Hi my name is Jon and welcome to another edition of History Roadshow.
The lady Mary had a most unusual and difficult start in life.
It's a story of how 16th century England
was not the best in terms of creating a harmonious lifestyle.
Mary was born in 1516; her father was the King, Henry VIII
and his first wife, Catherine of Aragon.
Throughout her early years,
she would be heir apparent and carry her duties as the royal princess with confidence.
Mary received classical schooling with the usual language and musical education.
But being a princess, she would also be of great interest to European houses.
And why not?
However, the longer her father failed to produce a male heir,
the more he became aggrieved with his wife, Catherine.
So how would this change Mary's relationship with her father?
And could this highly strung youngster compete in an unforgiving world?
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By 1525, Henry was now so distraught about not having a true heir and son to look over his country.
He had considered one of his illegitimate children, Henry Fitzroy, to take hold
of the reigns; although this never happened, Mary would now have a very uncertain future,
she was moved from court to her own house at Ludlow.
The move was both extreme and alarming for Mary,
who now had to try and rebuild bridges that had separated herself from her father.
But Henry had more urgent matters; in fact, the Great Matter
as it came to be known was now top of his list of priorities.
Just two years later, in 1527, the King's effort in removing his queen had become
public knowledge, and it was to be the start of many years of fatigue for the young girl.
Mary was literally in limbo, and she never knew
whether she was coming or going and all at the whim of one man.
Her future remained in doubt on so many issues.
What was Mary to do?
And could she continue to endure the parental torture? That was
now not only having a mental but also a physical impact!
When Henry finally removed his wife Catherine in 1531, he would then add insult
to injury by claiming neither Mary nor Catherine would be allowed to see each other.
In 1533, Henry married Anne Boleyn and declared his previous marriage illegal.
Mary would once again come under scrutiny.
Her father was utterly arrogant, and the young princess began
a period of what can only be described as downsizing.
The following years were disastrous, Mary's intellectual and personal development
would both suffer, not to mention the continuing humiliating admissions from the King.
Mary was banned from seeing her mother, and her religious beliefs were placed
on the back burner; she was deprived of her title and finally removed from the succession.
For a young girl growing into maturity, the pressures were unbelievable.
Henry had gone once again too far, his thought process over these years
beggars belief at the treatment he displayed towards his daughter, and yes, Mary suffered.
Ambassadors wrote at the time, Mary was prone now
to frequent illness and even occasional hysteria.
The King's attitude must change, but how or even
where do you begin to understand how the mind of such a man works?
Mary continued to struggle with her health throughout her life, but also she was never able
to fully grasp the thought of mixing with the new English Protestantism.
The King's instigation of such religious matters would cause a significant backlash in later life.
Funnily enough, the pressures eased on Mary after her father's third
wife produced a son, the future King Edward VI, in 1537.
Mary could now take a back seat and begin to relax a little.
The pressure of being removed and her succession was not even an issue at the birth of this male heir.
Mary grew in confidence, she was allowed back to court and,
through the following years of her father's life, reignited her Catholicism gradually she gained support.
The Howard family were sympathetic,
and even Catherine Parr, her father's last wife, seemed to warm to her.
In 1544 Mary had been reinstated into the line of succession; she would be
sandwiched between Edward and Elizabeth, Henry's other daughter to Anne Boleyn.
It was sealed when Henry's Will made a note of this,
the future looked bright, yet the future was about to turn blood red.
Mary, just 31 at this time, would now look to a much more peaceful life,
she had endured for many years, and at last, circumstances seemed to be on her side.
When Edward reigned, Mary became the holder of substantial estates,
a nice little nest egg and even regained some respect for her title of princess.
But above all else, Mary wanted marriage, and at her age and still single was becoming a worry.
Mary stayed away much of the time from court, although she got on with her
half brother, it was deemed more responsible to live and let live at this time.
It would also allow her to stay away from the protestant mindset
at court, the one thing she could never get her head around.
In the privacy of her home, Mary could do what she wanted, away
from prying eyes and the nosey neighbours of the court.
However, the practice of Catholic ways in a protestant country didn't sit
well with everyone, especially Edwards uncle, the duke of Somerset.
However, Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor, gladly defended
his cousin's stand and hoped she would continue to maintain the practice.
In 1550 John Dudley, earl of Warwick,
succeeded Somerset and was now effectively the ruler of England.
Mary would again find herself under pressure, and her situation only worsened.
Dudley only saw Mary as a threat, she was clearly the first choice of Catholics
throughout the realm, but as an intolerant protestant, Dudley defied her in every way.
Mary eventually lost the rite to continue her Catholic duties within her own household.
Although she made efforts to keep alive her beliefs,
the pressure was so great something had to change.
Mary left England in 1552, now heading for Spain.
Although she was still on good terms with Edward, her fear of Dudley
and the rest of the government was a risk; it was one that made her very uncomfortable.
And now, with Edwards life in the balance, Mary
felt well equipped to move forward, she knew what she wanted.
She knew how to instigate it, in what would be for her, a glorious revolution, of sorts.
Separated at an early age from those who should have supported and cared
for her, her ideal's now we're one of intense feelings;
it would be her uncompromising devotion to catholicism that would drive her forward.
She still yearned for marriage, and even though now old in terms of giving birth,
the hope of a child and a true feeling of domestic bliss, was something she still craved.
Mary would eventually befriend the Spanish; they were much like herself
in the way of thoughts and understanding what was required in the world at the time.
It would be a preference that would ultimately suit both countries.
On Edwards death and the eve of her succession, Mary, now 37 was certainly embittered
by her apprenticeship, and would prove to be a queen that not surprisingly was distrustful.
She had led a life so far that had been eventful, to say the least.
However, The one certainty was that Mary, in the end, would wear the crown of England.
So do you think Mary's emotional rollercoaster of life
to this point would be the reasoning behind her anguish and unstable behaviour?
Was Henry to blame for the way she turned out?
Could her mother Catherine have done more to help her daughter?
Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below,
and as always thank you so much for watching, I'll see you again soon.