Mary I, also known as Mary Tudor, was the first queen regnant of England and reigned from 1553 until her death in 1558. She is most well known by her nickname “Bloody Mary” due to the bloody persecutions of Protestants that occurred during her reign.
Mary’s Early Life
Mary was born on February 18, 1516 to King Henry VIII and his first wife, Catherine of Aragon. She was their only child to survive infancy. As a child, Mary was precocious and highly intelligent. She received an excellent education and was able to speak Latin, Spanish, French and Greek by age 11.
In 1525, when Mary was 9 years old, her life changed dramatically. Her father, Henry VIII, became enamored with Anne Boleyn and sought to divorce Catherine since she had not produced a male heir. This resulted in the break from Rome and the Church of England being established. Mary’s mother lost her title as queen and Mary was declared illegitimate. She was no longer permitted to see her mother and her household was disbanded.
Mary’s status improved when Anne Boleyn failed to produce a male heir as well. She was invited back to court by her father and acted as chief mourner at Catherine of Aragon’s funeral in 1536. However, she was demoted again after Jane Seymour successfully bore Henry’s son Edward. Mary’s life continued to be dictated by her father’s wives and lack of a male heir.
Ascent to the Throne
When Henry VIII died in 1547, the throne passed to his nine-year-old son Edward VI. Since Edward was so young, Henry had arranged for a regency council to rule on his behalf, with his uncles, Edward and Thomas Seymour, acting as co-Lord Protectors. Mary and her half-sister Elizabeth were excluded from the line of succession, but Mary continued to insist that she was the king’s rightful heir.
During Edward’s reign, the Protestant Reformation took hold in England. Mary remained devoutly Catholic and refused to change her religion, causing continued tension and mistrust from Edward and his regents. In 1553, Edward became mortally ill. In an effort to preserve the Protestant state, he and his regents convinced him to exclude Mary and Elizabeth from the line of succession in his will. Instead, his cousin Lady Jane Grey was named as heir.
After Edward’s death, Lady Jane Grey was proclaimed queen. However, there was widespread support for Mary to become queen instead. After assembling an army, Mary rode triumphantly into London. Lady Jane Grey was deposed after just nine days as queen. On August 3, 1553, Mary rode into London as the new queen – the first undisputed queen regnant of England. Her ascent was supported by English Catholics as well as those who believed she was the rightful heir under common law.
Religious Policies and Persecution
Once queen, Mary was determined to return England to the Catholic faith. One of her first acts was to annul the marriage of her parents, Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, thus affirming her own legitimacy. She then set about reinstating Catholic doctrine and suppressing religious dissent.
In 1554, Mary married Philip II of Spain, a devout Catholic. This reinforced people’s fears that England would become subordinate to Spain and the Pope. Philip persuaded Mary to return church land confiscated under Edward VI, which proved very unpopular. Mary attempted to restore papal authority, rejected Protestant doctrine and practices, and had leading reformers like Thomas Cranmer burnt at the stake as heretics.
In 1555, nearly 300 Protestant heretics were burnt alive, earning Mary the nickname “Bloody Mary.” The most high-profile execution was that of Thomas Cranmer, former Archbishop of Canterbury, in 1556. Mary was determined to suppress Protestantism and reunite England under Catholicism, using persecution and violence if necessary.
Key facts about the religious persecutions under Mary I:
- 283 Protestants were burnt at the stake for heresy
- Hundreds more died in prison
- Leading Protestant clergy like Hugh Latimer, Nicholas Ridley and Thomas Cranmer were executed
- The persecution was concentrated in southeast England, including London and Kent
- Men vastly outnumbered women among those killed
Major Persecutions
Some of the largest persecutions under Mary I include:
- February 1555 – John Rogers, prebendary of St Paul’s and friend of William Tyndale, was the first Protestant martyr burnt at Smithfield.
- October 1555 – Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley, influential English Protestant clergy, were burnt at the stake after being convicted of heresy.
- March 1556 – Thomas Cranmer, former Archbishop of Canterbury, was burnt at the stake after being forced to watch Latimer and Ridley die.
- May 1557 – 11 men were burnt at Stratford-le-Bow for supposed heresy. This was part of 20 people killed that month.
In total, Mary was responsible for burning over 280 Protestants during her reign. The violent deaths led to her being dubbed “Bloody Mary” by her Protestant opponents.
Opposition and Decline
The burnings caused Mary’s popularity to plummet. There were also rebellions motivated by religion, economics and xenophobia towards her Spanish husband Philip. The deadliest rebellion was Wyatt’s Rebellion in early 1554, involving up to 4,000 men.
Mary’s policies became increasingly unpopular:
- Restoring Church lands was controversial
- Spanish influence was feared
- Persecuting Protestants was divisive and brutal
- Burning prominent clergy like Cranmer created martyrs
In 1558, Mary fell ill and died at the age of 42. Her half-sister Elizabeth succeeded her on the throne. Elizabeth immediately reversed Mary’s Catholic policies and restored Protestantism to England.
Conclusion
Mary I earned the nickname “Bloody Mary” due to the over 280 Protestants who were burnt at the stake for heresy during her 5 year reign. She was determined to return England to the Catholic faith it had abandoned under her father Henry VIII and brother Edward VI.
Key events that led to the name “Bloody Mary” include:
- Executing prominent Protestant clergy like Hugh Latimer, Nicholas Ridley and Thomas Cranmer
- Burning hundreds of Protestants, concentrated in southeast England
- Causing outrage through the violent killings of religious reformers
- Making Protestant martyrs of the clergy she had executed
- Sparing no mercy for those deemed Protestant heretics
While Mary believed she was saving her country, the bloody persecutions and backlash to her religious policies only succeeded in ruining her reputation. The violent deaths of so many Protestants earned her a bloody place in history.