Queen Mary I became the ruler of England in 1553 when her younger brother died after a six-year reign, although taking the throne was not easy. She, the deceased Edward VI, and her younger sister Elizabeth were all children of the infamous Henry VIII.
During her five-year reign, Mary navigated the manifold challenges associated with her status as the first English queen to wear the crown in her own right, rather than as the wife of a king. She prioritized religion above all else, implementing reforms and restrictions aimed at restoring the Catholic Church’s ascendancy in England. Most controversially, she ordered 280 Protestants burned at the stake as heretics—a fact that would later cement her reputation as “Bloody Mary.”
The queen also set precedents and laid the groundwork for initiatives—among others, financial reform, exploration and naval expansion—that would be built upon by her much-lauded successor, Elizabeth I. Mary failed, however, to fulfill arguably the most important duty of any monarch: producing an heir. When she died at age 42 in 1558 of an ailment identified alternatively as uterine cancer, ovarian cysts or influenza, Elizabeth claimed the throne.
Those 280 Protestants are the reason that she is known as Bloody Mary in the history books. Or was it? Her father, Henry VIII, had tens of thousands of people executed, including two of his wives. Edward VI only had two Protestants burned at the stake, but his actions resulted in the deaths of thousands of Catholics. Elizabeth I, who followed her sister on the throne, had hundreds of Catholics executed. So why was Mary the one who got the "Bloody" name? Read about the trends in history, religion, and misogyny that recast Mary I as bloody at Smithsonian.
(Image credit: Master John)