"Bloody Mary"

She was the first daughter of Henry VIII and ruled as Queen of England for five years. However, in those five short years Mary made her mark within the pages of English history. There was a reason why she was called “Bloody Mary!” She was Mary 1.

On 18th February, 1516, at the Palace of Placentia, in Greenwich, Mary was born to Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon. Her birth was a joy to her parents who had lost four previous babies in death. Mary was quickly baptized into the Catholic faith three days after being born (also at Greenwich). Mary developed unusually quickly and was becoming mature in her abilities at a very early age --- she was a precocious child. At four and a half years of age, the little Princess entertained a visiting French delegation by playing the virginals (a type of harpsichord)). Catherine of Aragon, her mother, had a great influence on Mary’s early education, consulting the Spanish humanist Juan Luis Vives for advice, (he was commissioned to write a treatise on the education of girls = “De Institutione Feminae Christianae). Mary studied Latin, French, Spanish, music, dance and possibly Greek, and by the age of nine, this little Princess could read and write Latin. Henry VIII doted on his only living daughter and boasted that Mary never cried.

Mary Tudor had a fair complexion with pale blue eyes and reddish-golden hair. She was ruddy-cheeked, a trait she inherited from her father (Henry VIII). However, Henry was becoming more and more disappointed in that his marriage to her mother was not producing any living sons. Henry sent his daughter to the border of Wales to ‘preside’ (in name only) over the Council of Wales and the Marches. Mary was given her own Court based at Ludlow Castle and many of the Royal prerogatives normally reserved for a Prince of Wales. Mary was named Princess of Wales but it appears that she was never formally invested. Mary stayed in Wales for three years, finally returning home to the home counties (around London) in mid-1528.

All through her childhood, Henry was always negotiating potential marriage contracts for his daughter. However, none of them were successful. Princess Mary was growing into a pretty, ‘well-proportioned’ young woman with a fine complexion. Adolescence was a difficult time for Mary because her parents' marriage was now in trouble. Her father was eager to have a male heir and wanted to remarry to get one, but Pope Clement VII refused to grant an annulment to his marriage to Mary’s mother, Catherine of Aragon. Henry claimed that because Catherine had been married to his late brother, Arthur, the marriage was not blessed by God (quoting Bible verses), and this was why they did not have a living son. Catherine said that her first marriage had not been consummated. None of this would change Henry VIII's mind though!

Mary was often sick with irregular periods and depression, although it is not clear his --- stress, puberty or a more serious sickness. Henry sent his wife away from Court and Mary was not allowed to see her mother. In early 1533, Henry married Anne Boleyn (who was already pregnant). In May of the same year the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer, declared Henry’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon invalid and Henry VIII now declared himself the Head of the Church of England, repudiating the Pope’s authority.

Catherine of Aragon was now called the Dowager Princess of Wales and Mary was declared illegitimate. She was called “The Lady Mary” instead of Princess Mary, and her place in the line of succession was given to her half-sister, Elizabeth (who was Anne Boleyn’s daughter). Mary’s household was dissolved, her servants dismissed and in December, 1533, Mary was sent to join Elizabeth’s household at Hatfield. Mary refused to acknowledge the baby Elizabeth as Princess, or that Anne Boleyn was Queen. This enraged her father who restricted his eldest daughter’s movements, even refusing to let Mary visit her sick mother. All of this put a strain on Mary and made her ‘frequently’ ill. When her mother, Catherine of Aragon, died in 1536 Mary was inconsolable.

In 1536 Anne Boleyn was beheaded and Elizabeth was now declared illegitimate and taken out of the line of succession (just as her half-sister Mary had been). Their father married Jane Seymour, who encouraged the King to make peace with her new step-daughter Mary. Henry VIII insisted that the Lady Mary recognize him as the Head of the Church of England, repudiate papal authority, acknowledge that her parents' marriage was unlawful, and to accept her own illegitimacy. Mary tried to reason with her father and said that she would submit as far as “God and my conscience” would permit. Henry wanted to have things his own way and after being “bullied” Mary gave in and signed a document agreeing to all of her father’s ‘demands’. Mary was welcomed back to Court and given her own household. Her ‘expenses’ included fine clothes and gambling at cards (a favourite pastime of Mary’s), and some of her residences included the Palace of Bealieu, Richmond and Hunsdon Palaces.

In 1537, Jane Seymour died after giving birth to Edward, Mary’s half-brother. Henry VIII had his son at last and Mary was made godmother to the baby Prince. Again, suitors were looked at for Mary to marry but came to nothing. Her father married Anne of Cleves but ‘did not like what he saw’ and the marriage was quickly annulled. Anne and Mary became friends, especially as both were practicing Catholics, and remained close until their deaths.

Henry VIII now married the young Catherine Howard (Catherine was 19, Henry was almost 50), but had her executed in 1542. Being now unmarried, Henry invited his eldest daughter, Mary, to Court to play hostess (in place of a new Queen). This changed in 1543 when Henry married Catherine Parr, who did her best to reconcile Henry to his two daughters and bring the family together. Mary and Elizabeth were returned to the line of succession (1544), which placed them after Edward. However, both girls remained illegitimate.

Henry VIII died in 1547 and Edward succeeded his father to the throne of England. Mary inherited several estates from her father, which included Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex. As her half-brother was still a child, a regency council dominated by Protestants started to rule the country. Mary remained faithful to the Catholic faith and celebrated Mass in her own private chapel. Religious differences remained between the two siblings and so Mary stayed on her own estates throughout most of Edward’s reign.

In 1550, Edward invited Mary and Elizabeth to a Christmas reunion. Mary was now in her 30’s and was reduced to tears when the 12 year old Edward ‘reproved’ his half-sister for disobeying his laws on religion --- in front of the whole Court! Edward died in 1553. He was 15 years of age and died of a lung infection (possibly tuberculosis). He didn’t want Mary to rule because of her practicing the Catholic faith as Edward wanted the Country to to remain Protestant, so he decided to have his cousin, the Lady Jane Grey (who was the granddaughter of Henry VIII’s younger sister, Mary) rule after him, believing she would rule in the Protestant faith.

However, Mary was very popular with the people and on 3rd August, 1553, Mary rode triumphantly into London with Elizabeth and a procession of over 800 nobles. Lady Jane Grey had been deposed and sent to the Tower of London with her supporters. Mary was now the Queen of England!

Mary was crowned at Westminster Abbey on 1st October, 1553, and was now free to rule the Country as a Catholic monarch. Her one wish was to turn England back into a ‘good Catholic country’. Understanding the need to produce an heir, Mary arranged to marry Prince Philip of Spain. Being 37 years of age, there was a certain sense of urgency about Mary. The marriage was not popular amongst the English people who did not ‘trust’ a foreign monarch, but Mary insisted, one of the reasons being that Spain was a Catholic Country. Philip did not love Mary but agreed to the marriage for purely political reasons.

In September, 1554, it “appeared” that Mary was pregnant. In the following July, it was obvious that Mary may have suffered a ‘false pregnancy’, possibly because she wanted a child so much. Philip left England to command his armies against France in Flanders and Mary fell into a deep depression. Mary loved her husband!

A month into her reign, Mary started her reformation of the Catholic faith and started to imprison Protestant nobles. The “Heresy Acts” were revived. Around 800 rich Protestants fled into exile. Those who stayed were targets with the first executions taking place in February, 1555. Bishops were burnt at the stake, the first of 283 people who were executed for their faith. The victims became “martyrs”.

Famine was a problem during Mary’s reign, even as was the decline of the Antwerp cloth trade. Although Mary married Philip, England had married Spain, but England did not benefit from Spain’s lucrative trade with the New World. Mary did draft plans for currency reform but they were not implemented during her reign.

After Philip’s visit to England in 1557, Mary again believed that she was pregnant with the baby due in March the following year. When it was again obvious that there was no baby, Mary was now forced to accept Elizabeth as her successor. Mary was ill and in pain, (possibly from ovarian cysts or uterine cancer) and she died on 17th November, 1558, at the age of 42.

Elizabeth was now the Queen of England and it is interesting how both half-sisters (and Queens) share a tomb with the inscription: “Consorts in realm and tomb, we sisters Elizabeth and Mary here lie down to sleep in hope of the resurrection”.

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