Everything you wanted to know about mary i

9 min read

Dr Nicola Tallis answers key questions about the life and legacy of England’s first queen regnant

INTERVIEW: CHARLOTTE HODGMAN

ABOVE: Mary’s mother, Catherine of Aragon, begged Henry VIII not to follow through with his plans for divorce – but her pleas were unsuccessful

Q: What was Mary’s early childhood like?

A: Mary was born on 18 February 1516 at Greenwich Palace, the only surviving child of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon. She had a very happy childhood for the first few years of her life and was doted on by her parents, particularly her mother. The sorrow that Catherine of Aragon felt upon losing four pregnancies upon Mary’s birth must surely have intensified the love she felt towards her only daughter. She did her utmost to ensure that Mary was well-educated and cared for, and took a hand in Mary’s education herself.

Mary wouldn’t have spent a great deal of time with her father, Henry, but he showered her with adoration and gifts and seems to have loved her very much. And in 1525, when she was nine years old, Mary was sent to Ludlow in the Welsh Marches, effectively to learn how to be a princess of Wales and be trained in the art of rulership.

Q: What do we know about the young Mary’s personality?

A: Mary was a very vivacious child who enjoyed dancing. She was always conscious of her royal blood and knew from the start what was expected of her, conforming to her parents’ wishes. She seems to have been very well-behaved and would have received lessons in etiquette and manners. She was studious and seems to have had an aptitude for languages, but I think she was also a child who wanted to please her parents.

Her mother was very pious, and Mary was raised with a devotion to the Catholic Church that would last her entire life. She knew what was expected of her as a good Catholic in terms of obedience to the church, so religion was an intrinsic part of her identity. Her first word is said to have been ‘priest’!

Q: How was she affected by her parents’ separation?

A: In 1527, when she was 11, Mary’s happy childhood was shattered when Henry made clear his desire to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon and marry one of the queen’s ladies in waiting, Anne Boleyn. Catherine refused to conform to Henry’s wishes and Mary sided with her mother, believing wholeheartedly in the validity of their marriage and her own legitimacy.

Mary’s refusal to acknowledge her parents’ separation created a huge rift with her

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History Revealed Magazine

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