Knowing
death was coming to an end, Henry VIII thought again about the changes to the
line of succession he had made. Katherine had suggested that he put Mary and
Elizabeth back in the line of succession, as they were the daughters of his
former wives.
But that
wasn’t the case, was it? Both marriages had been annulled. They never legally
happened and his two daughters were still illegitimate. Henry knew deep down
that if his son Edward didn’t have heirs, there would be trouble in the
kingdom. He’d already seen what the religious reformation could do. Mary was a
Catholic, Elizabeth was a Protestant and both were viewed illegitimate by each
side.
Deciding he
wouldn’t risk the country falling apart, he decided to make changes to his last
will.
Edward and his heirs remained the next in line. After that, Mary and
Elizabeth were removed. Now it was time to consider the next options. While the
legal route would be to choose his elder sister’s line, he couldn’t accept it.
Mary Stewart was just a baby and had regents that he despised. Plus they were
Catholic. He wouldn’t have the situation that his own daughter Mary could
cause.
So, he
decided on his late sister’s line. Sure, they were girls, but they were
protestant. And they were raised close to the crown. If Edward died without
heirs, the crown would pass to Frances. She wouldn’t likely have any more
children, so his great niece, Jane, would become queen. Henry could make sure
she was ready for it with the right wording in his will and the right people
around her.
With his
council around, Henry dictated his will and quickly signed it. There would be
no questions about the validity of his decision.
Mary and Elizabeth Hear of the Will
When Henry
VIII died on January 28, 1547, news spread around the kingdom. Edward at just nine
years old became King Edward VI of England; his council ready to lead through
his minority years.
The first
matter was to tell the Ladies Mary and Elizabeth about the change to the line
of succession. To say they were both shocked was an understatement. They were
angry that they had been removed once again. But really, they shouldn’t have
been that surprised. Their father had a habit of giving with one hand and
taking sharply away with the other.
It’s not
like they really thought they would have a chance as the throne, anyway. Edward
was a healthy, fit young boy. He would grow up to have heirs of his own.
However, in
1553, the two sisters realized that it should have been them. Edward died without
children and the crown now passed to Lady Jane Grey. That’s right; Edward had
decided to make another change to the line of succession, cutting Frances out
completely and passing it straight onto Jane. The hope was that she would have
sons to pass the crown onto.
After
paying respects to her brother, Mary turned to Elizabeth to discuss their next
moves. She wanted that crown. As the eldest daughter of Henry VIII, it was
rightfully hers.
Yet since
six years had passed since Henry’s death, the people had already accepted that
Mary and Elizabeth wouldn’t become the next queen. While they didn’t like that
Frances had been passed over, they supported Edward’s decision as their king.
Elizabeth decided to listen to the people.
Mary
decided to turn her attention to Scotland. There was someone else who may have
been angry with the decision, Mary’s cousin, Queen Mary of Scotland (Marie, as
she was known by the French). Marie was angry that Jane had been named queen.
She had always been angry that Henry VIII had chosen Mary Tudor’s line instead
of her grandmothers. Margaret Tudor was the elder sister and it should have
been her line that was next.
Of course,
the French were also interested in Marie being placed on the English throne.
With common interests in mind, Henri II of France invited Mary Tudor to France.
Now they could all discuss their options. When Marie married Francis, dauphin
of France, there was a clear statement that Marie made it clear that she was
the rightful Queen of England.
That
statement came with the death of Mary Tudor, weakening the chances of Marie
becoming queen.
A Time for War
With France
rallying behind Marie’s claim, it was time to go to war. Queen Jane was shocked
at the revelations. The young girl who never really wanted the crown (had been
grateful when she heard that Uncle Henry was putting Mary and Elizabeth back in
the line of succession) was now faced with a war that could bankrupt England.
And there was no way out of it. She couldn’t just hand the crown over.
Not only
that but by this point she had been queen for three years and had a four-month-old
son, Prince Henry. The English people had accepted her and she now had her son’s
future to consider. While she may not have initially wanted it, it was now hers
and she would have to fight to protect it.
History
wasn’t overly favorable to English monarchs with French invaders. She knew all
about her great-grandfather’s upbringing and fight for the throne. She feared
that she was the vilified Richard III in this war.
Luck was on
Jane’s side. Henri was gravely injured in a jousting accident, leading to
Francis’ ascension to the throne. He wasn’t as ambitious as his father, being
the sickly boy that he was. The country was also in a state of mourning and
these sudden changes meant that plans for England had to be put on hold. When
Francis died 18 months later, Marie no longer had the support of the French
court. Marie was forced to return to Scotland.
While
Scottish wanted England, there wasn’t the same support. Plus, Marie had to
secure her own line of succession. The English and Scottish discussed options
to help create a suitable match, but Marie wasn’t interested. She chose her own
(undesirable) husband, Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley.
Meanwhile,
Jane could concentrate on her own family for a short while. In the space of
France’s monarchy changing and Marie choosing her husband, Jane gave birth to
two more children.
Unfortunately the last, a stillborn son, would prove to be
fatal. Queen Jane died of childbed fever and both mother and son would be
buried together.
No Support for Mary, Queen of Scots
Jane’s
death secured the English throne for the new House of Dudley. As Jane had given
birth to a healthy son, Prince Henry took the throne as King Henry IX. The
downside was that this young king was a toddler and needed a council to run the
country. This council was headed by Henry’s father, Guildford Dudley.
Guildford
wasn’t the strongest leader and the council listened to his father, John, more
frequently. When Mary, Queen of Scots gave birth to a son, the council made
suggestions of a betrothal between King Henry’s sister, Frances, and the heir
to the Scottish throne. John didn’t even entertain the decision, until the
Scottish overthrew Mary and placed her son on the throne.
Mary Stuart
fled to England for safety, when John suggested they put her under house
arrest. He couldn’t risk his Protestant court being overthrown by the
Catholics. However, the Catholics supported young King Henry IX. He was a male
and they wanted a male on the throne. They definitely didn’t want to lose their
throne to Scotland.
Not seen as
a threat, Mary was allowed to remain in England but as a member of Princess
Frances’ ladies. Mary had no choice but to accept if she wanted to keep most of
her freedom. As Frances grew older and John Dudley lost power, Mary was able to
talk to the council about Frances and James marrying. It was finally a
suggestion taken seriously and even the Scottish agreed. James VI of Scotland
and Princess Frances of England were betrothed and would later marry.
Eventually
King Henry came of age, but he wouldn’t have heirs of his own. He would die at
15, leaving the throne in the capable hands of his sister and her husband,
James. The two ruled as joint monarchs, officially joining the thrones of
England and Scotland.
---What Really Happened on January 28, 1548?---
Henry VIII never reverted back to an older version of the line of succession. Instead, Edward VI died without heirs but changed the line of succession himself. Due to questions over the legalities of Edward changing the line of succession and support for Mary Tudor, Lady Jane Grey was only queen for nine days. Mary Tudor became Mary I of England.
