thisfalconwhite: On this day in history… 19 July 1553: Mary I becomes Queen of England. Mary

thisfalconwhite:On this day in history…19 July 1553: Mary I becomes Queen of England.Mary Tudor nearly lost her claim to the throne when, immediately after the death of her brother, Edward VI, Lady Jane Grey was proclaimed queen on 10 July 1553. Edward had been determined to deny the throne to his Catholic sister, thereby declaring his Protestant cousin, Jane, to be his successor. John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland and Edward’s most influential counselor, benefitted from this plan, as Jane was married to his son, Guildford Dudley. Both Edward and Dudley misinterpreted, however, public opinion for this change in succession. At the time, Mary was incredibly popular with much of England, and she and her supporters were able to amass a large military force in Suffolk. Dudley attempted to muster his own force to deal with the crisis, but support for Jane Grey quickly collapsed. On 19 July 1553, Jane was officially deposed. On 3 August, Mary rode triumphantly into London, accompanied by her half-sister, Elizabeth, and a large retinue. The new queen was, initially, relatively forgiving of her enemies. John Dudley was the only prominent royal counselor to suffer execution, and Jane Grey was merely confined to the Tower of London. When a rebellion broke out nearly a year later, however, Mary decided that Jane was too dangerous to live (despite the fact that she had no part in the revolt) and had her sixteen-year-old cousin executed. Mary’s ardently Catholic religious policies, which led to the death of many Protestants, gave her the nickname, “Bloody Mary.” Fewer than 300 people were burnt at the stake, however, and this image of Mary is largely the result of Protestant propaganda under the reign of her Protestant successor, Elizabeth I. -- source link

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