ANST - FW: Musing on July 7 -- How Does Your Bloody Garden Grow?

[j'lynn yeates]

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- -----Original Message-----
From: Ellsworth Weaver [mailto:astroweaver at yahoo.com]
Sent: Friday, July 07, 2000 17:36
To: 2thpix at surfari.net
Subject: Musing on July 7 -- How Does Your Bloody Garden Grow?


Dear Folk,

On this date July 7, 1553 Mary Tudor spent the day hiding in Sawston
Hall. She was hiding from the Duke of Northumberland. What was she
doing?

You may recall from yesterday that Mary was the daughter of Hank VIII
and Catherine of Aragon. (One of my readers complained that I was
using
too many nicknames. See, I am cutting back.) She was his first child.
If he had loved her just a little more, she might not have earned the
sobriquet (more Laurel-sounding than "nickname") of "Bloody Mary."
She
had Cardinal Wolsey as a godfather which sort of led her to becoming
a
strong and (dare I say fanatic? No) fervent Catholic.

Guess how Mary felt when Hank dumped her mom? Well, how would you
feel?
On top of all of that daddy dearest was now head of his own church.
Mary was rather outspoken which did not help to increase how dad felt
about her. Hank did not take feedback very well. He even separated
Mary
from her mom.

Mary’s new stepmom was that enchanting (in perhaps more ways than
one)
Anne Boleyn. Talk about your fairytale wicked stepmother! Anne did
not
like Mary one bit. The felines were mutual. Anne occasionally let it
slip that maybe Mary and her mom were going to be shortened by Hank’s
axeman. Then she would say, "Whoopsy! Did I say that out loud?" and
giggle embarassedly. Nothing like playing "flip-a-kitty" to raise a
normal, healthy daughter. Yes sir, it was nothing like that at all.

Ex-queen Kate passed on from natural causes. Hey, I wasn’t there.
Anne
got a taste of her own medicine when Hank told her she needed a close
haircut. See what happens being so nasty to folks? This was in 1536.
Mary got another new stepmom, Jane Seymour. Mary was only 20 and
already had three moms.  Jane, may she rest in peace, gave Hank what
he
wanted – a boy – but died giving birth to him in 1542. That was a
shame, too, because Jane really seemed to like Mary.

When Hank finally died in 1547, young Eddie took the throne. Six
years
later, he died. Wow! It was not healthy being a Tudor, by marriage or
by birth. Incidentally, no one told Mary about Eddie’s death on July
6,
1553 for a couple days. Any guesses why?

We get back to Duke of Northumberland. He was Lord President of the
Council, bunch of guys advising the young Eddie about how to rule.
Remember, Eddie was 5 when he took the throne and only 11 when he
died.
Other folks were ruling here. Northumberland fixed things with the
ailing young king to disinherit both Mary and Lizzie (Anne’s kid) in
favor of this wonderful gal named Lady Jane Grey. Jane, strangely
enough, was Northumberland’s own daughter-in-law. Jane was about 16
at
the time, and a Protestant. She ruled for only 9 days as Queen.

Mary ducked Northumberland who was searching for her. I think he
wanted
to console her or otherwise ease her pain on the loss of Eddie. Sure.
Mary got herself to London and was declared Queen. Northumberland
decided that discretion being the better part of staying alive, went
and kissed her hand. Smart move.

Although her advisors told her to whack both Northumberland and Jane,
she nixed it. She did give the Catholic bishops back their Sees. When
Mary did the crowning bit in Westminster, it was a September ceremony
to die for, she let it be known that the throne was kind of cold and
lonely. She got engaged to Phillip II of Spain. Her mom was Spanish,
the Spaniards were getting very rich off in the New World. What was
the
problem?

A smallish revolution was whipped up by Sir Thomas Wyatt and company
in
1554. They did not really like the restoration of Catholicism and
worse, having a Spaniard sitting on the English throne. Mary’s forces
easily crushed the rebellion and had everybody with it executed, that
also meant Lady Jane Grey. Can’t say she did not warn her.

Strangely enough, that did not shut up the folk. Doggone it, those
peasants and nobles just did not quit. Mary put into effect things
known as Heresy Laws. Essentially, you speak against Mary and the
Church, you die. You know, we take a lot of freedoms for granted.
Those
of you who wish to live in the Middle Ages, think on that for a
second:
Heresy Laws. How long would any of us live? (end of sermon) In four
years, 277 folks in England learned to be very quiet. They were
burned
to death in the name of peace. Mary thought she was doing the right
thing.

Mary did not have skittles and beer at her home either. Although she
was in love with hubby Phil, when he found out that she could not
give
him a boy child, he left her. He hated the English and Bennie Hill, I
think. Mary was sick a lot with dropsy (an accumulation of lymph in
the
tissues). Phil never missed a chance to dis her in public about that
or
anything else.  The last of Mary's life was just depressing for her
as
the first. She died at St. James's Palace in London in 1558, at the
age
of 42. I think she was relieved.

Anything to learn here? Be careful of those wishing to console you?
Grasshopper is always wrong in argument with chicken? Be careful what
you wish on others because it may come to you? No matter how many
folk
you burn, you still may not be happy? Not many foreigners appreciate
English cooking or comedy? How about a family that slays together...
no, never mind.

Thanks for those well wishes. You folks are just wonderful. Some of
you, at least. As always, if you want to forward this or any of the
musings, just keep my name and email intact.

And a big happy birthday to a certain, unnamed poet whom I dearly
love
but will not embarrass.

I spell my name,
J.  Ellsworth Weaver III

SCA – Sir Balthazar of Endor
AS – Polyphemus Theognis
TRV – Sebastian Yeats
(some people call me Maurice)




=====
"That proves you are unusual," returned the Scarecrow; "and I am
convinced that the only people worthy of consideration in this world
are the unusual ones. For the common folks are like the leaves of a
tree, and live and die unnoticed." -- L. Frank Baum in _The Land of
Oz_

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