What Caused Political Instability in Mid-Tudor England?

A number of factors contributed to political crisis in mid-Tudor England:

• Faction


• Rebellions and protests (see 'Rebellions' page)


• Marriage and succession


• Problems with the monarchy

Problems with the Monarchy

The Tudor monarchs were not always suited to their role. Edward VI was just nine years old when he inherited the throne in 1547. A Lord Protector ruled the country in his place, but this made England vulnerable as the Lord Protector often placed self-interests above what was best for the country. Henry VIII's other heirs, Mary and Elizabeth, also faced problems. This was because they were female, and at the time, women were not generally considered fit to rule the country. Much of the nobility believed in Salic Law - the idea that women should not be allowed to rule. There were also concerns over the legitimacy of Mary and Elizabeth because they had both been declared illegitimate at some point by their father.

Marriage and Succession

Marriage
The marriage of any Tudor monarch was problematic, as marriages created alliances. If a monarch married someone from abroad, they risked war with other countries. For example, Henry VIII's first marriage to Catherine of Aragon resulted in an English-Spanish alliance against France. Marrying someone from England also had problems, as this fuelled faction.

Marriage was more of a problem for female monarchs, such as Mary and Elizabeth. This was because at the time, men were seen as more capable of ruling a country than women, and so the power would have been in the hands of the Queen's husband, rather than the Queen herself. This was a problem if the husband was foreign, such as when Mary I married Philip II of Spain in 1554. There was the risk that England would lose independence, and become another part of the Spanish Empire. Any children of Mary and Philip would have been heirs to both the Spanish and English thrones, and this increased the risk that England would lose its independence.

Succession
Succession to the throne was also a cause of political instability in mid-Tudor England. In 1553, Edward VI changed the succession to include Lady Jane Grey instead of Mary. This led to political crisis as Mary had to take the throne by force.

Rebellions and Protests

There were many rebellions throughout the Tudor period. These resulted in much political instability, as they presented a direct threat to the power and authority of the monarch. Rebellions caused crisis for the Tudors mainly because of their frequency: in 1549 in particular, there were several serious revolts.

However, although the rebellions faced by the Tudors were frequent and worrying, none of them actually succeeded in overthrowing the monarch. This might suggest that the political crisis caused by the rebellions was in reality less serious than it first appears.

Faction

One major cause of political crisis in the mid-Tudor period was faction. These groups of people fought each other for favour, and didn't always support the monarchy. This was a constant threat to the Tudors, as factions that became too powerful had influence over the way the country was ruled, and could even attempt to overthrow the monarchy. One example of political infighting was in 1536, with the Boleyn and Seymour factions. The Boleyns fought to keep Anne on the throne, while the Seymours wanted Jane to replace her. Such strong rivalry caused some political instability, and could arguably have led to revolts, as supporters of each side fought for power.

However, faction was no more of a problem for the Tudors than any other monarchs, and so arguably made little difference to the existence of a political crisis. It has also been suggested that factional disputes were only a problem because of religious divides caused by the reformation. For example, the Boleyn faction were Protestant, while the Seymours were Catholic. It is possible that had these religious differences not existed, factions would not have been such a problem for the Tudors.