BBC History UK 04.2020

“

A

horrible and bloody

time.” That’s how the

16th-century Puritan

preacher John Foxe

described the reign of

Mary I. And it’s a verdict

that’s stuck. For much of

the past 450 years, Mary has been widely cast

as a malevolent force in English history. She’s

the cruel reactionary who burned Protestants

at the stake; the Catholic traitor who served

England up on a plate to her grasping Spanish

husband. And perhaps worst of all, she’s the

jealous half-sister who plotted the future

Elizabeth I’s downfall – thus almost denying

England one of its greatest reigns. When

historians describe the 16th century as a

glorious chapter in English history, more

often than not they don’t have the five years

that Mary occupied the throne in mind.

Of course, not everyone has shared this

negative assessment of England’s first queen

regnant. In her influential 12-volume Lives of

the Queens of England (1842–48), the histori-

cal writer and poet Agnes Strickland offered a

more sympathetic assessment of Mary,

informed by a return to primary sources.

Three major biographies following on the

heels of the 450th anniversary of Mary’s death

(in 2008) also attempted to redress the

balance, praising the queen for her intelli-

gence, astute policies and refusal to be

dominated by court favourites.

But such reappraisals have failed to turn

the tide of opinion. For her attempts to

resuscitate Mary’s reputation, Strickland was

dismissed as a “papistical sympathiser”. As for

the more recent efforts to fight Mary’s corner,

they were unceremoniously thrust aside in

2010 by a London Dungeon exhibition

entitled Killer Queen: Bloody Mary. Not only

were visitors to the dungeons ‘treated’ to the

The brilliance of Mary I

• 
  

  18 February 1516
  Mary is born in
  Greenwich. She is the
  only child of Henry VIII
  and his first wife,
  Catherine of Aragon
  (pictured below), to
  survive infancy

  
  

  23 May 1533
  Henry VIII’s marriage to
  Catherine is declared
  invalid five months after
  he marries a second
  wife, Anne Boleyn. Mary
  is deemed illegitimate
  and stripped of her
  succession rights

  
  
  
  
  • 
    

    28 January 1547
    Henry VIII dies and is
    succeeded by his son, as
    Edward VI (below). Mary
    repeatedly defies her
    fervently Protestant
    half-brother by refusing
    to renounce her
    Catholicism

    
    

    3 August 1553
    Having gathered a
    military force in Suffolk
    and outmanoeuvred her
    rivals, Mary rides into
    London in triumph,
    accompanied by her
    half-sister Elizabeth. Lady
    Jane Grey is imprisoned
    in the Tower of London

    
    
    
    
    • 1 October 1553
      Mary is crowned queen
      by her lord chancellor,
      Stephen Gardiner, at
      Westminster Abbey
    
    
    
    
  
  
  
  


• 
  

  6 July 1553
  King Edward VI dies,
  aged 15. Lady Jane Grey,
  a Protestant relation of
  Mary’s, is proclaimed
  queen four days later

  
  

TIMELINE Mary’s turbulent life

GETTY

IMAGES/ALAMY

Lady Jane Grey, who stood

between Mary and the

throne in July 1553

Mary’s Catholic

regime has been

portrayed as

a temporary blip

on the road to

Anglican triumph

smell of burning flesh, Tube adverts for the

show featured a digital poster of Mary that

morphed into a screeching zombie – one

deemed so frightening that the Advertising

Standards Authority chose to ban it.

So why has the image of a bloody, fanatical

Mary won out so conclusively over more

sympathetic appraisals of the Tudor queen?

To a great extent, the answer lies in religion.

For centuries, historians have celebrated the

Protestant Reformation in England (begun by

Mary’s father, Henry VIII, and extended by

her siblings Edward VI and Elizabeth I) as a

movement of national liberation. Mary’s role

in the whole saga is often portrayed as that of

a wicked Catholic witch – one who threatened

to strangle this glorious chapter in English

history at birth. The re-Catholicisation of

England under Mary is seen consequently as a

temporary reverse on the road to Anglican

triumph, a backward-facing and reactionary

undermining of hard-won sovereign inde-

pendence. It is this fact, above all others, that

has fed Mary’s dark reputation.

But cut through the stereotypes and the

propaganda, and examine what Mary actually

achieved, and I believe that a far more positive

picture of Mary’s reign emerges – that of a

conscientious woman who blazed a trail for

female rulers, and established England as a

serious player on the world stage. In fact, if

any of the Tudor kings and queens can lay

claim to the title ‘illustrious’, then I would

argue that it’s Mary.

Herculean daring

That Mary was able to secure the throne at all

was a remarkable achievement. When her

brother, the fervently Protestant Edward VI,

died on 6 July 1553, her future hung in the

balance. Edward had disinherited his Catholic

sister from the succession, and the powerful

Duke of Northumberland – supported by a

well-provisioned army – was preparing to

make his move for the throne. When North-

umberland had the Protestant Lady Jane

Grey (a relative of Mary’s) proclaimed queen

on 10 July 1553, Mary found herself firmly on

the back foot. But she soon turned the situa-

tion to her advantage, gathering a small but

loyal group of followers around her, assem-

bling a military force at Framlingham Castle

in Suffolk, and turning up the pressure on her

opponents. Northumberland soon crumbled

and, on 1 October, Mary was crowned queen

in Westminster Abbey. It was, wrote one of

the new queen’s supporters, a feat “of Hercule-

an rather than womanly daring”.

If one image has come to define the woman

who reigned England for the following five

years, then it is perhaps Anthonis Mor’s

portrait of Mary from 1554 (shown on page

29). One art historian has described the

queen’s gaze in the painting as fanatical,

gargoyle-like and frightening. But this is

certainly not a characterisation that the

diplomat Annibale Litolfi would have recog-

nised. Having met Mary, he noted that she

was “not at all ugly as in her portraits, and

that her lively expression, white skin and air of

“

A

horribleandbloody

time.”That’showthe

16th-centuryPuritan

preacherJohnFoxe

describedthereignof

MaryI. Andit’sa verdict

that’sstuck.Formuchof

thepast 450 years,Maryhasbeenwidelycast

asa malevolentforceinEnglishhistory.She’s

thecruelreactionarywhoburnedProtestants

at thestake;theCatholictraitorwhoserved

Englandupona platetohergraspingSpanish

husband.Andperhapsworstofall,she’sthe

jealoushalf-sisterwhoplottedthefuture

ElizabethI’sdownfall– thusalmostdenying

Englandoneofitsgreatestreigns.When

historiansdescribethe16thcenturyasa

gloriouschapterinEnglishhistory,more

oftenthannottheydon’thavethefiveyears

thatMaryoccupiedthethroneinmind.

Ofcourse,noteveryonehassharedthis

negativeassessmentofEngland’sfirstqueen

regnant.Inherinfluential12-volumeLivesof

theQueensof England(1842–48),thehistori-

calwriterandpoetAgnesStricklandoffered a

moresympatheticassessmentofMary,

informedbya returntoprimarysources.

Threemajorbiographiesfollowingonthe

heelsofthe450thanniversaryofMary’sdeath

(in2008)alsoattemptedtoredressthe

balance,praisingthequeenforherintelli-

gence,astutepoliciesandrefusalto be

dominatedbycourtfavourites.

Butsuchreappraisalshavefailedtoturn

thetideofopinion.Forherattemptsto

resuscitateMary’sreputation,Stricklandwas

dismissedasa “papisticalsympathiser”.Asfor

themorerecenteffortstofightMary’scorner,

theywereunceremoniouslythrustasidein

2010 bya LondonDungeonexhibition

entitledKillerQueen:BloodyMary.Notonly

were visitors to the dungeons ‘treated’ to the

The brilliance of Mary I

• 
  

  18 February 1516
  Maryis bornin
  Greenwich.She is the
  only childofHenryVIII
  and his first wife,
  Catherineof Aragon
  (picturedbelow),to
  surviveinfancy

  
  

  23 May 1533
  HenryVIII’smarriageto
  Catherineis declared
  invalidfive monthsafter
  hemarriesa second
  wife,AnneBoleyn.Mary
  is deemedillegitimate
  and strippedof her
  cessionrights

  
  
  
  
  • 
    

    28 January 1547
    HenryVIII dies and is
    succeededby his son, as
    EdwardVI(below).Mary
    repeatedlydefiesher
    ferventlyProtestant
    half-brotherbyrefusing
    to renounceher
    Catholicism

    
    

    3 August 1553
    Havinggathereda
    militaryforcein Suffolk
    and outmanoeuvredher
    rivals,Maryridesinto
    Londonin triumph,
    accompaniedby her
    half-sisterElizabeth.Lady
    JaneGrey is imprisoned
    in the Tower of London

    
    
    
    
    • 1 October 1553
      Maryis crownedqueen
      by her lord chancellor,
      StephenGardiner,at
      Westminster Abbey
    
    
    
    
  
  
  
  


• 
  

  6 July 1553
  KingEdwardVI dies,
  aged15.LadyJaneGrey,
  a Protestantrelationof
  Mary’s,is proclaimed
  queen four days later

  
  

TIMELINE Mary’s turbulent life

GETTY

IMAGES/ALAMY

LadyJaneGrey,who stood

betweenMaryand the

throne in July 1553

Mary’sCatholic

regimehasbeen

portrayedas

a temporaryblip

ontheroadto

Anglican triumph

smellofburningflesh,Tubeadvertsforthe

showfeatureda digitalposterofMarythat

morphedintoa screechingzombie– one

deemedsofrighteningthattheAdvertising

StandardsAuthoritychosetobanit.

Sowhyhastheimageofa bloody,fanatical

Marywonoutsoconclusivelyovermore

sympatheticappraisalsoftheTudorqueen?

Toa greatextent,theanswerliesinreligion.

Forcenturies,historianshavecelebratedthe

ProtestantReformationinEngland(begunby

Mary’sfather,HenryVIII,andextendedby

hersiblingsEdwardVIandElizabethI) asa

movementofnationalliberation.Mary’srole

inthewholesagais oftenportrayedasthatof

a wickedCatholicwitch– onewhothreatened

tostranglethisgloriouschapterinEnglish

historyat birth.There-Catholicisationof

EnglandunderMaryis seenconsequentlyasa

temporaryreverseontheroadtoAnglican

triumph,a backward-facingandreactionary

underminingofhard-wonsovereigninde-

pendence.It is thisfact,aboveallothers, that

hasfedMary’sdarkreputation.

Butcutthroughthestereotypesandthe

propaganda,andexaminewhatMaryactually

achieved,andI believethata farmorepositive

picture of Mary’s reign emerges – that of a

conscientiouswomanwhoblazeda trailfor

femalerulers,andestablishedEnglandasa

seriousplayerontheworldstage.Infact,if

anyoftheTudorkingsandqueenscanlay

claimtothetitle‘illustrious’, then I would

argue that it’s Mary.

Herculeandaring

ThatMarywasabletosecurethethroneat all

wasa remarkableachievement.Whenher

brother,theferventlyProtestantEdwardVI,

diedon6 July1553,herfuturehunginthe

balance.EdwardhaddisinheritedhisCatholic

sisterfromthesuccession,andthepowerful

DukeofNorthumberland– supportedbya

well-provisionedarmy– waspreparingto

makehismoveforthethrone.WhenNorth-

umberlandhadtheProtestantLadyJane

Grey(a relativeofMary’s)proclaimedqueen

on 10 July1553,Maryfoundherselffirmlyon

thebackfoot.Butshesoonturnedthesitua-

tiontoheradvantage,gatheringa smallbut

loyalgroupoffollowersaroundher,assem-

blinga militaryforceat FramlinghamCastle

inSuffolk,andturningupthepressureonher

opponents.Northumberlandsooncrumbled

and,on1 October,Marywascrownedqueen

inWestminsterAbbey.It was,wroteoneof

thenewqueen’ssupporters,a feat“of Hercule-

anratherthanwomanlydaring”.

If oneimagehascometodefinethewoman

whoreignedEnglandforthefollowingfive

years,thenit is perhapsAnthonisMor’s

portraitofMaryfrom 1554 (shownonpage

29).Onearthistorianhasdescribedthe

queen’sgazeinthepaintingasfanatical,

gargoyle-likeandfrightening.Butthisis

certainlynota characterisationthatthe

diplomatAnnibaleLitolfiwouldhaverecog-

nised.HavingmetMary,henotedthatshe

was“notat alluglyasinherportraits,and

that her lively expression, white skin and air of