Mary Tudor. The ''Bloody Mary''

 Mary Tudor

(1553-1558)

Princess Mary was born in 1516. She was the child of King Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon. Despite being happy to have a daughter, Henry used her more as a diplomatic pawn. At the age of 2, Mary was betrothed to the Dauphin of France, Francis III. The marriage would have established a diplomatic and military alliance between England and France. 

Catherine of Aragon (1485-1536), Mary's mother

Henry VIII

Juan Luis Vives, Mary's teacher

Four years later, however, the relations between the two kingdoms soured, and Mary was promised to Charles V, the future King of Spain and Holy Roman Emperor. He was also the nephew of her mother. Although she received a proper Catholic education for a princess, Mary admired her father and she developed a passion for hunting and riding.

In 1525, Henry sent her to Ludlow Castle in the Welsh Marches to preside in her father's name. This was an important moment in Mary's life because she had the opportunity to act as a de facto Princess of Wales. However, she stayed here only for 2 years and she returned to London because of the threat of a Welsh rebellion. Furthermore, her father divorced and remarried Anne Boleyn, who gave birth to Elizabeth, the future Queen of England, in 1533. As a result, Mary was stripped of all of her titles and was made a maid of honor for her step-sister. 

Fortunately for her, Anne was beheaded for treason in 1536, and Mary returned to the court. On the other hand, Jane Seymour, his father's new wife, gave birth to a boy, in 1537. This was a blow for young Mary who had ambitions of becoming Queen of England one day.

Edward VI of England

Elizabeth I of England

In 1547, Henry VIII passed away. His son was crowned as King Edward VI. He was 10 years old. As for Mary, she withdrew to East Anglia where she established a parallel court. While his brother was a Protestant like his father, Mary was a devout Catholic like her mother. In 1553, Edward died, and this was the chance for Mary to become queen. However, she had to face a strong opposition led by John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland. Dudley served as a regent for Edward and now he was trying to install his own daughter-in-law on the throne, Lady Jane Grey. 

John Dudley (1504-1553) 

Lady Jane Grey (1537-1554); she was the great-granddaughter of King Henry VII, Henry VIII's father 

 

In the end, the two factions started to raise their armies and by the end of July, Mary had amassed a force of 30,000 soldiers, clearly outnumbering Dudley's army. Eventually, John Dudley yielded to Mary and on 3rd of August 1553, Mary became Queen of England.

She enjoyed popularity among the commoners and she began her reign by enacting financial reforms. She expanded the Royal Navy and financed explorations in the New World. There was one question left. Was the new Queen intending to get married? Well, yes. In 1554, she married Philip, son of King Charles V, the man she was betrothed to when she was a child. 

Philip II of Spain, Mary's husband

Wedding of Mary and Philip; the marriage was childless and very unsuccessful

This move drew a lot of criticism in England. It is true that the marriage secured an alliance between England and Spain, but at that time the Spanish Empire so England was the junior member in the alliance. Moreover, Philip was Catholic. As a result, in 1554, a group of nobles led by Thomas Wyatt plotted to replace Mary with her half-sister, Elizabeth. Unfortunately, the plot was discovered and the rebellion failed. Wyatt was executed. Meanwhile, the Parliament reinstated the Catholic faith in England and it also revived the heresy laws. This led to the persecution and death of hundreds of Protestants throughout the realm, including many important clergymen. Mary lost all of her support among the people and she earned her nickname ''Bloody Mary''. 

She died in 1558, aged 42.