Your Head or Mary’s I Religion

Queen Mary I was known as “Bloody Mary” for a good reason. She had a happy childhood but a rather difficult young adulthood as she watched many of her stepmothers be beheaded by her father. Later she herself ordered the execution to anyone who was not a member of her religion. People think that the way she was raised caused her to kill so many people. No one would dispute Mary I is a fascinating women with a fascinating life.

Queen Mary was born at Greenwich Palace on February the eighteenth, in the year of 1516. Her father was King Henry VIII, and her mother was Catherine of Aragon. Mary’s mother was the first of Henry’s six wives (“Queen ‘Bloody’ Mary”). Queen Mary was the fifth child to be born, but she was the only child to survive infancy. Her three other brothers and her sister did not survive (“Scotland’s Mary”). They say that if Mary were a boy all of English history would have been different and probably less interesting (Eakins, Lara).

Mary was a young princess and she was well educated having tutors who believed in educating girls as well as boys (“Scotland’s Mary”). Mary was the center of attention until her father married Anne Boleyn (Eakins, Lara). After Henry married Anne Boleyn, Mary was declared illegitimate and was no longer called “princess,” but rather “The Lady Mary” (Eakins, Lara). Anne had given birth to Elizabeth, but Elizabeth will soon be fatherless child, because her mother failed to make a baby boy for Henry to have an heir (Eakins, Lara). After the execution of Anne, Mary’s father had gotten married again, this time to Jane Seymour (Eakins, Lara). Jane had finally given Henry what he wanted; Jane had a baby boy and named it Edward. When Edward was born Mary stood as the young prince’s godmother (Ea...

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...ns, Lara).

Since Mary died without any heirs Elizabeth took the thrown. Elizabeth took the thrown until death, just like Mary. The two half-sisters were buried next to each other at Westminster Abbey (“Scotland’s Mary”).

So even though Mary’s life had been so tough she had a lot of great things happen to her. She also started a lot of new things, but still followed in her father’s past by making so many executions.

work cited

Eakins, Lara. “Mary I Queen of England.” Tudorhistory.org. Tudor History, 6 February

2012. Web. 5 May 2014.

Mikkelson, David. “Bloody Mary.” Snopes.com. Urban Legends Reference Page, 27

October 2005. Web. 5 May 2014.

“Queen ‘Bloody’ Mary.” Greatsite.com. Greatsite Marketing, N.d. Web. 5 May 2014.

“Scotland’s Mary.” Scotlandsmary.com. N.d. Web. 5 May 2014.

“The British Monarchy.” Royal.gov. The Royal Household, N.d. Web. 5 May 2014.