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Mary Tudor, daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, became Queen of England in 1553. She attempted to restore Catholicism and married Philip II of Spain, but her reign was marked by opposition and minor revolts. She is remembered for the Marian Persecutions, in which she burned at least 300 heretics at the stake. Mary died childless and unpopular, earning the nickname “Bloody Mary”.
Mary Tudor reigned as Queen of England from 1553 until her death in 1558. She is probably best remembered for attempting to restore the Catholic faith in England through a series of proclamations and brutal punishments for heretics. During her reign, she also managed to lose control of Calais in an ill-fated war with France. Upon her death, she was succeeded by her half-sister, Elizabeth.
Maria was born in 1516 to Henry VIII and his first wife, Catherine of Aragon. While the King was disappointed with the birth of a daughter, he assumed he would have a son to take the British throne at some point, so it was unlikely Mary would ever take the throne of England. In her youth, Mary received the benefit of an excellent education, becoming a talented musician and cultured woman who spoke and wrote in multiple languages. Unfortunately for Mary, however, he fell out of favor when her father divorced Catherine of Aragon in favor of Anne Boleyn.
Mary Tudor was declared illegitimate, thanks to the remarriage, and banished from court. As her father married and divorced or beheaded a series of wives, Mary’s fortunes waxed and waned, until the birth of Edward, who was declared the rightful successor to the throne of England. However, Edward VI’s rule was brief; she died in 1553 of tuberculosis, and Lady Jane Gray’s followers attempted to proclaim her queen, blatantly disregarding Mary Tudor’s right to the throne. Jane reigned for nine days before Mary Tudor managed to depose her, taking control of the throne.
During her reign, Mary Tudor attempted to distance England from the Protestant faith, encouraging the British people to revert to Catholicism and marrying Philip II of Spain to cement alliances with the Catholic community. Both of these measures met with considerable opposition from the Protestant community, and Mary’s reign was marked by minor insurrections and revolts, many of which were savagely put down.
Mary I became known as “Bloody Mary”, due to her attempts to stamp out Protestantism in England. You burned at least 300 heretics at the stake, including several prominent members of the Protestant community, and spearheaded an effort to drive out heretics and non-Catholics. These efforts became known as the Marian Persecutions among the Protestant community.
Mary’s Catholic and pro-Spanish standing made her unpopular with many people in England, and this, coupled with an unhappy marriage, led to a life that was undoubtedly not a very pleasant one. Although Mary Tudor and Philip II initially got along well, her inability to produce an heir caused friction, as did Parliament’s staunch refusal to declare Philip king. She eventually ended up returning to Spain, leaving Mary I of her to attempt to hold her own in England, where she eventually fell ill and died. The illness that caused Maria’s death is not known, although she was afflicted with stomach pains and loss of vision, leading some historians to suspect that she had a tumor of some form.
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