Mary Tudor (Bloody Mary): The True Story

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“She was a king’s daughter, she was a king’s sister, she was a king’s wife, she was a queen, and by the same title a king also” # Mary Tudor was an influential women of her time period. Many in modern society know her for her particularly bad reputation as Bloody Mary, however they do not realize the contributions she made, or her influence on history . The story behind Mary’s reputation gives insight as to her true accomplishments as England’s first queen.

When Mary Tudor was born on February 18, 1516, she was the only child that King Henry VIII and his wife Catherine of Aragon had successfully conceived together. She was widely celebrated and raised well in the kingdom. She was well-educated and privileged. However, her father wanted a male heir to inherit his throne and Mary’s mother couldn’t produce an heir. King Henry tried to divorce Katherine, but the Catholic church was not granting his request due to their relation to the queen. He went to a Protestant church and received the divorce he wanted from Mary’s mother in 1533. This divorce caused Mary to hate the Protestant religion, she did not even accept the fact her parents were divorced. Mary’s father got remarried to a women named Anne Boleyn and was excommunicated from the Catholic Church. Anne also became pregnant and had a baby girl named Elizabeth that Mary had to take care of.

In 1534, the Act of Supremacy was passed, and Mary was no longer considered an heir to the throne. However two years later Mary’s father had married a new wife named Jane Seymore. Jane wanted King Henry VIII to reunite with his children. Mary did reconcile with her father and was chosen to be the godmother of Jane’s newborn son Edward. This reconciliation with her father put her next in ...

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...ary was a Queen that ruled with an intellect many did not believe women were capable of. She worked hard and kept the throne and reached her goal of starting to restore the Catholic faith. Though Mary had a tragic life she was a great Queen who kept her country in mind and worked closely with the government to keep it safe. Without Mary’s reign the English monarchy may be completely different than what it is today.

Works Cited

Eakins, Lara E. "Mary I." TudorHistory.org. 7 Sept. 2007. Web. 17 Mar. 2011. http://www.tudorhistory.org/mary/.

N.A. "Mary Tudor - Bloody Mary." ELIZABETHAN ERA. Web. 17 Mar. 2011. http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/mary-tudor-bloody-mary.htm.

Whitelock, Anna. Mary Tudor: Princess, Bastard, Queen. New York: Random House, 2009. Print.

"Wyatt's Rebellion." Encyclopedia of World History. New York: Facts On File, 2000. 263. Print.

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