
486 | Mary informed. He was the agent of her cousin, the Holy Roman
|
---|
487 | Emperor Charles V; Mary's mother had been his aunt. Conscious of her
|
---|
488 | sisterly duty, Mary set out for Greenwich from Hunsdon the day before
|
---|
489 | Edward died. </P>
|
---|
490 | <P>Dudley was enraged by Elizabeth's refusal but he could do
|
---|
491 | nothing. Soon enough, events moved too quickly for the princess to
|
---|
492 | be his primary concern. It was being whispered that Dudley had
|
---|
493 | poisoned the king to place his daughter-in-law on the throne. Of
|
---|
494 | course, this was untrue since Dudley needed Edward to live as long as
|
---|
495 | possible for his plan to work. To this end, he had engaged a female
|
---|
496 | 'witch' to help prolong the king's life. She concocted a mix of
|
---|
497 | arsenic and other drugs; they worked, at least for Dudley's purpose.
|
---|
498 | The young king lived for a few more weeks though he suffered
|
---|
499 | terribly. Finally, on 6 July 1553, Edward VI died.
|
---|
500 | Immediately, Dudley had Jane Grey proclaimed queen, an honor she had not
|
---|
501 | sought and did not want. It was only Dudley's appeal to her
|
---|
502 | religious convictions which convinced her to accept the throne. </P>
|
---|
503 | <P>Meanwhile, Jane's cousin, Mary Tudor, was still on her way to Greenwich
|
---|
504 | to see her brother, until a sympathizer (sent by Nicholas Throckmorton or
|
---|
505 | William Cecil) rode out to meet her; the summons was a trap, he told her,
|
---|
506 | and Dudley intended to imprison her. Mary rode to East Anglia, the
|
---|
507 | conservative section of England where her support would be
|
---|
508 | strongest. Eventually she would realize the true extent of her
|
---|
509 | support. Protestants and Catholics alike rallied to her cause since
|
---|
510 | she was Henry VIII's daughter and the true heir under his will. As
|
---|
511 | she left for East Anglia, she didn't know her brother was already dead but
|
---|
512 | she sent a note to the Imperial ambassador Simon Renard; once she knew of
|
---|
513 | Edward's death, she said, she would declare herself queen. She sent
|
---|
514 | another note to Dudley, telling him she was too ill to travel. </P>
|
---|
515 | <P>The failure of Dudley's ambitions is discussed at the <A
|
---|
516 | href="../relative/janegrey.html">Lady Jane
|
---|
517 | Grey</A> site. Suffice to say, he was overthrown and executed and
|
---|
518 | Mary Tudor, at the age of thirty-seven, was declared queen of England in
|
---|
519 | her own right. During the nine days of Jane's reign, Elizabeth had
|
---|
520 | continued her pretense of illness. It was rumored that Dudley had
|
---|
521 | sent councilors to her, offering a large bribe if she would just renounce
|
---|
522 | her claim to the throne. Elizabeth refused, remarking, 'You must
|
---|
523 | first make this agreement with my elder sister, during whose lifetime I
|
---|
524 | have no claim or title to resign.' So she remained at her beloved
|
---|
525 | Hatfield, deliberately avoiding a commitment one way or another.
|
---|
526 | When word reached her that Mary was finally queen, she sent a letter of
|
---|
527 | congratulation to her sister and set off for London. On 29 July, she
|
---|
528 | entered the capital with 2000 mounted men wearing the green and white
|
---|
529 | Tudor colors. There she awaited Mary's official arrival into the
|
---|
530 | city. On 31 July, Elizabeth rode with her attendant nobles along the
|
---|
531 | Strand and through the City to Colchester, the same path her sister would
|
---|
532 | take. It was here she would receive her sister as queen. They
|
---|
533 | had not seen each other for about five years. </P>
|
---|
534 | <P>Mary had always disliked her half-sister for many reasons, not least
|
---|
535 | because she sensed an innate shiftiness in Elizabeth's character.
|
---|
536 | Elizabeth, Mary believed, was never to be trusted. Originally, this
|
---|
537 | dislike was because of Elizabeth's mother, Anne Boleyn. Mary had
|
---|
538 | long blamed Anne for her own mother's tragic end as well as the alienation
|
---|
539 | of her father's affections. After Anne died and Elizabeth, too, was
|
---|
540 | declared illegitimate, Mary found other reasons to hate Elizabeth, chief
|
---|
541 | among them religion. Like her mother, Mary was a devout Catholic;
|
---|
542 | she recognized Elizabeth's lack of religious zeal. <img border="2" src="elizsister.jpg" align="right" alt="portrait of Elizabeth's half-sister, Queen Mary I; she ruled England from 1553 to 1558" width="350" height="522"> But at her
|
---|
543 | accession, the moment of her great triumph, she was prepared to be
|
---|
544 | conciliatory. </P>
|
---|
545 | <P>Mary ordered that Elizabeth share her triumphal march through
|
---|
546 | London. Their processions met at Wanstead on 2 August. There,
|
---|
547 | Elizabeth dismounted and knelt in the road before her sister. Mary
|
---|
548 | dismounted and raised her sister, embracing and kissing her with
|
---|
549 | affection. She even held her hand as they spoke. Their two
|
---|
550 | parties entered London together, the sisters riding side by side.
|
---|
551 | The contrast between their physical appearances could not have been more
|
---|
552 | striking. Mary, at thirty-seven, was old beyond her years. An
|
---|
553 | adulthood passed in anxiety and tribulation had marred her health and
|
---|
554 | appearance. She was small like her mother and thin, with Katharine's
|
---|
555 | deep, almost gruff voice. Elizabeth was nineteen years old, taller
|
---|
556 | than her sister and slender. While Mary was richly attired in
|
---|
557 | velvets covered in jewels and gold, Elizabeth was dressed in her usual
|
---|
558 | strikingly severe style. Neither sister was conventionally beautiful
|
---|
559 | but onlookers commented upon Mary's open compassion and kindness and
|
---|
560 | Elizabeth's innate majesty. And since Mary was thirty-seven, quite
|
---|
561 | old to have a child, Elizabeth was viewed as her probable heir. As
|
---|
562 | such, she was cheered as much as the new queen. </P>
|
---|
563 | <P>On 1 October, Elizabeth rode to Mary's coronation with Henry VIII's
|
---|
564 | discarded fourth wife, Anne of Cleves. She was once again accorded a
|
---|
565 | place of honor amongst the English ladies, though not the highest position
|
---|
566 | as was her due. The Imperial ambassador Renard reported that she
|
---|
567 | spoke often with the French ambassador de Noailles. For his part, de
|
---|
568 | Noailles reported that Elizabeth complained her coronet was too heavy and
|
---|
569 | made her head ache. He replied to her that, God willing, she would
|
---|
570 | soon wear a heavier crown. </P>
|
---|
571 | <P>This was dangerous talk, as Elizabeth soon discovered. Mary's
|
---|
572 | mood was fickle regarding her clever half-sister. For every kind
|
---|
573 | word or gesture, there were public statements dismissing Henry VIII as
|
---|
574 | Elizabeth's father, or allowing distant cousins precedent at court.
|
---|
575 | It was simply impossible for Mary to forget the past, etched so acutely
|
---|
576 | upon her spirit. She could not like Elizabeth, nor trust her.
|
---|
577 | Elizabeth responded to this emotional hostility by retreating to
|
---|
578 | Hatfield. There she continued her studies and attempted to remain
|
---|
579 | safe in the morass of English politics. </P>
|
---|
580 | <P>But however much she might wish for peace, she was not to have
|
---|
581 | it. She was destined to be the focal point for all discontent over
|
---|
582 | Mary's reign. And there was soon much reason for discontent.
|
---|
583 | Edward VI's council had left the economy in shambles; currency was debased
|
---|
584 | and near worthless. There was a series of bad harvests. Prices
|
---|
585 | rose and discontent spread. And worst of all, Mary soon decided to
|
---|
586 | marry King Philip II of Spain, son and heir of Charles V. This was
|
---|
587 | yet another example of her inability to forget the past. Philip
|
---|
588 | represented the homeland of her beloved mother, and a chance to bring all
|
---|
589 | the weight of the Holy Roman Empire to bear upon the heretics of
|
---|
590 | England. Mary was determined to turn back the clock on twenty years
|
---|
591 | of religious reform and make England a Catholic nation again. </P>
|
---|
592 | <P>Understandably, her subjects were less than thrilled. Even
|
---|
593 | English Catholics did not want their country to become a powerless
|
---|
594 | appendage of the Hapsburg empire. Certainly a queen had to marry,
|
---|
595 | but not the emperor's son! In this climate of rebellion and
|
---|
596 | repression, Elizabeth's life was in great danger. It could not be
|
---|
597 | otherwise; she was the only alternative to Mary's rule. </P>
|
---|
598 | <P>Elizabeth conformed outwardly to the Catholic faith. But she
|
---|
599 | could not distance herself too much from her Protestant supporters.
|
---|
600 | When Sir Thomas Wyatt, the son of her mother's great poetic admirer, led a
|
---|
601 | rebellion in January 1554, matters came to an unpleasant impasse.
|
---|
602 | Wyatt had written to Elizabeth that he intended to overthrow Mary but his
|
---|
603 | letter was intercepted, as was a letter from de Noailles to the king of
|
---|
604 | France. His letter implied that Elizabeth knew of the revolt in
|
---|
605 | advance, and repeated rumors that she was off gathering armed
|
---|
606 | supporters. The government was able to suppress the rebellion before
|
---|
607 | it spread very far and Wyatt was arrested. Mary's council could find
|
---|
608 | no real proof that de Noailles's suppositions were true but they decided
|
---|
609 | to summon Elizabeth back to London for questioning. She was
|
---|
610 | understandably frightened and ill; she sent word that she could not
|
---|
611 | travel. Two of Mary's personal physicians were sent to evaluate her
|
---|
612 | condition. They diagnosed 'watery humors' and perhaps an
|
---|
613 | inflammation of the kidneys. She was ill, they reported, but not too
|
---|
614 | ill to travel the 30 miles to London in the queen's own litter.
|
---|
615 | Three of the queen's councilors - Howard, Hastings, and Cornwallis, all of
|
---|
616 | whom were friendly with Elizabeth - escorted her back to London.
|
---|
617 | They traveled quite slowly, covering just six miles a day. </P>
|
---|
618 | <P>Elizabeth kept the curtains of the litter pulled back as she entered
|
---|
619 | the city, and the citizens were able to see her pale, frightened
|
---|
620 | face. She had good cause for her fear; the heads and corpses of
|
---|
621 | Wyatt and his supporters were thrust upon spikes and gibbets throughout
|
---|
622 | the city. The queen waited for her at Whitehall but they did not
|
---|
623 | meet immediately. First, Elizabeth's household was dismissed and she
|
---|
624 | was told that she must undergo close interrogation about her
|
---|
625 | activities. She was questioned by the unfriendly bishop of
|
---|
626 | Winchester, Stephen Gardiner, but she was not intimidated. She
|
---|
627 | denied any involvement in the rebellion and repeatedly asked to see the
|
---|
628 | queen. But she was told that Mary was leaving for Oxford where she
|
---|
629 | would hold a Parliament. Elizabeth would be leaving Whitehall as
|
---|
630 | well, though at first the council could not decide where to send
|
---|
631 | her. No councilor wanted the responsibility of keeping her in close
|
---|
632 | confinement at their homes; it was too unpleasant and potentially
|
---|
633 | dangerous. And so Gardiner and Renard had their way and she went to
|
---|
634 | the Tower of London. The earl of Sussex and the marquess of
|
---|
635 | Winchester were sent to escort her from Whitehall. </P>
|
---|
636 | <P>Elizabeth was terrified. The mere mention of the Tower was enough
|
---|
637 | to shatter her already fragile nerves. She begged to be allowed to
|
---|
638 | write to her sister, and the men agreed. The letter was long,
|
---|
639 | rambling, and repetitious - proof of her fear and trepidation: </P>
|
---|
640 | <BLOCKQUOTE>
|
---|
641 | <p>I have heard in my time of many cast away for want of coming
|
---|
642 | to the presence of their Prince.... Therefore once again kneeling
|
---|
643 | with humbleness of my heart, because I am not suffered to bow the knees
|
---|
644 | of my body, I humbly crave to speak with your Highness, which I would
|
---|
645 | not be so bold to desire if I knew not myself most clear as I know
|
---|
646 | myself most true. And as for the traitor Wyatt, he might
|
---|
647 | peradventure write me a letter but on my faith I never received any from
|
---|
648 | him; and as for the copy of my letter sent to the French king, I pray
|
---|
649 | God confound me eternally if ever I sent him word, message, token or
|
---|
650 | letter by any means, and to this truth I will stand it to my
|
---|
651 | death. <BR>....Let conscience move your Highness to take some
|
---|
652 | better way with me than to make me be condemned in all men's sight afore
|
---|
653 | my desert know.</p>
|
---|
654 | </BLOCKQUOTE>
|
---|
655 | <p>After finishing, she carefully drew lines
|
---|
656 | throughout the rest of the blank sheet so no forgeries could be added, and
|
---|
657 | she signed it 'I humbly crave but one word of answer from yourself.
|
---|
658 | Your Highness's most faithful subject that hath been from the beginning
|
---|
659 | and will be to my end, Elizabeth'. </p>
|
---|
660 | <P>The letter had taken too long to write; they had missed the tide.
|
---|
661 | They could wait a few hours and take her to the Tower in the darkest part
|
---|
662 | of night, but the council disagreed. There could be an attempt to
|
---|
663 | rescue her under cover of darkness. They decided to wait until the
|
---|
664 | next morning, Palm Sunday, when the streets would be nearly deserted since
|
---|
665 | everyone would be in church. Meanwhile, her letter was sent to Mary
|
---|
666 | who received it angrily and refused to read it through. She had not
|
---|
667 | given permission for it to be written or sent, and she rebuked her
|
---|
668 | councilors fiercely. </P>
|
---|
669 | <P>The next morning, 17 March 1554, arrived cold and grey; there was a
|
---|
670 | steady rain. At 9 o'clock in the morning, Elizabeth was taken from
|
---|
671 | her rooms and through the garden to where the barge waited. She was
|
---|
672 | accompanied by six of her ladies and two gentleman-attendants. She
|
---|
673 | waited under a canopy until the barge began to slow; she then saw that
|
---|
674 | they would enter beneath Traitor's Gate, beneath St Thomas's Tower.
|
---|
675 | This was the traditional entrance for prisoners returned to their cells
|
---|
676 | after trial at Westminster. The sight terrified her and she begged
|
---|
677 | to be allowed entry by any other gate. Her request was
|
---|
678 | refused. She was offered a cloak to protect her from the rain but
|
---|
679 | she pushed it aside angrily. Upon stepping onto the landing, she
|
---|
680 | declared, 'Here landeth as true a subject, being prisoner, as ever landed
|
---|
681 | at these stairs. Before Thee, O God, do I speak it, having no other
|
---|
682 | friend but Thee alone.' She then noticed the yeoman warders gathered
|
---|
683 | to receive her beyond the gate. 'Oh Lord,' she said loudly, 'I never
|
---|
684 | thought to have come in here as a prisoner, and I pray you all bear me
|
---|
685 | witness that I come in as no traitor but as true a woman to the Queen's
|
---|
686 | Majesty as any as is now living.' Several of the warders stepped
|
---|
687 | forward and bowed before her, and one called out, 'God preserve your
|
---|
688 | Grace.' </P>
|
---|
689 | <P>She still refused to enter the Tower. After the warder's
|
---|
690 | declaration, she sat upon a stone and would not move. The Lieutenant
|
---|
691 | of the Tower, Sir John Brydges, said to her, 'You had best come in,
|
---|
692 | Madame, for here you sit unwholesomely.' Elizabeth replied with
|
---|
693 | feeling, 'Better sit here, than in a worse place, for God knoweth where
|
---|
694 | you will bring me.' And so she sat until one of her attendants burst
|
---|
695 | into tears. She was taken to the Bell Tower, a small corner tower
|
---|
696 | beside Brydges's own lodgings. Her room was on the first floor, and
|
---|
697 | had a large fireplace with three small windows. Down the passageway
|
---|
698 | from the door were three latrines which hung over the moat. It was
|
---|
699 | not as destitute or uncomfortable as she had feared, but it was still the
|
---|
700 | Tower of London and she was a prisoner. </P>
|
---|
701 | <P>This was the beginning of one of the most trying times of her
|
---|
702 | life. </P>
|
---|
703 | <P>Elizabeth spent just two months in the Tower of London, but she had no
|
---|
704 | idea that her stay would be so brief - and it did not feel particularly
|
---|
705 | brief. She truly believed some harm would come to her and she dwelt
|
---|
706 | most upon the possibility of poison. She knew Mary hated her and
|
---|
707 | that many of her councilors constantly spoke ill of her, encouraging
|
---|
708 | either her imprisonment or execution. </P>
|
---|
709 | <P>However, Elizabeth had enough popular support that she would not face
|
---|
710 | death at her sister's orders. But Lady Jane Grey, the unfortunate
|
---|
711 | Nine Days' Queen, and her husband were neither so popular or lucky.
|
---|
712 | They, too, had lived in the Tower under threat of execution; both had been
|
---|
713 | convicted of treason. But Mary had always been fond of Jane and was
|
---|
714 | close friends with her mother Frances; she allowed her cousin to live very
|
---|
715 | comfortably in the Tower while her fate remained undecided. Mary
|
---|
716 | probably intended to release Jane as soon as the country settled under her
|
---|
717 | own rule. But Renard wanted both Jane and her husband
|
---|
718 | executed. He warned Mary that the emperor would not allow Philip to
|
---|
719 | enter England as long as Jane lived. She was a traitor, and it was
|
---|
720 | only a matter of time before the Protestants tried to place either Jane or
|
---|
721 | Elizabeth upon the throne. Mary was not persuaded by Renard's
|
---|
722 | arguments, but his threat carried greater force - she wanted to marry
|
---|
723 | Philip and he would not come to England until it was safe. The small
|
---|
724 | rebellion led by Jane's father clearly did not help matters. And so
|
---|
725 | Jane and the equally unfortunate Guildford Dudley were executed.
|
---|
726 | Elizabeth herself arrived at the Tower just six weeks later, and her
|
---|
727 | cousin's fate must have weighed heavily on her mind. After all, she
|
---|
728 | and Jane had lived and studied together briefly under Katharine Parr's
|
---|
729 | tutelage, and Jane's admiration of Elizabeth had been open and
|
---|
730 | obvious. </P>
|
---|
731 | <P>It was abundantly clear to Elizabeth that her position was precarious
|
---|
732 | and dangerous. During the first weeks of her imprisonment, she was
|
---|
733 | allowed to take exercise along the Tower walls but when a small child
|
---|
734 | began to give her flowers and other gifts, Brydges was told to keep her
|
---|
735 | indoors. Elizabeth had always been active, both physically and
|
---|
736 | mentally. She chafed at her confinement and its boring
|
---|
737 | routine. She was occasionally interrogated by members of Mary's
|
---|
738 | council, but she held firm to her innocence. She had faced such
|
---|
739 | interrogations during Thomas Seymour's fall from grace, and could not be
|
---|
740 | easily intimidated. Still, the stress - which she handled with
|
---|
741 | outward aplomb - took its toll on her physical health. She lost
|
---|
742 | weight, and became prone to headaches and stomach problems. </P>
|
---|
743 | <P>Ironically enough, it was the impending arrival of Philip of Spain
|
---|
744 | which led to her freedom. Renard had urged Mary to execute Jane and
|
---|
745 | imprison Elizabeth so that Philip would be safe in England. Philip,
|
---|
746 | however, was far more sensitive to the political implications of such an
|
---|
747 | act. He knew the English were acutely sensitive to any shift in
|
---|
748 | Mary's policies simply because she had chosen to marry a foreigner.
|
---|
749 | If she made an unpopular decision, it would be blamed upon his
|
---|
750 | influence. He knew, too, that the Protestant faith was still popular
|
---|
751 | in the country, and that Elizabeth embodied its greatest hope. If
|
---|
752 | she were harmed in any way, his arrival in England would be even more
|
---|
753 | unpopular and dangerous. And the Wyatt rebellion had merely
|
---|
754 | reinforced Philip's natural inclination to tread lightly. His
|
---|
755 | intention was to wed Mary, be crowned king of England, and find a suitable
|
---|
756 | husband for Elizabeth, preferably one of his Hapsburg relations.
|
---|
757 | Then, if Mary died without bearing a child, England would remain within
|
---|
758 | the Hapsburg sphere of influence, a willing and useful adjunct of the
|
---|
759 | empire. </P>
|
---|
760 | <P>Accordingly, Philip wrote to Mary and advised that Elizabeth be set at
|
---|
761 | liberty. This conciliatory gesture was not appreciated by Mary,
|
---|
762 | always inclined to believe the worst in her half-sister, but - once again
|
---|
763 | - her eagerness for Philip's arrival made her desperate to please
|
---|
764 | him. She dispensed with Renard's advice and on Saturday 19 May at
|
---|
765 | one o'clock in the afternoon, Elizabeth was finally released from the
|
---|
766 | Tower; incidentally, her mother had been executed on the same day eighteen
|
---|
767 | years earlier. She spent one night at Richmond Palace, but it was
|
---|
768 | clear that her release had not lifted Elizabeth's spirits. That
|
---|
769 | night she summoned her few servants and asked them to pray for her, 'For
|
---|
770 | this night,' Elizabeth said, 'I think to die.' </P>
|
---|
771 | <P>She did not die, of course, but she was still frightened and
|
---|
772 | lonely. She had been released into the care of Sir Henry
|
---|
773 | Bedingfield, a Catholic supporter of Queen Mary whose father had guarded
|
---|
774 | Katharine of Aragon during her last years at Kimbolton Castle. He
|
---|
775 | had come to the Tower on 5 May as the new Constable, replacing Sir John
|
---|
776 | Gage, and his arrival had caused Elizabeth no end of terror. She
|
---|
777 | believed he was sent to secretly murder her for, not long before, a
|
---|
778 | credible rumor had reached her; it was said that the Catholic elements of
|
---|
779 | Mary's council had sent a warrant for her execution to the Tower but that
|
---|
780 | Sir John Brydges, the strict but honest Lieutenant, had not acted upon it
|
---|
781 | because it lacked the queen's signature. With Bedingfield's arrival,
|
---|
782 | Elizabeth lost her almost preternatural self-control and she asked her
|
---|
783 | guards 'whether the Lady Jane's scaffold was taken away or no?' When
|
---|
784 | told it was gone, she asked about Bedingfield, and if 'her murdering were
|
---|
785 | secretly committed to his charge, he would see the execution
|
---|
786 | thereof?' </P>
|
---|
787 | <P>From Richmond, Bedingfield took his cowed charge to Woodstock, a
|
---|
788 | hunting-lodge miles from London and once favored by her Plantagenet
|
---|
789 | grandfather, Edward IV. She was neither officially under arrest nor
|
---|
790 | free, a nebulous position which confused nearly everyone. She could
|
---|
791 | not be received at court, but she could not be set at liberty in the
|
---|
792 | countryside. And so Bedingfield was essentially her jailer, but not
|
---|
793 | referred to as such; and Woodstock was her prison, but also not called
|
---|
794 | such. The journey to Woodstock certainly raised her spirit.
|
---|
795 | She was greeted by throngs of people shouting 'God save your grace!' and
|
---|
796 | other messages of support. Flowers, sweets, cakes and other small
|
---|
797 | gifts were given to her. At times, the reception was so enthusiastic
|
---|
798 | that Elizabeth was openly overwhelmed. It was now clear to her that
|
---|
799 | the English people loved her, perhaps as much as they did Queen
|
---|
800 | Mary. </P>
|
---|
801 | <P>But the love of the people was small comfort when faced with the
|
---|
802 | dilapidation of Woodstock. The main house was in such disrepair that
|
---|
803 | Elizabeth was lodged in the gatehouse. The queen had ordered that
|
---|
804 | her sister be treated honorably and given limited freedom; Elizabeth was
|
---|
805 | allowed to walk in the orchard and gardens. She also requested
|
---|
806 | numerous books. After a few weeks, her initial fear of Bedingfield
|
---|
807 | had settled into a bemused appraisal of her jailer. She now
|
---|
808 | recognized him for what he was - a conscientious, unimaginative civil
|
---|
809 | servant with a difficult assignment. They got on tolerably well, and
|
---|
810 | Bedingfield even forwarded her numerous letters to the Council and the
|
---|
811 | queen. Elizabeth was concerned that her imprisonment in the
|
---|
812 | countryside would remove her too much from the public eye and her
|
---|
813 | ceaseless letter-writing was an attempt to reassert her position as
|
---|
814 | princess of England. Mary did not read the letters and angrily order
|
---|
815 | Bedingfield to stop sending them along. </P>
|
---|
816 | <P>At the end of June, Elizabeth fell ill and asked that the queen's
|
---|
817 | physician Dr Owen be sent to her. But Dr Owen was busy tending to
|
---|
818 | Queen Mary and told Bedingfield that his charge must be patient. He
|
---|
819 | recommended the services of Drs Barnes and Walbeck. Elizabeth
|
---|
820 | refused to allow their examination; she preferred to commit her body to
|
---|
821 | God rather than to the eyes of strangers, she told Bedingfield.
|
---|
822 | Finally, on 7 July, Mary finally sent permission to Woodstock for
|
---|
823 | Elizabeth to write to her and the Council about her various
|
---|
824 | concerns. Elizabeth was petulant and took her time with the
|
---|
825 | composition of this most important letter. When it was finally sent,
|
---|
826 | written in Bedingfield's hand from her dictation, it was a typically
|
---|
827 | shrewd and pointed document. Elizabeth wanted the Council to
|
---|
828 | consider 'her long imprisonment and restraint of liberty, either to charge
|
---|
829 | her with special matter to be answered unto and tried, or to grant her
|
---|
830 | liberty to come unto her highness's presence, which she sayeth she would
|
---|
831 | not desire were it not that she knoweth herself to be clear even before
|
---|
832 | God, for her allegiance.' Elizabeth specifically requested that the
|
---|
833 | members of the queen's council who were executors of 'the Will of the
|
---|
834 | King's majesty her father' read the letter and be allowed to visit with
|
---|
835 | her. It was a pointed reminder that despite her deprived
|
---|
836 | circumstances, she was still next in line to the English throne. The
|
---|
837 | Council heard the document uneasily. </P>
|
---|
838 | <P>Mary, however, had other matters on her mind. Finally, on 20
|
---|
839 | July, even as Elizabeth mulled over her letter, Philip II of Spain finally
|
---|
840 | landed at Southampton. The handsome, fair-haired 27 year old King
|
---|
841 | was already a widow with a male heir; his first wife Maria of Portugal had
|
---|
842 | died in childbirth in 1545 after two years of<IMG height=480
|
---|
843 | alt="another portrait of Elizabeth's half-sister, Queen Mary I"
|
---|
844 | src="mary1-eworth.jpg" width=332 border=2 align="right"> marriage. He was a
|
---|
845 | conscientious and pious man who impressed all who met him with his
|
---|
846 | discipline and work ethic. But he also had a tendency toward
|
---|
847 | religious asceticism which worsened as he grew older. As a child, he
|
---|
848 | had accompanied his father to the inquisition in Spain, watching
|
---|
849 | impassively as heretics were burned alive. But his marriage to Mary
|
---|
850 | was one of political necessity and Philip had no intention of threatening
|
---|
851 | its success with unpopular religious policies. He was willing to
|
---|
852 | move England slowly back into the Catholic fold; faced with Mary's
|
---|
853 | impatience, it was Philip who advised moderation. He wed his cousin
|
---|
854 | at Winchester Cathedral on 25 July in a splendid ceremony. On 18
|
---|
855 | August they finally entered London in triumph, its citizens plied with
|
---|
856 | enough free drinks and entertainment to greet Philip
|
---|
857 | enthusiastically. But there were already signs of trouble; the
|
---|
858 | anonymous pamphlets condemning foreigners and the queen's marriage
|
---|
859 | circulated, and Philip's Spanish entourage were unhappy over a number of
|
---|
860 | petty slights and insults from their English hosts. </P>
|
---|
861 | <P>Elizabeth had hoped the marriage would result in some change in her
|
---|
862 | circumstances. But she was sadly mistaken. Instead she passed
|
---|
863 | the months needling Bedingfield for more books, scribbling more letters,
|
---|
864 | and listening to the occasional rumor from her servants. The rumors
|
---|
865 | were hardly comforting. The queen was reportedly pregnant and she
|
---|
866 | and Philip would open Parliament together on 12 November. From then
|
---|
867 | on, the reunion between England and the papacy could begin in force.
|
---|
868 | Mary was the happiest she had been since childhood, but the problem of
|
---|
869 | Elizabeth remained. Gardiner wanted her executed; he argued that
|
---|
870 | Protestantism could not be completely eradicated until its great hope,
|
---|
871 | Elizabeth herself, was gone. But Philip and most other councilors
|
---|
872 | were more pragmatic. Parliament had already agreed that if Mary died
|
---|
873 | in childbirth, Philip would be regent of England during their child's
|
---|
874 | minority. However, if both mother and child died, then Elizabeth
|
---|
875 | once again assumed prominence. Philip, always prudent, preferred to
|
---|
876 | know his sister-in-law before making an enemy of her. With his
|
---|
877 | encouragement, and flush with happiness at her marriage and pregnancy,
|
---|
878 | Mary finally invited Elizabeth to court. </P>
|
---|
879 | <P>In the third week of April 1555, almost a year since she was sent to
|
---|
880 | Woodstock, Elizabeth was brought to Hampton Court Palace. Mary had
|
---|
881 | gone there to prepare for her lying-in. They did not meet
|
---|
882 | immediately. Elizabeth was brought into the palace through a side
|
---|
883 | entrance, still closely guarded. According to the French ambassador,
|
---|
884 | Philip visited her three days later but Mary never came. Two weeks
|
---|
885 | later, the most powerful members of the council appeared to chide her for
|
---|
886 | not submitting to the queen's authority; she was told to admit her past
|
---|
887 | wrongdoing and seek the queen's forgiveness. Elizabeth replied that
|
---|
888 | she had done nothing wrong in the past and wanted no mercy from her sister
|
---|
889 | 'but rather desired the law'. She told Gardiner she would rather
|
---|
890 | remain in prison forever than admit to crimes she had never
|
---|
891 | committed. He went off immediately to tell Mary of her sister's
|
---|
892 | continued stubbornness. The queen was not pleased. The next
|
---|
893 | day, Gardiner told Elizabeth that the queen marveled that 'she would so
|
---|
894 | stoutly use herself, not confessing that she had offended'. Did
|
---|
895 | Elizabeth really believe she was wrongfully imprisoned? Gardiner asked.
|
---|
896 | Elizabeth refused the bait. She did not criticize her sister
|
---|
897 | explicitly, telling him only that the queen must do with her as her
|
---|
898 | conscience dictated. Gardiner replied that if she wanted her liberty
|
---|
899 | and former position, she must tell a different story; only by admitting
|
---|
900 | her past faults, confessing all sins, could she hope for
|
---|
901 | forgiveness. It was a stalemate. Elizabeth again told him she
|
---|
902 | would rather be unjustly imprisoned than gain freedom with lies.
|
---|
903 | </P>
|
---|
904 | <P>The next week passed with no word from anyone. And then, around
|
---|
905 | 10 o'clock one evening, a message arrived that the queen would see
|
---|
906 | her. Elizabeth had begged for an interview for more than a year but
|
---|
907 | now that the moment had at last arrived, she was understandably
|
---|
908 | nervous. She was accompanied into Mary's apartments by one of her
|
---|
909 | own ladies-in-waiting and Mary's close friend and Mistress of the Robes
|
---|
910 | Susan Clarencieux. The queen's bedroom was lit with flickering
|
---|
911 | candlelight; the queen herself was half-hidden in shadow. Without
|
---|
912 | asking permission, Elizabeth immediately prostrated herself and declared
|
---|
913 | her innocence. And though she and Mary sparred for a short while,
|
---|
914 | the queen was willing to be generous at her own moment of triumph.
|
---|
915 | It was rumored that Philip watched the sisters from behind a curtain;
|
---|
916 | whether or not he was there, Mary was content to make peace of
|
---|
917 | sorts. She sent Elizabeth away amicably enough and a week later poor
|
---|
918 | Bedingfield was relieved of his duties. Elizabeth would remain at
|
---|
919 | Hampton Court, still under light guard but with her own household and
|
---|
920 | permission to receive certain guests. It was the end of over a year
|
---|
921 | of tiresome captivity and she was delighted. </P>
|
---|
922 | <P>While she enjoyed her newfound liberty, the burning of Protestant
|
---|
923 | heretics began in earnest. These killings have earned Mary the
|
---|
924 | nickname 'Bloody Mary' and blighted her reputation. In truth, the
|
---|
925 | roughly 300 people killed (about 60 women) was not considered excessive by
|
---|
926 | Mary's European contemporaries; and in the government's mind,
|
---|
927 | Protestantism had become dangerously linked with treason, sedition, and
|
---|
928 | other secular crimes. For Mary, who was perhaps the most personally
|
---|
929 | kind and gentle of the Tudor rulers, the killings were necessary to save
|
---|
930 | the heretics' souls as well. It is a telling feature of her
|
---|
931 | character that she could often forgive treason against herself, but would
|
---|
932 | not countenance treason against God. </P>
|
---|
933 | <P>The burnings, coupled with the Spanish marriage, caused enough
|
---|
934 | resentment; but, unfortunately for Mary, famine and poverty added to her
|
---|
935 | list of woes. But the greatest tragedy of all for the queen was the
|
---|
936 | humiliating and heartbreaking realization that her pregnancy was not
|
---|
937 | real. Mary had truly believed she was pregnant; her stomach had
|
---|
938 | become swollen and she had felt the child quicken. But she had
|
---|
939 | always suffered from digestive and menstrual troubles. It is
|
---|
940 | probable that she developed a tumor in her stomach which, combined with
|
---|
941 | the lack of a cycle and her own fervent prayers, made her believe she was
|
---|
942 | pregnant. All of April was spent in a state of readiness.
|
---|
943 | Dozens of nurses and midwives crowded into Hampton Court, joined by a
|
---|
944 | throng of noble ladies who would assist in the delivery. On 30 April
|
---|
945 | a rumor reached London that a male child had been born and celebrations
|
---|
946 | ensued. But it was a false alarm; the next three months were spent
|
---|
947 | in a state of suspended disbelief. Finally, on 3 August, the queen's
|
---|
948 | household departed to Oatlands and the pregnancy was not mentioned
|
---|
949 | again. </P>
|
---|
950 | <P>Mary's heartache was soon worsened by the impending departure of
|
---|
951 | Philip. He had spent over a year in a country he disliked, married
|
---|
952 | to a woman he pitied but did not love. He used the excuse of
|
---|
953 | pressing business in the Low Countries to leave England. Mary
|
---|
954 | protested passionately, begging him to stay; it was clear to everyone that
|
---|
955 | she truly loved her husband. But Philip was equally determined to
|
---|
956 | go. It was perhaps clear to him that Mary was seriously ill and
|
---|
957 | would never have children. If that was the case, he had no reason to
|
---|
958 | remain in England. He left explicit instructions that she treat her
|
---|
959 | sister well. </P>
|
---|
960 | <P>Elizabeth was sent to a small manor house a few miles from Oatlands
|
---|
961 | where she played another waiting game, only this time with some measure of
|
---|
962 | freedom and hope. But it was to be another three years before she
|
---|
963 | would become queen of England.</P>
|
---|
964 | <P> </P>
|
---|
965 | <CENTER>
|
---|
966 | <P><B><A
|
---|
967 | href="eliz2.html">CONTINUE
|
---|
968 | READING</A></B> <BR> </P>
|
---|
969 | <P><FONT size=-1><A
|
---|
970 | href="../monarchs.html">to Tudor
|
---|
971 | Monarchs</A></FONT></P>
|
---|
972 | </blockquote>
|
---|
973 | </blockquote>
|
---|
974 | </blockquote>
|
---|
975 |
|
---|
976 | </body>
|
---|
977 |
|
---|
978 | </html><!-- text below generated by server. PLEASE REMOVE --><!-- Counter/Statistics data collection code --><script language="JavaScript" src="http://hostingprod.com/js_source/geov2.js"></script><script language="javascript">geovisit();</script><noscript><img src="http://visit.webhosting.yahoo.com/visit.gif?us1108082564" alt="setstats" border="0" width="1" height="1"></noscript>
|
---|
979 | <IMG SRC="http://geo.yahoo.com/serv?s=76001524&t=1108082564" ALT=1 WIDTH=1 HEIGHT=1>
|
---|