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".

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

King Henry II

King Henry II

King of England 1154–89. Born in France, son of Empress Matilda. The first of the Plantagenets monarchs. First friend and then murderer of Thomas Becket. Father of Richard I and King John - for a m...

Person, Royalty

2 memorials
Victoria, Duchess of Kent

Victoria, Duchess of Kent

Born Coberg. Mother of Queen Victoria. Her first marriage to Prince of Leiningen produced two children. Widowed, she married again in 1818 to Prince Edward, Duke of Kent at Coburg, (and again at Ke...

Person, Royalty

1 memorial
The Chase Royal Wedding street party

The Chase Royal Wedding street party

Sadly we can't find a picture on the web.  Were you there?  Got any snaps?

Event, Community / Clubs, Royalty

1 memorial
Empress Matilda / Empress Maud

Empress Matilda / Empress Maud

Maud / Maude / Matilda was the daughter of King Henry I. Married aged 12 to the future Holy Roman Emperor, Henry V, she moved to Germany and then Italy. When her husband died, 1125, her father move...

Person, Royalty, France

1 memorial