Mary I's Fight For The Throne
9th July - Mary writes to the Privy Council
Mary continues sending out letters to rally support amongst the nobility. She also writes directly to the Privy Council, ordering them to proclaim her queen:
My lords,
We greet you well and have received sure advertisement that our dearest brother the King and late sovereign lord is departed to God. Marry, which news, how they be woeful unto our hearts, He wholly knoweth to whose will and pleasure we must and humbly submit us and our will. But in this lamentable case, that is to wit now after his departure and death, concerning the Crown and governance of this Realm of England with the title of France and all things thereunto belonging, what has been provided by act of Parliament and the testament and last will of our death father – besides other circumstances advancing our right – the Realm know and all the world knoweth. The rolls and records appear by authority of the king our said father and the king our said brother and the subjects of this Realm, as we verily trust that there is no good true subject that is or can or will pretend to be ignorant hereof. And of our part, as God shall aid and strengthen us, we have ourselves caused and shall cause our right and title in this behalf to be published and proclaimed accordingly. And, albeit this matter being so weighty, the manner seemeth strange that our said brother, dying upon Thursday at night last past, we hitherto had no knowledge from you thereof. Yet we considered your wisdom and prudence to be such that having eftsoon among you debated, pondered, and well weighed this present case with our estate and your estate, the commonwealth, and all your honours, we shall and may conceive great hope and trust and much assurance in your loyalty and service, and that you will like noble men work the best.
Nevertheless, we are not ignorant of your consultations and provisions forcible, there with assembled and prepared – by whom and to what end God and you know, and nature can but fear some evil. But be it that some consideration politic of some whatsoever reason hath hastily moved you thereto, yet doubt you not, my lords, we can take all these your doings in gracious part, being also right ready to remit and fully pardon the same freely, to eschew blood-shed and vengeance of those that can or will amend. Trusting also assuredly you will take and accept this grace and virtue in such good part as appeareth, and that we shall [not] be enforced to use the service of other our true subjects and friends which in this our just and rightful cause God, in whom our whole affiance is, shall send us.
Wherefore, my lords, we require you and charge you, for that our allegiance which you owe to God and us, that, for your honour and the surety of your persons, you employ your selves and forthwith upon receipt hereof cause our right and title to the Crown and government of this Realm to be proclaimed in our City of London and such other places as to your wisdoms shall seem good and as to this case appertaineth, not failing hereof, as our very trust in in you. And this letter signed with our hand shall be your sufficient warrant.
Given under our signet at our Manor of Kenninghall, the 9th July 1553
Mary the Queen 1
Her servant, Thomas Hungate, offers to ride to London and deliver it. While he rides off, she also writes to Edward Hastings -
Right trusty and well beloved cousin, we greet you well;
Advertising you, that to our great grief and heaviness of heart, we have received woeful news of advertisement that the King, our dearest brother, and late sovereign Lord, is departed to God’s mercy, upon Thursday last, at night, by means whereof the right of the crown of this realm of England, with the governance thereof, and the title of France, is justly come unto us by God’s providence; as appears by such provisions as have been made by act of Parliament, and the testament and will of our late dearest father King Henry VIII, for our preferement in this behalf, whereby you are now discharged of your duty of allegiance to our said brother the King, and unburdened and set at large, to observe, execute or obey any commandment heretofore or hereafter to be addressed unto you by letter or otherwise, from or in the name, or by colour of the authority of the same King, our late brother; and only to us and our person are and owe to be true liegeman.
Wherefore, right trusty and beloved, for the special trust and affiance we have in you, and as you be a nobleman, we require, command and charge you to have a heart and eye vigilant and fully bent to God’s glory, our honour, and surety of our person, and the universal quietness of the whole realm; especially of those in our counties of Middlesex and Bucks, where your habitation and mansion is: and that ye stir not in a forcible array, at the commandment, call or bidding, by letters or otherwise, of any person or persons whatsoever except for us your sovereign Lady; and except also if any wilful, as God forbid will dare and attempt otherwise violently and by force, that shall to you seem prejudical unto us, our right and title aforesaid. For the prevention of which cause, and also to the intent you shall and may be ready to serve us at our command, hereafter to be addressed unto you, we will you shall, to the best of your person, fortify and prepare yourself. And this our letter, signed with our hand, shall be your warrant and discharge in this behalf.
Willing you further not to doubt, but that we shall in the balance of equity, reason and justice consider your endeavour, and also employ our own person and study accordingly; and so prosecute you with such our favour and grace as shall advance God’s glory and the commonweal, to your comfort, with the help of God, who have us all in his blessed keeping.
Given at our manor of Kenninghall, the 9th of July in the year of our lord God 1553 2
Her servant, Thomas Wharton, is sent to his brother in law, the nearby Earl of Sussex, to recruit him to their cause, however the earl is "falsely convinced by Lord Robert, Northumberland's third son, that the king was still alive." 3 Following an unsuccessful attempt to bring him over to their side, Wharton only just escapes from "an ambush laid for him by the servants of Lord Robert while he was journeying back to the queen." 4
In the evening, the town council at Great Yarmouth send bailiffs and gentlemen to "ride immediately unto my Lady Mary’s Grace to Kenninghall to know her Grace’s pleasure concerning her letter to us sent this present night signed with her hand”. 5
Having been recuperating in Chelsea from sickness (possibly related to what the Duchess of Northumberland told her), Jane Grey is summoned to Syon Palace and told she is now Queen of England, per the last will of King Edward VI. She "greatly bewailed myself for the death of so noble a prince, and at the same time, turned myself to God, humbly praying and beseeching him, that if what was given to me was rightly and lawfully mine, his divine Majesty would grant me such grace and spirit that I might govern it to his glory and service, and to the advantage of this realm." 6
The Captain of the Royal Guard summons all the archers and publicly informs them of King Edward's death, ordering them to repair to the Tower tomorrow to swear to abide his will. The Lady Mary is "not fit to succeed because of the divorce that had separated her father, King Henry, from her mother, Queen Catherine". 7 She is "unable to administer the kingdom, being a woman and of the old religion." 8
1. The Reign of Mary I, Robert Tittler
2. Ecclesiastical Memorials, John Strype
3. Vita Mariae Angliae Reginae of Robert Wingfield
4. Vita Mariae Angliae Reginae of Robert Wingfield
5. Great Yarmouth under Queen Mary
6. The History of Mary I, Queen of England, J Stone
7. Spanish State Papers, 10th July 1553
8. Spanish State Papers, 10th July 1553
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