Though she was by no means perfect, the queen’s triumphs need to be considered
Despite a wealth of recent scholarship that has sought to redress the balance, the unflattering title of ‘Bloody Mary’ has stuck to Henry VIII’s eldest daughter. Yet, there was far more to the woman who successfully navigated her way to the English throne than this. One of Mary’s greatest achievements was winning her crown without bloodshed when her childless half-brother Edward VI sought to deprive her of her inheritance in his dying days. Deposing her cousin Lady Jane Grey in the process, Mary I succeeded to the throne on 19 July 1553 on an overwhelming wave of public support. On 1 October, she became England’s first regnant queen to be crowned, a considerable accomplishment at a time when female rule had no real precedent within her realm.
Mary took her responsibilities as monarch seriously and dedicated herself to the task of governing her kingdom from the offset. She was hardworking, with a strong sense of duty. This was particularly true when it came to the question of who would succeed her. Mary was 37 at the time of her accession, and though considered old by contemporary standards for childbearing, married the future Philip II of Spain in 1554 with an eye to producing an heir. Much to her sorrow, she did not succeed in doing so, and was eventually forced to concede that her half-sister Elizabeth would rule after her. Witnessing the unpopularity of Mary’s marriage to a Spanish consort, Elizabeth undoubtedly capitalised on her half-sister’s mistakes to her own advantage, and much was done to blacken Mary’s name during her reign.
There is
