Mary Tudor - Anna Whitelock [64]
Edward was to model himself on the young biblical King Josiah and purge the land of idols. The coronation was an opportunity to showcase the Protestant aspirations of the new regime.
With the oaths made and litanies sung, Edward was anointed and crowned with the crown of Edward the Confessor, the imperial crown—styled as such since the reign of Henry V—and a third crown made especially for his small head.23 Normally the imperial crown was not part of the crowning ritual; its inclusion here emphasized the imperial status of the king and echoed the triple crowning of the pope. The spurs, orb, and scepter were then presented to the young king and Te Deums were sung as the lords spiritual and temporal paid him homage.
Recalling the coronation in his journal, Edward noted only that he had sat next to his uncle Edward Seymour and Archbishop Thomas Cranmer and that he had worn “the crown on his head.”24
CHAPTER 27
FANTASY AND NEW FANGLENESS
THE EMPEROR AND PAPAL CURIA DID NOT IMMEDIATELY RECOGNIZE the new king. In the eyes of Catholic Europe, Edward was illegitimate and Mary the lawful heir. Charles returned Edward’s greetings without explicitly acknowledging his title. “We went no further than this with regard to the young King,” he explained to Ambassador van der Delft, “in order to avoid saying anything which might prejudice the right that our cousin the Princess might advance to the throne.”1
Similarly, Charles’s sister, Mary of Hungary, regent of the Netherlands, wrote to van der Delft, “We make no mention at present of the young prince, as we are ignorant as yet whether or not he will be recognised as King…. We likewise refrain from sending you any letters for our cousin, the Princess Mary, as we do not yet know how she will be treated.”2 Meanwhile, the French, always keen to drive a wedge between English and imperial interests, claimed that the emperor planned to make war on the English in support of Mary’s claim.3 As it was, Mary accepted her brother as Henry’s rightful heir and made no challenge.
In his will, Henry had confirmed Mary in her right to the succession and granted her and Elizabeth a yearly income of £3,000 “in money, plate, jewels and household stuff” and, upon their marriage, a dowry of £10,000 each. But amid the general sharing of lands, titles, and estates among the regency councillors, aimed at securing their support for the new regime, Mary received a much more generous provision. She was granted lands and estates in East Anglia and the Home Counties valued at £3,819 18s. 6d.4 Most of her endowment consisted of properties in Norfolk, Suffolk, and Essex, including Hunsdon and Beaulieu (New Hall), where she had spent much of her time, and Kenninghall in Norfolk, the home of the Catholic Thomas Howard, duke of Norfolk, before his attainder on the eve of Henry’s death. In all, Mary received thirty-two principal manors and a number of minor ones, which were later exchanged for Framlingham Castle in Suffolk.
Now thirty-one, Mary was one of the wealthiest peers in England and a significant regional magnate. She could choose her own household personnel and surrounded herself with Catholic men local to her estates, such as Sir Francis Englefield, Sir Robert Rochester, and Rochester’s nephew Edward Waldegrave, who shared her commitment to the faith. Many of the women she chose, such as Jane Dormer, Eleanor Kempe, and Susan Clarencius, had been in her service and would remain with her for many years. Mary’s household would become a bastion of Catholic loyalty. Ordinances were drawn up at Kenninghall providing for religious services. Particular importance was attached to the observance—by all her servants—of Matins, Mass, and Evensong. “Every gentleman, yeoman and groom not having reasonable impediment” was to be at the services every day.5 To be in Mary’s service was to live as a Catholic. Service