How England's First Queen Got Her Nickname
22Mary I was the first queen to rule England in her own right, but her reign was marked by controversy and bloodshed. She was the daughter of King Henry VIII and his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, who was a devout Catholic. When Henry divorced Catherine and broke away from the Roman Catholic Church, he declared Mary illegitimate and disinherited her. Mary’s half-brother, Edward VI, who succeeded Henry, was a Protestant and tried to prevent Mary from inheriting the throne. However, after Edward’s death in 1553, Mary gathered enough support to overthrow the Protestant regime and claim her crown. She then set out to restore Catholicism to England and undo the religious reforms of her father and brother. She married Philip II of Spain, a Catholic monarch, and hoped to produce a Catholic heir. However, her marriage was unpopular and childless, and she faced several rebellions and plots against her. She also ordered the execution of hundreds of Protestants, who refused to renounce their faith and accept her authority as the supreme head of the Church of England. These brutal acts earned her the nickname of “Bloody Mary” among her enemies and later generations.
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