Ok, so in my earlier thread, entitled "A Catholic England" I discussed an AHT in which Queen Mary Tudor wed Edward Courtenay, Earl of Devon. So, here's the beginning of my timeline...keeping in mind this is my first attempt at creating one, so feedback and constructive criticism is much appreciated.
Introduction, 1553: On July 19 The Lady Mary Tudor is proclaimed Queen of England, the attempted coup of the Duke of Northumberland having collapsed. Northumberland and his fellow conspirators (including his sons, the Marquess of Northampton and Bishop Ridley of London among others) is arrested for high treason soon after and conveyed to the Tower, his army having deserted him; the Marquess of Northampton, Archbishop Cranmer of Canterbury, Bishop Ridley of London and Northumberland’s sons soon follow. The Lady Jane Grey and her husband Lord Guildford Dudley are also placed under house arrest in the Tower, though the Queen takes no further action against them.
Mary then enters London in state the following week, on August 3, accompanied by a grand procession of bishops, peers, gentlemen, ladies and knights. She takes up residence in the Tower and immediately proceeds to issue an order for the release of several prominent Catholic prisoners there, among them the Duke of Norfolk, Bishop Gardiner of Winchester, and Edward Courtenay. She is crowned soon after on the first day of October, the ceremony being conducted according to the old Catholic rites.
At her first Parliament, the following week, she has both Norfolk and Courtenay restored in the blood to all their lands and titles. Further, an ‘Act of Restitution’ is passed, confirming the validity of the marriage of Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon and declaring its annulment invalid, not to mention making Mary legitimate and lawfully begotten by statute as a result. Finally, with the skillful help of Bishop Gardiner, now Mary’s Lord Chancellor, a series of bills are introduced into Parliament and subsequently passed which repeal all of the religious laws of Edward VI, restoring the Church to the (essentially Catholic) state it was in at the time of Henry’s death. Cranmer and Ridley are also deprived of their bishoprics by special act of Parliament on grounds of treason.
At the same time, the trials of the Duke of Northumberland and the Marquess of Northampton are held in the House of Lords, with both being found guilty of treason and condemned to death by beheading. The sentences are duly carried out several days later on Tower Hill; nevertheless, Mary agrees to pardon the Duke of Suffolk, the Earl of Huntingdon, Northumberland’s sons and Lady Jane and her husband, though the latter two parties remain in the Tower under house arrest.
Meanwhile, in secret, Mary dispatches a letter to Pope Julius III, informing him of her intention to reconcile the Church to Rome. Overjoyed, the Pope sends Mary’s exiled cousin, Cardinal Pole, to England to serve as papal nuncio and work with Mary in reconciling the Church to Rome. While Pole is an idealist and is in favor of repealing the dissolution of the Monasteries, the Pope cautions him against this position and to the horror of Cardinal Pole, he sends the nuncio with a letter for Mary’s eyes only, in which he promises to grant a special dispensation to her to allow those who profited from the dissolution to keep their monastic lands; he rationalizes this position with his desire to bring England back into the Catholic fold by any means necessary. Upon receiving the Pope’s letter, Mary has the Act of Attainder that had been placed upon Pole by her father reversed and restores him in the blood to his lands and estates as a sign of good faith.
During this time, Courtenay is shown great favor by Mary, being created Earl of Devon and a knight of the garter in November. Many favor him as a potential suitor for the Queen’s hand, due to his being of blood royal (as a great-grandson of Edward IV) and a native Englishman. Both Bishop Gardiner and his close ally on the Council, Bishop Bonner of London, urge Mary towards a match with Courtenay, who they feel is the best choice before them. The two bishops soon garner support on the Privy Council, which is almost unanimously in favor of a marriage with Courtenay, especially after hearing rumors that the Imperial ambassador is about to push the suit of his master’s son, Prince Phillip of Spain. Fearing a foreign marriage the Privy Council, during a meeting at St James’ Palace in late November, manage to convince the Queen of the advantages to the match and, with nearly her entire Council in favor of the marriage, Mary agrees to the idea. The Imperial ambassador is thus outmaneuvered before he can even make his suit.
The Queen announces her intention to wed Edward Courtenay, Earl of Devon, the following day to the assembled court at Whitehall Palace, Courtenay already having been informed of the decision the night before by a royal messenger of the Privy Chamber, much to his and his mother’s joy.
1554:
Queen Mary of England and Edward Courtenay, Earl of Devon, are married in the Chapel Royal at Whitehall Palace on New Year’s Day in a splendid ceremony attended by the entire court. Courtenay is made King Consort by Act of Parliament soon after.
Cardinal Pole arrives in England several days before Easter and negotiations for the reconciliation of the Church of England to Rome begin immediately. Predictably, the discussion stalls on the topic of restoration of monastic property, but, with much misgivings, Cardinal Pole produces a papal bull granting a special dispensation for the lands to remain in lay hands. The matter solved, the Act of Supremacy is repealed by Parliament soon after and the assembly prepares a special petition, drafted by Gardiner, calling for Reconciliation with Rome and the restoration of the Catholic faith; it is taken to the Queen and King at Westminster Palace, along with the bill repealing the act of supremacy. Both receive the royal assent immediately, before the entire Parliament assembled. Cardinal Pole then, empowered by the pope as papal legate, officially grants absolution to the realm of England. The papal bull of reconciliation arrives a month later, and a feast day celebrating the event is set aside to be observed in England every April 30, by royal proclamation.
To the added joy of the kingdom, the Queen announces that she is with child three days later. The announcement is hailed as a miracle by royal court. Meanwhile, Mary nominates Cardinal Pole to fill the vacant post of archbishop of Canterbury as a reward for his services, and this act is soon enthusiastically assented to by the Pope in Rome.
On December 15, 1554, Queen Mary of England gives birth to a son at Whitehall Palace. There are celebrations throughout the streets of London by the common people, although the Protestant faction at court sees this as yet another major defeat. The boy is christened “Prince Henry Courtenay” three days later in the Chapel Royal and soon after created “Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester.”
1555:
Pope Julius dies and Cardinal Spannochi is elected in his place as “Pope Marcellus II.” Marcellus becomes mysteriously ill shortly after his election and nearly dies. After his recovery, the Pope is convinced that he was poisoned by French agents due to his Imperial sympathies, his suspicions only being urged on by the Imperial ambassador in Rome. While the French manage to placate the Pope with protestations of innocence, Marcellus will never again trust them.
The Counter-Reformation begins in England. The Jesuits are allowed into the realm and the Queen provides for the creation of several new monasteries out of royal lands. Further, abbots are restored to several major religious houses that remain in royal hands, although a majority of monastic land has already been distributed by Henry VIII years earlier, and thus remains in lay hands untouched in accordance with the papal dispensation.
The former protestant bishops Cranmer and Ridley are tried for heresy and burned. Mary, at the urging of her husband and a majority of her bishops, agrees to take a firmer stance towards heresy. Modeled after the inquisitions on the continent, Mary establishes a Court of High Commission to sit in London. The High Commission is charged with rooting out and trying heresy, with similar courts of commission being established in other major urban areas, such as Norwich and Canterbury. A wave of persecutions ensues, although Courtenay (having emerged as the dominating partner between he and his wife), in careful cooperation with Bishop Gardiner, ensures the courts are discreet enough to only condemn those not willing to recant their beliefs and convert to Catholicism. Those remaining Protestants who do not sincerely convert hold to their faith in secret, though they become rarer as the years progress.
Meanwhile the Lord Treasurer, the Marquess of Winchester, manages to garner the favor of the royal couple by reforming the country’s finances, at this time greatly damaged from the reign of Edward VI. Winchester does so by ordering a recall of the coinage, putting a stop to the practice of debasement and managing to successfully secure a vote of over £100,000 by Parliament over the next two years, to restore the (nearly empty) treasury.
1556:
Mary gives birth to a daughter, christened Princess Katherine Courtenay, who dies several months later. The Queen is heartbroken and from then on adopts black mourning garb, becoming even more pious than before and stepping up her persecutions of Protestants, believing that God is punishing her for her laxity with heresy. She begins attending to state business and council meetings even less, and Courtenay’s power grows even more firm as a result, with most major policy being formed through him instead of the Queen. The only area of politics in which the Queen retains interest is on spiritual policy, and this she dictates vigorously. Sexual relations between the royal couple also cease at this point, though they remain on pleasant terms as ever.
Meanwhile, on the continent, Emperor Charles V abdicates and divides up his empire between his son Philip II and his brother, the new Emperor Ferdinand I.
War is already brewing in Europe at this time between Spain and France, and the Privy Council is soon approached by the Spanish ambassador, requesting a treaty of alliance between England and the Spanish. The Queen, still holding Spanish sympathies from her mother’s inheritance, decides to undertake the alliance, although it is technically in direct contravention to the existing treaty between England and France, signed in 1551. Mary, however, seeing herself as not bound by the treaty of her heretic brother, is adamant about proceeding and showing her good faith in her Spanish cousins. On the advice of her husband, she decides to arrange a marriage between her cousin, the new King Philip of Spain and her sister, the Lady Elizabeth.
At this time, the Lady Elizabeth has been living in obscurity in the countryside, remaining removed from dangerous court conspiracies. Nevertheless, there is little love lost between Mary and the sister she sees as the bastard daughter of her father and a whore. The Queen considers it an easy way to rid herself of the troublesome sister, especially with the succession now secured. A treaty of alliance is drawn up secretly and signed at Calais soon after. Elizabeth is informed of the suit for her hand and has little choice but to assent, fearing the wrath of her powerful brother-in-law if she refuses.
1557:
War erupts between France and Spain, and the treaty of Vaucelles is broken when King Henry II of France invades Flanders, seizing upon the abdication of the Emperor as an opportunity to annex Burgundian lands he believes are rightfully his. The French expect English support, but Courtenay instead publically renounces the old alliance as unlawful and reveals his new alliance with Spain. Meanwhile, on the home front, the new war is able to gain domestic support amongst the common people when royal propaganda portrays it as a furthering of the policies of Henry VIII and a war against England’s old enemy, France, for territories previously ceded back by the Duke of Northumberland. In essence, Courtenay manages to pass it off as a new chapter in the Hundred Years War.
To seal the new alliance, the Lady Elizabeth is married by proxy to King Philip II of Spain on St George’s Day, at Windsor Castle, the Duke of Alva standing in for his master. She is soon after dispatched to Spain, arriving the following month and wedding Philip in person at Valladolid. While the English have promised a dowry of £50,000, to be paid in four annual payments, in the end this never comes to pass and the settlement is never fully paid to the nearly bankrupt Spanish treasury (English finances being just on the verge of recovery after nearly a decade of near ruin).
Later that year, Spanish forces, thanks to the arrival of English reinforcements, manage to inflict a crushing defeat on the French at St Quentin, thanks to the military prowess of the English commander, Lord Howard of Effingham. The French, humiliated, retreat and the English manage to regain their possessions in Bolougne, conquered by Henry VIII but lost during the reign of Edward VI. The victory instills new moral in the English army, while camped in France, and when news reaches London there are celebrations throughout the country. Lord Howard is soon after created Earl of Nottingham for his efforts.
1558:
Pope Marcellus declares his support for the Spanish publically, sending a bull to King Henry of France, urging him to lay down his arms and make peace.
Meanwhile, feeling threatened by this new Spanish-English-Papal alliance, Venice allies with France and manages to score a naval victory against the Spanish at Ibiza, occupying the islands of Majorca for a time.
The Spanish held duchy of Milan revolts, urged on by secret support from a variety of Italian city states, all of whom greatly resent papal ambitions in the area. While papal mercenaries arrive soon after to relieve the Spanish forces there, now spread dangerously thin, and the revolt is eventually put down, there remains a great distrust in that land for its Spanish overlords for years to come.
English forces under Nottingham, with a host of German mercenaries, are able to take Amiens and come close to Paris. For a moment, there is a near crisis in France, but King Henry manages to rouse his people to defend their homeland and the English are routed at Senlis, forcing them to retreat back into Picardy.
The Spanish find themselves dealing with more than they had originally intended in Italy, as an alliance of Italian city states (led by Florence, Venice and Modena) invades Milan. While papal forces help defend the duchy, the Spanish still suffer many losses against the Italians, who fear the growth of both Spanish and Papal power in the area.
Realizing that the Spanish army is spread too thin on their various military fronts, the English convince them to sue for peace. The Spanish soon agree, at Courtenay’s behest. The treaty of Milan is signed soon after, by which the Venetians gain the islands of Majorca and the English are allowed to keep their territories in Picardy.
To seal the treaty, Don Carlos of Spain, Philip’s eldest son, is married to King Henry’s daughter Princess Elisabeth. Interestingly enough, the bride’s father is wounded during a joust celebrating the wedding in France and dies soon after. His son, Francois II, succeeds him.
In Spain, Queen Elizabeth (now known as “Isabel” in her husband’s kingdom) gives birth to a daughter in Madrid, who is christened “Infanta Isabel of Spain” after her mother.
1559:
Tragedy strikes the realm when Queen Mary I dies of cancer at St James’ Palace in London. She has been suffering for the last year, unbeknownst to many, as Courtenay has been careful to hide his wife’s illness, fearing a rebellion by those dissatisfied with the counter-reformation in England.
The four year old Prince of Wales is proclaimed “King Henry IX” immediately after.
By an earlier Act of Parliament, Courtenay is named “King Regent of England and Ireland” with sole powers to exercise the royal prerogative until his son comes of age at 18. After his wife’s death is proclaimed in London, he immediately orders the arrest of several leading (and formerly Protestant) nobles for treason.
Queen Mary is buried at Westminster Abbey with much pomp and expense. All over England the people mourn the death of their great queen, who restored the old faith to them and loved them as a mother does her children.
The Duke of Suffolk, without the sympathies of his wife’s cousin to protect him, fears arrest by Courtenay, whom he knows he is very unpopular with. Knowing that there is still a small, secret circle of Protestants nobles in London committed to restoring the reformed faith in England (but who have claimed to have embraced the Catholic faith in public), he makes contact with several of the leaders of the faction, including Sir Thomas Wyatt and Sir William Cecil, who have been thus far plotting in secret. Together they conspire to launch a rebellion in the Midlands, where Protestant sympathies still remain strong, if somewhat in check. This is also where a majority of the men hold their lands, and thus will be able to rouse their tenantry.
On the day after Queen Mary’s funeral, Suffolk’s revolt breaks out in Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire, soon spreading west into Northamptonshire. As the revolt escalates, Courtenay finds himself caught off guard. Nevertheless, he does not believe that the rebellion is of any real threat and instead Courtenay sends only a small force to put it down, led by Sir Anthony Browne. Browne is soon after defeated by Suffolk, who has now managed to call to arms almost every gentleman in England with Protestant sympathies, a majority of which have gravitated to the Midlands. Feeling secure in his position, the Duke of Suffolk enters the city of Cambridge with his troops and proclaims his daughter the Lady Jane Grey, still imprisoned in the Tower, “Queen Jane.” To underline his cause, the rebels besiege Ely Cathedral, stripping it of its finery and destroying any images inside. The Bishop of Ely is murdered and Suffolk orders a reformed service to be held for his troops, with prayers said for the “rightful Queen Jane.” All at once, England now witnesses the violent backlash of its Protestant minority, which though small and nearly completely eliminated, now makes its last stand.
Courtenay appears before the people in London at St Paul’s Cathedral, having high mass said and then appealing to the common folk, as “an Englishman born who loves his country” to take up arms and defend the realm and its king, and to deliver the kingdom from the threat of heresy. The speech greatly moves the people and the royal army swells. Meanwhile, the militias are called and Courtenay marches off to war, depositing his son at Windsor Castle for safe keeping. Messengers are also sent north, with orders to rouse the militias there, which will be placed under the command of Henry Percy, the powerful (newly restored) Earl of Northumberland. Not wishing to provoke further dissension and rebellion, he gives orders that the guard be doubled on the Lady Jane, but that no further action be taken, fearing the consequences of an even greater rising in the Midlands. Before going to war, however, Courtenay rides with his forces to Salisbury Cathedral, where he prays for victory and promises to destroy the heretics.
The royal forces then march through the Midlands, attacking and mercilessly slaying the inhabitants of several villages which have openly forsaken the Catholic faith and allowed Protestant services to be said openly in their parish churches. They engage Suffolk’s forces two weeks later at Cambridge. While the royal army is much larger, Suffolk manages to gain the upper hand for a time. However, the arrival of the Earl of Northumberland at the eleventh hour with a force of several thousand men manages to turn the tides of the battle and win the day for the royalists. Suffolk is crushed and flees with his remaining forces for his estates in Essex. He is soon captured, along with both Cecil and Wyatt.
The rebels are dealt with harshly. Many of the soldiers in Suffolk’s army who refused to desert are hanged, drawn and quartered from the walls of the city of Cambridge, as a warning for disobedience. The leading members of the rebellion are attainted by act of Parliament, including Suffolk himself. They are then found guilty of heresy, in addition to their treason. All are beheaded at Tower Hill soon after. Lady Jane’s death warrant is also finally signed, Courtenay realizing, on the advice of his council, that she is now too dangerous to live, being a focus for Protestant plots. She is beheaded in the Tower of London in a private execution afterwards, along with her husband Lord Guildford, and two of the late Duke of Northumberland’s other sons: Lords Robert and Ambrose Dudley (they being executed on Tower Hill instead).
As victory celebrations are held across the kingdom, Courtenay and the child king Henry enter London in triumph. As a sign of his piety, Courtenay orders that the lands of both Cecil and Wyatt be given to the Church for the establishment of monastic properties (though he keeps the rich land of Suffolk for himself).
Pope Marcellus dies in Rome in early December, and is followed to the grave a few days later in England by Cardinal Pole.
1560:
In Scotland, Queen Mary of Guise dies and the kingdom falls into the hands of a group of Protestant lords known as the “Lords of the Congregation” who begin the Scottish Reformation there, ruling the name of the Catholic Queen Mary, who is still living in France, with her husband King Francois.
Fearing the consequences of a Scottish invasion, Courtenay attempts to further secure his country’s alliance with Spain. The treaty of Dover is signed soon after, in which the Spanish Infanta Isabel is betrothed to her first cousin, King Henry IX of England. This move is quite brilliant on Courtenay’s part, as it holds the double benefits of strengthening the Anglo-Spanish alliance, as well as neutralizing the claim to the throne that the Infanta possesses through her mother, the heiress presumptive of England, Queen Elizabeth of Spain.
Defenses on the northern border are also strengthened, and the Earls of Northumberland and Westmorland and the Lord Dacre are charged with its defense as wardens of the Scottish marches. However, despite English fears, the Scottish are too disorganized and concerned with domestic issues, particularly the implementation of the reformation, and thus have no time to lead an invasion.
In Spain, Queen Elizabeth gives birth to a son named Ferdinand who dies hours after birth, much to the disappointment of King Philip. Later that year, Don Carlos’s wife, Elisabeth of France, also gives birth to a son; the healthy boy is named Philip in honor of his grandfather. By now, Don Carlos’s mental instability is becoming much more apparent, and King Philip begins making plans to disinherit him.
In France, King Francois II dies from meningitis at the age of 16, leaving Queen Mary of Scotland a widow. He is succeeded by his brother, King Charles IX, who at the time is only 10 years old, and thus the regency devolves to his mother, Queen Catherine de’ Medici of France.
1561:
Queen Mary of Scotland leaves France for Scotland, having been granted safe passage through England by order of Courtenay. On the advice of the Duke of Norfolk, now one of the most influential men on the Privy Council (along with the elderly Bishop Gardiner (now Archbishop of Canterbury), the Earls of Derby and Nottingham and Lord Clinton), Courtenay decides to befriend Queen Mary, seeing the lonely, naïve woman as a perfect candidate to use as a pawn for the benefit of England (and by extension the Catholic faith).
Acting fatherly to the young queen, he convinces her of the importance of resisting the Protestant nobles of Scotland whom, he claims, will seek to use her for the furtherance of heresy. Courtenay downplays the power of Protestantism in Scotland, claiming that it is resented by a majority of the population, even though this is an outright lie (many have embraced the reformed religion already in the Lowlands). Mary believes Courtenay misinformation, who she soon develops a fondness for during her stay in London, as he reminds her of her uncle, the Duke of Guise. Against the advice of many in her party, she secretly promises to restore the old religion in Scotland and do all she can to oppose any threats to English security, which Courtenay has convinced her would be only in the interests of heretics and dangerous for the Catholic faith in England.
Mary arrives in Scotland a few months later; she finds the country mostly Protestant, to her horror, and soon falls prey to the Lords of the Congregation, who, fearing a “papist plot” with the English on her part, keep her under close watch and severely limit her sovereignty.
In Spain, Queen Elizabeth gives birth to another short lived son, this one named Juan, who survives only a few days.
1562:
Don Carlos’s wife gives birth to a stillborn daughter. Already, alarming reports of his mental instability are reaching foreign courts. Even Queen Catherine de’ Medici expresses concern for her daughter, the prince’s wife. Finally, King Philip orders his son separated from his wife (now pregnant again) and imprisoned in Seville. However, before King Philip can remove him from the succession, the prince dies of fever mysteriously, though many whisper it was poison.
1563:
Elisabeth of France gives birth to her husband’s posthumous daughter, Infanta Ana of Spain.
Archbishop Gardiner dies in London, aged 66.
King Henry IX is crowned at Westminster Abbey on the day of his ninth birthday, the coronation having been delayed until he was deemed of sufficient age to undergo the many complex rituals and long ceremony.
1564:
Queen Mary of Scotland attempts to flee north, to rally the support of the Catholic lords there, after she receives letters from England, signed by Courtenay, who has promised her his support in any rebellion against the Lords of the Congregation she may launch. She is captured at Perth and imprisoned in Edinburgh Castle.
In Ireland, the Earl of Tyrone rebels against the English. Courtenay immediately sends troops to quash the revolt, but it soon gets out of hand after several other Irish lords join in. With his allies, the Earls of Ormonde and Kildare, Courtenay’s forces slowly manage to put down the rebellion, though Tyrone is able to launch a guerilla war in Ulster, and soon the conflict reaches a bloody stalemate.
1565:
Queen Mary is murdered in Edinburgh Castle. Her cousin, the Earl of Arran, is proclaimed King James VI of Scotland.
Currently tied up with the war in Ireland, Courtenay has no choice but to not act. Instead he issues a very stern letter of warning to the Scots, in which he states quite simply that if they dare attack him, he will bring the full force of the Anglo-Spanish alliance down on them. Further, he agrees to recognize the new King of Scots, but, desperate for money to fund his war in Ireland (and fearing refusal if he summons Parliament), Courtenay demands the extraordinary sum of £200,000 as his price for peace. The Scots refuse, believing that Courtenay will not waste his resources on them.
Furious, Courtenay pulls his troops out of Ireland, leaving Kildare and Ormonde to finish putting down the revolt. He then places the army in the command of the ageing Earl of Nottingham, who marches north to join with the Earl of Northumberland. Both earls then invade Scotland, burning villages and fields and killing peasants and livestock in a policy of scorched earth as they advance, determined to punish the heretical Scots. Courtenay himself applauds their tactics and urges them on in the name of the Church, though he still maintains his worries about the situation in Ireland.
Courtenay plans to put Matthew Stewart, Earl of Lennox (an illegitimate descendant of James II) on the Scottish throne and depose James VI. He believes that Lennox will essentially owe his station to the English, who will act as his overlords.
The Scots are caught unaware and unable to put up much resistance. King James VI is forced to flee north to Stirling Castle after Edinburgh falls to the English. And, in a show of uncharacteristic brutality, Courtenay orders the city looted and burned, and all the Protestant churches destroyed.
The Earl of Lennox rides north to Edinburgh, but suffers a stroke and dies along the way. Thus, it is his son, Henry Stewart, who is escorted to Edinburgh by English forces and proclaimed “King of Scots” at Edinburgh Castle, as Henry I. He is crowned at Holyrood Abbey the following week, though he is soon very unpopular with the people in English occupied Scotland, who see him as nothing more than a puppet of the hated English oppressors.
Meanwhile, James VI sets up a rival capital at Perth.
1566:
The Scots attack the English near St Andrews and manage to retake the city. King Henry I then is placed at the head of a force of mostly English soldiers and sent north, accompanied by the Earl of Nottingham. Courtenay believes that by riding at the head of an army that scores a victory, King Henry’s popularity will increase and his position can be secured more. In truth, Courtenay desires to end the war as quickly as possible, as it is already draining English finances beyond what was expected.
The English defeat the Scots and retake St Andrews, but after reaching Perth they are defeated in a very bloody and drawn out battle outside the city gates. During the conflict, both the Earl of Nottingham and King Henry I are slain. Courtenay, realizing the long-term ramifications of anymore intervention in Scottish affairs agrees to cut his losses and retreat south, pulling out of Scotland entirely.
Nevertheless, as he leads the retreat, the Earl of Northumberland manages to steal the Scottish crown jewels, along with a majority of the treasury remaining in Edinburgh, much to the disdain of the Scots. As the English retreat, they leave Scotland in ruins.
1567:
With much of the south of their country destroyed and many lives lost in the war, the Scots under King James VI sue for peace, determined to at least prevent any more economic collapse through the expense of war. Through the skillful negotiations of the Earl of Bothwell, the Scots only are required to pay £90,000 to the English in reparations, and in exchange, Courtenay promises to recognize King James VI and cease all further hostility towards Scotland.
Meanwhile, at the same time, Courtenay manages to finally put down the Scottish rebellion when the Earl of Ormonde captures the Earl of Tyrone at the battle of Tara that summer. Tyrone is attainted and beheaded soon after, and Ormonde is appointed Lord Lieutenant of Ireland for his efforts.
1570:
King Henry IX of England, now nearly 16, and the 12 year old Infanta Isabel of Spain are married by proxy in Madrid. She soon arrives in England, and the two are married in a splendid ceremony in the Chapel Royal of Hampton Court Palace.
1571:
Courtenay dies at Richmond Palace. His death comes suddenly, but is expected, since though he is only forty, the King Regent is greatly worn out by the stress of the regency and the many dramatic events that have occurred over the last few years. The regency then devolves to a temporary Council until Parliament can be summoned that fall and an act passed declaring the King’s minority ended prematurely.
Courtenay is buried with the full rights of a king at Westminster Abbey, beside his wife.
Queen Isabel is crowned at Westminster Abbey soon after.
1572:
King Henry IX issues several proclamations, insisting on treating heretics more severely, and empowers commission courts to use torture to extract confessions. He is determined to eradicate the remains of heresy in his kingdom.
A fervent Catholic, he adopts much of the Spanish court ceremonial introduced by his wife, insisting on ridged court ceremony and etiquette, sometimes to the absurd. Black dress becomes mandatory at the royal court, and from this point forward, clothing worn by courtiers is required to be in the style of the contemporary time period, with new fashions introduced after the 1570s not being allowed in the monarch’s presence. Essentially, the court becomes an anachronism, frozen in time and ritual from this point. Further, mass is to be said four times per day, with the King attending each service.
Finally, a proclamation is issued, insisting that all heretics be burned publically in Smithfield, with an elaborate ritual of recantance being performed before hand.
Queen Isabel (known as “Elizabeth” in her husband’s realm) gives birth to a son at Greenwich Palace in October. He is christened “Prince Edward Courtenay” and named Prince of Wales soon after.
1573:
King Philip II of Spain dies of fever.
...what does everyone think so far?
Introduction, 1553: On July 19 The Lady Mary Tudor is proclaimed Queen of England, the attempted coup of the Duke of Northumberland having collapsed. Northumberland and his fellow conspirators (including his sons, the Marquess of Northampton and Bishop Ridley of London among others) is arrested for high treason soon after and conveyed to the Tower, his army having deserted him; the Marquess of Northampton, Archbishop Cranmer of Canterbury, Bishop Ridley of London and Northumberland’s sons soon follow. The Lady Jane Grey and her husband Lord Guildford Dudley are also placed under house arrest in the Tower, though the Queen takes no further action against them.
Mary then enters London in state the following week, on August 3, accompanied by a grand procession of bishops, peers, gentlemen, ladies and knights. She takes up residence in the Tower and immediately proceeds to issue an order for the release of several prominent Catholic prisoners there, among them the Duke of Norfolk, Bishop Gardiner of Winchester, and Edward Courtenay. She is crowned soon after on the first day of October, the ceremony being conducted according to the old Catholic rites.
At her first Parliament, the following week, she has both Norfolk and Courtenay restored in the blood to all their lands and titles. Further, an ‘Act of Restitution’ is passed, confirming the validity of the marriage of Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon and declaring its annulment invalid, not to mention making Mary legitimate and lawfully begotten by statute as a result. Finally, with the skillful help of Bishop Gardiner, now Mary’s Lord Chancellor, a series of bills are introduced into Parliament and subsequently passed which repeal all of the religious laws of Edward VI, restoring the Church to the (essentially Catholic) state it was in at the time of Henry’s death. Cranmer and Ridley are also deprived of their bishoprics by special act of Parliament on grounds of treason.
At the same time, the trials of the Duke of Northumberland and the Marquess of Northampton are held in the House of Lords, with both being found guilty of treason and condemned to death by beheading. The sentences are duly carried out several days later on Tower Hill; nevertheless, Mary agrees to pardon the Duke of Suffolk, the Earl of Huntingdon, Northumberland’s sons and Lady Jane and her husband, though the latter two parties remain in the Tower under house arrest.
Meanwhile, in secret, Mary dispatches a letter to Pope Julius III, informing him of her intention to reconcile the Church to Rome. Overjoyed, the Pope sends Mary’s exiled cousin, Cardinal Pole, to England to serve as papal nuncio and work with Mary in reconciling the Church to Rome. While Pole is an idealist and is in favor of repealing the dissolution of the Monasteries, the Pope cautions him against this position and to the horror of Cardinal Pole, he sends the nuncio with a letter for Mary’s eyes only, in which he promises to grant a special dispensation to her to allow those who profited from the dissolution to keep their monastic lands; he rationalizes this position with his desire to bring England back into the Catholic fold by any means necessary. Upon receiving the Pope’s letter, Mary has the Act of Attainder that had been placed upon Pole by her father reversed and restores him in the blood to his lands and estates as a sign of good faith.
During this time, Courtenay is shown great favor by Mary, being created Earl of Devon and a knight of the garter in November. Many favor him as a potential suitor for the Queen’s hand, due to his being of blood royal (as a great-grandson of Edward IV) and a native Englishman. Both Bishop Gardiner and his close ally on the Council, Bishop Bonner of London, urge Mary towards a match with Courtenay, who they feel is the best choice before them. The two bishops soon garner support on the Privy Council, which is almost unanimously in favor of a marriage with Courtenay, especially after hearing rumors that the Imperial ambassador is about to push the suit of his master’s son, Prince Phillip of Spain. Fearing a foreign marriage the Privy Council, during a meeting at St James’ Palace in late November, manage to convince the Queen of the advantages to the match and, with nearly her entire Council in favor of the marriage, Mary agrees to the idea. The Imperial ambassador is thus outmaneuvered before he can even make his suit.
The Queen announces her intention to wed Edward Courtenay, Earl of Devon, the following day to the assembled court at Whitehall Palace, Courtenay already having been informed of the decision the night before by a royal messenger of the Privy Chamber, much to his and his mother’s joy.
1554:
Queen Mary of England and Edward Courtenay, Earl of Devon, are married in the Chapel Royal at Whitehall Palace on New Year’s Day in a splendid ceremony attended by the entire court. Courtenay is made King Consort by Act of Parliament soon after.
Cardinal Pole arrives in England several days before Easter and negotiations for the reconciliation of the Church of England to Rome begin immediately. Predictably, the discussion stalls on the topic of restoration of monastic property, but, with much misgivings, Cardinal Pole produces a papal bull granting a special dispensation for the lands to remain in lay hands. The matter solved, the Act of Supremacy is repealed by Parliament soon after and the assembly prepares a special petition, drafted by Gardiner, calling for Reconciliation with Rome and the restoration of the Catholic faith; it is taken to the Queen and King at Westminster Palace, along with the bill repealing the act of supremacy. Both receive the royal assent immediately, before the entire Parliament assembled. Cardinal Pole then, empowered by the pope as papal legate, officially grants absolution to the realm of England. The papal bull of reconciliation arrives a month later, and a feast day celebrating the event is set aside to be observed in England every April 30, by royal proclamation.
To the added joy of the kingdom, the Queen announces that she is with child three days later. The announcement is hailed as a miracle by royal court. Meanwhile, Mary nominates Cardinal Pole to fill the vacant post of archbishop of Canterbury as a reward for his services, and this act is soon enthusiastically assented to by the Pope in Rome.
On December 15, 1554, Queen Mary of England gives birth to a son at Whitehall Palace. There are celebrations throughout the streets of London by the common people, although the Protestant faction at court sees this as yet another major defeat. The boy is christened “Prince Henry Courtenay” three days later in the Chapel Royal and soon after created “Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester.”
1555:
Pope Julius dies and Cardinal Spannochi is elected in his place as “Pope Marcellus II.” Marcellus becomes mysteriously ill shortly after his election and nearly dies. After his recovery, the Pope is convinced that he was poisoned by French agents due to his Imperial sympathies, his suspicions only being urged on by the Imperial ambassador in Rome. While the French manage to placate the Pope with protestations of innocence, Marcellus will never again trust them.
The Counter-Reformation begins in England. The Jesuits are allowed into the realm and the Queen provides for the creation of several new monasteries out of royal lands. Further, abbots are restored to several major religious houses that remain in royal hands, although a majority of monastic land has already been distributed by Henry VIII years earlier, and thus remains in lay hands untouched in accordance with the papal dispensation.
The former protestant bishops Cranmer and Ridley are tried for heresy and burned. Mary, at the urging of her husband and a majority of her bishops, agrees to take a firmer stance towards heresy. Modeled after the inquisitions on the continent, Mary establishes a Court of High Commission to sit in London. The High Commission is charged with rooting out and trying heresy, with similar courts of commission being established in other major urban areas, such as Norwich and Canterbury. A wave of persecutions ensues, although Courtenay (having emerged as the dominating partner between he and his wife), in careful cooperation with Bishop Gardiner, ensures the courts are discreet enough to only condemn those not willing to recant their beliefs and convert to Catholicism. Those remaining Protestants who do not sincerely convert hold to their faith in secret, though they become rarer as the years progress.
Meanwhile the Lord Treasurer, the Marquess of Winchester, manages to garner the favor of the royal couple by reforming the country’s finances, at this time greatly damaged from the reign of Edward VI. Winchester does so by ordering a recall of the coinage, putting a stop to the practice of debasement and managing to successfully secure a vote of over £100,000 by Parliament over the next two years, to restore the (nearly empty) treasury.
1556:
Mary gives birth to a daughter, christened Princess Katherine Courtenay, who dies several months later. The Queen is heartbroken and from then on adopts black mourning garb, becoming even more pious than before and stepping up her persecutions of Protestants, believing that God is punishing her for her laxity with heresy. She begins attending to state business and council meetings even less, and Courtenay’s power grows even more firm as a result, with most major policy being formed through him instead of the Queen. The only area of politics in which the Queen retains interest is on spiritual policy, and this she dictates vigorously. Sexual relations between the royal couple also cease at this point, though they remain on pleasant terms as ever.
Meanwhile, on the continent, Emperor Charles V abdicates and divides up his empire between his son Philip II and his brother, the new Emperor Ferdinand I.
War is already brewing in Europe at this time between Spain and France, and the Privy Council is soon approached by the Spanish ambassador, requesting a treaty of alliance between England and the Spanish. The Queen, still holding Spanish sympathies from her mother’s inheritance, decides to undertake the alliance, although it is technically in direct contravention to the existing treaty between England and France, signed in 1551. Mary, however, seeing herself as not bound by the treaty of her heretic brother, is adamant about proceeding and showing her good faith in her Spanish cousins. On the advice of her husband, she decides to arrange a marriage between her cousin, the new King Philip of Spain and her sister, the Lady Elizabeth.
At this time, the Lady Elizabeth has been living in obscurity in the countryside, remaining removed from dangerous court conspiracies. Nevertheless, there is little love lost between Mary and the sister she sees as the bastard daughter of her father and a whore. The Queen considers it an easy way to rid herself of the troublesome sister, especially with the succession now secured. A treaty of alliance is drawn up secretly and signed at Calais soon after. Elizabeth is informed of the suit for her hand and has little choice but to assent, fearing the wrath of her powerful brother-in-law if she refuses.
1557:
War erupts between France and Spain, and the treaty of Vaucelles is broken when King Henry II of France invades Flanders, seizing upon the abdication of the Emperor as an opportunity to annex Burgundian lands he believes are rightfully his. The French expect English support, but Courtenay instead publically renounces the old alliance as unlawful and reveals his new alliance with Spain. Meanwhile, on the home front, the new war is able to gain domestic support amongst the common people when royal propaganda portrays it as a furthering of the policies of Henry VIII and a war against England’s old enemy, France, for territories previously ceded back by the Duke of Northumberland. In essence, Courtenay manages to pass it off as a new chapter in the Hundred Years War.
To seal the new alliance, the Lady Elizabeth is married by proxy to King Philip II of Spain on St George’s Day, at Windsor Castle, the Duke of Alva standing in for his master. She is soon after dispatched to Spain, arriving the following month and wedding Philip in person at Valladolid. While the English have promised a dowry of £50,000, to be paid in four annual payments, in the end this never comes to pass and the settlement is never fully paid to the nearly bankrupt Spanish treasury (English finances being just on the verge of recovery after nearly a decade of near ruin).
Later that year, Spanish forces, thanks to the arrival of English reinforcements, manage to inflict a crushing defeat on the French at St Quentin, thanks to the military prowess of the English commander, Lord Howard of Effingham. The French, humiliated, retreat and the English manage to regain their possessions in Bolougne, conquered by Henry VIII but lost during the reign of Edward VI. The victory instills new moral in the English army, while camped in France, and when news reaches London there are celebrations throughout the country. Lord Howard is soon after created Earl of Nottingham for his efforts.
1558:
Pope Marcellus declares his support for the Spanish publically, sending a bull to King Henry of France, urging him to lay down his arms and make peace.
Meanwhile, feeling threatened by this new Spanish-English-Papal alliance, Venice allies with France and manages to score a naval victory against the Spanish at Ibiza, occupying the islands of Majorca for a time.
The Spanish held duchy of Milan revolts, urged on by secret support from a variety of Italian city states, all of whom greatly resent papal ambitions in the area. While papal mercenaries arrive soon after to relieve the Spanish forces there, now spread dangerously thin, and the revolt is eventually put down, there remains a great distrust in that land for its Spanish overlords for years to come.
English forces under Nottingham, with a host of German mercenaries, are able to take Amiens and come close to Paris. For a moment, there is a near crisis in France, but King Henry manages to rouse his people to defend their homeland and the English are routed at Senlis, forcing them to retreat back into Picardy.
The Spanish find themselves dealing with more than they had originally intended in Italy, as an alliance of Italian city states (led by Florence, Venice and Modena) invades Milan. While papal forces help defend the duchy, the Spanish still suffer many losses against the Italians, who fear the growth of both Spanish and Papal power in the area.
Realizing that the Spanish army is spread too thin on their various military fronts, the English convince them to sue for peace. The Spanish soon agree, at Courtenay’s behest. The treaty of Milan is signed soon after, by which the Venetians gain the islands of Majorca and the English are allowed to keep their territories in Picardy.
To seal the treaty, Don Carlos of Spain, Philip’s eldest son, is married to King Henry’s daughter Princess Elisabeth. Interestingly enough, the bride’s father is wounded during a joust celebrating the wedding in France and dies soon after. His son, Francois II, succeeds him.
In Spain, Queen Elizabeth (now known as “Isabel” in her husband’s kingdom) gives birth to a daughter in Madrid, who is christened “Infanta Isabel of Spain” after her mother.
1559:
Tragedy strikes the realm when Queen Mary I dies of cancer at St James’ Palace in London. She has been suffering for the last year, unbeknownst to many, as Courtenay has been careful to hide his wife’s illness, fearing a rebellion by those dissatisfied with the counter-reformation in England.
The four year old Prince of Wales is proclaimed “King Henry IX” immediately after.
By an earlier Act of Parliament, Courtenay is named “King Regent of England and Ireland” with sole powers to exercise the royal prerogative until his son comes of age at 18. After his wife’s death is proclaimed in London, he immediately orders the arrest of several leading (and formerly Protestant) nobles for treason.
Queen Mary is buried at Westminster Abbey with much pomp and expense. All over England the people mourn the death of their great queen, who restored the old faith to them and loved them as a mother does her children.
The Duke of Suffolk, without the sympathies of his wife’s cousin to protect him, fears arrest by Courtenay, whom he knows he is very unpopular with. Knowing that there is still a small, secret circle of Protestants nobles in London committed to restoring the reformed faith in England (but who have claimed to have embraced the Catholic faith in public), he makes contact with several of the leaders of the faction, including Sir Thomas Wyatt and Sir William Cecil, who have been thus far plotting in secret. Together they conspire to launch a rebellion in the Midlands, where Protestant sympathies still remain strong, if somewhat in check. This is also where a majority of the men hold their lands, and thus will be able to rouse their tenantry.
On the day after Queen Mary’s funeral, Suffolk’s revolt breaks out in Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire, soon spreading west into Northamptonshire. As the revolt escalates, Courtenay finds himself caught off guard. Nevertheless, he does not believe that the rebellion is of any real threat and instead Courtenay sends only a small force to put it down, led by Sir Anthony Browne. Browne is soon after defeated by Suffolk, who has now managed to call to arms almost every gentleman in England with Protestant sympathies, a majority of which have gravitated to the Midlands. Feeling secure in his position, the Duke of Suffolk enters the city of Cambridge with his troops and proclaims his daughter the Lady Jane Grey, still imprisoned in the Tower, “Queen Jane.” To underline his cause, the rebels besiege Ely Cathedral, stripping it of its finery and destroying any images inside. The Bishop of Ely is murdered and Suffolk orders a reformed service to be held for his troops, with prayers said for the “rightful Queen Jane.” All at once, England now witnesses the violent backlash of its Protestant minority, which though small and nearly completely eliminated, now makes its last stand.
Courtenay appears before the people in London at St Paul’s Cathedral, having high mass said and then appealing to the common folk, as “an Englishman born who loves his country” to take up arms and defend the realm and its king, and to deliver the kingdom from the threat of heresy. The speech greatly moves the people and the royal army swells. Meanwhile, the militias are called and Courtenay marches off to war, depositing his son at Windsor Castle for safe keeping. Messengers are also sent north, with orders to rouse the militias there, which will be placed under the command of Henry Percy, the powerful (newly restored) Earl of Northumberland. Not wishing to provoke further dissension and rebellion, he gives orders that the guard be doubled on the Lady Jane, but that no further action be taken, fearing the consequences of an even greater rising in the Midlands. Before going to war, however, Courtenay rides with his forces to Salisbury Cathedral, where he prays for victory and promises to destroy the heretics.
The royal forces then march through the Midlands, attacking and mercilessly slaying the inhabitants of several villages which have openly forsaken the Catholic faith and allowed Protestant services to be said openly in their parish churches. They engage Suffolk’s forces two weeks later at Cambridge. While the royal army is much larger, Suffolk manages to gain the upper hand for a time. However, the arrival of the Earl of Northumberland at the eleventh hour with a force of several thousand men manages to turn the tides of the battle and win the day for the royalists. Suffolk is crushed and flees with his remaining forces for his estates in Essex. He is soon captured, along with both Cecil and Wyatt.
The rebels are dealt with harshly. Many of the soldiers in Suffolk’s army who refused to desert are hanged, drawn and quartered from the walls of the city of Cambridge, as a warning for disobedience. The leading members of the rebellion are attainted by act of Parliament, including Suffolk himself. They are then found guilty of heresy, in addition to their treason. All are beheaded at Tower Hill soon after. Lady Jane’s death warrant is also finally signed, Courtenay realizing, on the advice of his council, that she is now too dangerous to live, being a focus for Protestant plots. She is beheaded in the Tower of London in a private execution afterwards, along with her husband Lord Guildford, and two of the late Duke of Northumberland’s other sons: Lords Robert and Ambrose Dudley (they being executed on Tower Hill instead).
As victory celebrations are held across the kingdom, Courtenay and the child king Henry enter London in triumph. As a sign of his piety, Courtenay orders that the lands of both Cecil and Wyatt be given to the Church for the establishment of monastic properties (though he keeps the rich land of Suffolk for himself).
Pope Marcellus dies in Rome in early December, and is followed to the grave a few days later in England by Cardinal Pole.
1560:
In Scotland, Queen Mary of Guise dies and the kingdom falls into the hands of a group of Protestant lords known as the “Lords of the Congregation” who begin the Scottish Reformation there, ruling the name of the Catholic Queen Mary, who is still living in France, with her husband King Francois.
Fearing the consequences of a Scottish invasion, Courtenay attempts to further secure his country’s alliance with Spain. The treaty of Dover is signed soon after, in which the Spanish Infanta Isabel is betrothed to her first cousin, King Henry IX of England. This move is quite brilliant on Courtenay’s part, as it holds the double benefits of strengthening the Anglo-Spanish alliance, as well as neutralizing the claim to the throne that the Infanta possesses through her mother, the heiress presumptive of England, Queen Elizabeth of Spain.
Defenses on the northern border are also strengthened, and the Earls of Northumberland and Westmorland and the Lord Dacre are charged with its defense as wardens of the Scottish marches. However, despite English fears, the Scottish are too disorganized and concerned with domestic issues, particularly the implementation of the reformation, and thus have no time to lead an invasion.
In Spain, Queen Elizabeth gives birth to a son named Ferdinand who dies hours after birth, much to the disappointment of King Philip. Later that year, Don Carlos’s wife, Elisabeth of France, also gives birth to a son; the healthy boy is named Philip in honor of his grandfather. By now, Don Carlos’s mental instability is becoming much more apparent, and King Philip begins making plans to disinherit him.
In France, King Francois II dies from meningitis at the age of 16, leaving Queen Mary of Scotland a widow. He is succeeded by his brother, King Charles IX, who at the time is only 10 years old, and thus the regency devolves to his mother, Queen Catherine de’ Medici of France.
1561:
Queen Mary of Scotland leaves France for Scotland, having been granted safe passage through England by order of Courtenay. On the advice of the Duke of Norfolk, now one of the most influential men on the Privy Council (along with the elderly Bishop Gardiner (now Archbishop of Canterbury), the Earls of Derby and Nottingham and Lord Clinton), Courtenay decides to befriend Queen Mary, seeing the lonely, naïve woman as a perfect candidate to use as a pawn for the benefit of England (and by extension the Catholic faith).
Acting fatherly to the young queen, he convinces her of the importance of resisting the Protestant nobles of Scotland whom, he claims, will seek to use her for the furtherance of heresy. Courtenay downplays the power of Protestantism in Scotland, claiming that it is resented by a majority of the population, even though this is an outright lie (many have embraced the reformed religion already in the Lowlands). Mary believes Courtenay misinformation, who she soon develops a fondness for during her stay in London, as he reminds her of her uncle, the Duke of Guise. Against the advice of many in her party, she secretly promises to restore the old religion in Scotland and do all she can to oppose any threats to English security, which Courtenay has convinced her would be only in the interests of heretics and dangerous for the Catholic faith in England.
Mary arrives in Scotland a few months later; she finds the country mostly Protestant, to her horror, and soon falls prey to the Lords of the Congregation, who, fearing a “papist plot” with the English on her part, keep her under close watch and severely limit her sovereignty.
In Spain, Queen Elizabeth gives birth to another short lived son, this one named Juan, who survives only a few days.
1562:
Don Carlos’s wife gives birth to a stillborn daughter. Already, alarming reports of his mental instability are reaching foreign courts. Even Queen Catherine de’ Medici expresses concern for her daughter, the prince’s wife. Finally, King Philip orders his son separated from his wife (now pregnant again) and imprisoned in Seville. However, before King Philip can remove him from the succession, the prince dies of fever mysteriously, though many whisper it was poison.
1563:
Elisabeth of France gives birth to her husband’s posthumous daughter, Infanta Ana of Spain.
Archbishop Gardiner dies in London, aged 66.
King Henry IX is crowned at Westminster Abbey on the day of his ninth birthday, the coronation having been delayed until he was deemed of sufficient age to undergo the many complex rituals and long ceremony.
1564:
Queen Mary of Scotland attempts to flee north, to rally the support of the Catholic lords there, after she receives letters from England, signed by Courtenay, who has promised her his support in any rebellion against the Lords of the Congregation she may launch. She is captured at Perth and imprisoned in Edinburgh Castle.
In Ireland, the Earl of Tyrone rebels against the English. Courtenay immediately sends troops to quash the revolt, but it soon gets out of hand after several other Irish lords join in. With his allies, the Earls of Ormonde and Kildare, Courtenay’s forces slowly manage to put down the rebellion, though Tyrone is able to launch a guerilla war in Ulster, and soon the conflict reaches a bloody stalemate.
1565:
Queen Mary is murdered in Edinburgh Castle. Her cousin, the Earl of Arran, is proclaimed King James VI of Scotland.
Currently tied up with the war in Ireland, Courtenay has no choice but to not act. Instead he issues a very stern letter of warning to the Scots, in which he states quite simply that if they dare attack him, he will bring the full force of the Anglo-Spanish alliance down on them. Further, he agrees to recognize the new King of Scots, but, desperate for money to fund his war in Ireland (and fearing refusal if he summons Parliament), Courtenay demands the extraordinary sum of £200,000 as his price for peace. The Scots refuse, believing that Courtenay will not waste his resources on them.
Furious, Courtenay pulls his troops out of Ireland, leaving Kildare and Ormonde to finish putting down the revolt. He then places the army in the command of the ageing Earl of Nottingham, who marches north to join with the Earl of Northumberland. Both earls then invade Scotland, burning villages and fields and killing peasants and livestock in a policy of scorched earth as they advance, determined to punish the heretical Scots. Courtenay himself applauds their tactics and urges them on in the name of the Church, though he still maintains his worries about the situation in Ireland.
Courtenay plans to put Matthew Stewart, Earl of Lennox (an illegitimate descendant of James II) on the Scottish throne and depose James VI. He believes that Lennox will essentially owe his station to the English, who will act as his overlords.
The Scots are caught unaware and unable to put up much resistance. King James VI is forced to flee north to Stirling Castle after Edinburgh falls to the English. And, in a show of uncharacteristic brutality, Courtenay orders the city looted and burned, and all the Protestant churches destroyed.
The Earl of Lennox rides north to Edinburgh, but suffers a stroke and dies along the way. Thus, it is his son, Henry Stewart, who is escorted to Edinburgh by English forces and proclaimed “King of Scots” at Edinburgh Castle, as Henry I. He is crowned at Holyrood Abbey the following week, though he is soon very unpopular with the people in English occupied Scotland, who see him as nothing more than a puppet of the hated English oppressors.
Meanwhile, James VI sets up a rival capital at Perth.
1566:
The Scots attack the English near St Andrews and manage to retake the city. King Henry I then is placed at the head of a force of mostly English soldiers and sent north, accompanied by the Earl of Nottingham. Courtenay believes that by riding at the head of an army that scores a victory, King Henry’s popularity will increase and his position can be secured more. In truth, Courtenay desires to end the war as quickly as possible, as it is already draining English finances beyond what was expected.
The English defeat the Scots and retake St Andrews, but after reaching Perth they are defeated in a very bloody and drawn out battle outside the city gates. During the conflict, both the Earl of Nottingham and King Henry I are slain. Courtenay, realizing the long-term ramifications of anymore intervention in Scottish affairs agrees to cut his losses and retreat south, pulling out of Scotland entirely.
Nevertheless, as he leads the retreat, the Earl of Northumberland manages to steal the Scottish crown jewels, along with a majority of the treasury remaining in Edinburgh, much to the disdain of the Scots. As the English retreat, they leave Scotland in ruins.
1567:
With much of the south of their country destroyed and many lives lost in the war, the Scots under King James VI sue for peace, determined to at least prevent any more economic collapse through the expense of war. Through the skillful negotiations of the Earl of Bothwell, the Scots only are required to pay £90,000 to the English in reparations, and in exchange, Courtenay promises to recognize King James VI and cease all further hostility towards Scotland.
Meanwhile, at the same time, Courtenay manages to finally put down the Scottish rebellion when the Earl of Ormonde captures the Earl of Tyrone at the battle of Tara that summer. Tyrone is attainted and beheaded soon after, and Ormonde is appointed Lord Lieutenant of Ireland for his efforts.
1570:
King Henry IX of England, now nearly 16, and the 12 year old Infanta Isabel of Spain are married by proxy in Madrid. She soon arrives in England, and the two are married in a splendid ceremony in the Chapel Royal of Hampton Court Palace.
1571:
Courtenay dies at Richmond Palace. His death comes suddenly, but is expected, since though he is only forty, the King Regent is greatly worn out by the stress of the regency and the many dramatic events that have occurred over the last few years. The regency then devolves to a temporary Council until Parliament can be summoned that fall and an act passed declaring the King’s minority ended prematurely.
Courtenay is buried with the full rights of a king at Westminster Abbey, beside his wife.
Queen Isabel is crowned at Westminster Abbey soon after.
1572:
King Henry IX issues several proclamations, insisting on treating heretics more severely, and empowers commission courts to use torture to extract confessions. He is determined to eradicate the remains of heresy in his kingdom.
A fervent Catholic, he adopts much of the Spanish court ceremonial introduced by his wife, insisting on ridged court ceremony and etiquette, sometimes to the absurd. Black dress becomes mandatory at the royal court, and from this point forward, clothing worn by courtiers is required to be in the style of the contemporary time period, with new fashions introduced after the 1570s not being allowed in the monarch’s presence. Essentially, the court becomes an anachronism, frozen in time and ritual from this point. Further, mass is to be said four times per day, with the King attending each service.
Finally, a proclamation is issued, insisting that all heretics be burned publically in Smithfield, with an elaborate ritual of recantance being performed before hand.
Queen Isabel (known as “Elizabeth” in her husband’s realm) gives birth to a son at Greenwich Palace in October. He is christened “Prince Edward Courtenay” and named Prince of Wales soon after.
1573:
King Philip II of Spain dies of fever.
...what does everyone think so far?
oh well, i suppose i shall continue then: