Queen Mary’s Tragic Life
Mary Tudor was the first queen regnant of England, reigning from 1553 until her end in 1558. She is best known for her religious persecutions of Protestants and the executions of over 300 subjects. But Mary’s life was full of many dark twists and turns that make her an almost tragic figure. She was the daughter of Catherine of Aragon, Henry VIII’s first unfortunate wife. Mary’s mother was banished from court and disgraced when Henry VIII turned his head to another bride, Anne Boleyn. Catherine’s failure to produce a male heir became an embarrassment for the mercurial king. And he even braved excommunication from the Catholic Church to achieve ending his marriage to Catherine. And Mary was spurned by her father. Which must have made for a very sad and lonely childhood.
By the time she was 38, she finally married Philip of Spain. Mary was pleased and looked devoted to Philip, intending to be a good and dutiful wife to him. Some people think that Philip was a bad husband, but it is not entirely true because he was generous and attentive to her, although he never loved her. And the pressures of producing an heir began to take their toll. By September 1554, Mary believed herself pregnant for the first time. With no way to test for pregnancy like we can today, everybody believed the queen was pregnant. She even exhibited signs: missing her period, morning sickness, and even beginning to gain weight just like you would during pregnancy… however this would not be Mary’s reality.