Just when it had seemed that the English throne might be within Mary’s reach, it was snatched away. Pope Paul IV refused to declare in her favor, making it impossible to justify the claim that Elizabeth was illegitimate. The pope simply could not afford to offend Philip, whose forces held the balance of power in Italy. Philip’s support was also essential to the success of the Council of Trent, the Counter-Reformation assembly that the pope had reconvened to rejuvenate the ideals of Catholicism and take a firm stand against the Protestants.
