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The "Bloody" Reign of Queen Mary I Thudor

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The "Bloody" Reign of Queen Mary I Thudor
ACCADEMIC ESSAY

On topic: The ‘Bloody’ Reign of Queen Mary I Tudor

Subject: English civilization

31/01/2013
Sofia

There is no doubt that Queen Mary I Tudor, also known as Bloody Mary, is one of the most notorious monarchs of England. Although her reign lasted only for the short period of five years (1553-1558), she succeeded to leave her mark of horror in the British history as one of the cruellest and cold hearted Queen ever. However there might be some reasons which could explain the fact of her cruelty and fanaticism. If we take a look at the historical facts and try to analyze them then we could assume that the reason for her irrefutably ‘bloody’ reign may lie in the divorce between her parents and the consequences which it triggered and brought for her.
Queen Mary I of England was born February 18, 1516 as the daughter of King Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Argon. She was the only child of the union to survive infancy. In her early years Mary had a good childhood and was the center of court attention. She also enjoyed the love and favour of her father. It is well known though that King Henry VIII was obsessed with the idea of having a male heir to the throne and as the years go by and Mary remained his sole legitimate offspring, the King started to search for alternatives and decided to find a way to divorce Catherine of Argon and to remarry Ann Boleyn. In my opinion this could be regarded as the turning point for Mary’s future.
Henry VIII needed and approval from the Pope in order to annulate his marriage. This was impossible at that time, considering the believes, strict laws and traditions of the Roman Catholic Church. That is why the King decided to make whatever necessary to fulfill his desire and as a result split with the Catholic Church, establishing a new Protestant one – the Church of England. Afterwards he finally succeeded to have his marriage declared invalid and married

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