Mary I

Mary became queen on a wave of public approval. But the reasons for this cannot be clear. Was it that the succession had passed to the next Tudor, the legal heir? Or was it that people wanted Catholicism restored?

Mary I's personality

Mary was well educated, serious and intelligent. She had survived many ups and downs, including the divorce of her parents and rejection by her father.
Mary was religious, courageous, sometimes emotional and could be passionate but was also prone to melancholy.
Her attitude towards Elizabeth I has been described as ‘hatred’ and ‘scornful’.

Mary I's health

By the time she became queen, Mary I was not physically robust. She suffered with anxiety, bouts of insomnia and neuralgia.
As the reign progressed she became very focused on producing a Catholic heir, leading to phantom pregnancy and mental health problems.
When Mary believed herself to be pregnant, she withdrew into confinement (as would be expected) but also suffered more bouts of depression and anxiety.

Mary I's approach to government

The Privy Chamber became less important under Mary I, although male influence and interests could be channelled through their wives and lovers.

Popular attitudes towards Mary I

Mary I is often remembered as an unpopular queen.
- Protestants constructed this image after Mary I's death.
Although she did execute Protestants, her father did the same. This forces us to question her nickname, 'Bloody Mary'.
Historians such as Duffy suggest that many welcomed the restoration of Catholicism.
Mary was largely unpopular due to her marriage to the Prince of Spain. People believed Spanish interests were being prioritised over English interests.

1Monarch & Government

1.1Tudor Monarchs

1.1.1Henry VII

1.1.2Henry VIII

1.1.3Edward VI

1.1.4Mary I

1.1.5Elizabeth I

1.1.6Succession Disputes

1.2Changing Role of Parliament

1.2.1Parliament & Henry VII

1.2.2Parliament & Henry VIII

1.2.3Parliament After the Reformation

1.3Principal Servants to the Crown

1.3.1Principal Servants to the Crown

2Religious Changes

2.1Tudor Monarchs & Religious Change

2.1.1The Henrician Reformation

2.1.2Impact of Religious Change Under Henry VIII

2.1.3Religious Change Under Edward VI

2.1.4Religious Change Under Mary I

2.1.5Elizabethan Settlement

2.2Catholicism & Survival

2.2.1Popular Attitudes to Catholicism

2.2.2Catholicism Under Henry VIII

2.2.3Catholicism Under Elizabeth I

2.2.4Catholic Nobility

2.3Protestantism & Puritanism

2.3.1Protestant Influences

2.3.2Protestantism Under Edward VI

2.3.3Protestantism Under Elizabeth I

3State Control & Popular Resistance

3.1Tudor Control of the Country

3.1.1Councils

3.1.2Role of Nobility

3.1.3Justices of the Peace

3.1.4Lord Lieutenant

3.2The State & the Poor

3.2.1Reasons for Growth of Poverty

3.2.2Punishments for Paupers

3.2.3Role of Charities

3.3Resistance to Tudor Rule

3.3.1Resistance to Tax & Subsidies

3.3.2Uprisings Against Henry VIII

3.3.3Uprisings Against Edward VI

3.3.4Uprisings Against Elizabeth I

3.3.5Decline of Popular Resistance

4Economic, Social & Cultural Change

4.1Patterns of Domestic & Foreign Trade

4.1.1Wool & Cloth

4.1.2Exploration & Trade

4.2Changing Structure of Society

4.2.1Population

4.2.2Dissolution of Monasteries

4.2.3Enclosure

4.3Cultural Change

4.3.1Education & Literature

4.3.2Impact of Religious Change

4.3.3Patronage

4.3.4The Arts

4.3.5Cult of Gloriana

5Historical Interpretations

5.1Significance of Threats to National Security

5.1.1Spain

5.1.2The Spanish Armada

5.1.3Ireland

5.2Court Politics

5.2.1Court Factions

5.2.2Essex's Rebellion

5.3Elizabeth & Parliament

5.3.1Conflict with Parliament

5.4Social Distress in the 1590s

5.4.1Social Distress in the 1590s

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