Throughout the Tudor Period, the question of who would be the successor or the next
in line to the throne was a prominent thought in the mind of every King or Queen.
Henry VIII became obsessed with the idea of having a son that would become his heir, to
the point where his marriages suffered because of it.
It was his third wife Jane Seymour who finally gave the infamous Tudor King what he wanted
in the form of Edward VI, but this wasn’t before Henry had his second wife Anne Boleyn
executed inside of the Tower of London.
But Henry’s eldest child was Mary, Princess Mary that later became Mary I. She also was
determined to have a successor and a child that would continue her line on the throne,
but this is something she did not secure.
Because of this her half sister Elizabeth became her successor and she became Elizabeth
I, one of the greatest Queens that England has ever had.
But what is the story of Mary I’s failed pregnancies?
On the 19th July 1553, Mary Tudor was declared the Queen of England.
She had just deposed the Protestant 9 day queen Lady Jane Grey after the privy council
switched their support from Jane to Mary.
Following her seizure of the throne, she knew that she needed an heir and especially needed
one to help continue Catholic rule in England at the expense of Protestantism.
Mary knew that if she did not produce an heir then her sister Elizabeth would return the
country to Protestantism, and for Mary to unite England and Rome again following her
father’s split, she saw this as a suitable way of building an alliance which was previously
broken.
It was on the 25th July 1554 that Mary and her husband Prince Phillip of Spain, the future
Phillip II were married, and by this time things were looking bleak for a successor.
Her biological clock was running out of time, and at the time of her marriage Mary I was
38 years old.
It was not impossible for a Tudor woman to conceive a child at the time, but it wasn’t
easy.
Mary must have known that time wasn’t as favourable as it could have been, and she
would have prayed to god every day and night for a heir, and in particular a son.
She was so strong in her faith that she believed bringing England back to Catholicism would
grant her the wish she wanted.
Around September 1554, Mary believed that she was pregnant for the first time.
However determining pregnancy was difficult during the 16th century, as they did not have
simple tests that would show the results.
Doctors were unable to tell the difference between false pregnancy and a real one, and
it’s documented that around this time doctors genuinely believed that Mary was with child.
The only way to see if pregnancy was real in this period was Mary actually delivered
a child.
Mary claimed that by the end of the month that she felt a baby moving in her womb, and
with this many believed she was pregnant.
The Holy Roman Emperor, her father in law Charles V wrote in a letter reporting the
Queen’s pregnancy saying, ‘she is now considered certainly to be with child, and
that people in general are please with the King and all.’
Following this he wrote to his son Phillip, Mary’s husband saying, ‘I only wish to
say how overjoyed I am to hear the condition of the Queen, my good daughter, and that there
is hope that god will give us successors by her.
She had no need to excuse herself for not writing in her own hand, for my desire is
that she should be careful of her health and take things easily, especially in her present
condition.’
In England the hopes of an heir were very high, and the news of an heir was important
European news, as it would secure an heir to the throne of Spain as well as the throne
of England, linking the two countries for centuries to come.
But the debate about her pregnancy continued, as it was written on the 6th November 1554
that, ‘There is no doubt the Queen is with child, for her stomach clearly shows it and
her dresses no longer fit her.’
8 days later it was said, ‘The Queen is in excellent health, and three months with
child.
She is fatter and has a better colour than when she was married, a sign that she is happier,
and indeed she is said to be very happy.’
Around February 1555, Phillip wanted to travel to Spain to talk with his father, and it was
said that the Queen was rather down about this, and that ‘these three days because
she had heard the King wished to visit your majesty before her confinement.’
The tradition at this time was that Mary would be needed to go into confinement around 6
weeks before she gave birth.
She thought she would give birth around May so this confinement began around April.
It was considered wrong for any men other than her husband to attend on the pregnancy
Queen late in her pregnancy, but Mary’s doctors began to be concerned about the birth.
In private they were not as optimistic, as Mary was older and also she seemed down and
not the most stable in her mental state.
Also her appetite decreased to the point that doctors worried the child would not be receiving
the proper nutrition needed to survive.
It was said on the 30th April 1555, ‘there was a similar rejoicing over the birth of
a royal infant, bells rang, bonfires were lit and there were celebrations in the street,
following news that Mary I had given birth to.
Healthy son.’
Rumours were spreading that Mary had given birth to an heir.
It was confirmed in a letter by the Spanish ambassador who said, ‘A few days ago there
was a rumour that the Queen had given birth to a child, whereupon the people of London
and several other places held great rejoicings, with bonfires, true evidence of joy.
It is said that the same thing happened when the late King Edward was born.’
However this was not the case.
A Portuguese noble wrote to a Secretary of Charles V confirming the false rumours saying,
‘Your letter written from Antwerp reached me this morning and told me about the false
news that had arrived of the Queen’s deliverance.
I am writing to Spain with a messenger who is going over land, excusing you for sending
the tidings and explaining how it happened.
As I have already said, the same false news were circulating here in London.’
By June there was still no information about a royal baby and as July came and went there
was still no baby.
Mary pleaded with people that the timing was wrong, and that a child would come soon.
She then issued a terrifying statement claiming that God would not allow her child to be born
until all the Protestant heretics in England had been punished.’
She did this by executing and burning many protestants at the stake, making her known
to many as Bloody Mary.
She ordered many more executions and threw many people in prison.
Some of the executions were horrific with people burned at the stake alongside many
others on huge bonfires.
But Mary believed still she was pregnant, and she continued to cling onto hope longer
than her doctors and many others around her did.
To her face people believed her, but in private they thought she was crazy or delusional.
In July it was reported to the Holy Roman Emperor that, ‘The Queen’s deliverance
is delayed and it is doubted whether she is really with child, although outward signs
are good and she asserts that she is pregnant.’
Some spiteful pregnancy rumours spread by Protestants even accused the Queen of being
pregnant with a pet monkey or a lapdog, and some spread rumours that she had taken another
woman baby and passed it off as her own.’
Still into August she continued to believe she was pregnant, the 11th month of this false
pregnancy and then she arrived from confinement at last.
It was reported, ‘We still have hopes that a child will be born to England, we shall
see what God sends us.’
When she emerged from her confinement, she was very thin and she felt very embarrassed
and no-one dared mention her pregnancy at court.
It’s believed that Mary suffered from a phantom pregnancy which is still not the most
well researched topic today.
As a child Mary suffered from a retention of her menstrual fluids and also a condition
referred to as ‘strangulation of the womb,’ and it was said her body swelled to give the
appearance of pregnancy and that her breasts enlarged and even had milk.
But her maids and even those who tended on her as a child believed that she was not pregnant
and that she was suffering from a condition.
It’s likely that Mary suffered from ovarian cancer or some condition that affected her
ovaries.
Some of the symptoms of this include bloating, abdominal pain or swelling, fatigue and a
number of other symptoms.
In her final years, Mary I believed she was with a child again, but she was not as her
husband was away when the child was allegedly conceived.
With this it was another phantom pregnancy and Mary died a rather painful death, but
she died without an heir to the Catholic throne, and with this her half sister came onto the
throne and changed a significant amount of her policies in England.
Following Mary’s death on the 17th November 1558, Elizabeth I was declared Queen of England
and she then restored Protestantism to England.
In her reign, she battled with the question of an heir to the throne, but she maintained
her reputation as ‘the virgin queen,’ and would devote her life to the country she
loved.
She refused to have a husband, which greatly affected her chances of having an heir.
But the story of Bloody Mary and her failed pregnancy is a rather tragic one, and it’s
one which would have upset her greatly and placed great strain on her life and also marriage.
She’s remembered as Bloody Mary, but much of Mary’s life was rather tragic and sad.
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