In a time of political and religious turmoil, news that Mary I was pregnant – only for the baby to never arrive – had profound consequences for her reign. Professor Carole Levin explains why
On 30 April 1555, England rejoiced over news of the birth of a royal infant. Bells rang, bonfires were lit and there were celebrations in the street, following reports that Mary I had given birth to a healthy son. In reality, there was no boy and, eventually, any hope of Mary bearing a child faded. What was thought to be a royal pregnancy ended in sadness, humiliation and political turmoil. This was the phantom pregnancy of Mary I.
To understand just why this was so important to the nation, we need to go back to 19 July 1553, the day Mary Tudor was declared queen. The proclamation came a little less than a fortnight after the death of her boy-king half-brother, Edward VI, and just days after Lady Jane Grey was briefly acclaimed as monarch – a decision reversed in light of Mary’s widespread popular support. With no appropriate male heirs to the throne, Henry VIII’s oldest surviving child became Queen of England – and a Catholic queen at that.
As soon as Mary was crowned, everyone – including Mary herself – expected her to marry so that she could bear a child. The longed-for child would hopefully be a son, so that the English, after long years of worrying about the succession under Henry VIII, could look forward to someday having a king once more. As Mary was already 37, there was no time to waste.
Mary decided to marry the future Philip II of Spain, the son of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. However, for a number of months, the Spanish feared it was not safe for Philip to travel to England because there was such uproar over the proposed marriage. The furore meant the two were not married until 25 July 1554, more than a year after Mary ascended the throne.
By September, rumours were circulating that Mary was pregnant, although as late as November the queen herself was unsure. According to medical texts from the period, it was difficult to tell a false pregnancy from a real one – at least until a baby was born, or the usual gestation period had passed. However, Mary stated towards the end of November that she felt the child move in her womb.
Those at both the English and the Spanish courts were delighted by Mary’s pregnancy, but there were still some, incl
