Mary Tudor, daughter of Henry XVIII of England and Katharine of Aragon was not intended to be Queen of England. It was the intention of her parents that many sons would follow her. Some did but they did not live past their first year. Although a "princess royale", she understood that her father would move heaven and earth to avoid a female on the British throne and he very nearly did.

Like her mother, Mary was devoutly catholic as was much of Europe. Doctrine was delivered by the Church in medieval Europe and there was little tolerance for any other interpretation. Steadfastly loyal to her mother and the Catholic Church, Mary did not waiver under the pressure to deviate even slightly from her beliefs and her position but of course did not broadcast it . Henry, with his all consuming desire for a son (and a younger, prettier wife) had removed the pope as head of the Church, divorced Katharine of Aragon, bastardized Mary, executed dissenters and remarried a woman (Anne Boleyn a.n.a. Nan Bullen) who was eventually declared "whore" and "adventuress".

Bearing the humiliation to herself, her faith and her mother, in fact everything she cared about, Mary found a strength and shrewdness that would one day see her Queen of England. Qualities she undoubtedly inherited from her father, an absolute monarch.

No one can say what Mary must have felt when Anne Boleyn was executed at the tower and Elizabeth her daughter also declared a bastard, however we can assume that she must have felt somewhat vindicated by the death of the woman who had caused such an upheaval of her own world. Elizabeth was now also declared a bastard and was sent away from court. A new wife and son for Henry was on the horizon and in this endeavor, he finally attained his goal. Edward had been born and was to become King of England.

Henry before his death however had passed the Act of Succession which did not exclude Mary or Elizabeth as heirs to the British throne. This move stood the test of time, despite the machinations of the Duke of Northumberland and Edward's regents to repeal this Act and secure the succession for Lady Jane Grey excluding Mary and Elizabeth.

During Edward's short reign, the Protestant movement gained significant ground. The English Prayer book was officially recognized and services were to be held in English. Edward was surrounded by protestants except for Mary who had the courage to stand her ground and refused to hear services in English, as well as continue to attend Catholic masses discreetly.

Edward's death at the age of fifteen tested Mary as never before. The attempt to put Lady Jane Grey on the British throne could have succeeded if Mary had not displayed her courage and rode into London with her supporters where she was hailed as the true heir. Lady Jane Grey, her parents, followers and the Duke of Northumberland were arrested and eventually executed. Finally the long years of anxiety and fears for her life were alleviated, but never forgotten.

Bringing England back to the Pope and the restoration of the Catholic faith was Mary's mission yet little did she know that the very tactics her regime would employ would alienate the populace for centuries to come and never again would a Catholic be accepted as monarch in England. Perhaps it was too late. A generation was growing up under the Church of England and Henry had already arrested and persecuted those who would not accede to his religious reforms. Martin Luther's doctrine of an individual's relationship with God had taken hold and would change religion and it's control of the population forever.

It has to be understood that in the sixteenth century, vicious torture, quartering & hanging, burning at the stake and all manner of horrific punishments were usual tactics in dealing with heretics, criminals, announced heretics and innocent dissenters. Mary was surrounded by catholic zealots and advisors who reminded her these acts were necessary to stamp out protestantism which of course was her goal as well. More than ever before, were "heretics" burned at the stake or tortured beyond belief in the name of Catholicism.

Her fear of traitors and spies hardened her and she came close to having Elizabeth, her sister arrested and executed on the advice of her inner circle. It was in fact Phillip of Spain, Mary's Catholic husband who cautioned her and reminded her that she could jeopardize her throne if she tried and executed Elizabeth without sufficient reason. Elizabeth was sent into seclusion and watched but she survived.

With a neglectful and unloving husband by her side, ovarian cancer, an unfulfilled pregnancy, fearful and anxious, Mary's faith must have been her only comfort. One may well feel sorry for this Queen who was also courageous, educated and steadfast, yet she traumatized a nation and caused untold suffering for others.

The British people never forgave her. Her legacy in history became "bloody mary" and her reign ensured that Britain would rather fight to the death than see another Catholic on the throne. It did not help that years later, her husband Phillip of Spain sent the Armada to attack England.

In the name of her righteousness, Mary carved out her legacy and changed history. She would be distraught to know her nickname and that she is considered one of the shedevils of all time.

Author: Gloria Rubaine

Born in Paddington, London, I was surrounded by British history. My annual school trips to the Tower of London, Hampton Court captured my imagination about those who had gone before me. At Hampton court especially were remnants of the love story of Henry and Anne Boleyn, the times and how our modern world was changed by these historical figures. So...for the next 40 years, I read everything, consumed everything historical. In another life, I should have been a history professor, but..I ended up being a freight forwarder instead.