"In the name of God, Amen. I Marye by the Grace of God Quene of Englond, Spayne, France, both Sicelles, Jerusalem and Ireland, Defender of the Faythe, Archduchesse of Austriche, Duchesse of Burgundy, Millayne and Brabant, Countesse of Hapsburg, Flanders and Troll, and lawful wife to the most noble and virutous Prince Philippe, by the same Grace of God Kynge of the said realms and Dominyons of Engand…"
- unedited text from Queen Mary I of England's will
Two anticipating teenage girls huddle together in the dark bathroom at 11:58pm. As their parents' grandfather clock downstairs chimes midnight, in unison, they whisper her name into the mirror before them, "Bloody Mary… Bloody Mary… Bloody Mary…." The silence grips them.
"Do you see anything?" the younger girl asks.
"Just wait, she will come. And when she does you'd better be ready to run. They say she tries to claw your face out so that you'll be as ugly as she was." After another pause, the older girl demands, "Say it again."
"Bloody Mary…" the younger girl starts to tremble.
Suddenly their older brother jumps into the bathroom hollering, "I want to kill you all!"
The two older siblings burst into laughter as their younger sister recoils into the bathtub with a terrified expression on her face.
Her older sister sits down next to her in the tub, "Don't worry, Sara. It's only a legend!"
Alison Weir's The Children of Henry VIII contradicts common thought regarding the reign of Queen Mary I of England, 1553 - 1558. Modern interpretation places "Bloody Mary" in bathroom mirrors at midnight. However, Weir presents Mary as "virtuous, kind, truthful, affectionate, conscientious, dignified and gracious." The ill-fated Mary fought personal battles since adolescence, and is undoubtedly a sympathetic character. Her relatives, her husband and the noblemen of England assaulted her with treachery upon treachery. The few events that create the condemnation of Mary in the twentieth century are hardly worthy of such disrespect. Weir reveals the true story of the "Bloody" Queen Mary I.
In the beginning, Mary was outcast by her own family. She was the only surviving child of Henry VIII and his first wife, Catherine of Aragon. Catherine was a devout Catholic and a supportive, caring mother who focused Mary on academic studies, music and faith. Mary's relationship with her father was destroyed when her parents were divorced -- against the Catholic religion and the will of the Pope -- in 1532. In order to divorce his wife, Henry denounced the Pope and created the Church of England and proclaimed himself the head. Mrs. Weir explains Mary had been taught that this was nothing short of blasphemy. Mary stuck to her religious beliefs and remained loyal to her mother by refusing to acknowledge Henry's new wife Anne Boleyn as Queen. Mary was declared a bastard child, and removed from the line of succession to the throne. She was thrown into servitude to Anne Boleyn's daughter Elizabeth. Mary's own father had betrayed her. Weir pleads for our compassion towards this trodden princess.
An Act of Parliament in 1543 restores Mary to the line of succession, and therefore back into the Royal power game. After her father's death in 1547, her half brother Edward VI ascends the throne as a boy-king. Although the half-siblings were close in their youth, soon different religious influences tear them apart. As Edward grows, Mary is distanced from her post as heir to the throne. The Protestant Reformation piles up around Mary. The Council controlling King Edward -- and eventually Edward himself -- resents Mary's Catholicism. In March of 1549, the Act of Uniformity was passed, forcing Mary to abandon her Catholic mass and join the Protestants. Mary refused, knowing she might pay with her life. Although the commoners were still Catholic, the nobility had adopted Protestantism. Mary offered her house as a place of Catholic worship and was rebuked by the Council. Weir demonstrates the strength Mary held throughout her oppression. Weir quotes Francis van der Delft, the ambassador of Spain as saying, at the time, "The most dangerous crime a man can commit [in England] is to be a good Catholic and lead a righteous life." Beginning to fear that she will be murdered, she attempts to flee to Spain but fails. Surrounded by enemies, Mary clings harder to her religion. Despite numerous attempts to squelch her personal rebellion, Mary refuses to conform. Weir points to Mary's faith and determination through these episodes.
In January 1553, King Edward VI seemed on his deathbed. Suddenly, his Council retracted all animosity towards Mary and began to treat her as the heir to the throne. Suspicious and intelligent, Mary did not trust them. Betrayal still surrounds her. When it became apparent that Edward would die, the prominent members of the Council conspired to rob Mary of her inheritance. Once more, Weir shows us how Mary was abused by anyone who had the power to. John Dudley, the Duke of Northumberland and the most powerful man in England, pushed Lady Jane Grey forward to steal the throne. Jane was the granddaughter of Henry the eighth's sister Mary. The Protestant Dudley refused to allow the Reformation to be canceled out by the reign of Mary, and Jane was a strong Protestant. However, the people were on Mary's side, and Jane was only proclaimed Queen of England for nine days. For once, Mary overcame her appalling circumstance and rose to the throne.
Yet, Mary could not rest assured. Traitors and rebels were everywhere. When Mary married King Philip if Spain, opposition came from many who looked for any excuse to steal her throne. The decisive and solid queen crushed these rebellions. However, problems with Mary's marriage did not end there. Firstly, Mary was hopelessly in love with her husband, but it went unrequited. Philip married out of convenience and strategy. Philip breaks Mary's heart through promiscuity. Secondly, Mary attempts to bear him children, but her body refuses to cooperate. Twice, she is said to have had "hysterical pregnancy" in which she longed for a child so much that she convinced herself that she was pregnant. Although her stomach swelled, no child was ever born. Weir shows Mary's tragic life and exposes her suffering. Thirdly, Mary's joining of England with Spain brought England into a war they were not prepared to fight. Mary loses her favor with the people when this war loses Calias to France in 1558, the last of the remaining territories from England's victories in the Hundred Years' War.
With regard to her nickname, Weir explains the execution of what Mary deemed to be heretics. Once on the throne, Mary re-established Catholicism as the national religion and restores the Pope's power. Anyone preaching against her religion was burned or beheaded as traitors to the Crown. One story has risen from these executions. This, too, is only legend. One woman that Mary ordered burned was pregnant and gave birth during the execution. Mary supposedly ordered the child thrown back into the fire. Stories such as these, sensational and cruel, lead to modern misconception about Mary I.
Certainly, throughout her reign many were executed for their religious beliefs, but every other monarch to ascend the throne executed people. Granted, her methods of execution such as burning and beheading were torturous and harsh, but those were the customs of the time. Although it does not justify Mary ordering these deaths, it is out of faith that these people were killed. Weir gives us a range of pathetic circumstances that Mary goes through, but never allows us to believe that Mary was evil and vengeful. She was determined and found strength in her inner convictions.
Weir's book is a fascinating tale of the personal lives of Henry VIII's children, their rise to the throne and the royalty who surrounded them to help or prevent them from doing so. The story is a tragic one, with seemingly no happy endings for anyone. Mary I, Elizabeth I, and Edward VI were all strong, intelligent people determined to uphold their beliefs. The scandals and conflicts that arise from the three sibling's clashes would make an excellent television mini series.
