Queen Mary I

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Queen Mary I violently attempted to restore Roman Catholicism to an Anglican England during the 16th Century. She had every intention of returning Catholicism during her five year reign by marrying her Roman Catholic cousin and providing a Catholic heir. The Wyatt Rebellion caused her to burn over 200 Protestants at the stake, which earned her the infamous name “Bloody Mary” (Lindbuchler). The citizens of England loathed her and the Catholic Church because of this. Mary also took away the right for martyrs to publicly surrender which added to her unpopularity among her subjects. By the time of her death, Queen Mary’s plan to reestablish the Catholic faith in England was completely ineffective and England continued to be Protestant.

Mary Tudor became queen of England after she had Lady Jane Grey, known as the nine-day queen, executed (Lindbuchler). She came to the throne on July 19, 1553, and ruled for five dismal years (“Mary the Queen”). Because she was an advocate for the Roman Catholic Church, Mary never gained the support of her countrymen or nobles (Lindbuchler). At first, she seemed to be able to compromise and moved slowly toward religion; she even allowed her brother Edward to be buried with a Protestant service. But she despised the fact that her father broke away from the Church and always intended to return Catholicism to England (“Queen Bloody Mary”).

Thinking about the Catholic heir she could bring to England, Mary wed her cousin Phillip of Spain in 1554. Although Phillip did not want to marry the queen, he did to gain to political power (Rowse 48). People started to worry when their queen married a Spaniard because they did not trust foreigners; as a result, the country went into a state of alarm (“Mary...

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...orgotten, was largely unsuccessful.

Works Cited

Lindbuchler, Ryan. “Queen “Bloody” Mary I Tudor of England.” 5 Jun. 2005. Web. 5 Oct.

2011 http://departments.kings.edu/womens_history/marytudor.htmll.

“Mary The Queen.” Web. 5 Oct. 2011 http://home.earthlink.net/~elisale/queenmary.html.

This England. New York: National Geographic Society, 1966.

“Queen Bloody Mary.” Greatsite. Greatsite Marketing. Web. 5 Oct. 2011

http://www.greatsite.com/timeline-english-bible-history/queen-mary.html.

"Queen Mary I." Luminarium: Encyclopedia Project. 24 Apr. 2009. Web. 26 Oct. 2011.

http://www.luminarium.org/encyclopedia/queenmary.htm.

Rowse, A.L. Windsor Castle In The History Of England. New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons,

1974.

Simons, Eric N. “Mary I.” History. Encyclopedia Britannica. Web. 26 Oct. 2011

http://www.history.com/topics/mary-i.

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