Monarch
Mary I (reigned 1553–1558)
Mary I, daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, reversed the Protestant Reformation and restored Catholicism to England, earning the nickname "Bloody Mary" for her persecution of Protestants.
Restoring Catholicism
Mary I was the daughter of Henry VIII and his first wife, Catherine of Aragon. She had been raised as a Catholic, and on becoming queen she reversed her father's break with Rome. England was returned to the authority of the Pope, and Protestantism was outlawed.
Mary also married Philip II of Spain, a devout Catholic king, in 1554. The marriage was unpopular in England and produced no children.
"Bloody Mary"
During her reign, Mary had almost 300 Protestants burned at the stake for refusing to give up their faith. This earned her the nickname "Bloody Mary". The burnings were deeply controversial and left a lasting mark on England's religious history.
Among those executed were the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer, who had played a central role in establishing the Church of England under Henry VIII and Edward VI.
Legacy
Mary I died in 1558 after a short reign of just five years. She was succeeded by her half-sister, Elizabeth I — daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn — who promptly restored Protestantism. Mary's reign is remembered as a turbulent and divisive episode in England's Reformation.
Key facts for the test
- • Mary I reigned from 1553 to 1558
- • She was the daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon
- • She restored Catholicism and returned England to the authority of the Pope
- • She married Philip II of Spain
- • She had nearly 300 Protestants burned at the stake, earning the nickname "Bloody Mary"
- • She was succeeded by her half-sister Elizabeth I