The House of Commons and the Marian Reaction 1553-1558

Abstract

"The reign of Queen Mary has always posed a dilemma for historians of Tudor England. The actions of Mary herself, the activities of her Privy Council, and the legislation of her parliaments appear as an aberration from the accepted course of English national development.' The widespread acceptance of her Roman Catholic restoration and the apparent ease with which she achieved this goal have masked both the nature and the extent of the opposition which she encountered"