Person    | Female  Born 18/2/1516  Died 17/11/1558

Queen Mary I

Categories: Royalty

Born at Greenwich Palace. Daughter of King Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon. When her sickly brother, the Protestant King Edward VI died in 1553, Mary was, by normal accession rules, next in line to the throne but she was Catholic. Edward and his councillors (he was only aged 15 when he died) nominated the 15-year-old Protestant Lady Jane Grey as the next monarch but this only slightly delayed Mary's accession; Grey and her husband were imprisoned and beheaded.

In July 1554 Mary married the Catholic Prince Philip of Spain. That September she showed signs of pregnancy which continued until July 1555 when the bump receded with no birth. She put this false pregnancy down as "God's punishment" for her having "tolerated heretics" in her realm. Her reign was marked by the persecution of Protestants - see the Stratford Martyrs for a description of Bloody Mary's hated activities.

Died at St James's Palace and was succeeded by her half-sister, Elizabeth I.

2017: English Heritage published a page about her, the first "official" queen of England, euphemistically describing her reign as "difficult".

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them

This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
Queen Mary I

Commemorated ati

Greenwich Palace

The plaque was unveiled to commemorate the 450th anniversary of Queen Elizabe...

Read More

Other Subjects

Prince Lee Boo

Prince Lee Boo

Second son of Abba Thulle, ruler of Coorooraa in the Pelew Islands. He was brought to Britain by Captain Henry Wilson, who had been rescued and given hospitality by the islanders when his ship foun...

Person, Royalty

1 memorial
Lord Guilford Dudley / Guildford Dudley

Lord Guilford Dudley / Guildford Dudley

Son of John Dudley and husband of Lady Jane Grey - see there for more information.

Person, Politics & Administration, Royalty

1 memorial
Offa, King of Mercia

Offa, King of Mercia

He ruled over Kent, Sussex, Wessex and East Anglia. Famous for building the dyke named for him along the Welsh border. Settled a dispute with the Bishop of Worcester at the Council of Brentford in ...

Person, Royalty

1 memorial
William, Prince of Wales

William, Prince of Wales

Royal prince. Born St Mary's Hospital Paddington, first son (the heir) of Prince Charles and his first wife, Princess Diana.  Married Catherine Middleton in 2011. Known as the Duke of Cambridge un...

Person, Royalty

5 memorials
John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster

John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster

"Old John of Gaunt, time-honoured Lancaster" - first line in Shakespeare's Richard II. Fourth son of Edward III. Younger brother to the Black Prince. Uncle to Richard II. Born in Ghent. Lived at th...

Person, Politics & Administration, Royalty

2 memorials

Previously viewed

C. M. A. Bingen
War dead, WW1
1 memorial