Stephanie Aspin

My dissertation discusses how monarchical authority was constructed and performed using ceremonies associated with the Chapel Royal. In focusing attention on Queen Mary I, England’s first ruling queen, this dissertation fills a gap in recent historiography of the Tudor court. Though current literature draws attention to the highly structured and liturgical aspects of court life, it has largely overlooked the role of Mary’s Chapel Royal.

The crowning of a female monarch in 1553 was an unprecedented situation that clashed with the accepted image of Tudor monarchy. Henry VIII, with his claims of Imperial Monarchy and desperate quest for a male heir, had emphasised the masculine aspects of the English crown. Henry’s son, Edward VI, used much of his father’s material culture, while furthering Protestant change. It will be argued that Mary used her Chapel Royal as a tool of communication to respond to these precedents, establishing her own, female and Catholic, authority.

Marian court ceremony tells us a great deal about contemporary perceptions of gender. The images constructed both reveal Mary’s personal views on her own authority and reflect contemporary concerns about the ability of a woman to rule. Mary constructed images of authority to answer the four greatest concerns of her reign: her legitimacy, gender, marriage and fertility. It will be argued that, contrary to prevailing opinion, Mary strategically used material culture to construct and maintain authority as a ruling Queen.