Expert: Joseph Logue - 11/14/2005

Question
Hello my name is Josh Hinson.  I am doing a report on the direct affects of Mary Tudor's protestant killings on England.  If you could tell me some or point me in the right direction I would greatly appriciate it.

Thanks
Josh Hinson

Answer
Hello Josh,

You certainly have a rich topic there, as the era was beset by much religious strife in England.  Mary Tudor was a devout Catholic whose mother was Henry VIII's first wife, Catherine of Aragon.  Mary came to the throne upon the death of her younger half-brother, Edward VI (r. 1547-1553), and reigned until 1558.  Edward was a rigorous Protestant.  Mary sought to bring her country back into the fold headed by the Pope, in pursuit of which she married the King of Spain, Philip II.  Mary was succeeded by her younger half-sister, Elizabeth I (r. 1558-1603), whose main goal was to establish peace throughout her realm.  I'm sure you know that already, but I just wanted to make sure you have the very basic background.

Before getting to resources, I will tell you that one of the chief effects of Mary's zealotry was revulsion towards her pursuit of those of whom she considered in revolt against the one true Church.  Mary's direct involvement with the execution of countless numbers of "heretics" earned her the nickname "Bloody Mary."  The nation was aghast at how many died (it is impossible to know, but surely thousands).  This solidified their repudiation of the Catholic Church.

Since you said you are doing a report, I will tell you that any online sources I give must be used with care.  Web sites that end with ".gov", ".gov.uk", or ".edu" are probably safest, as they are government and academic sites.  Be very careful in what you take away from these resources -- and remember to CITE THEM CORRECTLY.  Ask your teacher or librarian for help in this matter.

Ask your librarian for help in finding these titles:

1 - Bosworth Field to Bloody Mary : an encyclopedia of the early Tudors / John A. Wagner.

2 - Tudor England : an encyclopedia / Arthur F. Kinney and David W. Swain, general editors ; Eugene D. Hill and William B. Long, co-editors ; editorial assistants, Francisco J. Borge and R. Morgan Griffin.

3 - Tudor histories of the English Reformations, 1530-83 / Thomas Betteridge.

4 - Religion and the English people, 1500-1640 : new voices/new perspectives

For online sources, I repeat my warning to check the source and to cite properly.  See if these help you understand the issue better:

A - http://departments.kings.edu/womens_history/marytudor.html
B - http://www.lakesideschool.org/studentweb/worldhistory/reformation/BloodyMary.htm
C - http://www.bartleby.com/65/ma/Mary1.html
D - http://www.womenwholead.org/mary_i.htm

The last one is a bit less academic, but quite interesting.

So there you have it Josh, I hope you find the answers you're looking for.  Good luck to you; write back and let me know how you did on your paper.  Thanks for visiting AllExperts.

Sincerely,

Joseph Logue