Mary was the daughter of Henry VIII and his first wife, Catherine of Aragon. When her father had planned to divorce Catherine in order to marry Anne Boleyn, Mary was sent to Ludlow Castle (1525), Wales, where she held her court. In 1534 the Act of Succession registered the invalidity of Henry's first marriage [2] and excluded Mary from the succession. After the birth of Edward on 12 Oct 1537 (later King Edward VI), Henry created his third Succession Act (1544), which included Mary and provided that she might occupy the throne if Edward died without issue. However, Edward VI, acting under the influence of his advisors, agreed to pass the throne to Lady Jane Grey, who was proclaimed (10 Jul 1553) queen upon his death. Considering herself the rightful heir, Mary refused to recognize the new queen and her claim was supported by the English nobility. The supporters of Jane Grey were forced to give up and Mary was proclaimed queen in London on 19 Jul 1553. She entered the capital on 3 Aug 1553.
A fervent Catholic, Mary took course to restoration of Roman Catholicism and papal supremacy in England. She repealed all acts dealing with religious affairs passed in the reigns of Henry VIII and Edward VI. An insurrection provoked by the proposal of her marriage with Philip of Spain was immediately suppressed, and the marriage took place at Winchester on 25 Jul 1554. The first Parliament summoned after the marriage repealed the Act of Supremacy (1534), reinstated the heresy laws, and petitioned for reunion with Rome. As a result, around 300 Protestants were burnt in three years on charges of heresy earning Mary the epithet 'Bloody'. Although Philip was not created equal sovereign and was practically excluded from the actual government, Mary agreed to take part with Spain in the war with France (1557). In 1558 England lost Calais, the last remnant of the English conquests in France won during the Hundred Years' War. The disastrous war caused popular discontent, but Mary did not live to see its consequences. |
