2021-02-18 Thu

Mary I also called Mary Tudor or Bloody Mary was the first queen to rule England in her own right. She was known as Bloody Mary for her persecution of Protestants in a vain attempt to restore Roman Catholicism in England.

Mary was the daughter of King Henry VIII and the Spanish princess Catherine of Aragon. A studious and bright girl, she was educated by her mother and a governess of ducal rank.

She is best known for her vigorous attempt to reverse the English Reformation, which had begun during the reign of her father, Henry VIII. Her attempt to restore to the church the property confiscated in the previous two reigns was largely thwarted by parliament, but during her five-year reign, Mary had over 280 religious dissenters burned at the stake in the Marian persecutions.

After Mary's death in 1558, her re-establishment of Roman Catholicism was reversed by her younger half-sister and successor, Elizabeth I.

Mary drafted plans for currency reform but they were not implemented until after her death. Depicted here is a Philip and Sixpence. The obverse of a coin depicts Busts of Philip II and Mary facing each other. The reverse of a coin represents a crown that divides the date on top.

Image Source: Wikipedia.org