Mary Tudor is the daughter of Henry VIII. Bloody Mary: marriage, power and death of the Queen of England

Life story
Princess Mary Tudor fate gave an attractive appearance and an outstanding mind. It seemed that the English throne after the death of a parent, the king Henry VIII, will belong to her: after all, the sons born to her mother, Catherine of Aragon, died immediately ... But life turned its black side to her because of her father's too ardent heart: having fallen in love with another woman, Henry gradually hated Catherine of Aragon, and, it seems, his own child. In the end, the marriage of the parents was declared illegal (once this, still young, the monarch married the widow of his brother), Mary herself was declared illegitimate and deprived of all titles. The princess was separated from her mother and exiled away from the court, allocating her a meager allowance. The death of the rejected queen, whom her daughter never saw again, led Mary to despair.
God punished the treacherous Henry for his cruelty and injustice to ex-wife and own daughter: During the tournament, he received a wound on his leg, which was never destined to heal. Frightened queen, Anne Boleyn, gave birth dead boy. Courtiers on all sides whispered to the monarch about her infidelity. And then another charming creature attracted the royal attention: the sixteen-year-old maid of honor Jane Seymour ... And Anna, accused of all mortal sins, was imprisoned in the Tower and soon beheaded. A week later, the voluptuous king played another wedding.
The young queen was distinguished by kindness and complaisant character. It was she who persuaded her husband to settle again at the court of Mary, returning her the rightful title of princess. Pretending to be touched, the father king complied with her request. But a few hours after Mary's return to her parental home, he dragged the frightened princess into a secluded room and demanded that the renunciation of the legality of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon and the legality of her, Mary, birth be rewritten twice. Humiliated, she obeyed...
Remembering her half-sister Elizabeth, born of the unfortunate Anne Boleyn, she turned to her stepmother with a request: to bring this girl closer to the court, who was now in the same beggarly position in which Mary had recently been in.
After giving birth to meek Jane Seymour, she listened last will the dying queen, who gave birth to the long-awaited heir: "Take care of your brother, for he is defenseless ..."
Neither sons nor daughters were given to the loving Heinrich by God. Maria gave all her time to the newborn Edward and the matured Elizabeth, and then became friends with another stepmother, Anna of Klevskaya. Both liked to take care of children, as well as gardening, horses and dogs. She did not even dare to think about her marriage: the king dared all suitors from a twenty-six-year-old daughter, whose future husband could turn out to be an adventurer and, God forbid, a seeker of the throne ...
In the end, the father married a woman mature years, widow of Lady Parr. The new queen, wise and prudent, tried to make her husband spend more time with his family, with daughters from his first marriages. And in the end ... On his deathbed, the father said to Mary: “I know well, my dear daughter that you rarely agreed with me in past life... I caused you a lot of suffering, I did not give you a husband, although I should have done it. But I still ask you - be a gentle and devoted mother to your brother, I leave this weak and defenseless child in your care. In the will, her father declared her heir to the throne in the event of Edward's childlessness.
After the death of the voluptuary monarch, life in the palace did not become easier. Eduard grew up, studied, but, apparently, it did not matter: without a shadow of doubt and reflection, he signed death sentences left and right - often even to his closest relatives. I simply ignored the advice of my older sister. The handsome Admiral Thomas Seymour was also injured, young years Maria loved: he was also sentenced to death.
It was from that time, as many contemporaries believed, that Mary's heart was forever hardened ...
At the age of fifteen, Edward died, having signed an act of succession to the throne in favor of his second cousin Jane Grey, under pressure from the courtiers. At the English court, a struggle for the throne broke out. As a result, Jane, having agreed to take the throne under pressure from the courtiers and after spending only nine days on it, replaced Royal Palace to the Tower, and the triumphant Mary ascended the throne.
As many historians insist, she did not want the death of her relative at all and even treated her with sympathy, but the fear of losing power turned out to be stronger.
Soon, proposals of a hand and heart from representatives of European royal houses rained down on Mary. One of the suitors was the Spanish Prince Philip. He did not inherit his father's imperial crown and was highly interested in an advantageous dynastic marriage.
Seeing his portrait, Maria anxiously asked the ambassador, “Is the prince really that handsome? Is he as charming as in the portrait? We know well what court painters are!” At times, the queen's heart simply sank with fear: after all, she was already thirty-seven, as much as eleven years older than the beautiful Philip!
At the first meeting, the prince won the heart of Mary completely and irrevocably. She agreed to marry him and finally found the long-awaited female happiness. Let it be short...
A few weeks after the wedding, Maria shared the good news with her husband - she is pregnant! Philip believed that a boy-heir would certainly be born who would be able to unite the Spanish and English kingdoms, and therefore he was no less happy than his wife. And even put an end to his affairs on the side for a while. Philip, however, already had a son from his first marriage, but his viability was in great doubt: he was in poor health and, moreover, ugly.
Nine months of pregnancy passed, but no one was born. Maria became so fat that she did not dare to show herself in public. Ten months passed, eleven, then twelve ... And on one terrible day, the famous Irish doctor found the courage to confess: “Your Majesty, you are not expecting a child ... Unfortunately, external signs pregnancies mean that you are seriously ill ... "
It seemed to Mary that the palace vaults had collapsed on her head. She suffered from dropsy and pretty soon, after treatment, she regained her former forms, but Philip was already lost to the unfortunate woman. “My father wants me to come,” he lied to his wife. Spain needs me! But I'll be back soon..."
The Queen realized that Philip never loved her. But as soon as he left England, which he thoughtlessly involved in the war with France solely for the sake of his dynastic interests, she began to dream of his return. And in order for her country to finally become what her husband dreamed of seeing, she converted her subjects to the “true” faith with fire and iron. Catholic rites were restored, fierce laws against heretics were issued. The executions began. About three thousand clerics who did not want to become Catholics lost their jobs, of which about three hundred people were burned at the stake. From now on, no one called her otherwise than Bloody Mary!
The year 1558 proved to be a particularly terrible year for England. Plague and typhoid mowed down people right and left. Diseases did not bypass the queen.
Mary sent the crown jewels to her sister Elizabeth and bequeathed the throne to her. She passed away on November 17, 1558, not having lived to see her half-century anniversary.
“If anything could be read on her heart, then these are the words: “Three hundred people were burned alive during the four years of my reign, including sixty women and forty children.” But it is enough that their names are written in heaven,” said Walter Scott.
Although God knows what was thinking in her last hour, this by and large unfortunate woman, who, having obtained for herself royal crown forever deprived of simple human joys ...

Many people far from history confuse Mary Tudor with her niece and full namesake. The previous post about the Tudors ended in a conflict between noble groups, some of which wanted to put Princess Mary on the throne, others her cousin.

Where did this Jane come from? Her grandmother was Mary of England, the younger sister of Henry VIII.

After the victory at the Battle of Bosworth, Henry Tudor proclaimed himself King Henry VII and, to secure his rights, married Richard III's niece Elizabeth of York. In this marriage, 7 children were born, of which three survived: Henry VIII, his elder sister Margaret, Queen of Scots (and grandmother of Mary Stuart), and his younger sister Mary, who married the French king. She will be discussed. More often it is called Mary Tudor- but in this case there is confusion with her niece and full namesake Mary Tudor. In addition, they were both queens. And saying " Queen Mary Tudor“It is not immediately clear which of the two in question. So I will call her Mary of England.

Children of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York: Henry VIII, Margaret and Mary:

When Henry VII died, Henry VIII was 18 years old. Enough to rule on my own. affairs of state Bishops Richard Fox and William Wareham ruled, and then Cardinal Wolsey, but Henry also fully exercised his will. As for Mary, she was 7 years old when her mother died and 13 when her father died. There was no one to take care of her upbringing (Heinrich himself was not much older) and the princess enjoyed freedom unprecedented at that time.

I don't know if this is clear from the portraits, but Mary was considered the most beautiful princess in Europe (and note how well the famous Tudor red hair is displayed in the portraits). She was nicknamed Mary Rose (there was even a ship named after her), a nickname both emphasizing her beauty and referring to the rose on the Tudor coat of arms. There is even such a type of appearance - a subtype of the "Summer" color type - called "English rose". It implies blond hair and skin, a small mouth, heart-shaped hot pink lips. This color type - as its name implies - is especially common in England. Such an appearance is possessed, for example, by actresses Rosamund Pike and Scarlett Johansson.

Mary Tudor (1496-1533):

Hats - as in the first portrait - came into fashion shortly before that, but it was Maria who began to wear them so much sideways. And in the first portrait you can see white and green colors in elements

dresses are the traditional colors of the Tudor house.

In 1514, her brother married Mary to King Louis XII of France. He was 52 years old, Mary 18. A typical marriage for that time, but Mary was still not particularly enthusiastic. In the TV series "The Tudors" there is a collective image of the sisters of Henry VIII - one instead of two. Her name is Margherita, and she is given in marriage to the aged king of Portugal. In fact, the real Margarita married her contemporary King of Scotland, and Mary just married the old king - only of France, and not of Portugal.

Louis XII in his youth was a great womanizer. He even somehow dropped the phrase that at the French court there is not a single woman whom he would not recognize by smell if he was blindfolded. But then a very romantic story happened to him. He fell in love with the queen - the wife of his predecessor Charles VIII, Anne of Brittany. As soon as Charles died and Louis ascended the throne, the first thing he did was to send his representatives to Rome to ask the Pope for a divorce from his first wife. Unlike Henry VIII, who waited 12 years for a divorce, Louis was more fortunate. And a year later - in January 1499, he married the dowager queen and since then led a lifestyle exemplary family man. In her first marriage, Anna gave birth to 3 sons and a daughter, but they all died in infancy. In her marriage to Louis, she also gave birth to 4 children - 2 daughters and 2 sons. Only the daughters survived. In 1513 the queen died. In France, unlike in England, women did not have the right to inherit the throne, and Louis decided to marry again in order to provide the country with an heir. He really liked the portrait of Mary sent to him, and he made a choice in her favor.

In this way Mary Tudor I had to go to the court, where for almost a quarter of a century the customs and orders established by her predecessor, a woman of rather strict morals, reigned. And her future husband accustomed to living in such conditions

Mary agreed to this marriage, but put a condition - if she outlives Louis, then she will marry a second time at will. She was lucky in every way. Firstly, her husband liked her very much, who showered her with gifts and treated her needs with attention. Secondly, Louis so wanted to please his young wife that, in order to please her, he resumed holidays, tournaments, balls and other entertainments at his strict court, and he himself tried to participate in them. This lifestyle quickly finished him off and just 3 months after the wedding, Louis XII died. And, thirdly, Louis' nephew Francis really liked Maria, who literally hung around her and also tried to entertain her as much as possible. He even had plans to marry Mary after the death of the king. But then his mother, Louise of Savoy, intervened. The fact was that while Louis had no sons, Francis was considered his heir. And his whole family held their fists so that God forbid Mary would not become pregnant. And then, as luck would have it, Francis lost his head so much from the queen that his mother was forced to tell him in plain text - if he crosses the boundaries of what is permitted, he risks becoming the father of the queen’s child and then instead of the crown, he can be consoled by the fact that his son will be on the throne. This sobered Francis a little.

Well, Mary was locked in her chambers for 40 days to make sure that she was not expecting a baby. After that, they were released with relief, and Francis, under universal approval, became King Francis I.

Mary returned to England and secretly married Charles Brandon, best friend Henry VIII. Despite his promise, Henry fell into a rage, although in time he forgave his sister and subsequently arranged an already magnificent celebration in honor of their wedding.

Marie's first husband Louis XII. Maria with her second husband Charles Brandon:

From her marriage to Brandon Mary Tudor had 2 sons and 2 daughters. But only the daughters survived. One of them is Frances Brandon, the mother of Jane Grey.

Francis Brandon, in turn, had 2 sons and 4 daughters. Only 3 daughters survived - the aforementioned Jane, Katherine and Mary. Her sister Eleanor has a daughter and 2 sons, the sons also died in infancy.

Thus, the absence of male heirs (and other male relatives) in the Tudor family led to a dynastic crisis in 1553 after the death of a childless Edward VI, who kept his will drawn up in favor of Jane Gray secret, because. there were no women on the throne of England until then.

As for Jane Grey, she was born to Frances Brandon, eldest daughter of Mary of England, and Henry Grey, Earl of Suffolk, in the same year and one month as Edward VI and was named after his mother. Her parents, like everyone else in those days, passionately desired a son, but they had 3 daughters one after another. This was a great disappointment, but the ambitious Grays, having grieved, decided to make the most of the situation. First they married Jane to King Edward VI, and then they tried to put her on the throne.

Jane's parents Francis Brandon and Henry Grey:

In addition, from childhood, Jane strived to give the best and modern education, which was given even by far not to all boys, not to mention the girls, from whom theology, needlework and dancing were considered sufficient. But the Grays pushed their daughter to the throne, so everything was done for her at the highest level. Roger Asham, tutor to Jane and also to Henry's children VIII Edward and Elizabeth, had a high opinion of Jane's success and believed that she was intellectually superior to Elizabeth. And we remember that Elizabeth was fluent in 6 languages. Jane knew 8 languages, among which were also Chaldean and Arabic.

It is doubtful whether this portrait is of Jane Gray or the 6th wife of Henry VIII. Most likely the latter, because. there is a problem with Jane's lifetime portraits due to the fact that before her accession to the throne, few people were interested in her. But at the request of "Jane Gray" all search engines stubbornly give out this portrait. So I'll leave him.

TO BE CONTINUED…

Character Mary Tudor from childhood, he was tempered in the most incredible trials, which would be more than enough for a hundred people. The princess, born in her first marriage and, was first brought up in incredible pampering and reverence. She was the beloved and only surviving child of King Henry, his true pride and the joy of her mother. She was already fluent in Latin at the age of seven, striking their knowledge mother tongue ambassadors from Flanders, virtuoso played the harpsichord and was an excellent rider. She remembered how her father, King Henry, who adored hunting, personally taught her how to ride. He loved her, oh no doubt he loved her...

Otherwise, would he let her, his little princess, fall asleep on his lap? Would he have been filled with pride for her successes, not embarrassed to praise the talents of little Mary at court? And then this nasty whore came into the king's life, ! And the world of the little princess turned upside down. Anna, as if bewitched the king! However, no! She must have bewitched him, otherwise how else can you explain that loving father announced to the whole world that she, Mary, was illegitimate, that she was a bastard. How could King Henry invalidate an eighteen-year marriage to her mother on the sole ground that he married the widow of his elder brother Arthur? How could the king, to please Anna, renounce even God? From faith?

Only in a mind clouded by witchcraft could the idea arise that henceforth the King of England, and not the Pope at all, is the head of the Church of England? Anne Boleyn, an adulteress and a heretic, a vile Protestant, deprived Mary of everything - her position in society, her title, her mother, and her father's love. Henry sent her mother into exile, forbidding them to see each other, and made her, Mary, an ordinary servant in the retinue of the newborn Princess Elizabeth, thus trying to break the will of his eldest daughter. He forced her to sign a paper in which she would also recognize the marriage of the king to her mother as invalid, and herself as illegitimate, and also renounce the Catholic faith and recognize King Henry as the head of the English Church.

But Mary couldn't do that! If she signed this despicable paper, it would mean that she betrayed her mother, Catherine of Aragon, betrayed the faith, betrayed God! The princess endured all the hardships of life without a murmur. She dutifully served Princess Elizabeth until she was already recognized as a bastard. The father approved the death sentence for Anne Boleyn, and doubted his paternity. Anna cheated on him with more than a hundred men, so they said in court. So can the king be sure that Elizabeth, who has the same bright red hair as Henry himself, is his daughter? And then my father remarried.

By this time, Mary was already an orphan. Her mother died of cancer in exile. The third wife of his father, Jane Seymour, returned both disgraced princesses to court. She tried with all her might to make the king happy, to make him feel that he, Henry, was surrounded by love and care. And the king's heart melted. Jane died of puerperal fever as soon as she gave birth to the heir to the throne, Prince Edward. And Mary got attached to this baby with true love. She tried to replace him in everything loving mother. Therefore, when, after the death of Henry, the crown passed to Edward, she was only glad, having long resigned herself to second roles.

And then King Edward suddenly died, and Mary Tudor suddenly became Queen of England. She became the first woman in the history of England to take the throne. Now she needed to get married in order to produce an heir. When she looked at the portraits of potential suitors, she immediately fell in love with Philip of Spain, her cousin, who was eleven years her junior. Philip, on the other hand, was indifferent to Mary, who, moreover, was nicknamed the Ugly. (This is the second nickname after "Bloody" with which Queen Mary went down in history).

Mary, on the other hand, did not seem to notice anything: neither that her husband was cheating on her without hiding, nor that he was clearly avoiding her. With all her heart, hungry for love, she longed for only one thing - to give birth to a child who could be loved. But this dream of the queen was not destined to come true. Once it seemed to her that she had suffered, her rigula stopped and her stomach began to grow. But in the womb of the queen, it was not a child that grew at all, but a terrible tumor, which brought her to the grave. He handed over the throne to his half-sister Elizabeth, asking the Protestant sister for only one thing - to strengthen the position of the Catholic faith in England.

Mary herself, with truly feminine enthusiasm and stubbornness, eradicated "heresy" throughout the country. During the five years of her reign, the queen sent only 287 people to the stake, while under King Henry seventy-two thousand (!) People were sentenced to death, and during the reign of her sister Elizabeth even more - 89 thousand. Compared to them, Mary the Bloody is the most merciful ruler England has ever seen. But, nevertheless, it was she who got such an impartial nickname.

The thing is that Mary was a Catholic, and Protestant England still celebrates the day of her death as a national holiday. Queen Mary Tudor died in 1558. This is the only Queen of England, who did not put a single monument.

The British frankly dislike Mary I Tudor - although, in a good way, she should be pitied

MariaI Tudor, who became the first crowned queen of England, entered the history of Europe as one of the most cruel rulers. If the father HenryVIII, called her "pearl of the world", then the subjects preferred another nickname - Mary the Bloody, subsequently shortened to concise Bloody Mary. Not a single monument was erected to her at home. And on the day of her death, the country celebrates the ascension to the throne of one of her favorite queens, ElizabethI.

Illegitimate princess

The future first crowned Queen of England was born on February 18, 1516. The father, Henry VIII, dreamed of a son - and a girl was born, who they decided to call Mary. The princess was given an excellent upbringing. At the age of 16, she was separated from her mother, Catherine of Aragon It was part of Henry VIII's plan to get his marriage annulled.

And then a real nightmare began in the life of the young princess. After the church finally recognized the marriage union of her parents as invalid, formally the girl began to be considered illegitimate and lost her right to the crown.

When new wife her father Ann Bolein, gave birth to a daughter, Elizabeth - Mary was included in the number of her courtiers. According to some contemporaries, Boleyn fiercely hated her stepdaughter and used every chance to humiliate her. It all ended with the death of her stepmother. Fortunately, the subsequent wives of the loving Henry VIII treated Mary much better. And she herself did not settle scores - she even participated in the fate of her half-sister, who, after the death of Boleyn, found herself in almost the same beggarly status as Mary herself had once been.

Disgraced Catholic

In January 1547, Henry VIII passed away. He bequeathed the crown to his young and in poor health son Edward, the only male heir, born from a third marriage with a maid of honor Jane Seymour. According to legend, before his death, he asked for forgiveness from his daughter - for being cruel to her and not being able to provide a worthy husband - all Mary's engagements were canceled, or the candidates did not suit Henry. And he asked to take care of his younger brother. AT last years life, the king again "recognized" his daughter - Mary began to be considered the heir to the throne in the event of Edward's death.

Young Edward, during whose reign the position of the reformers was strengthened in the country, died unexpectedly six years later, in July 1553. Many historians believe that the king was poisoned. After all, he died a few days after he wrote a will, according to which his second cousin, a Protestant, 16-year-old lady, became the heir to the throne. Jane Gray. Mary, on the other hand, was an ardent Catholic - and how she could resist the persecution of Catholics.

Unloved wife

The new queen managed to stay in her status for only a few days - the people did not recognize her. As a result, the girl who became a pawn in the confrontation between Catholics and Protestants was executed, and the throne was taken by 37-year-old Mary Tudor. The coronation took place on October 1, 1553.

As might be expected, the queen soon had no shortage of marriage proposals, now she could choose, and not her father. So what if the marriageable bride was far from being young and no longer very pretty: short, thin, sickly looking, with blackened and half-fallen teeth and wrinkles?

Mary I Tudor, as a convinced Catholic, led a rather chaste lifestyle. According to some sources, she admitted that she was even ready to spend the rest of her life as a girl - but the country needed a legitimate heir. And, therefore, her husband.

Writers attributed to her a love for the admiral Thomas Seymour, brother of the third wife of Henry VIII. But historians doubt this. The ambitious admiral and intriguer unsuccessfully wooed her and, at the same time, her sister Elizabeth after the death of the king, and then quickly married the widow of Henry VIII. As a result, he was executed for treason. Maria at that time was no longer a young girl and. apparently, she perfectly understood that the admiral was only interested in power. But perhaps, deep down, she really cared about Seymour.

But Mary I Tudor fell in love with her husband recklessly. As the legend says, only one of his portraits. Spanish prince PhilipII, son of the emperor KarlaV, was incredibly handsome, younger than her by 11 years. The queen was persuaded to change her mind and choose an Englishman, but she was adamant. Popular riots began to flare up in the country - they were brutally suppressed. Even then, Maria began to show her rigidity.

In the summer of 1554, the marriage took place - by that time, Philip II was already in the status of a monarch and, unlike the bride in love, he perfectly understood that this marriage was a state one. In September of the same year, subjects were informed happy news: The queen is waiting for an heir. But then it turned out that the pregnancy was false. Subsequently, history repeated itself. The young husband became more and more distant from Mary, used every opportunity to depart for Spain, and then completely stayed there for two years. He returned only once - in the summer of 1557, to persuade his wife to support Spain in the war with France.

Mary the Bloody

The remaining unsatisfied passion Mary I Tudor turned in another direction - to fight the Protestants. The fury of an unfortunate woman can be terrible, besides, the queen could not forget how just a few years ago the reformers oppressed her. Religious persecution continued for almost four years, in 1555 bonfires blazed all over England. The queen ordered not to spare even those who agreed to convert to Catholicism.

More than three hundred people were martyred for their faith, among the victims of persecution were many prominent figures of the state and the Church. Subsequently, this period entered the history of Great Britain as the "era of martyrs", and Mary herself, to whom the people were initially very supportive, earned the nickname Bloodthirsty and Bloody. The latter was then shortened to a shorter one - Bloody Mary.

Only the death of Mary put an end to the bloody era. In the early autumn of 1558, she fell ill with a fever (flu) - an epidemic raged in Europe for a year. Throughout the autumn, the queen was slowly fading away. Many historians believe that she also had oncology.

The queen died on November 17, 1558, shortly after attending a Catholic Mass. A few days before her death, realizing that her days were numbered, she blessed her half-sister to the throne. After the death of that in 1603, they were reunited - Elizabeth I was subsequently buried in the grave of her sister in Westminster Abbey. The common tombstone is decorated with a single sculpture - Queen Elizabeth.

And signed her death warrant. It was the first victim of the queen, who was later nicknamed Mary the Bloody or Mary the Catholic. Let me remind you that according to the will of Henry VIII, in order of priority, he was inherited first by his son, then by his daughters - first Mary, then Elizabeth. Edward ruled for 6 years and died childless. Before his death, he made an attempt to remove his sister Mary from the succession line, bequeathing the throne to his cousin Jane Grey. She ruled for only 9 days until Mary came to power under the name Mary I - the first in English history crowned queen. Mary was also the first - and on this moment the only one - a woman of royal blood, who received the title of "Princess of Wales", i.e. heir to the throne. All other women who have ever held this title were the wives of the heirs to the throne - Mary Tudor bore it on her own by birthright.

By the time Mary was born, her parents Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon had been married for 7 years, but nothing worked out with the heirs. Here is a list of their children:

1. Stillborn girl in January 1510
2. "New Year's" boy Heinrich, born in January and died at the end of February 1511.
3. Miscarriage in 1513
4. Dead boy in November 1514
5. Bloody Mary is the only surviving child, born February 18, 1516.
6. Daughter, born in November 1518 and died a few hours later.

As you can see, all the pregnancies of Catherine of Aragon ended either in miscarriages or stillborn children. So when Maria was born, her parents were extremely happy, believing that the series of failures was over and sons would follow a healthy daughter. At first, her father was very fond of Mary, and she had a very happy childhood. Until the age of 6. When Heinrich realized that there would be no sons, his love for his daughter greatly diminished. Around the same time, he met Anne Boleyn, for whom he divorced Mary's mother.

The princess did not have a good relationship with her stepmother. According to one version, Anna humiliated the princess, forcing her to serve her daughter Princess Elizabeth, and even allowed herself to tear her ears. According to another version, Anna seemed to be trying to improve relations, but Maria did not respond to these attempts.
Catherine of Aragon did not recognize the divorce and continued to consider herself queen. In retaliation, Henry forbade her to see her daughter.
Anne Boleyn was also unable to give birth to an heir, and after 3 years she was cut off her head.

Mary began a series of stepmothers, on the relationship with which her position at court depended.
Henry's third wife was Jane Seymour. She died in childbirth a year and a half later, but gave birth to the long-awaited prince. During her short marriage, Jane tried to mend the king's relationship with her daughter. And partially managed to do it.
Mary's next stepmother was Anna of Klevskaya. A German and a Protestant, although she was quite friendly towards Mary. Heinrich divorced Anna six months later and became Mary's new stepmother. cousin Anne Boleyn Catherine Howard. She was 4 years younger than Mary herself. After 2 years, Catherine, like Anne Boleyn, was beheaded.
Henry's sixth marriage was longer. He married the no longer young Catherine Parr, twice a widow. Catherine was a Protestant, but Mary loved her, as did the other children of the king - Edward and Elizabeth. Catherine was older than Mary for 4 years. She was a woman with a broad soul who took care of Henry's children as if they were her own.

After the death of her father and during the reign of her half-brother Edward, Mary holed up in her possessions, gathering Catholic supporters there. After Edward's death, the regent John Dudley installed his sister-in-law Jane Grey.

Although Jane was executed by order Mary the Bloody, the problem of succession to the throne was by no means resolved. Mary had no children, and her half-sister Elizabeth, her cousins ​​Catherine and Mary Gray, and another cousin, Margaret Clifford, were considered heirs with her in turn.
There were still no Tudor men next to the throne. Of the old York dynasty, which Henry VII and Henry VIII did not have time to destroy, there remained Edward Courtenay and Henry Hastings. Courtney was in the Tower. And Hastings, apparently, was too smart and preferred not to interfere in the struggle for the throne, thanks to which he saved not only his life, but also his well-being.

I'll try to structure the rights to the throne of various contenders a bit.
Of the York dynasty, which was overthrown by the Tudors, there were 3 kings. Official 2:

Edward IV and his brother Richard III. Edward is the eldest, Richard is the youngest. There was also the middle one - George, Duke of Clarence (he did not have time to sit on the throne and was killed according to the official version due to the intrigues of his younger brother), as well as a bunch of sisters.
Here are their descendants-applicants:
1. From Edward IV:

a) his son Edward V, who was killed in the Tower by either Richard III or Henry VII.
b) him eldest daughter Elizabeth is the grandmother of Mary I and Elizabeth I and the great-grandmother of Jane, Catherine and Mary Gray and Margaret Clifford.
c) him youngest daughter Katherine is Edward Courtney's great-grandmother.

Who is the greater contender - Edward or Mary and Elizabeth, given that he is a man, but the son of an earl, and they are women, but the daughters and granddaughters of kings ????

2) Predents - descendants of Edward IV's middle brother George Clarence:

a) his daughter Margaret Salisbury. Executed in the reign of Henry VIII under an absurd pretext. An inept executioner drove a 70-year-old old woman along the scaffold for half an hour until he hacked to death.

b) his grandson is the son of Margaret Reginald, who was hiding outside of England.

c) his great-grandson Henry Hastings Earl of Huntingdon.

3. Children of Edward IV's sister Elizabeth of York: she had four sons - John, Edmund, Richard and William. All were destroyed by the Tudors. Two are killed on the battlefield, the third is executed, the fourth died in the Tower.

4. Younger brother of Edward IV Richard III: his The only son Edward died at the age of 10. After that, Richard adopted the eldest son of his sister Elizabeth and appointed him his heir.

As a result, the childless (despite her marriage) Mary was on the throne. Her sister Elizabeth was unmarried. The Gray sisters were also single. Therefore, the marriage of any of them was a matter of national importance. For the most part because the one who would have a son would instantly strengthen her position in comparison with the rest.

For Mary I Catherine Gray was the preferred heir rather than half-sister Elizabeth, despite the fact that Catherine's sister Jane Gray usurped the throne bypassing Mary. First, Catherine's parents always supported Mary's mother Catherine of Aragon when Henry VIII divorced her to marry Elizabeth's mother Anne Boleyn. Secondly, Katherine, unlike her sister Jane, was not a staunch Protestant and easily converted to Catholicism, which played an important role for the fanatical Mary.

Governing body Mary the Bloody lasted 5 years and is considered one of the darkest periods in the history of England.

When Mary's father Henry VIII wanted to divorce her mother in order to marry Anne Boleyn, the Pope, under the influence of the emperor, did not agree to a divorce. Negotiations dragged on for a long 7 years. Heinrich's patience snapped and he broke with Catholic Church and Bishop of Rome (as he began to call the pope), adopted a new religion in England, called "Anglican" and proclaimed himself the head of this church. England ceased to obey Rome. Supporters new faith destroyed churches and monasteries and confiscated church property in favor of the treasury. These supporters of Protestantism became more and more. Princess Elizabeth and the Gray family were staunch Protestants. But Maria - the daughter of a Spanish princess and granddaughter of the Catholic Kings Ferdinand and Isabella - was by definition a fanatical Catholic. Therefore, in England, they were so afraid of her coming to power, and Jane Gray was so popular at first.

After Jane's deposition, Mary became queen. She was 37 years old and she urgently needed to acquire an heir. In 1554 she married Infante Philip, the son of her cousin. He was 11 years younger than her and was the heir to the king of Spain. According to the marriage contract, he had no right to interfere in the affairs of England, his children were to become heirs to the English throne and remain in England, and Philip, in the event of Mary's death, was to return to Spain.

The marriage project between Mary and Philip belonged entirely to Emperor Charles V, Philip's father and Mary's cousin. Initially, it was Karl who was considered the bridegroom of Mary, but due to health problems and other reasons, he passed the baton to his son. The emperor had 3 headaches: the spread of Protestantism in Germany, the Turks and France. He tried to deal with the first two on his own. The latter was to be decided by this marriage.

Philip was a widower. His first wife, Maria of Portugal, died while giving birth to their son, the famous Don Carlos. At the time of the Anglo-Spanish marriage project, Philip was wooing another Portuguese princess, which made the emperor very nervous, fearing that Philip would prefer marriage to her, and not to Mary, whom he always called "his dear aunt." But greed won - Philip chose Mary.

The news of his queen's marriage plans caused all of England (with the exception of Mary's supporters) to panic attacks and bad mood. The queen was half Spanish by blood and completely by spirit, Philip was Spanish to the tips of his nails. The British were afraid that the iron heel of Spain would crush England.

Let's go back to Mary and Philip. At this point, Wyatt's rebellion broke out to prevent the planned marriage.

However, when Philip entered London, a warm and luxurious reception awaited him from those who were not his opponent. It should be noted here that since Mary was the first woman on the English throne, the psychology of people had not yet had time to rebuild as it happened by the time of the reign of Elizabeth, and the British perceived Philip not only as the husband of the queen, but also as their real king. Maria also perceived him in the same way - as a husband and a man who came to solve problems with parliament instead of her, to rein in the lords, etc.

However, on the day of the wedding in the abbey, Philip stood to Mary's left. Reigning monarchs always stood to the right of their wives. Thus, Mary also stood to the right of Philip, so her title was higher.

Maria fell passionately in love with Philip just after seeing his portrait. I think that everything worst side the personalities of Mary and her reign were the fault of Philip. Initially, Mary showed herself to be a rather merciful ruler. She forgave the participants in the conspiracy with Jane Grey. Including Jane herself and her husband. But such mercy was unacceptable to the Spaniards who sent their prince to England. And Jane Gray became the first victim of the marriage of Mary and Philip. The Inquisition was rampant in Spain. Fanatical Catholics, the Spaniards could not accept the presence of Protestants in England. Their persecution during the reign of Mary became widespread, which is why she was later called Mary the Bloody.
Mary tried to make Philip king, but Parliament refused to do so. The people, who did not love Mary so much, disliked her husband even more. The retinue of the queen's husband behaved defiantly. Constantly there were joints between the British and the Spaniards.
There is a stable version of Philip's bad behavior in England and a dismissive attitude towards Mary. Allegedly, after the wedding night, he said, "You need to be God to drink this cup." However, this expression belongs to Philip's secretary, who expressed it in a letter to the emperor. Also, the statement that Mary is ugly, poorly dressed and smells bad does not belong to Philip, but to a hidalgo from his retinue. And most likely, the statement about the manner of dressing belongs to a woman - the wife of one of the courtiers in Philip's retinue, because. Maria always loved to dress up and did it well.

When it became clear that there would be no child in marriage, Philip returned to Spain.

Maria wrote letters to her husband, full of love and affection, but could not get him to return for a long time.
At the same time, the queen wanted to have a baby so much that she experienced all the symptoms of a pregnant woman. Her belly even began to grow. It later turned out to be dropsy.

A failed pregnancy, discord in the kingdom, separation from Philip greatly undermined Mary's health. In 1558, she died from the so-called. English fever or English prickly heat. The day of her death became a national holiday.
Shortly before death Mary I Another tragic event happened - the loss of the port of Calais. When the French king Louis XI began to gather scattered and independent French lands under royal authority, he did not have time to annex only the port of Calais (remaining with the British since the Hundred Years War) and the Duchy of Brittany. Brittany later became part of the French lands by marriage between the French kings and the duchesses of Brittany, while Calais remained last part France under British rule. In 1558 the French retook Calais. This was a terrible blow to Mary. Before she died, she said: "If I die and they cut me open, they will see the word KALE written on my heart."
Contrary to popular belief about Philip's cool attitude towards Mary, he was saddened by her death. In the same year, he lost his father and aunt, and wrote bitterly in a letter to his sister: "It was as if all the misfortunes had fallen on me at once."

TO BE CONTINUED…