porkfriedrice wrote:
The season went by so fast. I liked the last episode, but not as much as last season with AB. This one felt slightly rushed. To those who know the details, I'm curious, is the Mary story accurate? Was there a german guy who messed her up enough to become bloody Mary? Was TC's death so brutal or was that more creative license?
This series must be doing great for Showtime, so will it end with Henry's death? It seems so set up to take us through the prince, mary & elizabeth, or is that just wishful thinking?
Childhood and early years
Mary was the only child of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon to survive infancy. Her mother had many miscarriages and a stillborn sister and three short-lived brothers, including Henry, Duke of Cornwall, had preceded her. Through her mother, she was a granddaughter of Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile. She was born at the Palace of Placentia in Greenwich, London. She was baptised with Thomas Cardinal Wolsey standing as her godfather. Mary was a sickly child who had poor eyesight, sinus conditions and bad headaches. John Hussey, 1st Baron Hussey of Sleaford was her Chamberlain, and his wife, Lady Anne, daughter of George Grey, 2nd Earl of Kent, was one of Mary's attendants.[1]
Despite her health problems, Mary was a precocious child. A great part of the credit for her early education likely came from her mother, who consulted the Spanish scholar Juan Luis Vives upon the subject and was Mary's first instructor in Latin. Mary also studied Greek, science, and music. In July 1521, when scarcely five and a half years old, she entertained some visitors with a performance on the virginal (a smaller harpsichord). Henry VIII doted on his daughter and would boast in company, "This girl never cries", and would sometimes show delight in her developing music skills.[2]. When Mary was nine years old, Henry gave her her own court at Ludlow Castle and many of the Royal Prerogatives normally only given to a Prince of Wales, even calling her the Princess of Wales. In 1526, Mary was sent to Wales to preside over the Council of Wales and the Marches. Despite this obvious affection, Henry was deeply disappointed that his marriage had produced no sons.
Throughout her childhood Henry negotiated potential marriages for Mary. When she was only two years old she was promised to the Dauphin Francis, son of Francis I, King of France, but after three years, the contract was repudiated. In 1522, she was instead contracted to marry her first cousin, the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, then 22, by the Treaty of Windsor. Within a few years, however, the engagement was broken off. It was then suggested that Mary wed the Dauphin's father Francis I, who was eager for an alliance with England. A marriage treaty was signed which provided that Mary should marry either Francis I or his second son Henry, Duke of Orléans. However, Cardinal Wolsey, Henry VIII's chief adviser, managed to secure an alliance without the marriage.
At age 37, Mary turned her attention to finding a husband and producing an heir, thus preventing the Protestant Elizabeth (still her successor under the terms of Henry VIII's will) from succeeding to the throne. Mary rejected Edward Courtenay, 1st Earl of Devon, as a prospect when her cousin Charles V suggested she marry his only son, the Spanish Prince Philip, later Philip II of Spain. It is said that upon viewing the Titian full-length portrait of Philip now in the Prado,[5] which had been sent to her, Mary declared herself to be in love with him.Mary married Philip on 25 July 1554, at Winchester Cathedral. Under the terms of the marriage treaty, Philip was to be styled "King of England", all official documents (including Acts of Parliament) were to be dated with both their names, and Parliament was to be called under the joint authority of the couple. Coins were also to show the heads of both Mary and Philip. The marriage treaty further provided that England would not be obliged to provide military support to Philip's father in any war. Philip's powers, however, were extremely limited, and he and Mary were not true joint sovereigns like William and Mary.
Mary enjoyed tremendous popular support and sympathy for her mistreatment during the earliest parts of her reign, especially by the Roman Catholic population.[citation needed] Her marriage to Philip, however, was unpopular among her subjects. The marriage treaty clearly specified that England was not to be drawn into any Spanish wars, but this guarantee proved meaningless. Philip spent most of his time governing his European territories, while his wife usually remained in England. After Mary's death, Philip became a suitor for Elizabeth's hand, but she refused him.
The persecution of Protestants earned Mary the appellation "Bloody Mary" from them, although many historians[who?] believe she does not deserve all the blame, and despite the fact that her father Henry VIII and sister Elizabeth executed as many if not more people than she did. There is disagreement as to the number of people put to death during Mary's five-year reign. However, several notable clerics were executed; among them Thomas Cranmer, the former Archbishop of Canterbury; John Rogers, a former colleague of William Tyndale; Nicholas Ridley, the former Bishop of London; and the reformist Hugh Latimer. Mary was prominently featured and vilified in the Book of Martyrs, published by John Foxe in 1562, 5 years after Mary's death. Subsequent editions of the book remained popular with Protestants through the 19th century.
