Mary Tudor: England's First Queen

Queen Mary I of England lived from 1516 until her death at age 42 in 1558. She was the first woman to rule England with uncontested Kingly powers from 1553 until she died. Professor Anna Whitelock's scholarly biography underlines a handful of things about Mary Tudor which many seem to have forgotten:-- (1) Mary Tudor was not only the sole surviving legitimate offspring of King Henry VIII and Queen Katharine of Aragon, but she was also the granddaughter of King Ferdinand of Aragon and Queen Isabella of Castile. As Isabella had been the first woman ruler of Castile, so Mary was the first woman to rule England with a clear, undisputed title.-- (2) Mary Tudor's mother Katharine was raised by her mother Isabella in the consciousness that daughters of kings could expect to be rulers, as was Isabella's designated successor to the throne of Castile, her daughter Joanna "The Mad," mother of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. Katharine raised her daughter in the clear consciousness that Mary Tudor was the only legitimate heir of King Henry VIII and was destined to rule England.-- (3) Mary Tudor, nonetheless had to fight for her throne when her young half-brother Edward VI died in 1553. All the forces of government were then marshalled against Mary. But key supporters rallied to her and she was crowned.-- (4) Once on the throne, Mary Tudor deliberately set precedents making it clear that any future female monarch was truly "king." This smoothed the succession of her half-sister Elizabeth I in 1558. Thus Mary created Knights of the Garter and participated in their initiations. On Holy Thursday 1556, Queen Mary moving from one to another on her knees washed the feet of and fed 12 poor women, and gave them money. The next day, Good Friday, she pressed her hands in the form of a cross on the sores of four women suffering scrofula. All English Monarchs were thought uniquely to have "healing powers" and by her action Mary thus demonstrated that she was truly King. ***** Professor Whitelock carefully reviews Mary's early life as heir apparent, the shock at age 17 when Henry VIII divorced his wife and had Mary declared illegitimate and every subsequent stage of her life. These included her childless marriage to her cousin King Philip II, son of Charles V, her restoration of unity with the papacy, her warring against heresy and her burning of hundreds of religious dissenters. ******In an Epilogue, Professor Whitelock sums up Mary's strengths and faults in a couple of pity pages. Strengths include: the first woman to rule England, her religious faith and belief in self, leading "the only successful revolt against central government in sixteenth century England," namely to have herself proclaimed queen against enormous odds. She was conscientious, worked long hard hours often until after midnight. ***** As a woman she showed weakness, notably her "personal infatuation with Philip, her Spanish husband." He married her for political reasons and didn't even bother to visit her when she was dying. But Mary loved Philip passionately. He led her into an unwise war with France in which England lost Calais, its last remaining foothold on French soil. ***** Mary put down rebels in January 1554 when her advisers counseled flight. She suffered ill health most of her life and was strongly melancholic. She was very well educated, spoke, read and wrote five languages and was a Renaissance prince of high order. "In many ways Mary failed as a woman but triumphed as a queen." A good, solid read.-OOO-