The Tudors for Dummies (AvaxHome Download) (25 page)

Drifting and Shifting: Philip

Flexes His Muscles

Philip sailed for the Low Countries on 26 August 1555. Mary and the Court

went with him as far as Greenwich, east of London. People were glad to see

Mary back in public and equally glad to see Philip go, though the king had left

an inner group in the Council to keep him in the picture during his absence

and he promised to be back by October. Everybody noticed a chill in the

atmosphere between the royal couple.

Eyeing the crown

Philip didn't come back for Parliament's opening in October. In fact, he pulled

his Household out of England a few weeks later. What was going on?

To Philip, the whole venture was falling apart. Without a son he could

make no headway.

The queen wasn't well. If she died, would Elizabeth succeed?

The whole thing boiled down to Philip versus Elizabeth � a foreign Catholic

ruler versus a home-grown and (probably) Protestant one.

Philip had been talking to his lawyers, and he now pushed for a separate

coronation as king of England. In England the act of coronation was vital, far

more so than in Europe, and perhaps Philip wanted to push the claim in his

own right. After all, if Mary died, he'd be sitting on the throne of England �

and possession was nine tenths of the law.

Mary now had a dilemma. If she let Philip be crowned, it would look like power

sharing and this had never happened before in English history. She knew

that nobody in England would accept power-sharing monarchs. Philip argued

that the decision about a coronation wasn't Parliament's, but Mary's. On the

other hand, Mary was writing long, pleading letters to Philip to come back;

she missed him and England needed his `firm hand'. She even wrote to cousin

Charles to use his influence on his son, but Charles was now living in retire-

ment at the monastery of San Jeronimo in Spain and was pretty tired of the

hurly-burly of European power politics.

According to one story, Mary kicked Philip's portrait around the Privy

Chamber in frustration, but she wouldn't give in to his request.

When news of Philip and Mary's disagreement got out (leaks were nothing

new, of course) people trotted out predictable arguments: Chapter 10: Returning to the Old Faith: Mary I 181

Philip planned to grab England when Mary died (probably true), and

then England would be subjected to Spanish tyranny (yes � and that

included the Inquisition).

Elizabeth would be out (undoubtedly).

Philip was leaping into bed with all and sundry behind Mary's back

(quite possibly).

Double dealing with Dudley

No � not that Dudley; he'd been executed in August 1553 (see Chapter 9)

but his cousin, Henry, who'd set himself up as a go-between for the exiled

Protestants and potential rebels in the West Country (what is it about the

West Country? � see Chapters 7 and 8 for other rebellions).

Dudley's plan, hatched before Christmas 1555 and involving some MPs, was that

a French-backed invasion of exiles would oust Mary and Philip and put Elizabeth

on the throne. The whole thing fell apart when Henri II signed a treaty with Philip

and pulled out of the hare-brained scheme, leaving the plotters without cash.

Undeterred, the rebels planned to steal �50,000 in silver and whisk it across

the Channel. This part of the plot was betrayed and the ring-leaders, includ-

ing Richard Uvedale, captain of the Isle of Wight, were arrested and interro-

gated. Several of the plotters were executed in the summer of 1556. Slippery

Dudley was already out of reach in France.

At this point, Philip realised that his coronation ambitions weren't going to

come off and he dropped the whole idea. But he realised that getting on-side

with Elizabeth may be a good idea, just in case . . .

Managing from afar Philip kept in touch with events at the top via his Nicholas Heath was archbishop of York (the select Council. He commented, but rarely inter- Church's second top job), a good administra- vened, leaving Mary to govern which was, after tor and an honest man. But he couldn't hold a all, her job. When Gardiner the Lord Chancellor candle to Gardiner with all his experience. He died in 1555, Philip was consulted over his was probably neither Philip's nor Mary's first replacement. His military hatchet-man in the Low choice, but he got the job anyway. Countries, the duke of Alba, strongly advised him to appoint `king's men' not `queen's men', but the appointment seems to have been a compromise. 182 Part III: Remembering the Forgotten Tudors: Edward VI and Mary

The fabric of frustration

The all-important cloth trade took a down- Philip kept English traders out of the

turn during Mary's reign, and Philip didn't help Spanish�American market. True, he was

matters: also keeping Naples and Flanders out of this,

but that didn't reduce English annoyance.

Charles had asked Mary to restore the

privileges of the European Hanseatic English merchants tried to pinch some

League (big business), which Edward VI of the Portuguese trade in Guinea, West

had removed. This meant that Antwerp- Africa. Because Philip's mother was

based merchants were now back in English Portuguese, he stopped this too.

ports, which annoyed the merchant adven-

The one thing Philip didn't block was the setting

turers, the most powerful economic group

up of the Muscovy Company in 1555 to trade

in London. And whenever Antwerp and

with the newly expanding Russia, because he

English merchants got into disputes, Philip

had no interests there!

always backed Antwerp.

Taking a turn for the worse

England was depressed in 1556. The previous summer had been unusually

wet, three successive harvests had failed and food prices were three times

greater than those of 50 years earlier. One eyewitness wrote: `What diseases

and sicknesses everywhere prevail, the like whereof has never been known

before. Hot burning fevers and other strange diseases.'

Many people felt that the depression was all Philip's fault (see the nearby

sidebar `The fabric of frustration'), and so were the burnings (a Spanish idea)

and thanks to him, England was bound to be dragged into war with France

again sooner or later (see the following section).

Squabbling with the pope

Philip became king of Spain in January 1556 and he was already lord of the

Low Countries. This meant he'd got involved in the half-hearted war with

France that had been going on since 1552. But when he became king he cut

his losses and made peace with Henri II at Vaucelles in January 1556.

The pope, Paul IV, hated all things Spanish (he even refused to make the long

dead Spanish hero El Cid a saint because of this) and he began to take land

off Spain's allies and even imprison the Holy Roman Emperor's spokesmen.

Philip dithered before attacking the papacy. After all, an attack put him in a

difficult position as far as God was concerned; two champions of Christendom Chapter 10: Returning to the Old Faith: Mary I 183 having a go at each other wasn't good for publicity. But on 1 September he sent his viceroy as king of Spain, the duke of Alba, to Naples to hit the papal states.

The pope was all mouth and no vestments. He couldn't fight Alba, one of the best soldiers of his generation, so he called in the French for help. The duke of Guise crossed the Alps in January 1557 � and here we go again!

Trying to drag England into a war Philip naturally wanted England in on this fight. That way, he could hit France on two fronts � the great dream, in fact, of Henry VII all those years ago (see Chapter 2).

Mary was keen but the Privy Council and even Cardinal Pole were against going to war. Pole couldn't allow war against his boss, the pope, even if Paul IV couldn't stand him, and the Council reminded Mary that her pre-nup with Philip expressly said `no war with France'. Anyway, the Council couldn't afford war � times were hard and the national debt stood at a staggering �180,000.

Philip came back to England to plead his case� this was a new war, he said, not the old one. France was at the gates of Naples and Philip and Mary both knew that war was the decision of the monarch; the Council could only advise.

What was the state of play?

The Council was divided. Most of them opposed war but Paget and the

earl of Pembroke muttered things about honour, and backed Philip.

Nobody cared what Parliament thought � it was nothing to do with

them.

The powerful London merchants opposed war because they were scared

of losing valuable ships and cargo to the French (and almost certainly

Scottish) pirates.

Some of the nobility and gentry longed for a good scrap under a king.

There had been few opportunities recently and Philip was a fighter

who'd lead them to battle.

Some nobles saw their chance to get back into Mary's good books by

backing Philip.

Most ordinary people were against fighting � war always meant more

taxes.

With the situation still unresolved, Philip left England in June 1557, and he did so for the last time. He'd never see the country � or Mary � again. And the next time he tried (see Chapter 15) he'd send the most terrifying fleet the world had seen � the Armada. 184 Part III: Remembering the Forgotten Tudors: Edward VI and Mary

Ending the Dream:

The Last of Mary In This Chapter

Feuding with France and losing Calais

Fighting flu and famine

Keeping up Catholicism

Lining up Elizabeth

Bidding Mary adieu, and crowning Elizabeth

T he last year of Mary I's reign was grim, both for her and the country.

The queen had her second phantom pregnancy, after which Philip never

came back; the last English stronghold in France fell; and, above all, Elizabeth

and the spectre of Protestantism waited in the wings.

Going to War with France

In Chapter 10 we explain that Philip was gung-ho for a war against the French.

But the king hadn't expected that it would be so difficult to get England in on

his war with Henri II. He said as much to the bishop of Arras, his chief minis-

ter on the Low Countries.

Then, help came from an unexpected source.

Revolting with Stafford

Some noble families just won't lie down. The dukes of Buckingham had been

right there at the top of the power tree since Richard III's reign (see Chapter 2)

and they were still pushing their luck now.

Thomas Stafford was the grandson of the last duke of Buckingham and

related to Reginald Pole: cardinal, archbishop of Canterbury and papal head 186 Part III: Remembering the Forgotten Tudors: Edward VI and Mary

man (Chapter 10 has more on Pole). Stafford had been involved in Wyatt's

Rebellion (flip to Chapter 9) and had high-tailed it to France where he spent

most of his time annoying people. He believed he had a claim to the English

throne, and early in 1557 he decided to try his luck.

Henri II offered help at first, then thought better of it. Even so, Stafford hired

two ships, got a ragbag force together and landed at Scarborough on the

Yorkshire coast (it's a tourist resort today � check it out). Amazingly, Stafford

took the feebly defended castle and issued a proclamation that said:

Mary wasn't the rightful monarch because she'd given the crown away

to a foreigner (Philip).

Stafford was the `protector of the realm' � a vague phrase, but one

degree down from claiming the throne and it had echoes of Somerset

who'd ruled on behalf of the young Edward VI (see Chapter 7).

Stafford was soon rounded up by the troops of the earl of Westmoreland and

the rebellion was over. The `protector of the realm' was executed.

What's all this got to do with Philip's war? Well, the Privy Council blew the

rebellion up out of all proportion and claimed heavy French involvement. So

Mary declared war on France on 7 June 1557. Taxpayers, relax � Philip's paying!

Fighting the French � again!

Philip needed to get moving on his attack before winter set in.

Before real modern warfare the campaigning season was May to September.

There weren't many good roads in Europe and they quickly turned to bogs

when it rained. Cannon were heavy and the largest of them could only fire

a few times a day because they over-heated and the barrels clogged with

powder that some poor soldier had to scrape out. Fighting in the winter was

nobody's idea of a good time.

Philip got to Calais on 5 July with 7,000 men under the earl of Pembroke. His

commanders were good men � Robert, Ambrose and Henry Dudley (the three

sons of the late duke of Northumberland [Warwick] � see Chapters 7 and 9),

Peter Carew, Nicholas Throgmorton and William Courtenay. Do these names

sound familiar? They did to the Venetian ambassador, who realised that all

Mary's troublemakers were at the front. Her loyal supporters stayed at home.

Philip attacked and took the border town of St Quentin (see Chapter 15 for a

map of the Low Countries), but Pembroke's English troops had to make sure

that Calais was safe from attack first; so they got there late. Philip was less

than pleased and sent them home rather than pay for their winter quartering.

As it was, the campaign had so far cost him �48,000, an enormous sum for one

small town. Chapter 11: Ending the Dream: The Last of Mary 187 Warring in winter: the fall of Calais By the end of November Philip's army was in winter quarters at Hainault in the southern Netherlands and the English Government was saving money by cutting back troops defending Calais (will they never learn?).

Psychologically, Calais was important. At one time half of France had belonged to England, but most of that had been lost by the end of the Hundred Years War in 1453 (you can find out about this era in British History For Dummies by Sean Lang, published by Wiley). Check out Mary's coat of arms � it has the fleur-de- lys of France on it. So does Elizabeth's � and she didn't own any of France at all.

The duke of Guise (the most powerful man in France after the king) had been thrashed in battle by Philip's man Alba (see Chapter 10 for more on him) and he was looking for a quick, morale-boosting comeback.

Calais' defences weren't what they should have been and Guise's spies told him now was the time to strike. Philip's spies were telling him the same thing but the Calais governor, Lord Wentworth, and the Council in London weren't listening � until it was too late.

On 1 January 1558 Guise and the French struck, literally skating over the frozen marshes that in warmer weather saved Calais from attack. Guise grabbed the fort of Ruysbank, which protected the harbour, so the English fleet, sent out at the last minute under command of the earl of Rutland, couldn't get in. On 7 January the French guns smashed through the castle walls and the town fell. English civilians ran and Wentworth surrendered with 2,000 of his men.

Shocked and surprised, the Council now ordered Rutland to save the very last English stronghold, Guisnes, but that surrendered on 21 January and the English fleet was badly damaged by storms in the North Sea. The Council decided to cut their losses and call the whole thing off.

Following the fall Mary was devastated by the fall of Calais. `When I am dead and opened,' she wrote, `they shall find Calais engraved in my heart.'

Recriminations flew thick and fast:

It was Wentworth's fault because he was a secret heretic and was part of

the Protestant plot.

It was the Government's fault; Calais hadn't been properly defended

for years.

It was Philip's fault, because his half-hearted `rescue' of Calais with only

200 harquebusiers (musketeers) was too little, too late. 188 Part III: Remembering the Forgotten Tudors: Edward VI and Mary

Simmering in Scotland

War with France usually meant war with In a slightly bizarre situation, the continuing

Scotland because of the Auld Alliance (see peace was announced at Carlisle and Dumfries

Chapters 4 and 7). This time it didn't happen. on 18 July. Scotland simmered with discon-

Philip was careful not to declare war on tent (when didn't it?) over the arrogance and

Scotland as well as France and the Scots/ wealth of England and the Council tried to per-

French nobles weren't too keen to invade suade Philip to declare war. The truth was that

England. The regent in Scotland, Mary of Guise Scotland was useful to Philip for his Flemish

(her daughter, Mary Queen of Scots, was still merchants, so he wasn't prepared to risk a war.

only 15) was all for war, but nobody else wanted The expected attack across the border from

to know. Scotland never happened.

In fact, the Council hadn't spent enough money on fortifications and Wentworth's

garrison was seriously under-manned. That said, Guise had caught the English

napping and the English had paid the price. Philip was all for launching a counter-

attack the following summer, but the Council wasn't keen, claiming lack of cash.

Philip's spring offensive would have cost �170,000 over five months. Add to

this the �150,000 needed to keep existing garrisons, plus �200,000 necessary

for a sea defence, and the total price tag was a staggering �520,000. This would

mean new taxes; new taxes would mean revolt.

Mary and Philip were furious that the Council wouldn't back them in another

attack. All the queen could do was appoint Lord Clinton as lord admiral (the

top naval man) in February, but the amphibious operation he tried to launch

in Brittany in the summer fizzled out.

Feeling the fallout

The fall of Calais was a psychological blow that Mary's Government never

recovered from.

Parliament met on 20 January 1558 just before Guisnes fell and the Council

asked members to vote for an increase in direct taxation � a traditional sub-

sidy to be collected over two years. The money was needed:

To build up the fleet (ships were expensive and had to be refitted regu-

larly because of wear and tear)

To pay for a garrison at Berwick on the Scots' border (check out the

Elizabethan fortifications next time you're there)

To raise an army in case of a Scots' invasion