La Peregrina has two bodies
one natural that should produce a son
one political that bears a hobby
on the wrist for coups and small treasons
and nothing in her belly save the Lamb
that savage babe amidst blazing swarms -
on Trezzo’s medal her mask stays clammed
her jaw set for currency reform
so that her sister’s reign is founded
- nemo natus est despite evangel -
on Leinster restocked as Calais founders
on north’s navigation to Arkhangelsk
England’s waters broken to the ocean
midwived by iron and fire emotions
Blackwell’s
Oxford
16 September 2018
La Pelegrina ( ” the pilgrimess”, ” the wanderer” or ” the foreigner”) is Mary I of England ( 1553-58) who was born in 1516. That was the name of her favourite necklace and pearl with which she was portrayed, an important feature of her iconicity and identity. She attempted to restore Catholicism as the established religion of her country.
Although we condemn her cruel repression of Protestants by mass burnings of 250 victims, she ought to be given credit as the first queen regnant of England for effective and hard-headed government. Women at the peak of government do have a hard task of battling misogyny even now, and of contending with male dominated politics, as I can attest from having worked for the governments of three women prime ministers of New Zealand.
Mary also had to contend with the doctrine that Ernst Kantorowicz described, of ” the King’s Two Bodies”, natural and political, which Mary tried to radically regender by becoming a proactive female ruler and by attempting to become a mother.
If Mary’s half-sister Elizabeth I had died in 1563/4 after five years, she would now seem to have achieved less, whereas Mary had prepared substantial coinage and customs reforms, commenced the first mass shipments of settlers to Ireland in England’s first maritime colony, and she established diplomatic and commercial relations with Russia, with the ” Muscovy” of Ivan IV, through Richard Chamberlain’s expeditions.
Co Laois and Co Offaly in Leinster were named Queen’s County and King’s County in her honour and that of her husband Philip II of Spain. Perhaps this sonnet is a way of capturing the ambivalence of the remarkable success of the English State in world history.
Mary came to power in a counter-coup against a coup. There would have been no ” Virgin Queen” if ” the Pilgrim Queen” had not disposed of Lady Jane Grey. A hobby is a small falcon, such as women were expected to do falconry with. She had revolts to deal with like her brother, father and grandfather before her. She was the grandaughter of Isabella I of Castille.
Jacopo Trezzo was commissioned by Philip to strike the impressive gold medal in compliment to Mary’s firm government, which I refer to here. Music and poetry flourished in Marian England. Tottel’s Miscellany of lyric verse was published in 1557, and Thomas Tallis’ ” Puer Natus est Nobis” ( A Boy is Born to Us) was composed in expectation of her first failed pregnancy or non-pregnancy. Yes, Mary lost Calais, and nearly 500 years of English power on mainland France ended, but her troops performed creditably in the Anglo-Spanish victory against the French at Saint Quentin.
“The Burning Babe” by Robert Southwell SJ ( 1561-95) is referred to, though Mary banned Jesuits from England and rowed with Pope Julius III. The Blood of the Lamb and “Blood and Fire” were invoked by Catholic and Protestant alike in those times.