Act for the Marriage of Queen Mary to Philip of Spain

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Parliament of England
Citation1 Mar. Sess. 3 c. 2
Territorial extentKingdom of England
Dates
Royal assentApril 1554
Repealed1863
Other legislation
Repealed byStatute Law Revision Act 1863
Relates toQueen Regent's Prerogative Act 1554
Status: Repealed
Text of statute as originally enacted

The Act for the Marriage of Queen Mary to Philip of Spain or Queen Mary's Marriage Act (1 Mar. Sess. 3 c. 2) was passed by the Parliament of England in April 1554 to regulate the future marriage and joint reign of Queen Mary I and Philip of Spain, son and heir apparent of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V.

In reality, the Act seems to have served as a business contract between England and Spain; it specifies what Spain could expect from the union, while at the same time assuring the English that England would not become a satellite of Spain.

Under the terms of the marriage treaty, Philip was to enjoy his wife's titles and honours as King of England and Ireland for as long as their marriage should last. All official documents, including Acts of Parliament, were to be dated with both their names (with Philip's preceding Mary's as deemed proper for husband and wife), and Parliament was to be called under the joint authority of the couple. The Act stated that King Philip would take part in governing Mary's realms while reserving most authority for Mary herself. Formally, King Philip was to co-reign with his wife according to the Act, which nevertheless ensured that the new king would not become too powerful; the Act prohibited him from appointing foreigners to any offices, from taking his wife or any child that might be born to them outside her realm, or from claiming the crown for himself should he outlive his wife. (Montrose 2006, p. 46)

The Act presumed that the Queen would have children by the Prince and allowed full personal union between England and Ireland and all the realms Philip was to inherit from his father or from his grandmother, Queen Joanna, should Philip's son Charles die childless.

The Act was repealed by the Statute Law Revision Act 1863.

See also[]

References[]

  • Kelsey, Harry (2012). "The Marriage of England and Spain". Philip of Spain, King of England: The Forgotten Sovereign. I.B.Tauris. ISBN 978-1-84885-716-2.
  • Montrose, Louis (15 June 2006). The Subject of Elizabeth: Authority, Gender, and Representation. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-226-53475-6.
  • Porter, Linda (2 September 2010). "The Neglected Wife". Mary Tudor: The First Queen. Little, Brown Book Group. ISBN 978-0-7481-2232-5.
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