Thomas Cromwell was executed on this day, on the 28th of July 1540. He was executed on the order ofKing Henry VIII on charges of treason.
He is the man who was accused of bringing down Henry VIII's second wife; Anne Boleyn. Though other theories about Anne Boleyn's downfall are speculated, such as her execution being the result of not producing a male heir for King Henry VIII. Another theory is that her downfall was orchestrated by the Seymour family, which is a credible theory, as Jane Seymour succeeded Anne Boleyn as Henry's third wife. Another theory of Anne Boleyn's downfall was that Boleyn and Cromwell had a disagreement over the nature of the reformation and the newly found protestant faith. Cromwell and Boleyn were both instrumental in the English Reformation. And, as such, they were natural allies. However, their friendship turned sour, which could have resulted in Thomas Cromwell conspiring to get rid of Anne. If that was his goal, he was successful, at least in the short term. In 1536, Anne Boleyn was executed on Henry VIII orders. Downfall and Execution of Thomas Cromwell In the long term, Thomas Cromwell might have inflicted a self-inflicted wound (that's if he brought down Anne). He too was executed just four years after Anne Boleyn, on grounds of treason. Thomas Cromwell was decapitated on Tower Hill on the 28th of July 1540. There were signs long before this that Henry was tiring of Cromwell. He was frustrated at Cromwell's handling of the English Reformation by 1538. By 1539, Cromwell made his most fatal mistake - forcing a relationship between the German princess Anne of Cleves. Initially, from a portrait, the King found Anne of Cleves attractive. Upon meeting her though, he found her unattractive. Henry did marry her though, on the 6th of January 1540. The marriage between them was short lived and annuled just six months later. It proved to be a disastrous marriage, but more so for Cromwell, than Anne or Henry. Unlike some of Henry's other wives, Anne of Cleeves actually remained in good favour with Henry VIII and kept her head. The marriage between Henry VIII and Anne of Cleeves was annulled on the 9th of July 1540. Anne would keep her head, Cromwell on the other hand, wasn't as lucky. He was arrested on the next day, the 10th of July 1540 and imprisoned in the Tower of London. He was arrested for treason and heresy. He was executed just 18 days later on the 28th of July 1540.
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In this last blog, we looked at 8 reasons why the Victorians shaped modern Christmas. In this one, we will look at how Christmas was celebrated during the Tudor era.
Christmas was pretty different before the Victorians came along. In some ways, we wouldn't recognize the Christmas that was celebrated before the Victorians. While in other ways, we would recognize some of the things surrounding Tudor Christmas celebrations. Let's therefore, take a look at how the Tudors celebrated Christmas. #Food Like Christmas today, Christmas food was a big part of the Tudor Christmas celebrations. Unlike today though, Tudor Christmas food was somewhat different to ours today. There were many foods at Christmas that the Tudors ate, that we today do not. Such as eating real meats within mince pies. They also ate things such as pies with different kinds of meats and fruitcakes at Christmas. What was different in the Tudor era, is that feasts at Christmas were usually something that only the wealthy could afford. Whereas today, most of us have some sort of feast at Christmas. What you wouldn't recognize about the Tudors eating habits is this, during Christmas Eve, Tudors were not allowed to eat specific meals, such as meats, eggs and cheese. On Christmas Day, however, the Tudors could eat anything they wanted and it was the peak of the Christmas feasting season. However, their main meal at the feast would have been different from what we ate today. For most Tudors at Christmas time, they could not afford the luxurious foods that the wealthiest dined on. That was foods such as goose, peacock and eventually turkey. The first record of turkey being eaten anywhere in the British Isles, was with Henry VIII, in 1923. Before that, it was usually goose, swan or peacock that the rich ate for Christmas dinner. Eating turkey didn't really take off under Henry VIII, it was the Victorians who made eating turkey a popular dish at Christmas. When Henry VIII died, it was his two daughters who ascended the throne. First, it was Mary I and then it was Elizabeth I. It was Elizabeth I who introduced people eating goose again - she ordered that people eat goose again at Christmas. Goose was the most popular dish during Christmas Day, all the way up to the Victorian era.
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#Decorations
Decorations were very different in the Tudor era. Although Christmas trees were present and part of Christmas celebrations in Germany at this time, they were not part of the Tudor celebrations. The Tudor decorations were very different and to a large extent, underwhelming and minimalistic, compared to what they are today. The decorations centred around evergreens, holly and wreaths. You could say that their decorations were largely natural and nature-based. #The Yule Log We are all familiar with yule logs at Christmas, what would be strange to us, is the customs and celebrations of the yule log at Christmas during the Tudor era. The yule log was something that was decorated at Christmas time. It was brought into the house, decorated, usually with ribbons, and then it would be burned in the fireplace. It would burn in the fireplace throughout the 12 days of Christmas. #The Twelve Days of Christmas The twelve days of Christmas is not something that is celebrated in the modern world. Today, Christmas is usually celebrated on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Then, New Year's Eve and New Years Day are celebrated, both of which are part of the festive celebrations. Making our celebrations a total of five days.
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In the Tudor era though, it was very different. The Christmas celebrations would go on for a total of 12 days. During those 12 days, work would cease to exist, so poor people could get time off work to go and see their family and celebrate Christmas.
#Things That Were Missing There were many things that were missing from Tudor Christmas celebrations because they had not been invented yet. Things such as Christmas cards, Christmas crackers, Christmas trees and most decorations were not part of the Tudor Christmas, as they had not been invented yet. In some ways, the celebrations surrounding Christmas were very different during the Tudor era, while, in other ways, they were pretty much the same. For the richest people in society, it would have been a time for great feasting and exchanging gifts. The Tudors did not exchange gifts during Christmas Day though, they exchanged gifts during New Years Day. For the poorest in society, it was a time to get off time at work and spend that time with their family. It's less documented how the poorest Tudors celebrated Christmas, and no doubt, it was less extravagant than their rich counterparts. However, one thing that would have been common amongst both rich and poor, was that Christmas was much more a religious festival than it is today. The holiday was centred around going to mass and celebrating the birth of Jesus. It was a much more prominent feature of the celebrations that we see today. Sources: https://www.theanneboleynfiles.com/resources/tudor-life/tudor-christmas/ https://www.historyanswers.co.uk/medieval-renaissance/on-the-12th-day-of-christmas-my-tudor-love-brought-to-me/ https://www.tudorsociety.com/tudor-christmas-food-by-sarah-bryson/ http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/tudor-england/tudor-christmas/
Lady Jane Grey became de facto Queen of England on the 10th of July 1553.
Lady Jane Grey was born in England, in 1537. She was born in Leicestershire in October 1537, to Lady Frances Brandon and Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Suffolk. Lady Jane Grey's mother, Lady Francis Brandon, was related to Henry VIII. She was the daughter of Henry VIII's sister, Mary Tudor, Queen Consort of France.
Mary Tudor, Queen Consort of France, shouldn't be mistaken for Mary Tudor (Bloody Mary), who was Henry VIII's daughter. Bloody Mary would be the one to end Lady Jane Grey's short reign as de facto Queen of England, becoming Mary I. Jane entered royal life at a very young age. At just ten years old, Jane entered the royal household of Henry the VIII's last queen and wife, Katherine Parr.
By October 1551, Lady Jane Grey became more acquainted with royal life, when she entered the Tudor court. At this point, in 1551, Henry VIII was no longer king. He had died on the 28th of January 1547 and was succeeded by his son, Edward.
Edward became King Edward VI of England. His reign was a short one. In February 1553, Edward took ill. During his illness, Edward named his cousin, Lady Jane Grey as his successor. This created a line of the succession crisis, as Henry VIII created the Third Succession Act (1543). The Third Succession Act (1543) restored Edward's sisters to the line of succession, Mary and Elizabeth. Mary was next-in-line to the throne if Edward died, according to the Third Succession Act. With Edward naming Jane Grey as his successor, the situation became a battle for the throne of England, when Edward died on the 6th of July 1553. Four days later, Jane became Queen. Mark Smeaton was one of the men who fell during Anne Boleyn's downfall. Anne Boleyn's downfall came as a result of her being accused of extramarital affairs. Anne Boleyn was accused of having extramarital affairs with five men. Those men were: her own brother, George Boleyn, Francis Weston, Henry Norris, William Brereton and Mark Smeaton. The simple answer to that question is that Mark Smeaton was probably tortured. He was the only man of the five accused to be tortured. The other men were of noble stock. And therefore, could not be tortured. People will say anything to relieve the pain of torture. Therefore, we can't take his confession as seriously as we would from a person not under the duress of torture. It could be argued that since Mark Smeaton never retracted his guilty plea, he was, in fact, guilty of what he was accused of - having an extramarital affair with the Queen. However, it is not that simple. There could be many reasons as to why Mark never retracted his confession of guilt. One reason could be that he feared being tortured again. Or, he feared that he would have a more brutal death reinforced on him. Initially, Mark Smeaton was bound to be hung, drawn and quartered. However, he was granted a more merciful death of a beheading. Another reason why Mark may not have retracted his guilty plea was, that he did think that he was guilty. Perhaps not in the way that we think. Or even in the way that he was accused of. It's possible that he was attracted to Anne Boleyn. It's also possible that he saw her in a lustful way, or even was in love with her. While studying history and historical events, we have to try and set ourselves in the scene. Like an actor. We have to sometimes forget about our foreknowledge of events, or events. And place ourselves in the event. Or placing ourselves inside the shoes of another person. The person that we are studying. How would that person react? What would their thoughts be of the situation? What is the norms, values and thoughts of that society, at that particular time? Doing this, it makes it easier for us to try and get a better understanding of the situation at hand. It helps us in the case of Mark Smeaton because, if he genuinely did believe that he ''...deserved the death...'' that was given to him. Why did he believe that he deserved that death? Of course, he could have had an extramarital affair with Anne Boleyn. But. It also could be something less obvious to us. It could have been that his thoughts were impure of Anne. His guilt may have all been in his own mind. We have to remember that people in Tudor England had a very different view of marriage, relationships and lust. Especially towards a royal, such as Anne Boleyn. If Mark Smeaton did have impure thoughts of Anne, that would alone would have cost Mark Smeaton his life. Henry would have beheaded him. Could we be so sure of that? Yes and no. Nothing is ever certain when we are talking about Henry VIII. But. If we look at his behaviour from other instances, a good indicator how he probably would have acted, then Smeaton would have lost his life. If we look at how Henry VIII reacted to Thomas Culpepper when he found out that he was having an affair with Henry's fifth wife, Catherine Howard, then yes. Of course, an affair is far more serious than lustful thoughts. However, we should not put it past Henry VIII that he would have taken such drastic action. Look at how he executed Thomas Moore for not signing the the letter which would have annulled Henry VIII and his first wife, Catherine of Aragon's marriage. When it comes to Henry VIII, we are best assuming the worst. Yes, Henry VIII is a fascinating monarch. You could even call him a great monarch, great doesn't necessarily mean good. But, at the same time, Henry VIII was a tyrant who didn't really show compassion or mercy. Back to Mark Smeaton. Mark Smeaton's Early Life Mark Smeaton started his life from a humble background, he was a commoner. Unlike the other men who were accused of having adultery with the Queen. The other four men were nobles. Mark was not. Because Mark Smeaton was a commoner, we know little about his early life. Mark Smeaton was likely Flemish, of Flemish-born origin. This is thought because of his surname, Smeaton. Which he most likely changed when he arrived in England. It's unclear when exactly Mark moved to England. But, we do know that he was promoted to the position of Groom in the Privy Chamber, by Cardinal Wolsey in 1529. Mark was born sometime in 1512. Therefore, somewhere between that time frame Mark moved to England and set up home there. He started his journey to Henry VIII's court by being a singer in the choir of the Chapel Royal. It is also thought that Mark was talented in things such as dancing and poetry. Downfall and arrest Smeaton's downfall and arrest came in 1536. He was only a young man at the time. Though, his exact age at the time of his downfall is unknown and disputed. He was arrested on the 30th of April 1536. It is thought that Smeaton was taken to his own home by Thomas Cromwell and tortured there. Anne was either aware that Smeaton had been arrested, or she noticed his absence. Either way, alarm bells must have started ringing for her. He was sent to the Tower of London on May Day, at 6 PM. It was while at the Tower of London, Smeaton was thought to have been further tortured. Here, he was alleged to confess to having extramarital affairs with the queen. And, implementing the four other men: Francis Weston, Henry Norris, William Brereton and the Queen's own brother, George Boleyn. Smeaton was condemned to death on the 12th of May 1536. The other four men were also condemned to death on the same day. He was executed on the 17th of May that year, at Tower Hill. Other posts you may like:
Anne Boleyn was executed at the Tower of London, on the 19th of May 1536.
Anne Boleyn's fall from grace was sharp. It happened more quickly than her rise to power. She was only married to Henry VIII for three years, when her downfall came. Not only did she fall from grace. But so did her family, particularly George Boleyn who was executed two days before Anne Boleyn. There have been many Anne Boleyn books written. And many of these Anne Boleyn books focus on her execution and what truly happened to secure her downfall. Alison Weir is one author and historian who dedicated to writing one of the many Anne Boleyn books out there. Be the Anne Boleyn books, there have been documentaries made about her. Her reign as Queen Consort. Her rise to power. And her downfall. There is even a website dedicated to the ill-fated queen, know as The Anne Boleyn Files. It is well worth signing up to. Anne Boleyn's royal status did not last for long. But, she remains one of the royals who changed the direction of England, as Anne Boleyn played a key role in the English Reformation. Europe and made a lasting impact while doing so. Anne's rise to power is partly why we still remember her. And talk about her. She was instrumental in England breaking ties with Rome and the Pope. As fascinating as her part in the English Reformation was, it will be for her downfall that she is always remembered. Boleyn's downfall started to unfold early in 1536. Henry VIII so wanted a male heir, yet Anne had only given him a female heir, Elizabeth. Several miscarriages happened in between that time. The final miscarriage came in January 1536. Ironically, the child Anne had miscarried in January 1536, was a son. The miscarriage was the beginning of the end. It wasn't until April that year that signs started to emerge that Anne had fallen out of favour with the Henry VIII. Such as Henry VIII not giving to the Order of the Garter to Anne's brother, George Boleyn. Just a week after Henry VIII dismissed George Boleyn in this way, it wasn't just speculation that the Boleyn's fell out of favour with the King, there was solid proof. When Anne, George and five other men were arrested. They were arrested on what King Henry constituted as treasonous acts. Anne was accused of having incest with her own brother and extramarital affairs with five other men. While the men were accused of having extramarital affairs with her. On the 2nd of May 1536,Anne was arrested and taken to the Tower of London. She was accused of adultery, witchcraft and treason. She was later tried and executed. Anne Boleyn was executed on the 19th of May 1536 at Tower Green in the Tower of London.
Early Life Of George Boleyn George Boleyn was one of three children born to Thomas Boleyn and Elizabeth Howard. He was the middle child. His two sisters were Anne Boleyn and Mary Boleyn. George came from a well-to-do family. He was well educated. Spoke fluent French. And was talented in artistic pursuits, such as writing, music and poetry. Unlike his sisters Anne Boleyn and Mary Boleyn, George Boleyn didn't spend his youthful years overseas. George was most likely born in 1504. George Boleyn's rise to power Before George Boleyn's execution on the 17th of May 1536, he was a prominent member of Henry the VIII's Tudor court. He became very successful throughout his time at court. In 1525, George Boleyn became a member of the Privy Chamber. George Boleyn was then knighted in 1529. And was also given the title of Lord Rochford. Making him George Boleyn 2nd Viscount Rochford. At this point, when he was George Boleyn 2nd Viscount Rochford, he was at the height of his power. The following years until his death on the 17th of May 1536, saw George Boleyn Viscount Rochford receiving many gifts from Henry VIII. Lands and grants from the King.
The downfall of George Boleyn
The first evidence of trouble for the Boleyn's and George Boleyn himself is made apparent to us from the events of April 1536. George was expected to receive the Order of the Garter that month. However, he did not receive the Order of the Garter. On the 23rd of April 1536, George Boleyn did not receive the Order Of the Garter. The nomination went to one of the Boleyn's enemies, Sir Thomas Carew. Just over a week later, George Boleyn 2nd Viscount Rochford was arrested by the Kings men. Is it just a coincidence that George didn't receive the Order of the Garter a week before? Or, was his downfall in the works by that point? Probably the latter. It seems too much of a coincidence otherwise. The arrest and execution George Boleyn 2nd Viscount Rochford was arrested on the 2nd of May 1536. He was arrested at Whitehall. On 2 pm that day, he was taken to the Tower from Whitehall. His sister Anne Boleyn was also arrested on that day. He was arrested on grounds of having cardinal knowledge of his sister. Along with other high profile noblemen: Mark Smeaton, Henry Norris, Francis Weston and William Brereton. George was put on trail. Essentially it was a trial for show. The guilty result was a foregone conclusion. The trial of George Boleyn took place on the 15th of May 1536. It doesn't seem that George was put on a trial. If it was a real trail, it would have lasted days or weeks. Instead, the guilty version seems to have been read towards George before he even set foot in his trial. Whether or not Henry actually did believe that George was guilty, along with the other men and Anne, what is clear is that he wanted to be rid of them. And quickly. If we look at Catherine Howard's downfall and execution, in contrast, it took around two months for Henry to execute her. And she was guilty of being unfaithful to Henry. With the Boleyn case, things happened in a matter of days. There is no evidence of George's guilt. There is nothing to say that the allegations towards him were true. Not that it mattered. On the 17th of May 1536, George Boleyn alongside the five other men were taken to Tower Hill. There they were executed that morning.
The Tudors were a lively bunch; Christmas was no exception for them. There are some parts of the Tudors Chirstmas that we would recognise to this day. The most obvious thing that we would recognise about the Tudor Christmas is the religious aspect of it. The Tudors treated Christmas as a religious celebration, we still do today to some exctent. It was about celebrating the birth of Jesus. The time of celebrating the nativety. Going to church for the Tudors was a very important part of the Christmas celebrations. People during the Tudor era also had a long holiday, in todays terms. Today we have few days of work, a few days at Christmas, a few days at New Year - if we are lucky. However, for the Tudors, their time off was longer. They had a total of twelve days of from work. This was known as the Twelve Days. The Twelve Days of Christmas largely focused around giving a break to those who worked on the land. During Tudor times, this would have been the majority of people. Although serious feasting was largely reserved for the well-off. Such as royalty and the upper-classes. Those of the lower classes also feasted. We would recognise some of the things which Tudors ate at Christmas. Such as mince pies. However, those who could afford it, dined by eating goose. Even though it was the Victorians who popularized the eating of Turkey at Christmas, it can traced way back to Henry VIII. Henry VIII is the first king we know of who ate turkey on Christmas day. Besides the feasting, carol singing was also a popular part of Christmas celebrtions for the Tudors. Carol singing during the Tudor era, is thought to have been done to spread the story of the nativity. Yule log burning was also popular during the era. On Christmas Eve, Yule logs were wrapped in ribbons. They were then placed on the hearth. And were left to burn for the tweleve days of Christmas. Some of the Tudor celebrations which surrounded Christmas are unfamiliar to us. And some are very familiar to us.
Both Thomas Culpepper and Francis Dereham were executed on this day, on the 10th of December, 1541, on command of King Henry VIII on the grounds that both of them had affairs with his wife, Queen Catherine Howard. Catherine Howard shared the same fate as her cousin before her, Anne Bolyen. Both women were executed on grounds that they had extramarital affairs, outside their marriage to Henry VIII. However, most historians think that while Anne Boleyn was innocent , and did not have extramarital affairs (though, it is still a constested subject). It is believed that Catherine Howard ws guilty of having extramarital affairs.
The picture below shows one of the letters that Catherine Howard sent to Thomas Culpepper. The letter begins with Catherine Howard saying how much she has missed Culpepper, and that she goes on to say that she can't wait to see him again. The letter then goes onto to describe how Lady Rochford (George Bolyens wife, Anne Bolyens sister-in-law), was instrumental in setting up meetings between Culpepper and Howard. It would be this evidence that would bring down Lady Rochford, see her literally losing her mind, and being executed for her part in the affair. It is unclear why Lady Rochford would risk her life to help Catherine. We will propably never know why Rochford orchistrated these meetings between Howard and Culpepper. Perhaps at this stage her mental health was already in decline. But, if she did hve a sound mind at the time, she would have known she was risk her life to help Howard, as she had seen both her husband and her sister-in-law executed on charges of having extramarital affairs. Rochford also would have known the temperment of the king. A king who was notorious for his mood swings and unpridictability. There was also people closer to King Henry VIII, such as Thomas Moore and Cromwell, who he had exeuted - he would therefore not think twice about executing someone more distant. Whether or not Rochford thought of all of these implications, we will never know. Suprisingly there is little historical evidence about her life. Although we can understand why Catherine Howard could be so naive, having been a teenager with little to no life experience, the same cannot be said for Rochford, who was either 36 or 37 at the time of her downfall. Not only should Rochford's age have made her known better, but, so should have her experience at court. Rochford had a lifetime of experience at court. She was present at court as far back as when Catherine of Aragon was queen. The executation of her husband meant she lost everything, and was banished from court. The situation hit Jane both socially and financially. It took up to a year for her to be accepted back into court. Lady Rochford was given another she, why she through it away we will never know.
Lady Rochford and Catherine of Howard were both executed on the same day. They were executed at the Tower of London on the 13th of February, 1542. They were executed almost two months after the executions of Dereham and Culpepper.
Both men were executed on the same day also. They executions took place on the 10th of December, 1541, at the Tower of London. After they were executed, their heads were put on display at Tower Bridge. Culpepper received a clemency from the king that Dereham did not - his execution was changed to a beheading, from being hung, drawn and quartered. Whereas Dereham was; hung, drawn and quartered. It's more unclear whether or not Dereham did actually have an affair with Catherine while she was queen. His guilt in the situation seems to have been before she was queen, were both he and Catherine were thought to have been lovers. Although Howard stated that she had an affair with Dereham, Dereham pleaded his innocence in the matter. It seems likely that Dereham was innocent. There was thought to have been a pre-marriage contract between Dereham and Howard before she was married to Henry, however, there doesn't seem to be any convincing evidence that Dereham done anything to the queen while she was married to Henry. Was Catherine vengeful or bitter at the break-off of their possible union? It seems possible. Reading her words she seems more eager to implement Dereham, than Culpepper. Not just eager, but that she wanted to bring Dereham down. As with the execution of Anne Boleyn, and the men accused of having an affair with her, the situation with Catherine Howard and the men accused with having an affair with her is open to discussion. Perhaps to a lesser extent with Catherine Howard. But, the full picture is still open to interpretation.
This gave Mary Tudor ultimate power when she became queen Mary I. It is this ultimate power for which Mary Tudor has an infamous reputation. With her persecution of those who were of the protestant faith, by burning protestants at the stake, she is now renowned as Bloody Mary.
It is for Mary's religious persecutions that she is most known for, rather than being well known for the first female ruling monarch of England. Mary had followed in her fathers footsteps in burning so called 'heretics' at the stake. King Henry VIII is rumored to have executed between 57,000 and 72,000 people at the stake. Most likely due to being heretics. However, there is no actual evidence as to how many people Henry VIII did burn at the stake for religious reasons. Whereas, Queen Mary I is thought to have executed between270 and 300 protestants at the stake.
Although the title of Bloody Mary seems justified because of the notorious religious executions being carried out at her command, perhaps in someways the chosen name of 'Bloody Mary' can be seen in another way. Was the name of Bloody Mary really given to her because she was bloody? Or, was it a name given to her because of her Catholic faith, and therefore a way to demonize her? Or, was it a way to demonize her for being a female monarch, in a mans world? These two points are not being raised because she wasn't notorious, bloody or ruthless, she was. And evidence shows she was. These points are being raised because burning at the stake had been a method of execution in England since medieval times.
There is evidence that burning at the stake was a common method of execution since the medieval era in England, at least. It was a common method of execution to use on so called blasphemers. The law of monarchy of England routinely burned those at the stake who wereaccused of blasphemy. It was also used as a form of punishment and death before Mary became queen. Both in Scotland and in England. Below is a scene from The Tudors, which portrays the stake burning during Henry VIIIs reign.
There is evidence to suggest that Mary Tudor wasn't necessarily more bloody than previous monarchs. She was bloody, but so was her father before her. And monarchs before him. Executions of a religious nature at the time was 'the spirit of the age', as one historian put it. Which is accurate. But, whether we see the 'bloody' connotation given to Mary as something because of her religion, or sex is up for debate. Perhaps it is both. But it seems disingenuous to say that she was more bloody than previous monarchs.
Mary's ruthlessness is not only seen in the way she treated those with a different faith than her, it is also seen in her accession to power.
Mary came to power on the back of the death of her half-brother, Edward VI. Though, before Mary came to power to become queen, Lady Jane Grey had briefly assumed to role as ruling monarch. Grey was Mary Tudors cousin, is also known as the nine day queen. The time she had spent in the role as queen. She was just a teenager at the time she was executed on command of Mary. Through both claiming the title of queen, and the role her allies played in leading a rebellion against the first female monarch. The way that Mary handle the situation, and crushed her opponents may have made her father change his mind about being obsessed with the need of a male monarch to continue the line. Though, that's hypothetical. Mary handled the situation and won like a king would. The notion that Henry needed a male heir for the succession of the Tudor line seems somewhat silly in hindsight. As Henry's two daughters, Mary and Elizabeth were strong in their own right. Ironically stronger than the son that Henry wanted so desperately. Mary Tudor may not have been a long reigning queen, however, she is a queen that made an impact on history. Mainly a notorious one. But, like her father Henry VIII and her half-sister Elizabeth I, Mary was anything but boring. Mary I died on this day, the 17th of November, 1558. |
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