Mary I

1516-1558. Queen of England and Ireland (1553-1558). Daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon. Devout Catholic who wanted to save her country from the eternal sin of leaving the Church of Rome, but could not convince her subjects of the benefits of Catholicism. Also known as "Mary Tudor" or "Bloody Mary". Not to be confused with the other Catholic Mary, Mary Queen of Scots.

Mary became Queen after her brother Edward had died at the age of 16 in 1553. Having been raised in the Catholic faith, she set out to undo the recent changes in religious policy and the Church of England, i.e. the Edwardian shift towards Protestant forms of worship. Ironically, though, she had to use her authority as head of the Church of England (which was an abomination to every good Catholic) to lead England back on the path of Rome. What is more, she could not turn back the hands of time in every respect. For example, the church land that Henry VIII had confiscated by closing the English monasteries had long since been sold to or bestowed upon loyal noblemen, who were not inclined to give it back.

Forging an international Catholic alliance, Mary married Philip, the Prince of Spain (later Philip II), in 1554. Parliament was not amused and insisted upon a safety measure: if Mary should die before Philip, the Habsburg ruler would not become King of England on his own. The dynastic marriage remained without children, although Mary experienced several imagined pregnancies - a testimony to the immense psychological pressure to produce an heir. As rulers of two countries, the couple were separated most of the time: Mary stayed in her realm in England; Philip stayed in his realm in Spain.

Mary earned the nickname "Bloody Mary" for her attempts to re-catholicise England by force. About 300 Protestants were executed during her reign. The Marian prosecutions and also Mary's marriage with Philip II of Spain made her rather unpopular with the English people. It did not help that England was dragged into a war with France and lost its last foothold on the Continent, the town of Calais.

Mary died on 17 November 1558. Shortly before her death she was reconciled with her sister Elizabeth, later Queen Elizabeth I, who she had considered one of her adversaries earlier.

Sources

• Mountfield, David. Kleine Geschichte Großer Nationen. Großbritannien. Nyon: Media Books, 1976.
• Williams, Brenda and Brian. Kings & Queens. Andover: Jarrold Publishing, 2007.