marriage tudor queens

This quote from Judith M. Richards aptly sums up the role of women in the sixteenth century as they were seen as possessions of their fathers as they were used to further their families ambitious. It was unimaginable that women would rule a country by herself, as before the accession of Queen Mary in 1553, England had never crowned a regent queen. This was the despite the strong claims of Empress Matilda who was not allowed to rule in her own right but instead her rights were passed onto her son who would become king after her cousin Stephen died. Another example is Elizabeth of York who was seen as her father’s heir and was married to Henry Tudor to ensure that England had a male ruler.

Towards the end of Edward’s VI reign, when it was clear that he was going to die without issue, all the possible contenders for the throne were female. Henry VIII will had established that if Edward was to die without issue then the next heir would be his sisters Mary and Elizabeth followed by the daughters of Lady Frances Grey. However, it soon became clear that Edward’s preference was for a male heir of soundly protestant beliefs though if he could not have a male heir he preferred an heir who shared his beliefs such as the daughters of Lord Henry Grey. At the drafting of his will, it is clear that Edward had a strong preference not to be succeeded by a female, any female but especially his sisters who he regarded as illegitimate and only related to him as half-blood therefore they were not his legal heirs.

Lady Jane Grey became Edwards’s heir in the event of his death. There were a number of grounds that resulted in her becoming the “nine-day Queen” such as she came from a protestant family and was now married to the son of Edward’s most tr...

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...our and a modern fortification the Ryesbank, on the other side of the harbour, which effectively kept the castle, covered.

The garrison had been reinforced in 1557 but thereafter reduced and there were complaints about the lack of food but Calais collapsed so fast that this could not have affected the outcome as the enterprise was over in less than eight days to the great marvel of the world that a town of such strength and so well furnished of all things as that was, should so suddenly be taken and conquered.

In comparison, to Mary’s reign, Elizabeth’s was completely different monarchy in relation to her role as a queen as she believed Bracton’s famous dictum that the king is under God and the law. The monarch made the law in her courts, in her parliament and by her proclamations but the law constrained the monarch’s behaviour, requiring that its form be honoured