Today in 1558 Mary I died, aged 42 years old. She had made a will at Easter believing herself to be pregnant, but her husband Philip I left in July, and there are no records of preparations for the birth, so it was likely another phantom pregnancy. In August she got a fever, and seemed to recover, but then by the end of September was unwell again. She confirmed her father’s plan for succession, and though she didn’t name Elizabeth by name, she said the throne would go to the next lawful heir.
As she lay dying, she spoke of visions of angels, and said that when she died they would find Calais written on her heart – a nod towards having lost the final piece of land England had owned in France. She passed away so peacefully that it wasn’t noticed at first. On her death, her sister Elizabeth would become Elizabeth I.
That’s your Tudor Minute for today. Remember you can dive deeper into life in 16th century England through the Renaissance English History Podcast at englandcast.com.
Suggested links:
Album: Queen Mary’s Big Belly from the Gallicantus Choir
Tudor Summit: Melita Thomas on Mary Tudor
Episode 23 Mary Tudor (Mary I)
From my shop:
Tudorholic Collection
Featuring: I like the Tudors and three people mug
Ps. All products are made on-demand and can take a few weeks to ship.
Want more Tudor in your life? Join the Tudor Learning Circle - the only social network devoted solely to Tudor History. Sign up free at TudorLearningCircle.com! And why not Tudorfy your YouTube algorithm by getting exclusive videos and content on Heather's YouTube channel!
Heather Teysko is the creator, writer, and producer of The Renaissance English History Podcast,  one of the longest running indie history podcasts, going since 2009. She's been writing about history online for over 25 years, since her first site on Colonial American history became number one in history on Yahoo in 1998. She writes books, created the original Tudor Planner (a yearly diary filled with Tudor history) and in 2019 created the world's first Tudorcon (you can "attend" online this year!). She has been passionate about Tudor England since she first read Alison Weir's The Six Wives of Henry VIII 20 years ago, and subsequently moved to London after college to spend her time immersed in Tudor history.