Queen Mary I of England

Mary Tudor (also known as Mary I of England) was born to King Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon. Her birth took place in Greenwich on February 18th, 1516. Yet she was born the earlier years of their marriage, (England under the Tudors) her reign of power was to the contradiction that earned her the title of “Bloody Mary”, (Queen "Bloody" Mary I Tudor of England) as to which still, to this day, continues to live down in history.
Mary was born as the fifth child of King Henry VIII and Catherine, Princess of Wales. Three brothers and a sister did not survive. Mary, actually, was supposed to be their sixth and last child that they bore together as also a daughter, was stillborn. Henry yearned for the birth of a baby boy, yet the delivery of Mary did not seem to upset him, as he stated that Catherine was still young and had plenty of more time to bear the son he dreamed about taking the throne. (Scotland’s Mary)
As a child, Mary was used in many of King Henry’s plots and maneuvers. Even at such a young age, her father was already deciding on suitable men for her to wed when the time came for her. At the age of 2 ½ years old, she was matched to Dauphin of France. Amongst the other bridegrooms that were appointed for her included The Duke of Orleans and The Duke of Milan. (Scotland’s Mary) Mary was the innocent precious child as any other child would be seen as. Sometime in the year of 1520, she was reported by people to have been seen entertaining visitors by performing on the virginals. (England under the Tudors) When she was the age of nine, she was addressed in a complimentary Latin oration by commissioners sent over from Flanders on commercial matters, and replied to them in the same language "with as much assurance...

... middle of paper ...

...well. (Mary’s Stepmothers as qtd. in Mary’s Tudors) Time continued to take its toll and eventually, Henry VIII passed into eternal sleep on January 28th, 1547, leaving behind his 9 year old “son” Edward I to be in control over the kingdom. His spiritual belief and support was Protestant, compared to that of Mary’s, which was the Catholic faith. She prayed and hoped that Edward would eventually open his eyes and return the Church of England back to the Church of Rome. (Mary I, Queen of England) He never actually did fall back to the Catholic Church and remained as a faithful Protestant. Later in the years (specifically 1552) Edward I fell under a great illness that would eventually take his life. Studies show that the cause of his death is unknown, but it was reported that he was seen constantly coughing up phlegm and blood, both vital signs of tuberculosis.