A historic royal letter addressing a planned Leicestershire rebellion is going to auction. Interest is said to be high in the Queen Mary I document which could fetch up to £20,000.
The letter was written on January 28, 1554, and addressed to William Paget, a prominent diplomat who served in the courts of both Edward VI and Henry VIII. Queen Mary's letter details the monarch's urgent response to what became known as Wyatt's rebellion - a plot which included planned uprisings in Leicestershire and three other counties.
While the Leicestershire rebellion never materialised, the letter reveals how seriously the Queen took the threat, ordering Paget to mobilize forces under the Earl of Huntingdon's command. In the document, Mary commands Paget to gather "all the power and force of horsemen and footemen" possible to capture the Duke of Suffolk and his supporters in Leicestershire.
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The planned rebellion was part of a wider plot to prevent Queen Mary I's marriage to Philip II of Spain and halt England's return to Catholicism. The letter describes the "traitor, the Duke of Suffolk," who had forgotten "his naturall dutie of allegiaunce" and conspired to stir up subjects based on "false rumors" about Spanish invasion. Mary I, who came to be known as 'Bloody Mary', would later order the execution of 283 Protestants during her reign.
The historic document urges Paget to protect the "true Catholique religion" and details the queen's response to the uprising threat. Mary had ascended to the throne in 1553 following the death of her brother, Edward VI, from tuberculosis.
Lyon and Turnbull auctioneers will offer the letter in an online sale beginning later today (Wednesday, Febuary 5). The document is expected to fetch between £15,000 and £20,000.
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