Mary I

Timeline

1. 1516–1527Palace of Greenwich · LondonMary was born at Greenwich on 18 February 1516, the only surviving child of Henry VIII and Queen Catherine. As a child she received a rigorous humanist education, mastering Latin, French, and Spanish, and was deeply imbued with the Catholic faith. In 1525 she was created Princess of Wales, holding the nominal title of Princess. Because Henry VIII remained without a male heir, Mary was an important political bargaining chip in her childhood, and several European royal houses discussed marriage alliances with her.
2. 1527–1547London · LondonAs Henry VIII sought to annul his marriage to Catherine, Mary's position deteriorated sharply. After Cranmer declared her parents' marriage invalid in 1533, she was stripped of her princess title, declared illegitimate, and demoted to "Lady Mary." She refused to acknowledge her father's religious supremacy, and her situation grew harder after her mother Catherine died. The Act of Succession of 1544 restored Mary to the line of succession, but her illegitimacy was never formally revoked. Henry VIII died in 1547 and the young Edward VI succeeded; amid the tide of Protestant reform, Mary held fast to her Catholic faith.
3. 1553–1554Tower of London · LondonEdward VI died in July 1553, and the Duke of Northumberland plotted to place Lady Jane Grey on the throne. With widespread popular support Mary rapidly mustered her forces and overthrew the coup in just nine days, successfully acceding as England's first ruling queen regnant. She immediately began restoring Catholic worship, repealed the religious reform statutes of Edward VI's reign, and announced her marriage to Philip, Prince of Spain.
4. 1554–1558St James's Palace · LondonIn July 1554 Mary married Philip, Prince of Spain, restored diplomatic relations with Rome, and reintroduced the Inquisition. Between 1555 and 1558, more than two hundred and eighty Protestants were burned at the stake, including Archbishop Cranmer, earning her the notorious epithet "Bloody Mary" in Protestant history. Militarily, the war with France resulted in the loss of Calais, England's last continental possession, to France in 1558. Mary twice experienced false pregnancies and died melancholy on 17 November 1558 at the age of forty-two, succeeded by her half-sister Elizabeth.