Charles V wished to support her for religious reasons, but feared to excite patriotic feeling by dispatching an army and therefore confined his intervention to diplomatic representations to Northumberland.
[Sidenote: Accession of Mary] There was no doubt as to the choice of the people.

Even the strongest Protestants hated civil turmoil more than they did Catholicism, and the people as a whole felt instinctively that if the crown was put up as a prize for unscrupulous politicians there would be no end of strife.
All therefore flocked to Mary, and almost without a struggle she overcame the conspirators and entered her capital amid great rejoicing.
Northumberland, after a despicable and fruitless recantation, was executed and so were his son and his son's wife, Queen Jane.

Sympathy was felt for her on {318} account of her youth, beauty and remarkable talents, but none for her backers.
The relief with which the settlement was regarded gave the new queen at least the good will of the nation to start with.

This she gradually lost.

Just as Elizabeth instinctively did the popular thing, so Mary seemed almost by fatality to choose the worst course possible.