Edward VI

Queen Mary I reigned as queen of England for a short period (1533-1558). She is greatly recognized for her efforts in restoring Roman Catholicism and papal authority in England which had already been destabilized under King Edward VI.  After the death of Henry viii, King Edward VI took over and was a committed Protestant and was determined to ensure that the Protestantism prevailed in England.  Edward introduced several Protestants reforms that were against the Roman Catholics.  For instance, it is under his leadership that parliament ruled that priests could get married which was against the Catholics (Duncan). The Act of Uniformity was also passed during this regime that meant that all churches had to use the Protestant Book of Common Prayer and hold services in English, not Latin like Catholicism advocated for.

Nevertheless, Mary I was a devout Catholic and was determined to restore Catholicism in England. Under her leadership, there was a total repeal of all the legislations enacted under Edward VI and ensured that England returned fully to the papal authority and doctrine of Catholicism (Franklin-Harkrider). She was a great fanatic of Catholicism and was determined to suppress Protestantism.  She made sure that priests were not allowed to marry and use of English in church services was no longer permitted in England. She also spearheaded repealing of the Act of Supremacy, and this meant that the pope was de facto leader of the church in England (Schutte).

It is also prudent to note that it also during Mary’s regime that the original heresy laws were brought back and Mary I used them to suppress the Protestants. It is during this regime that almost 300 men and women were burned at the stake for heresy between 1555 and 1558. Several people were executed for a religious reason.  Most of the victims were from the south east and East Anglia and because of this, Mary I has been remembered as the ‘Bloody Mary’. Her reign also witnessed several Protestants fleeing England to Germany or Switzerland and only returned after her demise (Duncan). In essence, Mary I remains one of the most notable characters in Catholicism history.

 

Work cited

Duncan, Sarah. Mary I. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2012. Print.

Franklin-Harkrider, Melissa. Women, Reform And Community In Early Modern England. Woodbridge: Boydell, 2008. Print.

Schutte, Valerie. Mary I And The Art Of Book Dedications. Print.

 
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