Queen Elizabeth I

Mary's great triumphant over John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland, and the supporters of Lady Jane Grey, was also a triumph for Elizabeth. The two sisters rejoiced at the victory and rode together into London amidst cheering crowds who had gathered to welcome their new queen.

Mary's reign therefore began well for Elizabeth. The sisters were on good terms, just as they always had been, and Elizabeth was permitted to retire to the country to enjoy the life she was accustomed to. However, this happy state of affairs was not destined to continue. Elizabeth was now heir to the throne and, as a Protestant, was the perfect alternative queen for reformists, especially after Mary announced her decision to marry Prince Philip, son of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. It was therefore only a matter of time before plots were hatched to kill Mary and place Elizabeth on the throne.

Mary and Philip
Wiki Commons

One of these plotters was Sir Thomas Wyatt, a relation of Elizabeth's who came from Kent. In early 1554 he raised a rebellion that was seemingly against 'the Spanish marriage' but also had the intention of placing Elizabeth on the throne. The rebellion was defeated, and the rebels imprisoned, but the question for Queen Mary and her government was whether Elizabeth knew of the plans and approved of them. Consequently, Elizabeth was summoned to London and kept in 'close confinement' in a royal apartment at Whitehall palace. Elizabeth denied any knowledge of the rebellion but the Queen's advisors were convinced of her guilt and wanted her put on trial for treason.

The trial never happened, as there was no evidence of Elizabeth's guilt and her popularity could see public opinion turn against the Queen, but Elizabeth was arrested for treason and told she was to be imprisoned in the Tower of London. The thought of going to the place from where so many, including her own mother, had never returned, terrified Elizabeth, and in a desperate attempt to save herself she wrote to her sister pronouncing her innocence. However, her letter did no good and on Sunday, 18 March 1554, she was taken by boat to the Tower.

Elizabeth now stood in great danger. Her very existence was considered a threat to Mary and many of the Queen's advisors wanted her dead. Lady Jane Grey had already been executed so the Queen could be persuaded to shed the blood of a kinswoman. But again the lack of evidence against her, and her popularity, saved Elizabeth's life. Reluctantly the Queen's advisors had to admit defeat and release her from the Tower. However, still convinced of her guilt, and knowing she was a magnet for plotters, they did not set her free. Instead they placed her into the custody of a man named Sir Henry Bedingfield.

Sir Henry, a devout Roman Catholic whose father had been custodian of Katherine of Aragon in her last years, was ordered to take Elizabeth to Woodstock Manor in Oxfordshire. This manor, which was badly in need of repair, was so dilapitated that Elizabeth had to be lodged in the gatehouse. Allowed the company of only three of her women, Elizabeth was attended mainly by her sister's servants, and her accountant had to lodge in a nearby town as there was no room for him at the manor. Elizabeth's governess, Kat Astley, was not one of her her women as she was in custody herself on suspicion of abetting the rebels. Night and day Elizabeth was guarded by a hundred men and everything she did or said was monitored. Sir Henry was not an unkind man, however, and it was with some affection that Elizabeth called him her "gaoler". When she became queen she bore him no ill will and teasingly told him that if she should ever need to keep someone 'closely confined' she would send for him.

Captive Princess

Following her marriage to Prince Philip, Mary soon believed herself to be pregnant. This was welcome news to her supporters but alarmed Protestants. If Mary bore a healthy child then all hope of restoring the Protestant Church of England was gone. Mary's pregnancy was also concerning news for Elizabeth as it meant her chances of becoming queen were significantly reduced. She may even have considered escaping to France to avoid a life of imprisonment. However, it eventually became clear that Mary was suffering from a phantom pregnancy, meaning her profound longing for a baby had tricked her body into thinking she was having one. Mary became depressed and when her government started burning Protestants at the stake her popularity plummeted.

By law, Elizabeth remained first in line to the crown, but Mary was loath to accept it, even when she was dying. Although she had been close to Elizabeth in Edward's reign, all the hostile feelings she had had towards Anne Boleyn, who had taken her mother's place at the King's side, came flooding back and she would not hear of Elizabeth succeeding her. But Mary's husband, now King of Spain, was very much in favour of Elizabeth's accession as he did not want Mary, Queen of Scots, who was betrothed to the French King's heir, becoming queen. Mary therefore reluctantly accepted that Elizabeth was the rightful heir to her kingdom.

According to legend, Elizabeth, who was now 25 years of age, was sitting beneath an oak tree in the grounds of Hatfield Palace when the news came that her sister was dead. Knowing this meant the unimaginable, that she was now queen, Elizabeth sank to her knees and said in Latin: "This is the Lord's doing and it is marvellous in our eyes".