If Princess Mary and Queen Catherine refused to swear the oath of succession, why weren't they killed for it?

Question

If everyone had to swear the oath of succession of be killed for it, why then didn't Mary and Catherine die for it, since they didn't swear?

Answer 1

I believe Henry VIII still showed kindness toward his first wife Catherine of Aragon, and their only surviving child daughter, Princess Mary Tudor. He had no intentions to murder his own family, he just simply wanted a divorce. No father would murder his own children over something like "refusing to swear the oath of succession." He may have declared Princess Mary illegitimate and send her away for her "disobedience", but this is no grounds for execution.

Before the birth of Elizabeth, Henry simply adored Mary. When Mary was nine years old, Henry gave Mary her own court at Ludlow Castle and many of the Royal Prerogatives normally only given to a (male) Prince of Wales, even calling her the Princess of Wales. Although Mary lost favour in her father eyes, she is still his daughter, his own flesh and blood.

As for Catherine of Aragon, she was truly his dutiful wife and loved by the English people. The marriage seems to have been a happy one until Henry became seriously worried about producing a male heir to his throne as the years went past. Henry knew he cannot execute her based on the fact that she failed to produce a male heir. Catherine did not commit any treason, and when she refused to declare their marriage was invalid, she had many supporters behind her.

Note: Like her mother, Catherine of Aragon, Mary refused to swear the oath attached to the Act of Succession. Catherine and Mary were stubborn, brave, and deeply religious. They would not swear an oath that violated their religious principles and that cast such a shadow over their honor. Mary would not be reconciled with her father until well into his third marriage. His third wife, Jane Seymour, worked tirelessly to persuade him to bring Mary to court. Finally, on the advice of her cousin, the Emperor Charles--who assured her that there would be no blot on her soul for doing so under duress--Mary did sign a letter of submission that acceded to all of the terms of the oath. Only then would her implacable father receive her at court.

Answer 2

the whole point was that henry was h**l bent on getting a son and if he managed to get them to accept the whole being declared as a b*****d and it was only when henry realised that he was not going to be able to have any more kids basically because he could no longer get it up due to his weight that he even agreed to have mary and elizabeth in the line of succession and probably would not have been to impressed by the royal family of today

Answer 3

Mary DID swear, it just took her a long time, after Eliz. was born and Jane Seymour was married to her father, Catherine was long since dead, and had been considered the Princess dowager, ie, "just" Henry's brother's widow, a foreign national whom he did not have as much power over.

Catherine of Aragon's nephew was the Holy roman emperor, a very important fact in the whole matter.

Answer 4

Becuase they're women, AND royalty.. and because history has usually been lenient on women because they are the bearers of life.

Look at death row, most women are just sitting in prison.. not being executed.

Answer 5

note for jlzkcarlos:

Catherine outlived Henry.  As in Catherine of Aragon.