Bloody Mary

Mary I, Queen of England was a very prominent figure in

European history. Her reign as queen was filled with many trials and

tribulations that were not accepted by most of England. Many of

Mary’s rash decisions were most likely do to her upbringing and her

lack of will power. Whether it is being declared a bastard as a young

child by her tyrannical father, Henry VIII, or her marriage to Phillip of

Spain, Mary was easily influenced by others and it showed as she grew

older and took over the thrown.

Mary was born the daughter of Henry VIII and Katherine. Henry

had failed again to bear a son to retain the thrown after him. His

annulment from Katherine was not granted so Henry decreed that the

Church of England be separate from the Church of Rome. Katherine

still tried not to jeopardize her daughter’s succession to the thrown, for

this she was banished and Mary was declared a bastard. These events

had a devastating effect on Mary who was once adored by both parents.

Mary never saw her mother again and her stepmother, Anne Boleyn,

treated her with extreme cruelty, even threatening to have her executed.

All these things affected Mary’s adolescence. She suffered

premenstrual tension her whole life; her periods were infrequent or