Dbq Sample Essay

It can be argued that Mary’s rightful claim to the throne was on some levels a more important factor to religion, in determining whether people supported her or Lady Jane as their future queen, because of the sense of continuity, between the conflict which triggered the start of recent war of the roses, and the situation of the succession crisis in 1553. This similarity means that the memory of the brutal civil war would not only be very present during the decision-making process, but also the ‘solution’ to this conflict- social unity/ loyalty unto the ‘true’ monarch, would also be in recent memory. This means that Mary’s claim would gain in popularity above Jane’s due to her being legally recognised by the previous king Henry VIII as the legitimate heir, causing the ‘commons’ to side with her,
Therefore as Source D implies, the violent response from Jane Grey’s party (Northumberland) to Mary’s ‘army’ must have increased anxieties further, as this fear would have seen to become a reality, and antagonised Jane Grey and her followers further also: “He (Northumberland) has raised a force against the Queen and is hated by the commons for doing so”. The comment on the feelings of the “commons” seems absurd from the author- Lady Jane Grey herself, because it was seen to be improper for a leader or a person of a high status to be concerned with the welfare of the ‘common