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Mary Tudor was born in England, on February 18, 1516. King Henry VIII married Catherine of Aragon, who gave birth to Mary, their only child to survive infancy. Henry then created his own religion in order to divorce his wife, and marry Anne Boleyn, who is the mother of Elizabeth I. This decision demoted Mary from her “princess” status and she was forbidden to ever see or speak to her mother. Striving for a son to carry on the Tudor dynasty, Henry divorced again and remarried to Jane Seymour. Edward VI was born and became the heir to the British throne. Henry continued to divorce and remarry 3 more times before his death.
At a very young age, Mary was betrothed to Charles V, the King of Spain and Holy Roman Emperor, but after three years he broke off the engagement and wanted to remain a reliable ally. Many years later, after the death of Mary’s half brother, Edward VI, his stepdaughter, Jane Grey, was next in line for the throne. Although with popular support, Edward’s regents resigned Jane Grey after 9 days and declared Mary as the rightful queen. Almost immediately, Mary had Jane executed to eliminate any threat of a power struggle.
Mary’s reign during the Age of Exploration took on a whole new meaning. Her main goal was to bring Roman Catholicism back into England, and in order to do so, she executed Protestant leaders which gave her the nickname “Bloody Mary”. Over 200 convicted heretics were burned and dozens more died in prison in a span of three years. Protestant strongholds in Germany and Geneva became a safehaven for the distraught citizens. She also started a brief war with France that lost England its last French territory at Calais. Eventually she did marry in 1554 to Philip II of Spain, the son of Charles V, so that she would have an heir to the throne. Although, after the marriage, they found out Mary couldn’t bear children, which ruined Philip’s affection towards her. She died four years later on November 17th.
At a very young age, Mary was betrothed to Charles V, the King of Spain and Holy Roman Emperor, but after three years he broke off the engagement and wanted to remain a reliable ally. Many years later, after the death of Mary’s half brother, Edward VI, his stepdaughter, Jane Grey, was next in line for the throne. Although with popular support, Edward’s regents resigned Jane Grey after 9 days and declared Mary as the rightful queen. Almost immediately, Mary had Jane executed to eliminate any threat of a power struggle.
Mary’s reign during the Age of Exploration took on a whole new meaning. Her main goal was to bring Roman Catholicism back into England, and in order to do so, she executed Protestant leaders which gave her the nickname “Bloody Mary”. Over 200 convicted heretics were burned and dozens more died in prison in a span of three years. Protestant strongholds in Germany and Geneva became a safehaven for the distraught citizens. She also started a brief war with France that lost England its last French territory at Calais. Eventually she did marry in 1554 to Philip II of Spain, the son of Charles V, so that she would have an heir to the throne. Although, after the marriage, they found out Mary couldn’t bear children, which ruined Philip’s affection towards her. She died four years later on November 17th.