Mary had a fragile constitution and suffered a series of illnesses throughout her life. She also had at least two false pregnancies , the last of which, beginning in April 1558, would mask the ultimate cause of her death. She was succeeded by her half sister Elizabeth I .

Mary I

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Princess Mary of England (later Queen Mary I).

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Mary I summary

Mary I

Q: Who were Mary I’s parents?

Mary was the daughter of King Henry VIII and his first wife, the Spanish-born princess Catherine of Aragon . Henry separated from Catherine in 1531 and had his marriage to her annulled in 1533. Mary was declared illegitimate , and she was stripped of the title of princess.

Q: What was Mary I’s childhood like?

Mary’s early years were spent as a diplomatic tool of her father, as she was promised as a wife to several potential allies. After Henry married Anne Boleyn in 1533, Mary was forbidden from seeing her mother and restricted in her access to her father.

Q: How did Mary I become famous?

After the death of Edward VI , Henry’s only surviving male heir, Mary became queen of England. A devoted Roman Catholic , she attempted to restore Catholicism there, mainly through reasoned persuasion, but her regime’s persecution of Protestant dissenters led to hundreds of executions for heresy . As a result, she was given the nickname Bloody Mary .

queen of England

Also known as: Bloody Mary, Mary Tudor

Written by Eric Norman Simons

Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Mar 29, 2024 • Article History

Mary I

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Category: History & Society

Also called:: Mary Tudor

Byname:: Bloody Mary

Born:: February 18, 1516, Greenwich, near London, England

Died:: November 17, 1558, London (aged 42)

House / Dynasty:: House of Tudor

Notable Family Members:: spouse Philip II; father Henry VIII; mother Catherine of Aragon

On the Web:: History Today - ‘Bloody Mary’ born at Greenwich Palace (Mar. 29, 2024)

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Who were Mary I’s parents?

What was Mary I’s childhood like?

How did Mary I become famous?

How did Mary I die?

Mary I (born February 18, 1516, Greenwich, near London, England—died November 17, 1558, London) was the first queen to rule England (1553–58) in her own right. She was known as Bloody Mary for her persecution of Protestants in a vain attempt to restore Roman Catholicism in England. The daughter of King Henry VIII and the Spanish princess Catherine of Aragon, Mary as a child was a pawn in England’s bitter rivalry with more powerful nations, being fruitlessly proposed in marriage to this or that potentate desired as an ally. A studious and bright girl, she was educated by her mother ...(100 of 943 words)

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