Today is the birthday of Mary Tudor, named after Henry VIII’s sister, the Princess Mary.
Mary is sadly remembered as Bloody Mary, but much of that is through the lens of her sister’s successful reign – which was possible in large part because Elizabeth learned from the mistakes that Mary made (incidentally, Elizabeth killed as many Catholics as Mary killed Protestants – so the old saying that history is written by the victors holds true here).
I have a very soft spot in my heart for Mary, and want to point out that her reign had some upshots – she became England’s first Queen Regnant who ruled in her own right, preserving the Tudor dynasty so her sister Elizabeth could rule after she died. As Anna Whitelock wrote: “Her reign redefined the contours of the English monarchy and proved that queens could rule as kings.”
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, where there is an episode on Mary Tudor.
Suggested links:
Episode 23 Mary Tudor (Mary I)
Episode 074: Edward, Mary, and France
Episode 089: Edward and Mary and Religious Whiplash
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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.