Though the era of Queen Mary of England has passed hundreds of years ago, her personality, goals, and motivations still remain uncovered and disguised under the darkness of time. Various historians and scientists argue that she used to be a brutal murderer, a restless persecutor of her own nation, who was driven by the feelings of revenge and anger. Others state that she had a miserable life, which was solely motivated by the love to her people and the loyalty to her faith. In this paper, I will do my best to identify the key points of Queen Mary’s life, show that she was not simply a vicious murderer, and try to verify if Mary’s reign was beneficial for her country in general.

Mary Tudor was born in 1516 and was the only living child of Henry VIII of England and Catherine of Aragon, his first wife. Mary was an attractive, intelligent child, who was well educated in science, music, languages, and philosophy. In essence, she was taught the skills that noble women of the epoch were expected to possess. As Princess of Wales, she had her own courtyard, where she was actually brought up by Margaret Pole. Her childhood was much ruined by the inability of her mother, Catherine of Aragon, to give birth to a male heir. After a number of miscarriages, three children that were born dead, and two infants who died in early childhood, Catherine went through menopause, and Henry realized that she would never be able to provide him with a successor he was so desperately in need of. Consequently, Mary’s father fell in love with of one of her ladies-in-waiting, Anne Boleyn, and desired to have his marriage to Catherine canceled, in order to tie the knot with Anne, who he anticipated to give birth to a boy. “Mary Tudor, like her mother, had to endure the humiliation of their 6 year romance” (Biography of Bloody Mary Tudor). In order to have a legitimate heir from Anne Boleyn, King Henry influenced the Parliament to pass certain laws, including the Act of Succession, which allowed him to declare his marriage to Catherine of Aragon illegitimate and strip Mary off her title.

Mary was then moved to Hatfield, where she was watched by her female relatives who were, in fact, spying on her. Anne’s goal was to persecute Mary and distance the King Henry from her. Her intention to force a wedge between Henry and Mary was undeniably her insight that her daughter’s right to the throne would remain unstable if Mary was present as a possible claimant. Just like her mother, Catherine of Aragorn, Mary refused to acknowledge that Catherine’s marriage to Henry had been unlawful, that Anne Boleyn’s marriage to him was legitimate, that Mary was an illegal heir to the throne, and that Elizabeth was the only true successor to the throne. Moreover, they refused to deny papal superiority and recognize Henry as the head of the Church. Mary showed herself as being extremely brave and sincerely religious. These persecutions had a great impact on Mary’s health and led to a series of gastrointestinal illnesses, definitely caused by the terrible stress, anxiety, and fear she had to suffer. Mary would not be brought together with her father until his third marriage. Lastly, following advice of her cousin, Mary did sign a letter of obedience that complied with all of the terms mentioned in the Act of Succession. Only then would her merciless father, King Henry, accept her at court.