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On the 17th November 1558 the first English Queen Regnant, Queen
Mary I, died at St James’ Palace. At her funeral service, the
Bishop of Winchester summed up her life quite aptly: “She was
a King’s daughter, she was a King’s sister, she was a King’s
wife. She was a Queen and by the same title a King also”. Some may
argue that Mary’s legacy was only one of evil and violence,
something which earned her the sobriquet ‘Bloody Mary’. However,
recent scholarship by the likes of Judith Richards and Anna
Whitelock has revealed that Mary was certainly not as ‘bloody’ as
people once thought.
Queen Mary’s accession to the throne was not an easy one – she
first had to depose her very young cousin, Lady Jane Grey, who had
been left the throne by King Edward VI. Though the nation was
sympathetic towards Mary in her attempts to remove Lady Jane Grey,
it could be argued that peoples’ perception of Mary had diminished
slightly by the end of reign after the burning of heretics and
being dragged into a costly war against the French.
After getting married to Philip of Spain in 1554, Mary saw it as
her duty and a necessity to have a child. Mary needed an heir, for
if she was to die childless then England would fall into the hands
of her half-sister Elizabeth who, in Mary’s eyes, would return her
realm back to Protestantism and what she considered as heresy.
It was believed that Mary was pregnant in March 1558. The months
passed and there were no signs that The Queen would imminently give
birth. At a mere 42 years old, Mary was extremely worn out, her
eyesight was fading and she was overcome with the illnesses that
beset her. As well as the probable cancer, which possibly made Mary
feel and look pregnant, it has been suggested that the Tudor Queen
was also suffering from other forms of diseases and flu.
In the Autumn of 1558 Queen Mary slipped into a coma, only rousing
to name Elizabeth as her successor (after all, there was nobody
else who could be considered). Mary received her last rites and
died on 17th November 1558 at St James’s Palace and, contrary to
her wishes, she was buried in Westminster Abbey. As for England,
the country returned to Protestantism with the accession of
Elizabeth I. Little did English know, they were about to enter a
Golden Age that the country had never experienced before, in my
opinion.
Although some of her actions have been contested, Queen Mary I was
the first woman to successfully claim the Throne of England and,
despite competing claims and opposition, the early parts of her
reign saw Mary enjoy popular support. Here is a Queen who will not
be forgotten and, although she may be one of this country’s more
controversial monarchs, she is certainly one whose legacy will live
on forever.
Photo Credit: lisby1 via photopin
cc
Featured Photo Credit: lisby1 via photopin
cc]]>
