Mary made her accession to the throne on July 19. In the course of the month of August, Bonner (q, v.), Gardiner (q. v.), and three other bishops, who had been deposed for nonconformity in the late reign, were re- stored to their sees, and the mass, contrary to law, began again to be celebrated in manj' churches. In the fol- lowing month archbishop Cranmer (q. v.) and bishop Latimer (q. v.), having opposed these popish innova- tions, were committed to the Tower. Soon after Ridley (q. v.) was committed, and upon the meeting of Parlia- ment, Oct. 5, only three months after the king's death, but two of the Reformed bishops — Tajdor of Lincoln and Harley of Hereford — remained in their sees, while Pe- ter Martyr (q. v.), John a Lasko [see Lasko], and other ffireign preachers, were advised to quit the countrj'. After the assembling of Parliament further steps were taken. An act was forced through repealing all the acts, nine in number, relating to religion that had been passed in the late reign, and restoring the Church to tlie same position which it had held at the death of Henry A'lII. Most high handed were the games of bishop Cilardiner, a man truly unscrupulous and void of moral sense. Seeking only to promote selfish ends, he had in the reign of Henry VIII been the most subser- vient instrument of the king in securing the divorce from Catharine, and to procure the archbishopric he now played a like unmerciful game against all who stood in his way. The crime he had perpetrated he assured IMary had been committed by Cranmer, and persuaded all that he had ever remained a most faithful servant of the pope. See ( Jakdinek. Some writers will even have it that Mary was at this time inclined to be just to all her subjects, and that she was only led astray by this dastardly but wily ecclesiastic. But, be this as it may, certain it is that iNIary acted in the interests of Romanism only, quite unmindful of the obligations she had assumed before the Protestants. In the Convo- cation, the Book of Common Prayer and Poynet's Cat- echism were pronounced "abominable and pestiferous books." In the lower house, six divines disputed boldly against transubstantiation for three days; but when, overpo\vered by numbers, they left the house, four arti- cles were framed which became the test of heresy to all
who suffered in this reign. They affirmed (1) commu- nion in one kind ; (2) a transubstantiation of bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ ; (3) that wor- ship should be rendered to the host; (4) that Christ is offered up as a sacrifice in the mass (comp. Butler, ii, 440). Rome also promptly responded, and appointed a papal legate to England— cardinal Pole — but, as Gardi- ner himself was desirous to secure the position (Soames, iv, 77), he urged the queen to request the legate to re- main at home, at least until the match proposed between herself and Philip of Spain, the pious Catholic, be fur- ther matured. There was great opposition on the part of the people to this proposed union with Spain, and it was not best to tritle with popular opinion. Indeed, as it was, these measures, and other indications given by the court of a determination to be completely reconciled with Rome, were followed by insurrection (commonly known as that of Sir Thomas Wyat, its principal lead- er), which broke out in the end of January, 1554. It is true this rebellion was in a few days effectually put down, its suppression being signalized by the executions of the unfortunate lady Jane (Jrey and her husband, the lord Guildford Dudley, of her father, the duke of Suf- folk, and, finally, of Wyat himself; but the popular in- dignation, instead of bringing Mary to her senses, led her further and further away from the people over whom she had forced herself as ruler. She was well aware that the people were daily growing in dissatisfaction because of her decision to lead them back to Rome, and yet, in the face of all this opposition, she contracted a union with the greatest Roman Catholic power, the gov- ernment of Charles V, by her marriage to Philip II (q. v.), July 25. Though the latter pledged himself to the performance of many concessions to the English, the Spanish match remained exceedingly unpopular.
Mary's success in quelling the rebellion which she had provoked gave her, however, most complete ascendency over the reactionists, and she promptly used her courage and capacity to intrench herself by the aid of Rome. Parliament, which ;vas assembled in November, was com- pletely imder her sway, and, ins]iired by her, obediently passed acts repealing the attainder of cardinal Pole, who had long waited to make his appearance in England as the papal legate, restoring the authority of the pope, repealing all laws made against the see of Rome since Henry VIII, reviving the ancient statutes against her- esy, and, in short, re-establishing the whole national sys- tem of religious policy as it had existed previous to the first innovations made by her father. By one of the acts of this session of Parliament, also, Philip was au- thorized to take the title of King of England during the queen's life. These measures became the inaugu- ral ceremonies of a rule of bloodshed and tyranny that closed only with the decease of the principal author and actor — " Bloody Queen Mary" herself.