The Marriage of a Queen: Mary’s Consort, Philip of Spain, and the Royal Marriage Ceremony

Type:

Book Chapter

Author:

Sarah Duncan

Published:

2012

Publisher:

Palgrave Macmillan US

During her marriage negotiations, Mary I professed that it was unseemly for a woman to speak of or to negotiate her own marriage. Nevertheless, her position as ruling queen required her to take a dominant role in the transaction.1 This reversal of traditional gender roles profited both the queen and her realm by producing a marriage contract that maintained Mary's autonomy while protecting her kingdom's rights and freedoms from foreign interference. In contrast, Prince Philip of Spain, Mary's chosen consort, wielded next to no power during the marriage negotiations. Arrangements on his behalf were conducted largely by Charles V through the services of his ambassador Simon Renard. Philip experienced a reversal of his expected gender role just as Mary had, albeit with a loss rather than an increase of authority; his powerless position was strikingly similar to that of royal princesses, traditionally used as pawns by their royal parents to cement diplomatic alliances.2 What he likely did not foresee was that this inverted status would continue beyond the betrothal—to the marriage ceremony and to his role as king consort.KeywordsMarriage CeremonyEnglish CustomMarriage ContractHenry VIIICharles VersusThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

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