Date of Birth: February 18,1516
Died: November 17, 1558 Reigned: 1553-1558 Parents: Henry VIII (1491-1527) & Catherine d'Argon (1485-1536) Spouse: Philip II of Spain Religion: Roman Catholic Nickname: Bloody Mary Children: None Buried: Westminister Abbey Successor: Elizabeth I Mary was born to Henry VIII and Catherine in 1516. As a child, she was very intelligent and Henry doted on her. When her parents divorced, she was sent to away to the kingdom of Wales and given the power the Prince of Wales would normally have had. When her father remarried with Anne Boleyn, Mary refused to acknowledge that she was queen or that Elizabeth was the princess. Because of this great amount of stress, Mary was often ill and depressed and there was a strain in her relationship with her father. After Anne was executed, her father married Jane Seymour, who advocated for Henry to make amends. Because Mary's brother was Edward VI, she was next in line for the throne after he died in 1553. Edward VI was a Protestant so before his demise he tried to make Jane, a protestant, next in line for the throne through the 'Devise for Succession', which was ultimately a failure. Mary ignored his efforts and seized the throne in 1553, thus returning England to Catholicism. She used Parliament to make her parents marriage valid and Henry and Anne's marriage invalid. She also strongly encouraged Catholicism and brought England closer with Rome. As a queen, she needed to have a male heir, or Elizabeth would take the throne upon her death and the state would return to Protestant rule. She married Philip II of Spain and soon fell pregnant. Or at least she thought she was pregnant, but it was a false pregnancy. Mary thought that this was her punishment from God for allowing Protestants to live. She became much crueler to Protestants and under the Hersey Acts, many were executed or exiled. She became known as 'Bloody Mary' because of the blood that was shed under her rule. When she died in 1558, childless, Elizabeth took the throne and re-established Protestant rule. |
1500s |
Mary I |