Mary I, also known as "Bloody Mary," was the Queen of England from 1553 to 1558. She was a devout Catholic and sought to restore Catholicism as the dominant religion in England after the Protestant Reformation under her father, Henry VIII, and her brother, Edward VI.
Mary's reign was marked by a series of religious persecutions against Protestants. She enacted strict laws that punished those who refused to conform to Catholicism. These punishments included:
- Burning at the stake: This was the most common form of execution for heresy, and many Protestants were burned alive.
- Imprisonment: Protestants were often imprisoned for their beliefs, sometimes for extended periods.
- Confiscation of property: Protestants could lose their land and possessions if they were found guilty of heresy.
- Exile: Some Protestants were forced to flee England to escape persecution.
Examples of Mary's Persecutions:
- Thomas Cranmer: The Archbishop of Canterbury, who had played a key role in the English Reformation, was convicted of heresy and burned at the stake in 1556.
- Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley: Two prominent Protestant bishops were also burned at the stake in 1555.
- John Rogers: The first Protestant martyr of Mary's reign, he was burned at the stake in 1555.
Mary's persecutions were extremely harsh and resulted in the deaths of hundreds of Protestants. These actions earned her the nickname "Bloody Mary" and cemented her place in history as a symbol of religious intolerance.
