The ‘ghostly’ pregnancies of Queen Mary I

The ‘ghostly’ pregnancies of Queen Mary I

Born on 18th February 1516, Mary Tudor was the daughter of King Henry VIII and his first wife, Katharine of Aragon.

After the death of her half-brother Edward VI in 1553, Mary successfully contested the claim of Lady Jane Grey, and was crowned Queen Mary I.

May’s reign was marked by a fervent desire to restore Catholicism to England, a mission that led to the persecution of Protestants, and earned her the nickname “Bloody Mary.”

In 1554, Mary married Philip II of Spain, a union that was politically motivated, but deeply unpopular among the English populace.

The marriage was fraught with difficulties, not least of which was Mary’s failure to produce an heir.
This personal tragedy became a public crisis, given the political and religious stakes involved.

Given the immense pressure Mary was under to produce an heir, along with the political and religious turmoil of her reign, it’s plausible that psychological stress could have played a significant role in triggering her phantom pregnancies.

In 1554, just months after her marriage to Philip II of Spain, Queen Mary I announced that she was pregnant.
The news was met with jubilation, not just in the royal court, but across England and Europe.

A successful pregnancy would mean the birth of a Catholic heir, solidifying the religious and political landscape that Mary had been so keen to establish.

The signs seemed promising.
Mary exhibited the typical symptoms of pregnancy, including morning sickness and a swelling abdomen.

Physicians and midwives confirmed the condition, and preparations for the birth were made with great enthusiasm.

Tapestries were hung in the birthing chamber, prayers and masses were said, and a formal announcement was even sent to the imperial ambassador.

As the months passed, however, it became increasingly clear that something was very wrong.

Mary’s expected delivery date came and went, but there was no child.
The court grew anxious, and then skeptical.

Rumours began to circulate, questioning the legitimacy of the pregnancy and the queen’s ability to rule.

Mary’s marriage to Philip was already unpopular, and her failure to produce an heir was seen by many as a sign of divine disfavour.

Finally, it was acknowledged that Mary was not going to give birth.

The court physicians were baffled, having no medical explanation for what had occurred.

For Mary, the emotional and psychological toll was immense.
She felt not only the personal pain of a woman who believes she has lost a child, but also the public humiliation of a queen whose body had become a subject of political conversation.

In 1557, three years after the devastating experience of her first phantom pregnancy, Queen Mary once again announced that she was expecting a child.

The news was met with a mixture of hope and skepticism.

As with the first phantom pregnancy, the initial signs were promising.
Mary displayed the physical symptoms associated with pregnancy, and her physicians, perhaps wary given the previous episode, confirmed that she was indeed expecting.

Preparations were made for the birth with a sense of caution, that had been absent the first time around.

Yet, as the months passed, it became increasingly evident that history was repeating itself.

The expected due date came and went, and there was no child.
The sense of Mary’s embarrassment was even more acute this time.

For Mary, the experience was another deeply personal tragedy.
Mary felt a sense of failure and inadequacy as both a woman and a queen.

Mary’s rule, already weakened by religious strife and military setbacks, was further undermined.

Her marriage to Philip, who had been spending more and more time away from England, was also strained.

The second phantom pregnancy ended quietly, much like the first.
By this point, Mary was in declining health, both physically and emotionally.

The toll of two phantom pregnancies, along with the stress of ruling a divided nation, left Mary frail and despondent.

The medical community of the time was no closer to understanding the phenomenon of phantom pregnancies.

Various theories ranged from divine punishment, witchcraft, or a bodily imbalance of ‘humours’.

Treatments involved attempts to restore this balance, included bloodletting or the administration of herbal remedies.

The phenomenon of phantom pregnancies, known medically as pseudocyesis, has puzzled physicians and psychologists for centuries.

In today’s terms, pseudocyesis is understood to be a complex condition involving both physiological and psychological factors.

Women experiencing a phantom pregnancy may show many of the signs of a real pregnancy, including a swollen abdomen, morning sickness, and even the sensation of fetal movement.

These symptoms are thought to be triggered by a combination of hormonal changes and psychological factors, such as extreme stress or a deep desire to be pregnant.

Given the immense pressure Mary was under to produce an heir, along with the political and religious turmoil of her reign, it’s plausible that psychological stress could have played a significant role in triggering her phantom pregnancies.

As the first woman to rule England in her own right, she faced enormous scrutiny and skepticism, both at home and abroad.

Sadly, the emotional toll of her first phantom pregnancy likely had a lasting impact on Mary’s psychological state, making her even more susceptible to a second episode.

In a society where a woman’s worth was often measured by her ability to bear children, Mary’s failure to produce an heir would have been seen as a profound personal and public failing.

Mary’s failure to produce an heir opened the door for her half-sister Elizabeth, a Protestant, to succeed her.

This led to the re-establishment of Protestantism as the state religion, and the undoing of much of Mary’s efforts to return England to Catholicism.