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Summary How beneficial was Mary I’s marriage to Philip?
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Document explores Mary I's marriage to Philip of Spain and how beneficial it was for her reign.
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1A marriage of inconvenience…how beneficial was
Mary’s marriage to Philip?
How was Philip’s power in England going to be curtailed?
Philip’s power was curtailed as he was not allowed access to any English patronage and that
despite his title, he was not able to exercise any sovereign powers. Furthermore, he was unable to
dispense duties quickly as his household was held jointly by a Spanish entourage and English
personnel. Moreover, the extent of his power was also curtailed by the fact that he could not
communicate to Mary and her council in English, which of course would have made it difficult for
him to get his point across. But he did spend time ingratiating himself in court.
Who was benefitting from the marriage? Why?
It seems more probable that Mary was benefitting from the union than Philip was. The fact that she
had a husband meant that she now had a chance to fall pregnant and produce heirs that would
continue the dynasty of the Catholic faith. Furthermore, the marriage acted as an alliance so
England was more secure against their mutual enemy, France. However, in some respects it would
be useful for Philip for when he ascended to the throne of the Habsburg Empire he would have a
strong bond with England in opposition to France. This meant that he had more chance of a
smooth accession, rather than there being contention with France and other nations who would try
and claim the position as Emperor. Despite this, Philip had very little power in England and served
more as a figurehead than a political game changer.
Is the marriage a marriage of equals?
The idea of Philip being made King Consort so that they had joint sovereignty on the surface would
appear that it was a marriage of equals. However, Philip had very little power in England, due to
not have access to English patronage, the language barrier between him and Mary and the fact he
was not entitled to any of the powers a sovereign would have. Furthermore, it is apparent that Mary
seemed to put more into the relationship than Philip, she was desperate to have children and with
him being in Spain frequently lessened these chances. Moreover, despite he effort to make him
feel welcomed in England he did not ingratiate himself in court and it was apparent that there was
a lack of deference shown to him.
Initially what factors caused difficulty for the marriage?
• The language barrier- they could hardly speak to each other which would have strained any
developing affections or getting to know each other
• They had not spent time courting. They met only two days before the wedding, so hardly knew
each other or what the other looked like.
• Philip was not very good at socialising so it would have made it more difficult for him to become
apart of English society
What factors arose later on that caused difficulties within the marriage?
• There was a lot of anti-Spanish feeling in London, so that would have made their marriage
vulnerable
• Philip spent a lot of time away from English court, decreasing the chance she had of getting
pregnant
• He had to have a joint household made up of both English and Spanish personnel, which might
have made him feel restricted
• Mary was clearly besotted by him whereas he viewed the marriage as more of a business deal
and viewed it as a more diplomatic relation
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