Thomas Wyatt
Thomas Wyatt the Younger (born September 10, 1521 , † April 11, 1554 in London ), son of the poet Sir Thomas Wyatt , was a rebel leader during the reign of Mary I. At the age of 15 he became a squire at the court of Henry VIII. and fought for this in the war against France in 1547.
Life
During the reign of Edward VI. he spent some time in the Tower after smashing glass panes while drunk. When the Queen's plans to marry Philip II of Spain became known during the reign of Mary the First in England, the so-called Wyatt conspiracy ensued . Philip met with great rejection from the English. They feared too strong a Spanish influence in England. Thomas Wyatt wanted to reinstate the former Queen Jane Gray , who was imprisoned in the Tower at the time , or to marry Henry the Eighth's younger daughter Elizabeth to Edward Courtenay, 1st Earl of Devon , in order to elevate him to the throne in place of Mary.
Thomas Wyatt assembled a force of 3,000 men to fight the Queen. The royal army only defeated Wyatt's forces at the gates of London and the uprising was crushed. With the help of torture Wyatt was brought to testify against Elisabeth. In view of the death sentence against him, Thomas Wyatt then revoked any involvement of Elisabeth in the plot. On April 11, 1554, he was beheaded and then quartered. Wyatt's estates were confiscated. His wife and five children would have been put on the street and forced to beg. However, Queen Maria gave them a pension that allowed them a modest survival.
literature
- Wyat, Sir Thomas . [conspirator] . In: Encyclopædia Britannica . 11th edition. tape 28 : Vetch - Zymotic Diseases . London 1911, p. 862 (English, full text [ Wikisource ]).
Web links
- Personal data on tudorplace.com (English)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Wyatt, Thomas |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Wyatt, Thomas the Younger |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British rebel leader at the time of Maria I. |
| DATE OF BIRTH | September 10, 1521 |
| DATE OF DEATH | April 11, 1554 |
| Place of death | London |