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Mary I Facts

Mary I Facts
Mary I was the queen of England and ruler of the Kingdom of England and Ireland from 1553 until her death in 1558. She was became the queen consort of Hapsburg Spain after marrying Philip of Spain in 1554. Mary was of the Tudor Dynasty and was the daughter of the infamous Henry VIII and his first wife, Catherine of Aragon. She was deeply influence by her mother's strict adherence to Roman Catholicism, but also her father's Machiavellian machinations to attain and hold power. After Henry VIII died, his son with Jane Seymor, Edward VI became king in 1547, but he was woefully unprepared for the palace intrigue. After contracting a fever, Edward died in 1553 leaving the throne to Jane Grey, who was subsequently deposed and beheaded by Mary. The execution of Jane Grey set the precedent for Mary of killing her political and religious rivals on the way to earning her nickname, "Bloody Mary." Mary was born on February 18, 1516 in Greenwich, England and was the only child of Catherine and Henry who survived into adulthood.
Interesting Mary I Facts:
Mary was as bright as she was physically attractive. She was skilled in different musical instruments and keep read and write in multiple languages, including English, Latin, Spanish, and French.
Henry VIII had his marriage to Catherine annulled because it produced no children. Catherine, though, was one of the luck ex-wives.
Despite the annulment, Henry VIII played an active role in Mary's life, inviting her to live with him at court and attempting to arrange a marriage for her.
Henry and Catherine's marriage took place during the Reformation and would actually play a major role in the movement. Since the pope would not grant Henry the annulment, he had himself declared the head of the Church of England and then had the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer, declare the marriage void.
Henry's third wife, Jane Seymour, developed a friendship with Mary. Jane persuaded Henry to allow Mary back to the court, but he only agreed to do so after she signed a document that proclaimed his authority over the Church of England.
Under the urging of Henry's sixth and final wife, Catherine Parr, Mary was returned to the royal line of succession in 1544. She played the role of dutiful daughter quite well, even while Henry was persecuting Catholics throughout England.
Mary's marriage to Philip was unpopular with many English because he was Catholic and not English. The marriage led to Wyatt's Rebellion in 1554, which as ruthlessly suppressed by Mary.
Mary was thirty-seven when she married and never had a child.
Mary rescinded many of her father's anti-Catholic laws and had many of his surviving Protestant advisors executed. Thomas Cranmer, who opposed the marriage of Mary's parents, was burned alive, even after recanting his acceptance of Protestantism.
Mary died on November 17, 1558 at the age of forty-two in London, possibly from cancer. She was interred in Westminster Abbey.


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