Bastards! They will never rule! - Mary and Elizabeth Tudor are declared illegitimate
- Kali Hollands
- Jul 1
- 5 min read
Mary and Elizabeth Tudor © BBC History Magazine
Nothing was more important to a British monarch than ensuring the royal line of succession was strong and secure.
Sons were favoured far more than daughters to follow in a king’s footsteps and this mattered incredibly to one of England’s most notorious monarchs: Henry VIII. The ruthless king is known for his desperation to produce a male heir, yet but by 1536, he only had two daughters and an illegitimate son. Furthermore, these daughters were the offspring of two wives Henry would rather forget. One who failed to accept their annulled marriage and the other condemned an adulterous traitor. After marrying his third wife, Jane Seymour, the king could no longer have these two women as next in line to the throne. Both their gender and bloodline meant they had no chance at succeeding Henry as England’s next monarch, and on the 1st of July 1536, Henry’s parliament made this officially so.
But what was the new queen to make of this?
The 1st of July 1536 would have been a warm, summer’s day as Henry VIII’s sixth parliament met to discuss the matter of Henry’s two daughters: Mary and Elizabeth Tudor. Crowded in the chamber, these men passed a Second Act of Succession that declared both young women as illegitimate. This act ensured that Henry’s sons would immediately inherit the throne after him, the next being the first-born son of Jane Seymour. The pressure was on for Jane to produce the male heir that was so highly expected of her.
The act also made certain that Elizabeth and Mary were declared as bastards. Elizabeth’s mother Anne Boleyn was of no royal bloodline, and her execution as traitor meant it would almost be shameful to have her daughter upon the throne of England. On the other hand, Mary was the daughter of Catherine of Aragon. Whilst still remembered as a much loved and respected Spanish queen, her marriage to Henry was declared invalid and therefore, so was their daughter Mary’s legitimacy. The act gave Henry “full and plenary power and authority” to choose his next successor after his death, obviously being his future son. Making the two women illegitimate bastards meant they were of no royalty whatsoever; a callous move from their father.
Jane Seymour, however, sought to change this. The new queen was highly fond of Mary and was a kind and loving stepmother to her. The two are recorded to have had a positive relationship and bonded well due to them both being devoted Catholics. Jane would have witnessed firsthand, Henry’s cold and cruel treatment towards Mary. After his daughter failed to recognise Anne Boleyn as queen and her father as head of the Church of England, she was practically disregarded by him. She frequently championed her mother, understandably, during “The Great Matter” and openly disagreed with his behaviour. Yet Jane took immense pity on how broken Mary was from the treatment by her father and actually helped mend their relationship and bring the two closer together. Jane was successful at influencing Mary to submit to the supremacy of her father. On the 22nd of June, Mary signed a formal document that recognised her parent’s marriage as illegitimate and her father as the Supreme Head of The Church of England. Whilst succeeding at this, she did not however, manage to restore Mary to the line of succession. After frequently asking her husband to do so, she was denied her request and Mary was declared a “fool”. She was cruelly forced to accept herself as a bastard; no one can possibly comprehend how deeply upsetting and humiliating this would have been for her.
Despite this, it proves a solid testament of how supportive and kind Jane was to her new stepdaughter. Although Jane’s letter does not survive, we have evidence of Mary thanking her, for her “motherly joy”. The letter is also signed off as “your Grace’s most humble and obedient daughter and handmaid”.
Elizabeth’s story on the other hand, would be as equally, if not more disappointing.
It’s recorded that Jane Seymour also requested that Elizabeth was placed back onto the royal line of succession and declared a legitimate heir. Although, she did not champion this as strongly as she did for Mary. Over time, history fans, historians and scholars alike have debated why this was so and why Jane and Elizabeth’s relationship was not as strong.
The blame has consistently been shifted onto Jane, arguing that it was almost social snobbery that prevented Jane from liking Elizabeth and a high degree of discontent for her mother, Anne Boleyn. Anne Boleyn was not of royalty, whereas Catherine of Aragon was. Anne was a Protestant which clashed with Jane’s Catholic views, and it has been speculated that Jane maliciously sought to take the crown from Anne Boleyn when she was previously on the throne.
There is no evidence for this at all, and we will never know the truth. The notion that Jane did ask for Elizabeth to be reinstated into the line of succession, proves what a strong and kind woman Jane Seymour was. It’s highly unlikely that such a woman would seek to treat Elizabeth so cruelly. The fact that her passions for supporting Elizabeth’s legitimacy were not as strong as Mary’s, could wholly be down to Jane spending more time with Mary at court and being in her company, compared to Elizabeth who rarely was. It is most likely down to circumstance.
Jane Seymour, however, had fulfilled her duty as queen. On the 12th of October 1537, she gave birth to a son, Edward, at Hampton Court Palace. Both England and the king could breathe a sigh of relief that the future realm of England was secured. However, having just one son was exceedingly risky. Child mortality was high in the Tudor period, and this certainly did not set in place a future king to reign after Henry’s death. Unfortunately for him, he was to have no further heirs. But on the other hand, his two daughters would benefit from this.
In 1544, with no further children born, more importantly male ones, the Act of Succession would change again. Whilst the crown was securely passed to Edward VI and his future heirs, both Mary and Elizabeth were reinstated into the line of succession. Whilst still declared illegitimate, the two young women had a potential chance to become future queens of England.
And queens they did become.
On the 1st of October 1553, Mary I was crowned Queen of England at Westminster Abbey. Following her death in 1558, her sister Elizabeth was next to reign over the realm on the 15th of January 1559. Who knows what Henry would have made of the fact that his two illegitimate, bastard daughters would one day succeed him, the end of his lineage wiped out after Elizabeth I provided no heirs to succeed her.
It appeared that Jane Seymour’s once former request that both women be reinstated into the line of succession came into fruition. Perhaps Jane would marvel and even feel somewhat overjoyed that her two former stepdaughters became queens of England. Her attempts to give the women their rightful place as potential heirs to their fathers, will always prove as a testament to how loving and kind Jane Seymour truly may have been.
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