Mary Tudor. Bloody Mary - Queen of England

16. Maria Having passed the guards without hindrance, I went out into the street. The sun reflected by the white marble of the stairs blinded me. I crossed the roadway and hit the boulevard. My first thought was to get as far away from this building as possible. In the depths, to his right, through

Mary Tudor, the first woman to ascend the English throne, entered world history as Bloody Mary. She was credited with numerous executions, secret murders and mass burnings. But what was going on in the queen’s heart, what trials befell this unfortunate lonely woman?

Looking for the one and only

A pleasant twilight reigned in the royal chambers. Almost no one passed through the windows, hung with heavy velvet curtains. Sun rays. The Queen sat in a chair, and thoughtful speeches slowly flowed from her lips: “First of all, he must be a Catholic, for in him I would like to find an ally in the restoration of the true faith. He must be young enough to be able to conceive children. Not poor, so as not to seek enrichment in marriage, noble, so as to worthily bear the title of a royal spouse, without desecrating the sacred sacrament of marriage with vice.”

The young secretary, hastily scribbling the words dictated by the queen, had difficulty hiding his smile. At her age, the queen could have made more modest demands on her future groom. At that time, Mary Tudor was almost 38 years old, she had just ascended the throne and dreamed of giving the country an heir. Having said last words, the queen took a breath. No, it was not for the sake of an heir that she longed for marriage. There was one more reason that the subjects did not need to know about. Mary never managed to return under the wing of her beloved father, King Henry, who once treacherously betrayed her. But she may well be waiting for a hug loving husband, in which she, as in distant childhood, will feel protected from all adversity.

"The most beautiful jewel in my crown"

Her father called her when she was little and sat on his lap. Fragments of childhood remained forever in the queen's memory. Here the father, strong and reliable, sits her, just a little baby, on the floor, holds her little hands, timidly clutching her lush mane. At the ball, he takes her hands and begins to spin the baby around in a dance.

Maria remembered how she fell asleep on Heinrich’s lap, half asleep smiling at the fact that she felt safe in her father’s arms. However, Mary Tudor did not stay in her father's safe arms for long. Soon Henry had a new passion, the spectacular Anne Boleyn, for whom he exchanged Mary’s mother, Catherine of Aragon, with whom he had been married for almost 18 years. The mother was exiled by order of the king to an old ruined castle, and the daughter was locked in her room, taking away everything: title, servants, jewelry, outfits and, most importantly, the opportunity to become a queen in the future.

But it was not so easy to break Maria, who combined her mother’s Spanish temperament and her father’s pride. Instead of abandoning her disgraced mother and pleasing her father and his new favorite to the best of her ability, the rebel declared that she still considered herself a princess and heir to the throne. Difficult times came for the young girl: she was constantly imprisoned in her chambers, where they brought her food and... Nobody recognized Mary as a princess. “Bastard”, “imposter”, “illegitimate” - that’s what they called her now. They called everyone... Even their own father.

The stepmother, Anne Boleyn, ordered the servants and teachers to treat Mary with all severity, sometimes bordering on cruelty. She did everything possible to prevent the king from communicating with his daughter: Mary was forbidden to leave her chambers when Henry came to the castle, and the servants who risked passing on the prisoner’s notes to their father were severely punished. In the end, Henry himself, irritated by the stubbornness of Mary, who did not want to accept her fate, completely stopped communicating with her. But the girl did not give up. She prayed, believed that she would return her father’s favor, and persistently continued to seek a meeting with him.

The daughter's disobedience angered the proud king so much that he decided to bring her and his first wife to trial, which would inevitably be followed by the death penalty. However, the trial did not take place. No matter how cruel the king was to his subjects, he did not have the courage to execute his own daughter. Soon Anne Boleyn fell into disgrace and ended her days on the chopping block. Henry changed his anger to mercy and began to treat his daughter better, but between them there was still not the idyll that remained in the princess’s childhood memories.

Henry's wives changed one after another. With one of them, Jane Seymour, Maria developed a warm and friendly relationship. She was grieving the death of her stepmother and her son Edward, to whom she was maternally attached.

But fate rewarded Mary Tudor for the suffering she endured. After the deaths of King Henry and Edward, she was proclaimed the first Queen of England. On the night before the coronation, Mary did not close her eyes. She will prove to her, albeit already deceased, father that no son, for whose birth Henry betrayed Mary, would have become a better heir to the Tudor family than the eldest daughter. The new queen hoped to correct her father's mistakes: to return England to the fold of the Roman faith, which Henry had renounced to break with her mother, to do what Catherine of Aragon could not do and what her father was unable to do - leave behind an heir, equally indomitable, like his grandfather, and as resilient as his grandmother.

Queen's Broken Heart

It was not difficult for the courtiers to guess who the queen wanted to marry - the widowed Philip of Spain, 11 years younger than her, and also a cousin. Seeing the portrait of her chosen one, Maria asked the ambassador with alarm: “Is the prince really that handsome? Is he as charming as in the portrait? We know well what court painters are!” At first sight, the woman fell madly in love with her future husband.

The first meeting completed the matter - the queen’s heart was conquered. Experienced in amorous affairs, Philip had no difficulty in making an inexperienced old maid fall in love with him, who for the first time in her life experienced the joy of sensual pleasures. She spent hours discussing with Philip dreams about their future child, not realizing that for her husband, what Mary so passionately awaited only meant getting rid of the painful responsibilities of marital duty with an unattractive monarch. Philip hoped that as soon as the queen gave birth, his father would allow him to return to Spain to the beauties there. And if Mary dies in childbirth, he will become the sovereign master of England with a young heir.

A few weeks after the wedding, Maria shared the good news with her husband - she was pregnant! But nine months passed, ten, eleven, and the famous Irish doctor found the courage to admit: “Your Majesty, you are not expecting a child... Unfortunately, external signs of pregnancy mean that you are seriously ill...” It seemed to the Queen that someone had fallen on her head palace vaults. Soon Philip declared: “My father wants me to come, Spain needs me! I’ll be back soon...” But he never returned. Maria wrote him long letters, where she tearfully asked him not to leave him alone in such a difficult time for her, but the response letters contained only dry phrases and requests for large sums of money.

When Mary Tudor decided to devote herself entirely to state affairs, she promised that she would make the country the way her husband dreamed of it. But what is power in the hands of a woman in love? All of England was sitting on a powder keg. On those rare days when Philip showed mercy to his unloved wife by visiting her, peace and tranquility came to the kingdom. But most of the time the country suffered along with the queen.

Soon Maria again thought she was pregnant. And again a ghostly hope for happiness. The cradle, lace caps and the finest diapers were again prepared. However, the craftswomen who were preparing the dowry for the future crowned heir secretly whispered that it was time for the Queen of England to order a shroud. Just like a couple of years ago, the expected things did not happen, and it became clear to everyone that Maria would never recover from such a blow.

In the autumn of 1558, in St. James's Palace, an ugly, swollen, pale woman lay on a luxurious royal bed. With her eyes half-closed, she breathed slowly, seeming to be in heavy oblivion. Only the sounds of the service going on in the chambers made her eyelashes flutter. The Queen knew that she was dying and was absolutely not afraid of death. She was tired of life, of endless faith in illusions that were not destined to come true. In dreams of simple marital and maternal happiness, which every peasant woman has, but she, the ruler of England, does not have... The Queen felt her heart stop. She flew up into the vaulted ceiling. Father Heinrich, young and handsome, with his arms outstretched, waited below. Her mother smiled tenderly nearby, and Maria flew towards her parents’ embrace.

After the death of Mary Tudor, a ruined kingdom will remain, devastated by war and riots, and the throne will pass to Anne Boleyn's daughter, Elizabeth, who will go down in history as a talented ruler and brave reformer.

Mary Tudor has been Queen of England since 1553. This is the turn of the Middle Ages and early modern times in the history of Britain. A queen from the Tudor dynasty, who was glorified, of course, not by her, but by her half-sister Elizabeth I the Great, daughter of Henry VIII from another marriage. The Tudor story did not end with Mary's reign, but it took a stunning zigzag. A turn in an unexpected direction.

The thing is that the Tudor dynasty as a whole was characterized by support for developing early capitalism and reformation, while the support was reasonable, without extremes. And of course, rivalry with Spain. With Maria, it’s the other way around. She, in essence, tried to stop time by raising the banner of the Counter-Reformation. Roman Emperor Julian the Apostate of another era.

This kind of policy can only be attempted through direct violence. Mary resorted to this, who went down in history with the terrible nickname Mary Tudor - the Bloody. And at the beginning she was the love of the nation, and even for some time a real idol as a persecuted, offended one. However, the same people who pitied her so much later called her Bloody. This nickname appeared in Protestant pamphlets during her lifetime. And it took Elizabeth I a lot of effort to cope with the consequences of Mary’s policies.

Of course, for the strange, almost unnatural behavior of the monarch there had to be very serious reasons. And the personal fate of Mary Tudor can explain a lot.

Mary was born on February 15, 1515. Her father, Henry VIII, ascended the throne in 1509. During the years of his reign, he changed almost beyond recognition. He ascended the throne almost as a humanist, who loved not only knightly tournaments, but also ancient literature. Erasmus of Rotterdam wrote an ode of praise in his honor. Henry appointed Thomas More as his first advisor, Lord Chancellor. And he was mercilessly executed because he rejected the Reformation.

By the time Mary was born, the king had already been looking forward to the birth of an heir for six years. And only a boy could be the heir. At that time, no one could have imagined the important role women's rule would play in British history - from Elizabeth I the Great and Queen Victoria to Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. IN medieval Europe believed that a woman could not be in power.

Henry VIII's wife at the time was Catherine of Aragon. And she gave birth to boys - but only dead ones. A long, difficult divorce followed, which she did not acknowledge until the end of her life.

The next wife is a representative English nobility- became the mother of Elizabeth, and was subsequently executed on charges of high treason and adultery.

Then the king married Jane Seymour, who died soon after giving birth. There was also Anna of Cleves, who Henry disliked to such an extent that he ordered her to be sent away and had the marriage dissolved.

Another wife, Catherine Howard, was executed for depraved behavior. The king told everyone incredible stories that she cheated on him with hundreds of men.

Henry's last wife was Catherine Parr, young, sweet, meek, who persuaded the elderly glutton and libertine to calm down and recognize the children from previous marriages. Perhaps he would have executed them too, if not for her ennobling influence.

Mary Tudor's mother Catherine of Aragon was the youngest daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella, the famous Catholic kings who unified Spain. Isabella is a fanatical believer. Ferdinand is fanatically greedy.

At the age of 16, Catherine was brought to England and married to 14-year-old Arthur, Prince of Wales, older brother of the future Henry VIII.

She should never have become Queen of England. Catherine's husband was seriously ill and soon died. Henry, as soon as he became king, married his brother’s widow, who remained in England because her fantastically stingy father Ferdinand did not want to pay her dowry. Perhaps one of the main reasons for Henry's decision to marry Catherine was his intention to maintain peace with the increasingly powerful Spain. This country was part of the Habsburg Empire, on which, according to its Emperor Charles V, the sun never set. The empire united German and Italian lands, small possessions in France, the Netherlands, and possessions in the New World. It was very tempting to become related to such a royal house. Moreover, Henry VIII took marriage lightly.

Catherine was six years older than her husband. After two sons who were stillborn and a third who died in infancy, she gave birth to a daughter, Maria, at age 30. And although this was not the long-awaited heir, hope remained, and the girl was treated well. Her father called her “the greatest pearl of the kingdom.” She was very pretty: lush blonde curls, slim, short figure. They dressed her up, brought her to feasts, and asked her to dance in front of the ambassadors. By the way, it was their records that preserved the story of her childhood.

She had everything: balls and dresses. The only thing missing was parental attention. The king was busy both with the affairs of the state and with amusements, which he loved very much. Ekaterina tried to keep up. She was very worried about looking old compared to him. Moreover, he always had favorites.

Little Maria is not only a child with whom parents spend too little time. With her birth, she became what can roughly be called a dynastic commodity. In the Middle Ages, royal children were seen as a product that could be profitably sold on the international market.

From the age of 3, negotiations began about her future marriage.

The balance of power in Europe in the 16th century was very uncertain. The system of international relations developed much later, in the middle of the next century, after the 30-year war. In the meantime, the situation remained unstable. The papacy, that fading theocratic power, weaved complex intrigues. France started the colossal Italian wars. The French king Francis I was captured during the war with the Habsburgs and sought to free himself from this humiliation through new conquests. In these contradictions, friendship with England could become a strong political trump card.

Mary, as the only heir, had a high price to pay. At first she was wooed by the Dauphin of France, the future Henry II. This marriage did not take place. Later, when Mary’s position became less secure, they began to predict the Duke of Savoy as her husband.

1518 - Catherine of Aragon, still trying to give Henry VIII an heir, has a stillborn baby girl. And in 1519, the king had an illegitimate son from a noble court lady, Elizabeth Blount. He was given the beautiful romantic name Henry Fitzroy. Little Maria did not yet understand what danger he posed to her. There was nothing stopping Henry VIII from recognizing this child as legitimate. The king generally put his will above everyone, even above the will of the papal throne.

But for now, Maria continued to have a wonderful life. She was taught languages. She beautifully recited poetry in Latin, read and spoke Greek, and was interested in ancient authors. She was even more attracted to the works of the Church Fathers. None of the humanists surrounding the king were involved in her upbringing. And she grew up a devout Catholic.

Meanwhile, a dark shadow hung over her: the King wanted to divorce Catherine of Aragon. A divorce from a Spanish woman, a Catholic, the daughter of the “most Christian kings” Isabella and Ferdinand, who was the aunt of Emperor Charles V - this idea looked crazy. But Henry showed incredible persistence.

What guided his actions? Among other things, there is a desire to profit from the riches of the church. In England, starting from the 13th century, monarchs now and then found themselves highly dependent on the Roman throne, such as John the Landless, who recognized himself as a vassal of the pope. The fact that a large tribute was paid to the Holy See caused a wave of protests. At the end of the 14th century there was already a theologian, Dison Wyclef, who theoretically questioned the authority of the popes.

When Henry VIII married Catherine, he had to obtain permission from the throne of Rome, along with a special document confirming that her marriage to Prince Arthur was not consummated and the bride remained pure. Now the Pope did not want to give Henry VIII the right to divorce. In a rage, the king announced that in England he himself was the pope. And in 1527 he granted himself a divorce. Moreover, he declared the marriage invalid, and Mary an illegitimate child.

1533 - the king finally “divorced himself” from his annoying wife. After this, Mary, who had previously been the only legal heir and already bore the title of Princess of Wales, was stripped of her status. From 12 to 16 years old, she was the daughter of a hated divorced wife and was in disgrace with her mother. Now they began to call her the illegitimate daughter of Henry VIII. And they treated her accordingly: they moved her to much worse conditions, deprived her of her own yard, and demonstrated neglect in every possible way. Mary had reason to fear for her life: numerous executions of people disliked by the king began, primarily those who did not support the policy of the Reformation he pursued.

Thomas More was executed because he refused to swear allegiance to Henry VIII as the head of the Church of England and to recognize his marriage to Anne Boleyn as legal. Thomas More did this, knowing full well that he was dooming himself to death. The reprisal against him made a terrible impression on the whole of Europe. Soon after receiving the news of More's execution, Erasmus of Rotterdam, who loved him as his closest friend, died.

It was at this dark moment that Maria regained her popularity. Before that she was a sweet child, a pretty princess who danced for foreign ambassadors. Now, persecuted, she has become popular among the people. Catherine of Aragon showed amazing firmness in this story. Until the end of her days, she signed herself “Catherine, the unfortunate queen,” although she was no longer officially a queen. She was neither executed nor even imprisoned, because she was from powerful Spain. But she was doomed to a miserable existence in a remote castle with Maria. The people sincerely pitied the girl, rejected by her father. Catherine of Aragon and Mary became the banner of the future Counter-Reformation. Scotland in particular fiercely resisted Henry VIII's reforms.

And the Reformation took extreme, cruel forms in the 30s of the 16th century. For example, the famous tomb of Thomas Becket, the holy Archbishop of Canterbury, who was killed in the 12th century, was destroyed. It was a place of pilgrimage where miraculous healings occurred more than once. And so, under the banner of church reform and the fight against Catholic prejudices, with the knowledge of Henry VIII, the tomb was plundered and picked out gems, they stole precious fabrics, and burned the bones of the saint. This was done on the basis of the permission of Henry VIII, who signed the following text: “Thomas Becket, the former Bishop of Canterbury, proclaimed a saint by the Roman authorities, from this time on is no longer such. And he should not be revered."

1536 - Henry VIII executed Anne Boleyn and 11 days later entered into a new marriage - with Jane Seymour, who in 1537 finally bore him a son - the future King Edward VI. The birth was very difficult, and a few days later Jane Seymour died. Rumors spread throughout the country that it was necessary to fight for the lives of both mother and child, but the king said: “Only save the heir.”

22-year-old Maria became the prince's godmother. It seems like a mercy. But now she had no hope of regaining her status as an heiress. Her situation was very difficult: between warring parents; between different faiths; between two Englands, one of which accepted the Reformation, and the other did not; between two countries - England and Spain, where there were relatives who wrote to the girl and tried to support her. Mighty Charles V, her cousin, was ready at any moment to move his huge troops against England.

Meanwhile, trading continued on the dynastic market. At first, Mary was wooed by the Dauphin of France, then Henry VIII turned to an alliance with the Habsburgs, and she became the intended bride of her cousin Emperor Charles V. While still a child, she even sent him some kind of ring, which he put on his little finger with a laugh and said: “Well, I’ll wear it in memory of her.” Then the king of Scotland and someone from southeastern Europe were planned as grooms. This meant a decline in status. IN worst times there were rumors that Maria could be married off to some Slavic prince. Then the candidacy of the son of the Duke of Kyiv arose (this is also a province low level). Francesco Sforza, the ruler of Milan, was considered. And again the French prince. Maria lived all the time as if in a display case, put up for sale.

1547 - Her half-brother Edward VI became king. Mary's position at court was restored.

But she had neither political prospects nor personal life. She became increasingly interested in religious issues. Her inner loneliness and her broken fate took their toll. And for the remnants of the Catholic clergy, she remained a symbol of the Counter-Reformation. She was perfectly suited for this role: persecuted, living in constant prayer, a faithful Catholic. In addition, she is the daughter of the fanatical Catholic Catherine of Aragon and the granddaughter of the most Catholic Western European kings.

There were many in England who would like to return to yesterday. To a place where there was no Reformation, early capitalism with its mass impoverishment, fencing of land, and the painful breakdown of familiar relationships. After all, even today there are often people who claim that only in that irretrievably gone world would they feel good.

We do not know for sure how consciously Mary played the role of inspirer of the Counter-Reformation. Most likely, there was no politicking in her behavior.

Edward VI died very early - at the age of 15. So in 1553, Mary again became the real heir to the throne. But the court forces tried to stop her and nominated another contender - young Jane Gray - the granddaughter of Henry VIII's sister. The people did not support such a decision. The Londoners warmly stood up for Maria, a pious, unmarried woman who gave no basis for any bad rumors.

After several days of popular unrest, Mary Tudor became Queen of England. The ghost of the crown, which seemed to have disappeared long ago, suddenly became a reality. And she immediately took revenge for all the years of persecution. Executions began immediately. Numerous Grays were executed - not only the unfortunate protege of the courtiers, but also all her relatives. Archbishop Cranmer, an ardent supporter of the Reformation, a widely educated, intellectual man comparable to Thomas More, was executed. Every day heretics were burned at the stake. Maria surpassed even her father in cruelty.

The Queen decided that only one person could be her husband - the son of Emperor Charles V, Philip II of Spain. He was 26 years old at that time, she was 39. But he was not just a young man - he managed, like herself, to become the banner of the Counter-Reformation, leading the fight against Calvinism, which was rapidly spreading in Europe. In the Netherlands, Philip, who constantly demonstrated unity with the Inquisition, eventually began to be considered a monster.

As you know, the queen's husband in England does not become king. His title is Prince Consort. But even despite this, the appearance of such an odious figure in the kingdom was a terrifying event. And Maria also emphasized that this was the decision of her heart, her soul.

The wedding took place on July 25, 1554. Most thinking people it was clear that this was a rainy day. But Maria was happy. The young husband seemed handsome to her, although his surviving portraits clearly showed the opposite. Court feasts and balls began. Maria wanted to make up for everything she had lost in her youth.

But many problems arose. Philip arrived with a large Spanish retinue. It turned out that the Spanish aristocracy is poorly compatible with the English one. They even dressed differently. The Spaniards had collars such that the head could not be lowered and the person acquired an arrogant appearance. The British wrote with resentment about the Spaniards: “They behave as if we were their servants.” Conflicts began, and fights broke out at court.

A trial followed and someone was executed. And they executed generously.

Philip behaved secularly at court, but ardently supported Mary's bloody policies. He brought with him special people who held trials of Protestant heretics. The burning procedure has become commonplace. Philip seemed to be preparing for the nightmare that he would create in the Netherlands in the 1560s.

In England during the time of Henry VIII, there were 3,000 Catholic priests who found refuge in abandoned, dilapidated churches and in the ruins of monasteries. They were sought out and expelled from the country. 300 of those considered particularly active and dangerous were burned. Now Mary and Philip launched repression against those who accepted the Reformation. The unfortunate country found itself in the grip of religious fanaticism.

The persecuted Protestants began to arouse the sympathy of the people. Just as Mary herself had once been the object of warm sympathy, now this place was taken by her enemies. During public executions, some of them showed exceptional courage. If at first many repented, as they were ordered, and asked for forgiveness, then in the face of death they changed their behavior. Archbishop Cranmer, who also repented, said before his death: “I regret that I repented. I wanted to save my life in order to help you, my brothers, Protestants.” The people were shocked by the courage of these people. The attitude towards Maria, on the contrary, became worse and worse. After all, no one expected such cruelty from her, nor a crowd of foreigners.

Another important incident occurred. It was announced to the people that the queen was expecting an heir from Philip of Spain. This important news meant that a new danger arose: Philip could achieve recognition as the English king. The news about the queen's pregnancy turned out to be false. Perhaps Mary herself believed that she would have a child, or was playing a complex political game. Trying to change popular opinion.

People tend to believe that with the birth of a child, a woman becomes softer and kinder. And the queen’s husband, so disliked by the British, got tired of court entertainment and left for Spain. Subjects had to believe that now everything would be fine.

It is clear that the rumor about the imminent birth of a baby is difficult to maintain for more than nine months. Maria was able to hold out for 12 months. The medicine of that era was not very accurate. But in the end I had to admit that there was a mistake. This happened in 1555, at the time when Charles V abdicated power and Philip became king of Spain. He received half of the Habsburg Empire and was preparing to fight for the unification of all its lands.

To support her husband, Maria came into conflict with France. An ill-conceived war began, for which England was not ready. In 1558, the British lost Calais - the “gate of France”, the last fragment of their former possessions on the continent. The following words of Mary are known: “When I die and my heart is opened, Kale will be found there.”

Her whole fate was one big failure. During her lifetime, the people began to call her Bloody. And he pinned his hopes on another princess - the future Elizabeth I. As it turned out, it was not in vain. Being much more intelligent by nature, Elizabeth saw terrible mistakes half-sister who tried to forcefully turn History back.

Elizabeth, who had been in Mary’s retinue for some time, behaved quietly and therefore remained alive. And after the death of her sister in 1558, she became the great ruler of England.

Mary 1 Tudor Bloody - Queen of England, eldest daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon. The name of this person is associated with brutal massacres that have religious overtones. There is not a single monument in her honor in the queen’s homeland. And the day of her death was considered a national holiday for a long time. Today we will get acquainted with the biography of this interesting personality, her family life and methods of government.

Historical portrait

When Bloody Mary ascended the throne, the restoration of Catholicism was gaining momentum in England, an integral part of which was repression against adherents of the Reformation. This is why the Queen is often called Mary the Catholic. In 1554, when she married Philip of Habsburg, heir to the Spanish throne, England became closer to the papacy and Catholic Spain. During the war with France, which the queen waged together with Spain, England lost Calais, the last royal possession in France. Queen Mary the Bloody conducted her policy contrary to national interests, so she often faced discontent from the nobility and the bourgeoisie that was emerging at that time.

short biography

The queen's life was very sad. As a child, she stood out among her peers due to her discipline, desire for knowledge and excellent playing of the harpsichord. Henry the Eighth loved the girl very much and admired how talented she was. But when the king married his second wife, Anne Boleyn, Mary's happy childhood came to an end. The girl was removed from the palace, she was forbidden to communicate with her mother, and was even forced to renounce Catholicism.

Even then, Maria showed her fighting character. She flatly refused to follow her stepmother’s lead, for which she was severely humiliated. The princess's retinue was dismissed, and she herself was banished to the Hatfield estate. There, the princess became a simple servant under Elizabeth Boleyn, the daughter of Anne Boleyn. The stepmother often insulted Maria and even assaulted her. Sometimes she was so cruel that she even threatened the life of the young princess. Maria's condition gradually worsened. She was forbidden to see her mother.

And only when Anne Boleyn was executed for adultery, Mary again received a retinue and access to the royal court. When the throne passed into the hands of Edward VI, who fanatically adhered to the Protestant faith, Mary's position again turned out to be precarious. She even thought about fleeing England. The situation especially worsened when the princess was forbidden to celebrate mass. Ultimately, Edward deprived Mary of the throne and bequeathed it to Jane Gray, the great-granddaughter of Henry the Seventh. Maria did not intend to recognize this will.

Upon learning that her brother had died, she quickly returned to London and enlisted the support of the army. Soon Mary was appointed Queen of England at the Privy Council Bloody Tudor. The queen's reign was 1553-1558. Lady Gray was executed nine days after her accession to the throne. In order to prevent the Protestant Elizabeth from ascending the throne, Mary had to marry and give birth to heirs. In July 1554, she married the heir to the Spanish throne, despite the fact that the British did not like him at all. At that time, she was already 38, and her fiancé was 18 years old. It was clear to everyone that he married purely for political reasons. He did not stay in England for long, and visited his wife only occasionally. But Mary’s love was truly sincere. She missed her husband and wrote letters to him all night long.

Bloody Mary ruled the state independently. Being very stubborn, she dreamed of returning the country to the shadow of the Roman Church. The queen did not want to torment non-believers. To do this, she used lawyers and theologians who suffered during the reign of her predecessors. Mary turned cruel regulations issued by Richard II and two Henrys: IV and V against Protestants. Since the end of 1955, heretics were burned at the stake throughout England. In total, about three hundred people were injured. At the same time, they did not spare even those who, finding themselves on their deathbed, were ready to change their faith. This is how the queen received the nickname Bloody Mary. The Counter-Reformation became one of her main tasks on the throne. However, the queen’s desire for total Catholicism did not have time to gain particularly massive momentum. Mary Bloody Tudor's reign in England was numbered when she began to fall seriously ill. A few years later, the queen passed away, but her deeds remained in people’s memory for a long time.

Now let's look at some aspects of the difficult and eventful life of Bloody Mary.

Origin

At the time Mary was born, the Tudor dynasty was very young. The girl's father, King Henry the Eighth, was only her second representative on the throne. During the Thirteen Years' War of the Scarlet and White Roses (1455-1487), the legitimate heirs to the crown were exterminated, and Parliament was forced to recognize the bastard younger Lancastrian prince as King Henry the Seventh Tudor. As for Bloody Mary's mother, Catherine of Aragon, her parents were a powerful couple - Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile. They controlled southern Italy, Spain, and the islands of the Mediterranean Sea. During the reign of the Aragonese, a number of important events took place. historical events: end of the Reconquista, discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus, expulsion of the Jews and Moors, revival of the Inquisition. Tomaso Morquemada, the queen's general inquisitor, came up with perfect mechanism destruction of heretics.

early years

Before giving birth to Mary in the eighth year of her marriage, Catherine of Aragon experienced several unsuccessful births. The father was dissatisfied with this state of affairs, and, despite his love for Mary, he hoped for the birth of other heirs. The king admired his daughter's strong character and perseverance. He called her the jewel in his crown. Maria studied diligently. She studied English and Greek, Latin, music, dance and Christian literature. The girl was especially attracted to playing the harpsichord, as well as stories about warrior maidens and female martyrs.

The princess was surrounded by a large retinue corresponding to her high position. It consisted of a chaplain, a lady tutor, court staff, maids and nannies. Having matured, the girl began horse riding and falcon hunting. As is customary in royal circles, efforts about the princess’s marriage began from infancy. When the girl was only two years old, her parents entered into an agreement on her engagement to the French Dauphin, heir to Francis the First. When Mary was six years old, the contract with Francis was terminated, and the next contender for the princess’s hand was 22-year-old Charles the Crumpled Habsburg, Emperor of the Roman Empire. However, the father soon lost interest in his daughter's marriage.

Father's Betrayal

In the sixteenth year of his married life, Henry the Eighth gave birth to an illegitimate son. The bastard was named Henry FitzRoy. The king granted him estates, castles and the title of duke. However, he was never able to make his illegitimate son an heir. The reason for this was doubts about the legitimacy of the formation of the Tudor dynasty. The fact is that Catherine’s first husband was Prince Arthur of Wales, the eldest son of the dynasty. Five months after the wedding, he died of tuberculosis. Then, at the insistence of the Spanish matchmakers, King Henry the Seventh agreed to the engagement of his second son to Catherine. At the age of 18, fulfilling the will of his father, Henry the Eighth married the widow of his own brother. Such marriages were considered closely related and were prohibited by the church, but for especially powerful persons the Pope made an exception.

And so, when in 1525 King Henry the Eighth asked the pontiff for a divorce, Pope Clement the Seventh did not give permission, but did not refuse, but only ordered to delay this matter as much as possible. Then Henry decided to explain himself to Catherine regarding the sinfulness and futility of their marriage. He asked his wife to agree to a divorce and would go to the monastery as the widow of Prince Arthur. Catherine refused her husband and remained unconvinced for the rest of her life. By this act, she doomed herself to eternal suffering: vegetating under surveillance and separation from her beloved daughter.

"The King's Great Deed"

Catherine's apartments, jewelry and crown went to the newly-crowned queen. The red tape with the “Great Cause of the King” dragged on for several years. During this time, the king took several decisive steps, including limiting the pope's power on English soil. Following this, the Archbishop of Canterbury - T. Carnber declared Henry's marriage to Catherine invalid, and married the king to Anne Boleyn. In response to this, Pope Clement the Seventh excommunicated Henry from the church and declared his and Anna's daughter, Elizabeth, illegitimate. Following this, Maria was recognized as illegitimate, only this time the initiator was her father. The king did not stop there, and in 1534 the Parliament approved the Act of Supremation, meaning that Henry the Eighth became the head of the English church.

Thus a new English church was formed, which became something between Catholicism and Protestantism. However, due to non-recognition by the Pope, it was classified as a Protestant denomination. Opponents of the new church were considered traitors to the state and suffered severe punishments. Monasteries, temples and even tombs were desecrated and looted. All church taxes went to the royal treasury. To suppress resistance monastic orders, clergy and convinced Catholics, the authorities took the most severe measures: scaffolding, gallows and imprisonment. In such an environment, Mary Bloody Tudor, betrayed by her father, grew up.

Relationships with stepmothers

After the death of her mother, Bloody Mary, whose biography is full of disappointments, was literally orphaned. From then on, her life became entirely dependent on her father's wives. Anne Boleyn openly hated Mary. The girl was oppressed by the fact that her stepmother lived in her mother’s house, wore her crown and jewelry, not to mention the constant humiliation from Anna, including physical ones. The only ones who could intercede for Mary were her Spanish grandparents, but they had long since rested in the family tomb. Well, their heir had enough troubles even without Mary. Anne Boleyn's happiness was short-lived. When she gave birth to a daughter instead of the expected son, Henry again decided to divorce. Thus, Anne was queen for only three years and outlived her predecessor by only five months.

Accused of adultery and high treason, Anna appeared before the gallows in May 1536. Her second daughter Elizabeth, like her first, was considered illegitimate. Only after these events did Mary Tudor agree to recognize her father as the head of the church. But at heart she remained a convinced Catholic. Mary was given back her retinue and allowed to live in the king's palace. Just a few days after the execution of Anne Boleyn, the king took the modest maid of honor Jane Seymour as his wife. It was she who persuaded Henry to return Mary’s right to a well-deserved life.

When Henry the Eighth was 46 years old, Jane gave birth to his long-awaited son, who was named Edward the Sixth. During childbirth, the new queen died. The king loved and valued his third wife more than anyone else. He even bequeathed to bury himself near her. The next wife of Henry the Eighth was Anna of Cleves. They interacted more like brother and sister than spouses. Anna loved her husband's children very much and paid them a lot of attention. Soon the marriage broke up, and the ex-queen received ownership of two castles and the title of the king's adopted sister.

Mary's next stepmother was Katherine Howard, who after a year and a half of marriage was executed for adultery. Two years before his death, Henry entered into his sixth marriage. This time his chosen one was Catherine Parr. She cared for the sick king, befriended the children, and thrived as the mistress of the court. Catherine convinced the king to treat his daughters more kindly.

Reign of Bloody Mary

In January 1547, 56-year-old Henry the Eighth died, and the crown passed to his young son Edward. According to the terms of the will, if the new king dies without issue, the title will go to his half-sisters. At the same time, the princesses were recognized as legitimate. Mary 1 Bloody became a victim of persecution for her devotion to the Catholic faith. The thought that she could take the throne greatly tormented the newly-made king. Then he dared to rewrite his father's will and make 16-year-old Jane Gray, his second cousin, his heir. In the summer of 1553, three days after the will was approved, Edward died. According to one version, he died of tuberculosis, which he had suffered from for a long time. According to another, from a new medicine that was brought to him by a healer brought to the palace by Jane Grey’s husband, the Duke of Northumberland.

So 16-year-old Lady Gray unexpectedly becomes queen. The people did not want to recognize her, and a month later the eldest daughter of the late Henry the Eighth, Mary Tudor, ascended the throne. At that time she was already 37 years old. After the reign of his father, who declared himself the head of the church, England was destroyed most of monasteries and churches. Bloody Mary received control of a poor country that urgently needed to be raised from its knees. During the first half of her reign, Mary executed Jane Grey, her husband and father-in-law.

By nature, the girl was not prone to cruelty. For a long time she could not come to terms with the idea that she needed to send her young relative to the chopping block. Mary realized that Lady Gray was a victim of circumstances. At first the queen had no intention of killing her. The trial of Jane Gray and her husband was supposed to be a mere formality - Bloody Mary Tudor planned to pardon the couple. But the rebellion of Thomas Wyatt, which began in January 1554, decided the fate of the “queen of the nine days” - as Jane Gray was called. On February 12, 1554, the trial of the young family took place in the Tower.

Methods of government

The Queen brought closer to her people who had recently been her opponents, but could help in restoring the country. During her reign, the counter-reformation in England gained special momentum. Bloody Mary began to revive Catholic faith and reconstruct monasteries. Meanwhile, Protestants were being executed throughout the country. In February 1555, all of England was filled with bonfires for non-believers. Bloody Mary - this is how the queen began to be called. In total, more than three hundred people were burned. Those who agreed to convert to Catholicism on their deathbed were burned along with others.

In the summer of 1554, Mary married the son of Charles the Fifth, Philip. According to the terms of the marriage contract, the husband had no right to interfere in the state affairs of his wife. And the children born from this marriage were to become heirs to the royal throne. The agreement also stated that if the queen died before her husband, he would have to return to Spain. The people did not like Mary's chosen one. Parliament even refused the queen's request to consider him a full-fledged king of England. Philip was arrogant and pompous. His retinue behaved very defiantly. Over time, bloody massacres between the Spaniards and the British began to occur more and more often on the streets.

Illness and death

In September 1557, doctors discovered signs of pregnancy in the queen. At the same time, Bloody Mary made a will, according to which her husband Philip would be regent until the child came of age. In May next year it became obvious that the pregnancy was false and was nothing more than a symptom of a serious illness. Maria suffered from headaches, insomnia, fever, and was rapidly losing her sight. In the summer, on top of everything else, she contracted the flu. In the autumn of 1558, the queen, having lost hope of having a child, officially appointed her sister Elizabeth as her successor. On November 17, Queen Mary Bloody died. Historians believe that the woman suffered from uterine cancer or an ovarian cyst. The queen's body was on display at St. James's for more than three weeks. The funeral took place in Westminster Abbey. The years of the reign of Bloody Mary were short, but became the most important period in

Died during intrauterine development or immediately after childbirth, and the birth of a healthy girl caused great joy in the royal family.

The girl was baptized in the monastery church near Greenwich Palace three days later, she was named in honor of Henry's beloved sister, Queen Mary Tudor of France.

For the first two years of her life, Maria moved from one palace to another. This was due to the English sweating epidemic, which the king feared as he moved further and further from the capital.

The princess's retinue during these years consisted of a lady tutor, four nannies, a laundress, a chaplain, a bedmaster and a staff of courtiers. They all dressed in Mary's colors - blue and green.

At this time, Francis I came to the throne in France. He was eager to prove his strength and power, for which he sought to conclude a friendly alliance with Henry through the marriage of Mary and the French Dauphin Francis.

Negotiations were completed by the fall of 1518. Maria was supposed to marry when the Dauphin reached the age of fourteen. Among the conditions was this: if Henry did not have a male heir, Mary would inherit the crown. However, Henry did not believe in such a possibility, since he still hoped for the birth of a son (Queen Catherine was in the last stages of pregnancy), and it also seemed unthinkable that a woman would rule the country. But in November 1518, Catherine of Aragon gave birth to a stillborn child, and Mary continued to be the main contender for the English throne.

Maria's childhood was spent surrounded by a large retinue appropriate to her position. However, she saw her parents very rarely.

Her high position was slightly shaken when the king's mistress Elizabeth Blount gave birth to a boy (). He was named Henry, the child was revered as having royal origin. He was assigned a retinue and given titles corresponding to the heir to the throne.

The plan for the princess's upbringing was drawn up by the Spanish humanist Vives. The princess had to learn to speak correctly, master grammar and read Greek and Latin. Great importance was given to the study of the works of Christian poets, and for the sake of entertainment she was recommended to read stories about women who sacrificed themselves - Christian saints and ancient warrior maidens. In her spare time, she enjoyed horse riding and falconry. However, there was one omission in her education - Maria was not at all prepared to govern the state.

In June 1522, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V arrived at Henry's court. Rich festivities were organized in his honor, and preparations for this meeting took place for several months. On it, an engagement agreement was signed between Maria and Charles (the engagement to the French Dauphin was terminated).

The groom was sixteen years older than the bride (Maria was only six at that time). However, if Karl perceived this union as a diplomatic step, then Maria had some romantic feelings for her fiancé and even sent him small gifts.

In 1525, when it became clear that Catherine would not be able to give birth to an heir, Henry seriously thought about who would become the next king or queen. While his illegitimate son was given titles earlier, Mary received the title Princess of Wales. This title has always been borne by the heir to the English throne. Now she needed to manage her new possessions on the spot.

Wales was not yet part of England, but only a dependent territory. Managing it was not an easy task, since the Welsh considered the English conquerors and hated them. The princess left for her new possessions at the end of the summer of 1525 with a huge retinue. Her residence at Ludlow represented the royal court in miniature. Mary was entrusted with the duties of administering justice and performing ceremonial functions.

In 1527, Henry cooled down in his love for Charles. The engagement between him and Mary was broken off shortly before Mary left for Wales. Now he was interested in an alliance with France. Mary could have been offered as a wife to Francis I himself or one of his sons. Maria returned to London. She's grown enough to shine at balls.