In the warm July of 1554 a Spanish fleet bobbed in the waves just off the port of Southampton in Hampshire. It contained £50,000 worth of gold that would later be carted into the Tower of London, and a glittering assembly of Spanish nobles and officials. Looking out at the medieval stone walls of the port, and the rounded turrets of Catchcold Tower was Prince Philip, son of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. Locals spotted Philip's ships from the water's edge with a sense of excited anxiety. For the first time, a foreign prince had arrived in England to marry its Queen Regnant and become her consort.
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| Southampton's Medieval City Walls |
The match between Philip and Mary I was created out of purely dynastic concerns, to boost Philip’s - and the Habsburgs' - geographical position between the realms of Spain and the Netherlands. For England, it offered a partnership with the most powerful dynasty currently in Europe, with domains spread across the continent as well as in the Americas. In the lead up to the wedding, there had been negotiations between Charles V and Mary's government about how Philip could become King of England, with Mary still retaining her superiority. The Habsburgs had already set a precedent of authoritarian rule over their new dominions, with Charles proving an unpopular ruler in Siena, too, in the 1530s.
From his ship, Philip sent advisors to inform the queen of his arrival, and, the next morning, was escorted onto Mary’s yacht. Philip was greeted at Southampton by the Earl of Arundel where he was given the dignity of the Order of the Garter. Members of the Order were given a badge to show their status, and this was handed to Philip and pinned to his clothing. After other shows of respect from local dignitaries, he mounted a horse and rode through Southampton’s streets towards the Holyrood Church, where he heard Mass, giving thanks for his safe arrival.
Residents of the old port town would have eyed their new king with curiosity. He was slim, wore black and had a pronounced chin which would later be called the ‘Habsburg chin’, a consequence of the family's marriages within lines of their own dynasty. He had a neatly-trimmed blonde to light brown beard, with darker hair on his head, shaved close to the scalp. On his head he wore a cap. After prayers at Holyrood, he addressed the people, telling them had he had come to live with them through the will of God and urged his Spanish attendants to adopt English customs. He grabbed a mug of ale and downed it in front of the appreciative crowd who must have cheered. Philip also made a point of being attended by Englishmen, another attempt to push away any negative thoughts of foreign dominance.
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| Catchcold Tower, Southampton |
Today’s Southampton is considerably larger than the boundaries of the medieval port that Philip would have seen. The area from the Bargate to the ferry terminals is the extent of the old town, and merchant's houses, taverns and inns would have lined the streets. The name of the tavern or house Philip stayed at is not recorded, and while it is tempting to attribute his stay to some of the city's old pubs today such as The Red Lion or the Duke of Wellington, there were many other buildings standing then that have no longer survived. The medieval walls of Southampton, which Philip would have seen, were badly damaged during the Second World War but are in relatively good condition and can be walked around today. He would have seen the filled-in openings in the wall of merchants' cellars, and the Woolhouse. Tudor House was standing at the time, although it's not known whether Philip travelled down Bugle Street, particularly as it was Holyrood where he said prayers and not St Michael's opposite the house. It is however likely that he passed Southampton Castle and the Red Lion. Wherever he stayed, it is certain that he had substantial security, considering the public’s general anxiety about the foreign marriage and the Habsburgs’ reputations as overseas conquerors. He may therefore have stayed in an apartment at the Bargate, or even in a wealthy merchant’s home closer to the seafront and nestled safely within the walls.
After a short stay in the old town, Philip was escorted via an armed guard of 200 men to Winchester, to prepare for his wedding and meet his bride, the queen.
You might also like Mary I and Philip of Spain Visit Reading, Berkshire 1554, Tudor Wedding Dresses and The Funeral of Anne of Cleves, 1557.
Source
Jean Mary Stone, The History of Mary I, Queen of England, As Found in the Public Records, Despatches of Ambassadors in Original Private Letters and Other Contemporary Documents. Sands, London. 1901.
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