Category: Mary I

Letter from Princess Mary to Henry VIII

9/4/2020

At eleven o'clock on the 22nd June 1536, Princess Mary wrote to her father from Hunston House in Herefordshire, where Mary would live until her accession to the throne.

In this letter Mary acknowledges the annulment of her parents’ marriage, her own illegitimacy, and her father’s position as head of a new English church. It was a letter that she had refused to write. Henry VIII considered her behaviour was influenced by her mother. Henry had mother and daughter separated and both were banishing both from court.

" Most humbly prostrate before the feet of your most excellent majesty, your most humble, faithful, and obedient subject, which hath so extremely offended your most gracious highness that mine heavy and fearful heart dares not presume to call you father, nor your majesty hath any cause by my deserts, saving the benignity of your most blessed nature doth surmount all evils, offences, and trespasses, and is ever merciful and ready to accept the penitent, calling for grace in any convenient time

Having received, this Thursday at night, certain letters from Mr. Secretary, as well advising me to make mine humble submission immediately to yourself (which because I durst not, without your gracious license, presume to do before), I lately sent unto him, as signifying that your most merciful heart and fatherly pity had granted me your blessing, with condition that I should persevere in that I had commenced and begun, and that I should not eftsoons offend your majesty by the denial or refusal of any such articles and commandments as it may please your highness to address unto me, for the perfect trial of mine heart and inward affection.

For the perfect declaration of the bottom of my heart and stomach, first, I knowledge myself to have most unkindly and unnaturally offended your most excellent highness, in that I have not submitted myself to your most just and virtuous laws; and for mine offence therein, which I must confess were in me a thousand-fold more grievous than they could be in any other living creature, I put myself wholly and entirely to your gracious mercy, at whose hand I cannot receive that punishment for the same that I have deserved. Secondly, to open mine heart to your grace in these things, which I have heretofore refused to condescend unto, and have now written with mine own hand, sending the same to your highness herewith, I shall never beseech your grace to have pity and compassion on me, if ever you shall perceive that I shall privily or apertly vary or alter from one piece of that I have written and subscribed, or refuse to confirm, ratify, or declare the same, where your majesty shall appoint me. Thirdly, as I have and shall, knowing your excellent learning, virtue, wisdom, and knowledge, put my soul into your direction, and by the same have and will in all things, from henceforth, direct my conscience, so my body I do wholly commit to your mercy and fatherly pity, desiring no state, no condition, nor no manner degree of living but such as your grace shall appoint unto me, knowledging and confessing that my state cannot be so vile as either the extremity of justice would appoint unto me, or as mine offences have required and deserved. And whatsoever your grace shall command me to do, touching any of these points (either for things past, present, or to come), I shall as gladly do the same as your majesty can command me.

Most humbly, therefore, beseeching your mercy, most gracious sovereign lord and benign father, to have pity and compassion of your miserable and sorrowful child, and with the abundance of your inestimable goodness so to overcome mine iniquity towards God, your grace, and your whole realm, as I may feel some sensible token of reconciliation, which, God is my judge, I only desire, without any respect: to whom I shall daily pray for the preservation of your highness, with the queen's grace, and that it may please Him to send you issue.

From Hunsdon, this Thursday,* at eleven of the clock at night.

Your grace's most humble and obedient
daughter and handmaid."

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Tudor Women: Jane Dormer

13/1/2020

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On this day in 1612 the death of Jane Dormer, Duchess of Feria. Jane was a long time friend of Queen Mary I.

Jane's family were not strangers in the royal court, her maternal grandfather William Sidney had been a tutor to Edward VI and her father William Dormer had been in the service of Thomas Cromwell.

On the death of her mother, Jane was cared for by her paternal grandmother, also named Jane. It was from her home that Jane was sent to be a member of the household of Princess Mary to whom she would become a lady in waiting. Loyal to the queen until her death, Jane was at Mary's bedside when she died in 1558 and it was into her hands that Mary placed her jewellery to be passed to her sister Elizabeth.

Considered a beauty, Jane was courted by a number of English nobles, but after Mary's death, she married Gomez Suarez de Figueroa of Cordova, the Duke of Feria who had accompanied Philip of Spain when he arrived in England to marry Mary. However, following Mary's death and the accession to the throne of Elizabeth, the duke was replaced as an ambassador and the couple left for Spain.

In 1609 the seventy-one-year-old duchess broke her arm and over the next few years her health slowly deteriorated. Anticipating death Jane Dormer wore a death's head, a terminal bead attached to her rosary and ordered a coffin to be made which she kept in the house. She was buried at the monastery of Santa Clara in Zafra in Spain twelve days following her death.

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Religious Executions

14/7/2017

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It was pointed out to me on a post of mine on my Facebook page regarding the execution of Protestants under Mary I reign, that as many Catholics were put to death in Elizabeth I reign too.

It is said approximately the same amount of Catholics died when Elizabeth was queen, but the difference is that they took place over her forty four year reign, obviously there were people of note such as Mary Queen of Scots, Anthony Babbington and Robert Devereux.

Mary punished those who were not of the same religion as herself, where as Elizabeth executed those who plotted against her. Many Catholic held important positions throughout Elizabeth's kingdom and if these people were loyal to her and discreet, they were left alone.

I found this among my notes.

The number of executions carried out by Henry VIII range from 57,000 to the 72,000 (so says Raphael Holinshed’s Chronicles) this takes into account the mass murder following the Catholic rising known as the Pilgrimage of Grace. In Henry's son Edward VI reign there was the massacre of more than 5,500 Cornish Catholics after the Prayer Book Rebellion.

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Death of Elizabeth I

24/3/2016

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At three o'clock in the afternoon of the 24th March 1603, Henry Tudor's mighty dynasty, that had been founded on a field in Leicestershire in 1485, came to an end after just 118 years.

Henry VII's granddaughter, Queen Elizabeth I, died at the age of six-nine after forty-four years on the throne, she may have not been the male heir her father desired, but she was certainly the next best thing. Elizabeth was spirited, feisty and intelligent and her reign would be known as the Golden Age.

Elizabeth is said to have died on cushions on the floor of her private rooms,

" mildly like a lamb, easily like a ripe apple from a tree… "

Elizabeth's body was first buried in the same vault as that of her grandfather, but was moved in 1606 to its present position alongside King James I.

The inscriptions are in Latin and translated they read:

"Sacred to memory: Religion to its primitive purity restored, peace settled, money restored to its just value, domestic rebellion quelled, France relieved when involved with intestine divisions; the Netherlands supported; the Spanish Armada vanquished; Ireland almost lost by rebels, eased by routing the Spaniard; the revenues of both universities much enlarged by a Law of Provisions; and lastly, all England enriched. Elizabeth, a most prudent governor 45 years, a victorious and triumphant Queen, most strictly religious, most happy, by a calm and resigned death at her 70th year left her mortal remains, till by Christ's Word they shall rise to immortality, to be deposited in the Church, by her established and lastly founded. She died the 24th of March, Anno 1602 of her reign the 45th year, of her age the 70th. To the eternal memory of Elizabeth queen of England, France and Ireland, daughter of King Henry VIII, grand-daughter of King Henry VII, great-grand-daughter to King Edward IV. Mother of her country, a nursing-mother to religion and all liberal sciences, skilled in many languages, adorned with excellent endowments both of body and mind, and excellent for princely virtues beyond her sex. James, king of Great Britain, France and Ireland, hath devoutly and justly erected this monument to her whose virtues and kingdoms he inherits"

On the base of the monument are the lovely words in reference to Elizabeth and her half sister Mary:

"Partners in throne and grave, here we sleep, Elizabeth and Mary, sisters, in hope of the Resurrection."

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Edward Courtenay

18/9/2015

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On the 18th September 1556, Edward Courtenay, Earl of Devon died in Padua, Italy.

A number of 'ailments' have been suggested as the cause of the Earl's death, fever, syphilis, falling down a flight of stairs and even poisoning.

Edward Courtenay had Yorkist blood flowing through his veins, his grandmother was Catherine of York, daughter of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville. Catherine had married William Courtenay, Earl of Devon by 1496.

In 1538, at the age of twelve, Edward joined his parents Henry Courtenay, Marquess of Exeter and Gertrude Blount in the Tower of London. His father was suspected of being in cahoots with Reginald Pole and Gertrude was accused of encouraging the traitorous behaviour of her husband. Henry Courtenay was executed at the end of 1539 and his wife was released at the start of the following year, however, Edward was to remain a prisoner, he would remain in the Tower of London for fifteen years. He was finally released on the 3rd August 1553.

After his release his fortunes improved, he was considered as a possible husband for Henry VIII's daughter Mary and when she married Phillip of Spain he set his sights on Elizabeth who would later become Elizabeth I. Edward and Elizabeth were suspected of being involved in the rebellion of Thomas Wyatt and others who were fearing persecution under Mary's rule.
They were both imprisoned, but when no evidence was found they were both released and Courtenay fled the country.

I've always wondered why this family, as a possible threat to the Tudor dynasty, were not hunted down like that of the family
of George Duke of Clarance's for instance, Henry VIII had no qualms about seeing off the aged Margaret Pole and
Henry VII had executed Edward's grandfather.

Maybe, this new generation didn't consider the Yorkists as much of a treat anymore?

Words on the engraving of Courtenay above state:

En! puer ac insons et adhuc juvenilibus annis,
Annos bis septem carcere clausus eram,
Me pater his tenuit vinclis quae filia solvit,
Sors mea sic tandem vertitur a superis.

Behold! a guiltless boy and still in his youthful years,
during twice-seven years had I been shut in prison,
the father held me in these chains which the daughter released,
thus at last is my fate being changed by the gods above."

Interestingly, in this engraving Courtenay stands in front of a crumbling castle, whats the significance of that do you think?

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Letter from Princess Mary to Henry VIII

Tudor Women: Jane Dormer

Religious Executions

Death of Elizabeth I

Edward Courtenay

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