Acuerdo de matrimonio de Felipe y Maria Tudor.

Treaty Of Marriage between Philip, Prince Of Spain, and Mary, Queen Of England.(Abstract.)

It is agreed between Stephen, Bishop of Winchester; Henry, Earl of Arundel; William, Lord Paget; Robert Rochester Kt.; and William Petre, Kt.; and Lamoral, Count d'Egmont; Charles, Count de Lalaing; Jehan de Montmorency, Sieur de Courrières; Philip Nigri (Chancellor of the Order of the Golden Fleece), and Simon Renard (Imperial ambassador resident in London since Mary's accession. He had been ambassador in Paris from 1549 to 1551); Commissioners for the Queen of England and the Emperor respectively;

That a marriage be concluded, celebrated and consummated as soon as possible, and in England, between Philip, Prince of Spain and Mary, Queen of England, in person, in virtue of which marriage the said Prince shall enjoy, together with the Queen, his consort, and as long as the marriage endures, the royal title and style. He shall assist his consort in the task of government, saving always the kingdom's laws, privileges and customs. He relinquishes all claim to dispose of offices, posts and benefices in the kingdom, which shall be bestowed upon its natives. All business is to be conducted in the languages which have been used of old in the kingdom, and by natives;

That the Queen shall, in virtue of the marriage, be admitted to share in the realms and dominions, present and future, of the Prince, as long as the marriage endures; for which period and also for a dower in case she survives the Prince, her husband, she shall annually receive the sum of sixty thousand livres de gros, in Flemish money, to be levied on the realms of the Emperor as follows: forty thousand on the realms of Spain and the crowns of Castile and Aragon, and twenty thousand on the duchies, counties and lordships of Brabant, Flanders, Hainault, Holland etc., in the same way in which the same sum was levied for the late Lady Margaret of England, widow of Charles, Duke of Burgundy;

And in order that no controversy may arise between the children that it is hoped may be born of this marriage, the succession is disposed of as follows:

The males or females to be born of the marriage are to succeed to their mother's right to the kingdom of England according to the English laws that regulate the succession; but as for the possessions to be left behind him by the Prince of Spain, first of all, all right to the kingdoms of Spain is reserved to Don Carlos, eldest son of the Prince, and his heirs, as also all right to the two Sicilies and their dependencies, the Duchy of Milan and the other territories of Lombardy and the rest of Italy, by whatever title held, with an obligation to pay the aforesaid dower of forty thousand livres de gros. To these dominions the children issuing from this marriage shall have no claim as long as the said Don Carlos or his legitimate descendants live; but if they fail and become extinct, the eldest son of this marriage is to succeed in them as well as the duchies, counties and lordships belonging to the Emperor in Burgundy and Lower Germany. And if Don Carlos or his descendants live, and a male heir is born of this marriage, Don Carlos and his descendents shall be excluded from the patrimonial dominions of Lower Germany and Burgundy, which in that case are to devolve upon the eldest son of this marriage. The other sons and daughters of this marriage, however, are to be supplied with suitable portions and dowers in England and the dominions in Lower Germany and Burgundy, and are to have no claim whatever, either the first-born or any other children born of this marriage, to the kingdoms of Spain or any other of the dominions reserved to Don Carlos and his heirs;

And if no male issue, but female issue only, is the fruit of this marriage, then the eldest daughter shall succeed in the dominions of Lower Germany and Burgundy, provided that she does not choose for her husband, without her brother's consent, a man who is a native neither of England nor of Lower Germany, but if this condition is not complied with the right to the dominions of Lower Germany and Burgundy shall return to Don Carlos and his heirs, though in that event the said daughter and the other daughters issuing from this marriage shall be provided with suitable marriage-portions levied on the Spanish and German dominions; and if Don Carlos and his issue fail, and none but female issue proceeds from this marriage, then the eldest daughter shall succeed in Lower Germany, Burgundy, Spain and all the other dominions, according to the particular laws of each;

And it is expressly provided, in each and all of the above cases, that those who succeed in all the aforesaid kingdoms and dominions are to leave them whole and undiminished to their heirs, cause them to he governed by natives, according to their own laws and in their own interests;

Lastly, there shall be whole hearted and sincere fraternity, union and confederation between the Emperor, his heirs and dominions, and the Queen and her dominions, which shall, God willing, endure forever; they shall stand by and assist one another according to the terms of the treaty of closer alliance concluded at Westminster in the year 1542, and the declaration of 1546.

The foregoing articles, agreed to and concluded by the Emperor in his and his son's name and by the Queen of England, shall he solemnly ratified by them as soon as possible.

The terms of the commissions are as follows:

Mary, by the grace of God Queen of England etc.

When we were raised by God's hand to the royal dignity, we were persuaded by exhortations and prayers to exchange the cult of virginity, which we had hitherto followed, for a wedded life, and it pleased the Illustrious etc. Charles, by the grace of God Emperor etc., to propose a match between me and his son, Prince Philip, for which purpose he sent ambassadors furnished with ample powers to treat of a marriage and other matters that might have to be dealt with.

Wherefore we, convinced of the dexterity and fidelity of our dear and well-beloved councillors. Stephen, Bishop of Winchester; Henry, Earl of Arundel; William. Lord Paget; Robert Rochester, Kt., and William Petre. Kt., do appoint them to be our commissioners and ambassadors, empowering them, or three or two of them, to contract with the Emperor, the Prince, his son, or their commissioners, a treaty of marriage between us and the Prince, and we promise and give our royal word to observe whatever they shall contract, and ratify it.

In witness of which we have signed these letters and caused our Great Seal to be appended thereunto.

Given at Westminster, 1 January, 1554.

Then follows the Emperor's power, dated 21 December, 1553, q.r. Copy. Latin. Printed by Rymer, XV, pp. 394–398.