Elizabeth and Thomas Seymour

[Jammy]

My lecturer yesterday was saying there has been the strong possibility that Thomas Seymour wanted to marry Elizabeth, if when Katherine Parr died; leaving Thomas a widower. He managed to to get Edward (and his brother - i think he was still protector at this point?) to agree to his marrying Elizabeth?

I know we'd have to some how negate him being beheaded but prehaps if he contrated soley upon marrying Elizabeth it might not happen.

How would things change with Elizabeth married before she becomes Queen?

How would Mary take it when she comes to the throne?

- I can't help but feel if Elizabeth is married then Mary may be even more wary/worried about her, particularly if she has a child. . .


I really don't know how plausible it is but would be interested in others thoughts.

 

[V-J]

It is true, yeah. Can't remember exactly why it didn't come off though.

How would things change with Elizabeth married before she becomes Queen?

The most obvious answer seems to be: have Edward live longer, and, better still, produce an heir. Obviously though, that would then demand the death of Edward and the heir, which is bit messy.

 

[ljofa]

I'd say that if Edward consented to Seymour marrying Elizabeth, they'd feel much more comfortable in parcelling Mary off somewhere so the Protestant reformation could continue unfettered. Edward could probably be persuaded to change his will to deliberately exclude Mary at the expense of "the male heirs of Elizabeth" which would be less open to challenge compared with the original settlement in OTL.

 

[DrakeRlugia]

Weren't their rumors that Thomas Seymour sexually abused Elizabeth whilst she was living with him and Catherine Parr? Such as him coming into her room when she was only in her night gown? Some say it was this that turned her away from marriage when she became older.

 

[Dr. Waterhouse]

Right. What I've read suggests she detested him, and for good reason.

Also, with respect to Edward's will, remember that if Edward's will mattered, Mary wouldn't have become queen anyway because his will specified Lady Jane Grey.

We would wish only nice husbands on Elizabeth. Like the frog.

Weren't their rumors that Thomas Seymour sexually abused Elizabeth whilst she was living with him and Catherine Parr? Such as him coming into her room when she was only in her night gown? Some say it was this that turned her away from marriage when she became older.

 

[mcdnab]

Edward VI wanted to change the succession to avoid Mary's succession - the initial device for the succession was to introduce salic law(male only succession) his problem was that their were no Tudor males surviving - therefore he opted for semi salic (woman only passing their rights to their male offspring) hence the device read "To the Lady Jane Grey's heirs male" - when it was clear that Edward was definitely dying that was altered to read just Lady Jane Grey.
The problem was that it was legally invalid. The succession was established not by the will of the King but by Act of Parliament (1543) - that Act established the succession and gave Henry VIII the right to amend the succession in his will. But it does not appear to have given subsequent monarchs the same rights whatever Edward or Northumberland hoped for.
For Edward's device to have had proper legal standing he would have had to repeal or amend the Henrician Act and introduce new legislation giving him similar rights to will the crown as those held by Henry VIII. He didn't have time to do that so at his death Northumberland was in the position of trying to defend the device which was never going to be enough.

Right. What I've read suggests she detested him, and for good reason.

Also, with respect to Edward's will, remember that if Edward's will mattered, Mary wouldn't have become queen anyway because his will specified Lady Jane Grey.

We would wish only nice husbands on Elizabeth. Like the frog.

 

[Jammy]

He was supposidly (spelling ) trying do to that with the Parliament he'd called for September, he unfortunatly died first.