A Catholic England

Hello, this is my first post on Alternative History...
So, I have an idea for a timeline and I'm interested to hear feedback.
In 1553, after she came to the throne, there was much talk in England of Queen Mary I marrying her cousin, Edward Courtenay (later made Earl of Devon).
Courtenay was the son of the executed Marquess of Exeter, himself a grandson of Edward IV through his daughter Katherine. Though Courtenay had been imprisoned in the Tower most of his life, he had some very good arguments in his favor as a husband for Mary: he was an Englishman and not a foreigner, he was of blood royal and had a claim to the throne himself, he was Catholic, and his mother, the Dowager Marchioness of Exeter, was a close friend and supporter of the Queen.
Further, the idea had much support in England, especially amongst Mary's Council (to which the Imperial ambassador reported in 1553 that two thirds were in favor), and for a time, Courtenay believed he would marry the Queen as well. In fact, it was mainly only due to the influence of the Imperial ambassador that it was scrapped.

So, my POD would be in 1553, when Courtenay and Mary wed. Assuming that this took place and Mary managed to produce a healthy son, what do you think would happen? It would essentially secure a Catholic succession for England, and Mary's Spanish sympathies would mean that England would probably have played more of an active role in Continental affairs and be closely allied with the Habsburgs.
Now, before anyone argues that Courtenay would be too young to wed Mary, remember, he was the same age as King Philip II (both being born in 1527), and thus only eleven years Mary's junior. Obviously it was still possible for Mary to conceive, due to her honest belief in her false pregnancies in later years, and with a husband who would be at her side and willing to share her bed regularly, why not? She would only be thirty-eight at this time, after all.

Also, with Mary not marrying Philip, but instead taking Courtenay as a husband, there would be no Wyatt's Rebellion -- as many historians agree that it was mainly caused by a desire to stop the marriage of the Queen with a foreign prince and prevent the country from being overrun by foreigners at all costs. This means that The Lady Jane Grey would not be executed in 1554, and instead most likely remain in the Tower with her husband Guildford until her death (although she and her father, the Duke of Suffolk, also could very well have been executed for heresy). Further, Elizabeth never would have been imprisoned on suspicion of treason due to the rebellion; likewise, the Earl of Pembroke would not have been able to regain Mary's favor by dealing with the rebels, and most likely would have passed out the rest of the reign quietly, assuming there weren't other chances for him to regain favor.

What does everyone think?
 
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I could see a Catholic monarch in England, but Mary had a hard enough time just convincing Scottish nobles that she wasn't going to introduce the Counter-Reformation there for fear of rebellion-- I highly doubt she would force the nobles or even the populace at large to convert back to Catholicism, and would probably not fiddle with the Anglican church much.
 
I could see a Catholic monarch in England, but Mary had a hard enough time just convincing Scottish nobles that she wasn't going to introduce the Counter-Reformation there for fear of rebellion-- I highly doubt she would force the nobles or even the populace at large to convert back to Catholicism, and would probably not fiddle with the Anglican church much.

No, he means Mary I of England, not Scotland.

A lot of this would depend on how long the trio lived, etc. Mary would probably be a lot more popular than historically if she wed domestically. An interesting idea really.
 
I could see a Catholic monarch in England, but Mary had a hard enough time just convincing Scottish nobles that she wasn't going to introduce the Counter-Reformation there for fear of rebellion-- I highly doubt she would force the nobles or even the populace at large to convert back to Catholicism, and would probably not fiddle with the Anglican church much.

Are you so sure? You have to remember that while Henry had broken with Rome in 1532, the Church had remained essentially Catholic, with the only remarkable differences being the Dissolution of the Monasteries and the royal Supremacy. The introduction of Protestantism proper into England was a fairly recent event (only five years before), and besides, it was not widely supported by the common people, whose sympathies still lay in the Old Religion. Indeed, Mary was immensely popular with the people, as evidenced by the events of her accession, and many saw her as a champion of the old faith.
Protestants were still definitely in the minority (though they were a vocal one, with many members in high places). Further, Mary's persecutions and reconciliation with the Pope would still occur in my timeline. IMO, most of the reaction against her purges was aimed at Philip and the general feeling of dislike towards foreigners. Had it been Henry's daughter leading the people back to the "true faith," with an Englishman as her husband, I think history may have been different.
The matter of Monastic property, of course, would be an issue, but Mary did compromise and not force its return in reality, so I don't see it being that great of an issue. I believe (though I am not sure) that the Pope even issued a dispensation allowing her to sanction those subjects who had profited from the Dissolution to keep their lands with papal consent.
Besides, even during the Elizabethan religious settlement, there were very few voices calling for radical Protestantism. A majority of those nobles who did not favor Catholicism instead called for a return to the Church as it had been under Henry. And besides, think of how many officials simply converted during Mary's reign to advance themselves and avoid persecution.
A Catholic England, if gone about properly, would not be so far fetched.
 
No, he means Mary I of England, not Scotland.

A lot of this would depend on how long the trio lived, etc. Mary would probably be a lot more popular than historically if she wed domestically. An interesting idea really.
Well, derp me. Yeah, I was reading that as Mary I of Scotland.

The point still stands, however- while many were apathetic about denomination, there still were vocal factions on both sides that wished for the country to go one way or another with little compromise. If the country declared itself Catholic-only, there would be rebellion. On the flip side, trying to kick out the Catholics completely would also cause trouble, which was the case in OTL iirc. This kind of thing never happened completely peacefully.

With an English husband, though, and a slightly less aggressive approach, it could be done with a little less fighting than usual and might turn out not too shabby. What happens after she passes away?
 
What happens after she passes away?
Assuming she dies of cancer in 1558 according to schedule, then she would be leaving a child on the throne. Most likely, Courtenay would be made regent. Interestingly enough, perhaps the Pope could eventually, years later at the behest of her pious (and now grown son), canonize her? "St Mary I of England." After all, it could serve as great propaganda for the Tudor-Courtenay dynasty: the "miracle" of the middle aged Mary managing to bring forth a son and secure Catholicism, not to mention the fact that she defeated Northumberland's attempted coup earlier by sheer popularity alone when all odds were against her...in the minds of a sixteenth century monarch, could that be anything but "God's will?"
I also have an idea: the new Catholic Court of England could be modeled after that of the Habsburgs in Madrid in the seventeenth century, being highly ritualized, with strict etiquette surrounding the monarch, not to mention extreme piety, with everyone dressing in black, mass said four times a day, etc.
Sound reasonable?
 
I also have an idea: the new Catholic Court of England could be modeled after that of the Habsburgs in Madrid in the seventeenth century, being highly ritualized, with strict etiquette surrounding the monarch, not to mention extreme piety, with everyone dressing in black, mass said four times a day, etc.
Sound reasonable?

Again, Protestantism had already been introduced and had spread to the nobles by the time Mary would've gotten the Crown, while Spain had managed to squash pretty much all attempts at a Protestant church in Iberia. There'd be trouble, and if she tried to mimic the Catholic Habsburgs too much, she'd be accused of being too friendly to outside powers (who wants to be part of a satellite state?) and might be plotted against.
 
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