What effect do you think the annulment of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon's marriage had on their daughter Mary? Let me know below and check out: BUY MY BOOK (Find Your Irish Ancestors Online): amzn.to/3Z2ChnG Website (with 2 FREE DOWNLOADS): www.historycallingofficial.com/ Patreon: www.patreon.com/historycalling Amazon storefront: www.amazon.com/shop/historycalling Instagram: instagram.com/historycalling/
i feel terrible for Mary during the divorce. having your whole life taken away and having 0 control or voice sounds terrifying. i’d say it hardened her for her later life for the worse
I think it made her a more staunch Catholic clinging to her faith. I think it also made her desire to marry a spaniard to show loyalty to her mother. Which made everything so much worse. Nothing ever seemed to work out for her. Thanks for the videos.
It had EFFECTED her ENTIRE LIFE. I’m sure it scared the hell out of her about marriage prospects, after seeing what her father did to her mother and other wives.
Not only that, but there was always a very real threat of execution being hinted at. Her and Elizabeth must have been in constant dread. I’m not positive Henry would have followed through, but……🤷♀️
PTSD, I'd say. Divorce is usually terrible for children, especially when their parents have loved each other for a long time., but Mary's case was disastrous. Fearing death, separated from her mother, spied on, treated as a servant, denied freedom and so on. Plus the stepmother from Hell!
I admire the fact that Mary resisted having her sister Elizabeth put to death when she could easily done. I think Mary and Elizabeth were bonded thru all the life traumas they experienced together.
They’re even buried together with the inscription ‘Partners in throne and grave, here we sleep Elizabeth and Mary, sisters in hope of the Resurrection’ on their grave!
Yep! It makes sense. A lot of adult siblings with shared experiences of abusive parents grow up to have complicated relationships with each other throughout adulthood. (After all, abuse often pits the children against each other. The survival instinct to avoid the 'worst' physical/emotional attacks & fight for the most of the few praising and caring interactions their parents offer) But there's often, at least with hindsight, a shared understanding and compassion when they grow up; even if they still can't really seem to be close without resurfacing trauma. And in the case of Elizabeth and Mary, the constant barrage of political machinations and in-fighting imposed on them made it impossible for them to ever truly mend their relationship. It's sad.
The only reason she didn't is because her husband Philip convinced her not to since she didn't have an heir and he hated the French so didn't want Mary Q of S to be inline for the English throne.
I can’t even begin to imagine how much it affected Mary being treated in that manner by her own father. The mental strain of this on her as a child is beyond comprehension, but her father was also a self serving tyrant (imo).
Lori Carter its not just your opinion its known by a lot of people te man was a Psychopathic Sociopath Narcisisst Anne was wrong too for mistreating a young girl but lets be real she was Under Henry's control look what he would later do to her she also became his victim as Katherine Howard and Even Elizabeth
@@aprilgosa5779 Sorry but factually there is no such thing as a narcissist. What was Henry in reality? Henry was a cougar seeking, lustful, hypocritical,unfaithful hateful, abusive, neglectful adulterer.
Yes, she was a good woman who clearly loved Mary very much and didn't deserve Henry's eventual treatment of her at all. She's mentioned again in next week's video too.
Mine broke for her too as I researched this video. I knew she'd had a bad time of it, but didn't realise how bad until I was wading through the sources in horror.
@@nicolaaab1 ...... I had a soft spot for her as soon as she was born and Henry wouldn't even look at her. He commanded Catherine to give him an heir. He was too way too arrogant to understand that " you don't command a woman to give you a boy" . It's impossible to get what you want when it comes to that. He was so evil 😈
I do believe, Henry was very lucky that Mary did not flee to Spain. She would of almost certainly been used as a figurehead to invade England, and restore Catholicism.. likely bringing war and chaos to the land. Mary would of been set up as a puppet Queen in England, with Spain truly pulling the strings. Mary really did have a very hard childhood . She likely suffered from PTSD. Knowing more about Mary's early life certainly softened My view of Her. No child deserves the treatment She suffered Great video, as always!!
Yes, I think she would have been under Spain's thumb if she had gone there (though I think that would have been more to her liking than being under Henry's thumb). I also felt a lot more sympathy for her as I created the video than I have done previously. I'm working on the next one at the moment and things were still difficult for her even after Anne Boleyn's death. It's certainly evident that the actions that led to her becoming Bloody Mary didn't come out of nowhere. She'd been so damaged by the preceding 25 years of her life that I'm almost surprised she didn't act in an even worse manner once she finally obtained the throne.
I wish she Had gotten direct help from Spain and been put back as the Queen Raymond. Maybe her godmother wouldn't have been brutally executed years later maybe Henry would have been put out, maybe he would have never had that vicious son Edward. The 2nd of the monasteries could have gotten stopped and England could have been turned back.There would have been no need for the pilgrimage of grace and those people wouldn't have been martyred.I think history all around would have been much better. She would have been put back on the throne young enough to marry and have children and her direct descendants might be on the throne
@@ladyagnes7781 I'd rather not imagine English history without Gloriana's reign being Anne Boleyn's ultimate triumph in the end. Even with the Marian persecution set aside, Mary didn't have the steely, wily nature required to rule. I am truly glad Elizabeth became Queen so quickly because Mary, wretched poor soul that she was, just didn't cut it. And I say this as a Catholic, mind you.
@@elisabetta611 I completely agree, Mary was a broken Woman, easily led by other's and not meant ( even unable after all She'd suffered) for a position of power. Elizabeth was the better Queen, and had the wit, charisma and intellect to truly navigate Her Reign. History has shown as much :)
I totally agree with you, Queen Mary I was indeed a damaged Princess. I can not imagine any young girl today who could endure what Queen Mary I had. It is no wondered she did the things she did in later life. In her mind she was trying to atone to God what her father had done, believing in her mind that it was her faith in God and the Catholic church that got her through the torment. I always felt bad for the life she was forced to live and pray now that she has at long last found peace, where ever she is.
Yes, she had an awful time of it. If she was here today she'd need so much therapy and probably be suing Henry, or reporting him to the police, for abuse.
On the actual topic of the vid: I knew Mary had been treated horribly, but I'm saddened to learn it was even worse than I thought! I keep thinking my opinion of Henry VIII couldn't get any lower, but _that man..._ I don't think Mary deserves as much criticism as she gets, being singled out as one of England's worst monarchs, but it's not cos I think of her dreadful suffering as an "excuse"- that gives me sympathy for her, but I think it's very simplistic to see it as the cause of her burning Protestants; I think it's one of many factors. The main reason I think the criticism she gets is unfair is that her religious persecutioun, as bad as it was, really pales in comparison to what so many other monarchs did- Edward I's invasions of Wales & Scotland, William I's Harrying of the North, Richard II putting down the Peasant's Revolt- but they're nowhere near as vilified as Mary. Anti-Catholicism & sexism, & I'm not cool with it. Excellent! Really interesting & I learned lots!
Thank you, I'm really glad you liked it. Yes, Henry really put her through the ringer and we're only up to 1536. There were further difficulties with him and with Edward later on (see the next video on Friday). I think Mary's reputation has suffered from a lot of double standards too. She did some terrible things, there's no getting away from that, but she's a lot more complicated that just a cookie-cutter 'baddie' and as you say, others did the same or worse and haven't been as vilified by the history books.
@@thefrogsscalp777 Same; I've given up even trying to be objective in his case! It drives me insane that people are obsessed with finding a medical explanation- cough, _excuse-_ for his behaviour. He had all the power, & he CHOSE to be cruel, even when it wasn't politically "necessary" :(
I agree too often we forget that during the reformation that there was a lot of propaganda by both Catholics and Protestants to paint their enemies in the worst possible light.
Henry's cruel treatment of her would have been shattering. A lesser person would have crumbled. Tho she did commit some terrible crimes, it seems most kings also did and got less bad press. Could misogyny have possibly been a factor? I'm inclined to believe it definitely had a role!
I feel like Mary spent her WHOLE LIFE desperately trying to do what was expected of her, whether as a recognized heir, an exiled bastard, a ruler, a Catholic, a wife, and mother and despite all of her effort and pious obedience, it did not quite pan out the way she planned.
Thank you so much for this video. Rarely is any attention given to the psychological trauma Mary endured during her lifetime. What a shock it must have been for her to be a princess one day and a bastard the next--all at her father's doing! To be deprived of her dear mother at such a critical time was cruel. That her mother died of heart cancer is testament to how broken hearted Catherine must have been over the drastic changes in her life! Catherine could have never envisioned that Henry would discard her. I've always that it odd how Anne lost her boy child on the day of Catherin's funeral. There is so much psychology that has never been addressed during the lives of these Tudor women. I've often wondered how they must have felt, what they thought. Behind it all was Henry the VIII. Thank you, again. I look forward to the video next week!
I totally agree. I was saying in one of the other comments I just answered that I think Mary would be in need of serious therapy if she was alive today, but unfortunately there was nothing like that then, so I would imagine the trauma just festered. Yes, there are a lot of odd coincidences, such as Anne miscarrying the say of Catherine's funeral and Catherine's cause of death essentially being a broken heart. Henry certainly had a lot to answer for. I think there were probably relatively few people who came into prolonged contact with him as an adult who weren't damaged or even killed by the experience. Thanks for watching and commenting.
I knew Mary had a bad childhood from watching The Tudors when I was a teenager, but I never thought it was this heart-shattering! Now as a woman in my late 20s who's gotten a BA in History (with an emphasis on Medieval and American), I'm still just as fascinated by the Tudors as I was then. Having watched this video and learning more about Mary's early life, I am absolutely appalled at her treatment! Watching this almost made me tear up. My heart aches for this young woman. I wish I could just wrap my arms around her and give her a big hug, never letting her go, while also giving her a good talking-to about later things she would do and how she treated people. Learning more about her life and Henry's disastrous reign makes me contemplate how Prince Arthur would've no doubt ruled differently-how his reign would compare and contrast to his brother's. I want to believe that Arthur would've given Mary the love and encouragement she so desperately needed from a father, if he had had the opportunity to. Great video, as always, @History Calling! You did a very good job on balancing empathy and compassion for Mary with accountability for her later crimes. I have binge-watched many of your Tudor series videos over the past few days. If you would make a video on your research methods and resources, that would be greatly appreciated and I know I would find it fascinating. I live in the US, and am not able to go to England to do the research I so desperately want to. Love from an anglophile, Jessie
@@HistoryCalling I enjoy your videos very much. I am absolutely a Tudor History enthusiast! I think the story of the Tudors from a psychological perspective is fascinating. Of course, that's looking back with our current points of view about life. What was normal then? For a king to kill off so many people who he once favored? How could anyone feel safe!?
Pamela Morgan yes Catherine of Aragon died because her daughter was stolen from her shedied of a Mother's Broken Heart! I am conflicted about Mary yes she was treated horribly but burning people for religion is bad I understand they were extremely superstitious in those days and maybe had her mother been there at the crucial ages she would have grown up to never be titled Bloody Mary who knows sometimes I think if Henry had not lost his mother so young he would have been different but a lot of kids have crappy childhoods and crappy parents or parent and they do not harm others so I don't know but Mary certainly had a bad childhood and it was daddy dearest's fault that part
Oh trust me Henry died the way he did for a reason I hope he suffered greatly he had Syphilis and a oozing ulcerated sore on his leg Elizabeth also had a horrible childhood though too her mother was murdered when she was 3 for crap Henry falsified
He treated Elizabeth badly after Anne's death. The only children he treated well throughout their/his entire lives was his sons. Henry hated women. I don't think he started out that way, but no one knows when that tide started to turn within his mind.
This is truly the Best video, on Mary's early life, I have ever seen on RUclips! History Calling has managed to narrate Mary's teenage year's with great skill, knowledge, empathy and compassion. All the while, still holding Mary to accountability for Her later crime's. Henry and Anne treated this, still innocent child, atrociously! Abandoned beaten and starved, not just of food, but love, affection and of Her Mother's presence. All caused by a Father She had adored! It's small wonder that Mary turned Her many year's of pent up grief, fear and confusion, into anger, hatred and vengeance, as soon as She had Any power I hope this video shows people the other side of Mary, and the terrible abuse She suffered. I can't help but wonder- would Mary's reign have been so "Bloody" if She'd had a more stable, loving environment during Her formative year's? I doubt it would have been..
Thanks Elle :-) I'm really glad you enjoyed the video and felt I got the balance between Mary's suffering and her own faults right. It's very tricky to do when you know what she did later on, as you don't ever want people to think you're making excuses for her later behaviour.
@@HistoryCalling You done an absolutely perfect job! You gave a fair & balanced account of Mary, at this stage of Her life.. while also not condoning Her future crime's :) Brava!!
@@TheOnlyElle. I am sure she still would have burnt Protestants. She came from the Spanish Queens and Kings. She would have tortured every Protestant to death. It was common, her Mother enjoyed such events as a child too. They thought it was a pleasure they did to God. And as much as I find it cruel what was done to her ( well... Tudors. I will never like one of them), I cannot forget how cruel she was, and she was it because of coming from the Spanish reigning family. My own family had once to flee their home for being protestant. I live my ancestors, and think this beast could have killed them sich way, too. Again: This cruelty came from her proud feelings of being Spanish catholic. Even if that Tudors had raised her 24/7 on his knees, and if he would have loved her Mother, she would have killed every Protestant she could catch. Her Mother brought it all the way from Spain to England.
@@winterweib .... France was the same way. My 12th great grandfather was born in Poitou France and had to flee because the Prostetants were being persecuted and executed if caught.
Henry was truly such a cruel monster, even to his own family. He treated Mary like this (and I will not tolerate anyone saying he did it because of Anne -- while she did encourage him, he treated Mary no better after Anne's execution) and after Anne's death, Elizabeth fell into such neglect that none of her clothes fit her.
If I had gone through all the situation that suffered Princess Mary Tudor as a teenager, I would be mad of resentment. Thanks you for uploading this video, who rescue and underrated historical person as Princess and later Queen: Mary Tudor RIP Mary joint to you mother 🌹♥️🌷❤️ Greetings from Argentina 🇦🇷
You're welcome :-) Yes, I don't think I'd be able to deal with her treatment either. It's a wonder she held it together as well as she did, for as long as she did.
She wasn't even trying to hurt her subjects. The prevailing thought of the time was the burning of the stake was a taste of hell that gave the person experiencing it one last chance to repent before experiencing it for real. Terrible as it was she was using the tortious death of their bodies to save their souls.
Yes, young Mary had suffered. But Elizabeth faired no better when it came to Henry's love. When Anne Boleyn was executed, things changed for Elizabeth: she was stripped of the title Princess, and was made illegitimate and taken out of the line of succession to name a few. Then she was put in the tower by her own sister, Mary I later on. I blame Henry.
I love your videos. I feel for Mary. She's not my favourite Tudor but she gets a bad rap. I think all of Henry's children are "damaged" and they all have their father in common. Imagine being the apple of your dad's eye for him to show utter distain and hatred for you? Then he told her she couldn't see her mother? She clearly developed mental health issues from how she was treated by someone who should love you unconditionally. I don't condone her behaviour as Queen but her dad was an arse and her younger brother thought she wasn't worthy so it isn't surprising she acted in such a manner.
I'm the same. She's never been my favourite either, but in putting together the videos on her I'm definitely gaining a better understanding of her and sympathy for her. I also think she's been judged unfairly against her father and siblings, who had easier lives yet did terrible things too (even Elizabeth), yet they don't have the word 'Bloody' in front of their name. I don't think I would be mentally strong enough to endure what she did, let alone as a teenager. She'd be in so much therapy if she was alive today. Glad you enjoyed the video. Thanks for watching and commenting.
@@HistoryCalling Agreed except with one thing: Elizabeth most certainly did NOT have an easier youth/life than Mary. Her mother murdered, her being called Mark Smeaton's bastard, losing Catherine Howard, Thomas Seymour molesting her, both her siblings nearly EXECUTING her....yeah...
Imagine growing up knowing your father had executed your mother. Elizabeth.had a traumatic childhood and was motherless with an abusive father. She, however, found some inner light and strength and became a great Queen. She was not perfect, but for her times and considering her traumatic childhood, Elizabeth was a great monarch.
@@magenta6754....... They both survived the best way they could during the time under the circumstances when women or most women were nothing or nobody compared to a male.
I believe Mary was mentally abused throughout her life no wonder she struggled with life, she love her mother but was parted from her, she was treated awfully by her father who abused all his wives, except Jane Seymour who died before he had time to tire of her, also she had given him a son, so who knows what would have happened, but I think Mary would have been treated badly.
He would’ve grown tired of Jane Seymour even with the fact that she gave him a son, when Jane Seymour was married to him and pregnant with Edward. He had many mistresses at the time as well. There were no actual “love” at any point in their marriage or even beforehand.
Thank you so much for making such interesting videos full of knowledge delivered so eloquently! Keep up the great work, I thoroughly enjoy your videos and learn so much of what I never knew I never knew, I love it!
So happy to get this video! I was honestly waiting for it! 🌺 I have mixed feelings for Mary .. her life was nothing but tragic and I feel all the evil she showed later came directly from her father, one of the worst King ever. Do I blame her parents? Sure I do. If I could split on Henry VIII tomb I would. Figuratively speaking obviously.
Haha, I'm glad you won't be spitting on Henry's tomb for real. That would probably get you a lifetime ban from St George's chapel. Also there are other people buried in there too (Jane Seymour and one of Queen Anne Stuart's children if memory serves). Glad you liked the video. Thanks for watching.
I think it was very wise of Henry's children to not complete Henry VIII tomb the way he had planned. It was to be 25% larger than his parents tomb and above ground. If that existed today above ground, it would likely be always under repair due to visitors likely seeking his grave out to give Henry VIII a piece of their mind about what they think of him. It wouldn't be pretty. It is best he remains underground with a simple black slab to mark his burial site.
I know. Much as I like many things about Anne Boleyn, her treatment of Mary is a great stain on her reputation in my opinion. It really showed a very unpleasant side of her.
@@cathrynhesketh5703 I listened to it on audible. It was very interesting bc I always had seen Anne as a villain too. But the book made a lot more sense to me! Let me know what you think 🤓
I didn't know Mary was sent to the Welsh Marches! Just like Edward V & Prince Arthur Tudor had been, but unlike her own father... I think that's really nice, partly cos it seems like Henry VIII honouring & respecting his eldest daughter for once- & his father Henry VII (even more surprisingly) & grandfather Edward IV too, by following their precedent, just as Henry VII had followed Edward IV's.
Yes, off the top of my head I think she's the only woman in history to effectively be treated as the Princess of Wales in her own right. It was all looking so good for her at that point, but sadly we know what happened next. :-(
@@HistoryCalling And we have Henry and his minions to thank for that(like the Boleyns and the Cranmer)
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Say what you may about Mary but she had a backbone like few others. To became an outcast from one moment to another must of been dizzying: from beloved daughter and princess to a bastard born of incest. The anxiety certainly took a toll on her health and she was always in fear of the future. It all must have had an enormous impact on her personality, possibly affecting her perception of the world around her.
Mary should have been married off to a foreign prince when she was younger. It was unnatural that Mary remained on the royal marriage market for so long but unfortunately for her this was due in part to her value as a political asset. Contracts would be broken as Henry switched alliances from one European power to another, with Mary ending up waiting on the shelf. Mary's estrangement from her father during the tumultuous period of the annulment/marriage to Anne, further delayed Mary's marriage prospects. Whilst Henry treated his daughter abominably during this time, he also wasn't prepared to let her go abroad as it would have been too much of a risk to him politically. Even after her mother's death, Mary languished in spinsterhood. I can't help but think how much happier and content Mary could have been if she had been married off earlier to a foreign prince. The tyranny of distance could have enabled her to escape the tyranny of her father.... Not that Mary would have welcomed that option given that Katherine had inculcated a strong sense of destiny in Mary as the legitimate heir to the throne. It was only under extreme duress that Mary capitulated (insincerely) to her father's threats, for her to accept her reduced status as "Lady Mary".
I actually think that Ann Boylins famous pearl drops came from Katherine of Aragon. On one of the pictures you have showed of Katherine, a necklace with three pearl drops is shown.
Got to admit I feel sorry for Mary, a rotten upbringing, disowned as illegitimate by her father, despised by her first stepmother, no wonder she became bitter and twisted! The picture you show of her doesn't do her any favours either, she looks to have a sly and vindictive face and then to top it all off she gets rejected by her husband! A really sad Individual who could have turned out differently if her parents had only remained together. I can't help thinking that the reason she burned protestants so often was to punish them for her step mother Ann Boleyn turning her father away from Catholicism.
I know. She had a terrible time of it and I certainly wonder about her attitude towards Protestants as well. I cover that in more detail in my video on her reign (Life of Mary I, part 3).
Anne Boleyn didn't turn Henry from his faith nor was she a Protestant. He was a Catholic til the day he died. What he did was break from the Pope's authority and make himself head of the Catholic Church of England.
@@ThePlataf I respect your opinion, but I reckon that more like he was just hedging his bets! He was a monster in my mind and religion was just another tool to be used for his own self gratification. You would be wasting your time trying to convince me otherwise.
I absolutely Love and greatly appreciate the dedication to these videos!!! The loads of research for truth you do! Thank you so very much!!! New viewer here and absolutely thrilled to have found your work! 🤩🤘🏽🤩🤘🏽
Harry created a cycle of viciousness that his daughters perpetuated as a result of the trauma and emotional neglect he inflicted on them. And yes, I know his other wives tried to bridge the gaps between Harry and his children, however that type of cyclic trauma is not easily remedied so late in the game.
@@HistoryCalling excellent video as usual :) I learned a lot more about Mary's early life and look forward to part two! I hope You're keeping well too ✨
He singled handed destroyed his own dynasty by destroying his own family and the heir had to be a woman, Mary was full of hate for very good reasons, and it probably destroyed her health and married to old to produce a heir. Elizabeth bailout of the idea of marriage completely because every woman around her was abused by their husband, Edward was a little sociopath an a tyrant in making that died young and even he noticed in his final moments that all the heirs to the throne were women. I will alway wonder what kind of queen Mary would have being if she wasn't abused as she was
Henry imparted so much TRAUMA onto Mary as he did with many people. The splitting of her parents relationship and how it was done by the King, her father, was injurious to Mary's self worth and it created trust issues for her generally. It shattered her trust in people, I think if she could not trust her Dad. He debased her as he did her mother, and his abuses were emotionally cruel- to deliberately hurt. I cannot understand how she coped as well as she did, to be frank. Internalised a lot, tried to use prayer in doing so, but may well have been injurious to her physical as well as mental health in the end, especially if she was not eating right as I read she was always very thin. I am not surprised she died by some visceral cancer of some sort. What if she got on the Ship sent by Spain and went to the Lowlands? Would she have been happier in the end???
Yes, Henry was absolutely awful to her and to Catherine too. I think you're correct that it damaged her health. Personally I think it helps to explain her later actions to an extent. It's a fascinating historical 'what if' wondering what would have happened if Mary had gone to Spain. Being a Tudor, my money is on her marrying someone powerful, getting an army and coming back for her throne after Edward's death.
I think she should have gone when she had the chance. That might've produced a better outcome for her. I also believe she made a grave mistake marrying Philip, after she had been advised by Cardinal Pole through his secretary not to marry for both practical and political reasons.
@@HistoryCalling I had thought. Mary may have had conception problems anyway with Phillip given the high 'factor value' of historical inbreeding with their family. Would she have had children if she was married much younger ?? Her health was reported as variable in life, but many women have had successful births in spite of variable ovulation and gynological issues, and still others have presented with uterine cervical or fallopian growths in thirties. Thanks for your informative replies.
In this video I began to understand for the first time why This future Queen was so aggressive against those she perceived as her enemy; of course two wrongs do not make a right.
Queen Mary was very unfortunate in History but I have a lot of symphaty towards her, she has endured a lot of hardships and humiliation. Even when she was Queen, she had only one objective in mind and that is to restore the Catholic faith but she never anticipate that ruling a kingdom is very complex. Edward and Mary were focused only on religion but failed to grasp the complexities of ruling
@@angelabender8132 Indeed, Catherine of Aragon inherited the traits of her Mother Queen Isabella but Mary, her daughter, failed because of the pain she endured
While we can't say for sure exactly what happened 500 years ago, I feel the fact that King Henry treats Queen Mary at least a bit better after Anne's death somewhat indicates that she might have had a significant part in how Queen Mary was treated.
Oh Anne was definitely horrible to her, but it was Mary's total submission that really improved Henry's treatment of her. I think it might have come as a shock to Mary after Anne's death that her father wasn't immediately lovely to her again. Henry was more than capable (and willing) to be horrible even without Anne potentially egging him on. A thoroughly unpleasant individual.
I feel so sorry for Mary. She lost everything..she had an awful life.. Unable to see her poor Mother Ignored by her Father..not to mention all the terrible things that happened to. Her.
I’ve always thought the myriad of change and abuse damaged her both mentally, and psychologically. She messed up, but given the circumstances it’s a miracle she got to the throne.
Mary was also forced to wait on Elizabeth, the sibling who now had her titles and personal property. I'm surprised Mary didn't kill Elizabeth after having her father and wicked stepmother pit her against her infant half sister.
You know, the thought has occurred to me too and I've wondered why Anne would want to risk her daughter around Mary. The two would never have been left alone together though and at this point Mary wasn't the kind of murderous fanatic that we know from later years. Anything she did to Elizabeth would have placed herself and her mother in peril too.
Uh....Elizabeth was a BLAMELESS infant, Mary KNEW that. Also Anne Boleyn wasn't a "wicked stepmother", there is FAR MORE NUANCE here than such fairy tale reductions.
Well, actually it's said Mary did love her little sister Elizabeth when they were growing up, even though she was the daughter of her indeed-sucky stepmother (no, Anne Boleyn didn't deserve to be decapitated, but she could put Lady Tremaine to shame). The rivalry between them really started when Mary saw her reign and the return of Catholicism to England jeopardized by Elizabeth.
Shame Henry didn't live long enough to see his precious dynasty collapse completely. And I don't have much sympathy for Anne in this particular regard either.
All these years later.. my heart goes out to Queen Catherine and the Princess 👑 Mary… after all Queen Catherine did for King and country they were more than tossed aside… and for what?? Because the King couldn’t produce a male heir with her.. I know they didn’t know any better at the time… But both woman were beyond worthy of their positions and deserved so much better… i truly believe there wouldn’t be a Bloody Mary today had Henry been an HONORABLE MAN… go figure he dumped his legitimate family and still died without a legitimate male heir!! is strange…as intrigued as I am about his life, I really really dislike Henry.
He had Edward at the time of his death (though admittedly the Roman Catholic church questioned his legitimacy as he'd been born after the breach with Rome). Yes, Henry was an ungrateful so and so to Catherine and a terrible father to Mary during this period. I'm with you. I really dislike the man.
It is impossible not to pity Mary. While I would never say that her treatment justified the cruelty she would inflict on others once she became Queen, she was ultimately the product of her circumstances. Henry was a vindictive narcissist; Mary, Elizabeth and Edward were ultimately extensions of himself to pick up and play with when he wanted, never beings in their own right. It's incredibly sad. We also cannot forget Mary was a fair bit older than her younger siblings and had experienced a (seemingly) loving father only to later be the target of his (true) darker side. In comparison, Edward was always well regarded (if largely ignored far away from court) while Elizabeth's only redeeming quality in Henry's eyes was that she was the most like him. Again, I really pity Mary.
honestly watching this i can completely understand why she was so obsessed with her husband. i know the black legend suggests that he was some kind of monster but most contemporary accounts just suggest that he was a fairly decent man who, critically, did his best to get on well with his wives. (it would also be interesting to know, considering his own experiences, what her relationship was like with her stepson carlos of asturias.)
Henry wanted a son to pass the Crown to simple...Like all kings or queens nothing was seen as more important Nor did king or queens let anything stand in their way
It's like this video used the Tudors and Philippa Gregory books to use as 'facts' for Mary... like the tip of her father's hat to her as she looked down from the tower. 🙃 This channel is amazing. I'm simply surprised to have found *this. Half of the crap is from historical fiction shows...
Henry like many kings was brutal. Those who like him will excuse or forget his ruthlessness. But one would think what he said on who is to succeed him would be law ( Until his death anyway ..because while he lived it didn't really matter who was next. ) . .. and that would settle the matter. It seems that a lot of death could have been avoided if the church let him marry Anne and England may have remained Catholic ... but there probably have been a civil war about religion soon after . it's funny/tragic how strong ideas are. I wondered if you could do a video on Richmond's followers.? I have heard he had a loyal group..I get the feeling that some did not like the idea of a woman ( Mary or Liz) and maybe they thought less strife would occur if he were king. ?
It is said that mary 1 had endometriosis which may ahve been a influence in her actions in her life as it is excruciating normally and made worse with stress (this is from the infographic show) as someone who lives with the condition and experiences awful symptoms even with modern medical treatments i feel bad with how much she had suffered.
Weirdly, this has me wondering what changes in the timeline could have led to a "Good Queen Mary," with a similar legacy of leading her people into the future as Elizabeth now enjoys. Like, you can't make her not Catholic, that's foundational for her, but what influences or experiences could have led her to tolerate Protestants? Or if King Henry had died after his jousting accident, when the break with Rome was still fresh, would the crown actually go to baby Elizabeth, or would Mary win out?
I know the 'Catherine' spelling of the name is a more modern iteration, but that doesn’t preclude women from choosing the older 'Katharine' spelling variant that we see above her tomb. I’ve always preferred that older way. It reminds me of my favorite classic movie actress Katharine Hepburn. And maybe that’s why. Now, she was already an old lady by the time I was a kid, but I discovered a love for classic movies later, and she was magnificent.
I am very interested in British history and I like your videos, but honestly you move so quickly through the stories with so many details that I find I don’t really get much out of them! Perhaps some charts or diagrams rather than trying to use so many photos would be helpful. No one but a history major could keep up with all the dates, and verbally linking all the other related stories makes it even more confusing. I’ve watched a good many of your videos, and I wish could leave a more flattering comment. I really wanted to like them.
Love your videos but so many ads. I understand the need from them but I couldn't just zone out and enjoy the content because there was an ad every couple of minutes. So frustrating
First off, thank you for saying annulment and not divorce. As you have correctly pointed out in other videos, divorce did not exist the way that we know it now, and for the other thing going by Henry's argument, he was never married in the first place so a divorce wouldn't be appropriate anyway. Even today, if Henry was correct, and annulment would be what would be sought. Thank you for discussing Mary's life pre-queen-ship. People gloss over exactly what she went through just knowing that Henry reputated her. And that it doesn't excuse things that she did when she was a queen, at least it gives maybe, a reason. However, it must be noted that she hesitated to do many things that were later attributed to her. She did not have Jane Gray executed right away when she was crowned as she easily could have done. She was forced to do so when there were movements to put Jane Grey back on the throne. And, I believe, it has been shown in documents that a lot of the killings of Protestants were urged on by Philip and even demanded by Philip. Mary did not instigate them on her own. Furthermore, most people concentrate on the killings that happened in her reign but completely ignore all the killings of Catholics that went on in Henry the 8th, Edward VI, and Elizabeth reigns. Not to mention James the first of England and so forth. It wasn't until more modern times that Catholics could even hold office. Not discounting the things that Mary did, but maybe throwing some light on them.
I read somewhere that Mary used to play , sing and sew baby Elizabeth dresses during their stay in Hatfield?. Was it false information?. Thank you for these videos btw.
I don’t blame Mary for anything that would happen in her during her reign because judging by how terrible her teens and 20s were, it’s a surprise she didn’t snap earlier
Mary burnt 54 people a year alive in the name of religion. Elizabeth hung 4 people a year in the name of religion. She was very much a LOT worse than Elizabeth. Mary was second only to her father, who is rightfully remembered as an evil tyrant and pretty much everyone’s least favourite English king
Royal family drama....sadly it continues today, but nowhere near as harsh. Diana vs Camilla. Harry & Meghan vs...William, Kate, Charles, Camilla, Elizabeth II, the late Prince Philip, etc.
I’m sorry, but there’s actually no reliable evidence of Anne Boleyn treating Mary cruelly. All of the primary sources claiming she was an awful stepmother are from Chapyus who hated Anne and didn’t even refer to her by name, only called her the concubine. There is evidence of Anne trying to reconcile Mary with the king if she’d accept her as Queen but Mary refused (which I don’t blame Mary for at all) and I really don’t think Anne’s character can ever be truly assessed due to all of the lies, rumors, gossip and the fact that Katherine of Aragon came from an extremely powerful family who made it their mission to besmirch both Anne and Elizabeth’s names and reputations. I also keep in mind the fact that the cruel treatment of Mary didn’t end when Anne Boleyn died, it in fact worsened immediately after her execution, and Jane Seymour didn’t actually do all that much to help Mary. She did try but she obviously wasn’t going to push it too hard since she had to look out for herself first. I think Henry was just a cruel bastard and I will say that a lot of the surviving documentation we have of Mary’s cruel treatment is again from Chapyus who was highly biased and would often report gossip as if it were fact in his letters to the emperor and it’s not hard to imagine him exaggerating and embellishing certain details to make the emperor more sympathetic to Mary’s plight-not saying she didn’t suffer greatly at her father’s hand, but a lot of details attributed to Anne are simply because Chapyus hated Anne and truly believed any of Henry’s misdeeds were due to her directly influencing him-which as we’ve obviously seen Henry VIII doesn’t let anyone truly have total influence over him and he definitely wouldn’t have done anything that he didn’t believe was of great benefit to himself. I don’t believe Anne was too concerned with Mary and again all the evidence of her humiliation can’t be attributed to Anne as so many solely blamed Anne for everything while refusing to place any blame on the king when history shows us Henry needed no one else’s help in being cruel to Mary.
There are handwritten notes from Anne to physically punish Mary. I don’t recall the source though. Anne was also cruel to her ladies. Anne was indeed very threatened by Mary. Plenty of supporting contemporary evidence. The only reason she wanted to ‘reconcile’ with Mary was because she wrongly thought she could trade ‘reconciliation’ for Mary recognizing her as Queen of England and Henry as supreme head of the church. Mary had values abs could not be bought
i don't believe anne felt any motherly affection for mary (they were only 9 to 15 years apart, after all) but i also don't believe she was a wicked stepmother. they simply didn't get along. mary was also 17 when anne married henry, so that also plays a factor. there is an exchange between them that i find funnier than i should, when anne thanked mary for bowing to her through a letter, only to receive one back with mary saying "i wasn't bowing to you 😒". feels very much like a teen's response. "YOU'RE NOT MY DADDDD" energy.
This is kind of why I don’t have a lot of sympathy for Anne. Yeah, she didn’t exactly ask to be in that position, but she really didn’t need to play the part of the wicked step mother.
The way Henry VIII treated his daughter Mary and his wives was repulsively unacceptable. I pity for Henry VIII's eternal soul. His soul could very well be in the torments like the proud rich man in Luke 16:19-31.
What effect do you think the annulment of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon's marriage had on their daughter Mary? Let me know below and check out:
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i feel terrible for Mary during the divorce. having your whole life taken away and having 0 control or voice sounds terrifying. i’d say it hardened her for her later life for the worse
I think it made her a more staunch Catholic clinging to her faith. I think it also made her desire to marry a spaniard to show loyalty to her mother. Which made everything so much worse. Nothing ever seemed to work out for her. Thanks for the videos.
It had EFFECTED her ENTIRE LIFE. I’m sure it scared the hell out of her about marriage prospects, after seeing what her father did to her mother and other wives.
Not only that, but there was always a very real threat of execution being hinted at. Her and Elizabeth must have been in constant dread. I’m not positive Henry would have followed through, but……🤷♀️
PTSD, I'd say.
Divorce is usually terrible for children, especially when their parents have loved each other for a long time., but Mary's case was disastrous. Fearing death, separated from her mother, spied on, treated as a servant, denied freedom and so on. Plus the stepmother from Hell!
I admire the fact that Mary resisted having her sister Elizabeth put to death when she could easily done. I think Mary and Elizabeth were bonded thru all the life traumas they experienced together.
Apparently they sort of liked each other in a really weird very twisted way
They’re even buried together with the inscription ‘Partners in throne and grave, here we sleep Elizabeth and Mary, sisters in hope of the Resurrection’ on their grave!
Yep! It makes sense.
A lot of adult siblings with shared experiences of abusive parents grow up to have complicated relationships with each other throughout adulthood. (After all, abuse often pits the children against each other. The survival instinct to avoid the 'worst' physical/emotional attacks & fight for the most of the few praising and caring interactions their parents offer) But there's often, at least with hindsight, a shared understanding and compassion when they grow up; even if they still can't really seem to be close without resurfacing trauma.
And in the case of Elizabeth and Mary, the constant barrage of political machinations and in-fighting imposed on them made it impossible for them to ever truly mend their relationship. It's sad.
You are all delusional
The only reason she didn't is because her husband Philip convinced her not to since she didn't have an heir and he hated the French so didn't want Mary Q of S to be inline for the English throne.
I can’t even begin to imagine how much it affected Mary being treated in that manner by her own father. The mental strain of this on her as a child is beyond comprehension, but her father was also a self serving tyrant (imo).
Anne Boleyn treat her terribly too
Lori Carter its not just your opinion its known by a lot of people te man was a Psychopathic Sociopath Narcisisst Anne was wrong too for mistreating a young girl but lets be real she was Under Henry's control look what he would later do to her she also became his victim as Katherine Howard and Even Elizabeth
He just was.... you're just right, don't think it's in doubt Henry was almost psychopathic in his treatment of people
@@aprilgosa5779 Sorry but factually there is no such thing as a narcissist. What was Henry in reality? Henry was a cougar seeking, lustful, hypocritical,unfaithful hateful, abusive, neglectful adulterer.
@@aprilgosa5779 No Anne did not have to treat Mary so badly. She should have stayed out of it, instead of adding to Mary’s grief.
I'm happy that you mentioned Lady Salisbury. I have huge appreciation of her devotion to Mary.
Yes, she was a good woman who clearly loved Mary very much and didn't deserve Henry's eventual treatment of her at all. She's mentioned again in next week's video too.
She made great 🥩
@@HistoryCalling I didn't know that Blessed Margaret ofSalisbury was Mary s godmother that was one of the reasons she was devoted to her
I remember reading Catherine Meyer’s Mary Bloody Mary as a child and learning about her story. My heart really broke for her.
Mine broke for her too as I researched this video. I knew she'd had a bad time of it, but didn't realise how bad until I was wading through the sources in horror.
Me too! Always had a soft spot for Mary after reading that book.
@@nicolaaab1 ......
I had a soft spot for her as soon as she was born and Henry wouldn't even look at her. He commanded Catherine to give him an heir. He was too way too arrogant to understand that " you don't command a woman to give you a boy" . It's impossible to get what you want when it comes to that. He was so evil 😈
I do believe, Henry was very lucky that Mary did not flee to Spain. She would of almost certainly been used as a figurehead to invade England, and restore Catholicism.. likely bringing war and chaos to the land. Mary would of been set up as a puppet Queen in England, with Spain truly pulling the strings. Mary really did have a very hard childhood . She likely suffered from PTSD. Knowing more about Mary's early life certainly softened My view of Her. No child deserves the treatment She suffered
Great video, as always!!
Yes, I think she would have been under Spain's thumb if she had gone there (though I think that would have been more to her liking than being under Henry's thumb). I also felt a lot more sympathy for her as I created the video than I have done previously. I'm working on the next one at the moment and things were still difficult for her even after Anne Boleyn's death. It's certainly evident that the actions that led to her becoming Bloody Mary didn't come out of nowhere. She'd been so damaged by the preceding 25 years of her life that I'm almost surprised she didn't act in an even worse manner once she finally obtained the throne.
I wish she Had gotten direct help from Spain and been put back as the Queen Raymond. Maybe her godmother wouldn't have been brutally executed years later maybe Henry would have been put out, maybe he would have never had that vicious son Edward.
The 2nd of the monasteries could have gotten stopped and England could have been turned back.There would have been no need for the pilgrimage of grace and those people wouldn't have been martyred.I think history all around would have been much better. She would have been put back on the throne young enough to marry and have children and her direct descendants might be on the throne
@@ladyagnes7781 I'd rather not imagine English history without Gloriana's reign being Anne Boleyn's ultimate triumph in the end. Even with the Marian persecution set aside, Mary didn't have the steely, wily nature required to rule. I am truly glad Elizabeth became Queen so quickly because Mary, wretched poor soul that she was, just didn't cut it. And I say this as a Catholic, mind you.
She was a woman of her age and she had been married to Henry for 18 years or more.. she simply would not leave
@@elisabetta611 I completely agree, Mary was a broken Woman, easily led by other's and not meant ( even unable after all She'd suffered) for a position of power. Elizabeth was the better Queen, and had the wit, charisma and intellect to truly navigate Her Reign. History has shown as much :)
Henry was such a mean horrible tyrant especially to his own daughter.
Henry was a tyrant to all of his wives, too. I'd have to guess he was a tyrant to everyone.
He created a tyrant in Mary. She's horrible. No sympathy for her needs to be wasted.
@@nancydemoss7904 .....
Pretty much seems so
I totally agree with you, Queen Mary I was indeed a damaged Princess. I can not imagine any young girl today who could endure what Queen Mary I had. It is no wondered she did the things she did in later life. In her mind she was trying to atone to God what her father had done, believing in her mind that it was her faith in God and the Catholic church that got her through the torment. I always felt bad for the life she was forced to live and pray now that she has at long last found peace, where ever she is.
Yes, she had an awful time of it. If she was here today she'd need so much therapy and probably be suing Henry, or reporting him to the police, for abuse.
@@HistoryCalling yep! Sue Henry
@@HistoryCalling religion was probably Mary's only outlet in lieu of therapy, which is probably why she was so devout.
On the actual topic of the vid: I knew Mary had been treated horribly, but I'm saddened to learn it was even worse than I thought! I keep thinking my opinion of Henry VIII couldn't get any lower, but _that man..._ I don't think Mary deserves as much criticism as she gets, being singled out as one of England's worst monarchs, but it's not cos I think of her dreadful suffering as an "excuse"- that gives me sympathy for her, but I think it's very simplistic to see it as the cause of her burning Protestants; I think it's one of many factors. The main reason I think the criticism she gets is unfair is that her religious persecutioun, as bad as it was, really pales in comparison to what so many other monarchs did- Edward I's invasions of Wales & Scotland, William I's Harrying of the North, Richard II putting down the Peasant's Revolt- but they're nowhere near as vilified as Mary. Anti-Catholicism & sexism, & I'm not cool with it.
Excellent! Really interesting & I learned lots!
Thank you, I'm really glad you liked it. Yes, Henry really put her through the ringer and we're only up to 1536. There were further difficulties with him and with Edward later on (see the next video on Friday). I think Mary's reputation has suffered from a lot of double standards too. She did some terrible things, there's no getting away from that, but she's a lot more complicated that just a cookie-cutter 'baddie' and as you say, others did the same or worse and haven't been as vilified by the history books.
Right on, Beth! I despise Henry VIII.
@@thefrogsscalp777 Same; I've given up even trying to be objective in his case! It drives me insane that people are obsessed with finding a medical explanation- cough, _excuse-_ for his behaviour. He had all the power, & he CHOSE to be cruel, even when it wasn't politically "necessary" :(
I agree too often we forget that during the reformation that there was a lot of propaganda by both Catholics and Protestants to paint their enemies in the worst possible light.
It's actually unfair to Mary. A lot of Elizabeth's achievements were planted by Mary.
Henry's cruel treatment of her would have been shattering. A lesser person would have crumbled. Tho she did commit some terrible crimes, it seems most kings also did and got less bad press. Could misogyny have possibly been a factor? I'm inclined to believe it definitely had a role!
I would say more than misogyny it was a case of very clever Elizabethan propaganda which is still effective until today
I feel like Mary spent her WHOLE LIFE desperately trying to do what was expected of her, whether as a recognized heir, an exiled bastard, a ruler, a Catholic, a wife, and mother and despite all of her effort and pious obedience, it did not quite pan out the way she planned.
I know, she just couldn't win. It doesn't get any better for her in the other videos unfortunately.
Thank you so much for this video. Rarely is any attention given to the psychological trauma Mary endured during her lifetime. What a shock it must have been for her to be a princess one day and a bastard the next--all at her father's doing! To be deprived of her dear mother at such a critical time was cruel. That her mother died of heart cancer is testament to how broken hearted Catherine must have been over the drastic changes in her life! Catherine could have never envisioned that Henry would discard her. I've always that it odd how Anne lost her boy child on the day of Catherin's funeral. There is so much psychology that has never been addressed during the lives of these Tudor women. I've often wondered how they must have felt, what they thought. Behind it all was Henry the VIII. Thank you, again. I look forward to the video next week!
I totally agree. I was saying in one of the other comments I just answered that I think Mary would be in need of serious therapy if she was alive today, but unfortunately there was nothing like that then, so I would imagine the trauma just festered. Yes, there are a lot of odd coincidences, such as Anne miscarrying the say of Catherine's funeral and Catherine's cause of death essentially being a broken heart. Henry certainly had a lot to answer for. I think there were probably relatively few people who came into prolonged contact with him as an adult who weren't damaged or even killed by the experience. Thanks for watching and commenting.
I knew Mary had a bad childhood from watching The Tudors when I was a teenager, but I never thought it was this heart-shattering! Now as a woman in my late 20s who's gotten a BA in History (with an emphasis on Medieval and American), I'm still just as fascinated by the Tudors as I was then. Having watched this video and learning more about Mary's early life, I am absolutely appalled at her treatment! Watching this almost made me tear up. My heart aches for this young woman. I wish I could just wrap my arms around her and give her a big hug, never letting her go, while also giving her a good talking-to about later things she would do and how she treated people. Learning more about her life and Henry's disastrous reign makes me contemplate how Prince Arthur would've no doubt ruled differently-how his reign would compare and contrast to his brother's. I want to believe that Arthur would've given Mary the love and encouragement she so desperately needed from a father, if he had had the opportunity to.
Great video, as always, @History Calling! You did a very good job on balancing empathy and compassion for Mary with accountability for her later crimes. I have binge-watched many of your Tudor series videos over the past few days. If you would make a video on your research methods and resources, that would be greatly appreciated and I know I would find it fascinating. I live in the US, and am not able to go to England to do the research I so desperately want to.
Love from an anglophile, Jessie
@@HistoryCalling I enjoy your videos very much. I am absolutely a Tudor History enthusiast! I think the story of the Tudors from a psychological perspective is fascinating. Of course, that's looking back with our current points of view about life. What was normal then? For a king to kill off so many people who he once favored? How could anyone feel safe!?
Pamela Morgan yes Catherine of Aragon died because her daughter was stolen from her shedied of a Mother's Broken Heart! I am conflicted about Mary yes she was treated horribly but burning people for religion is bad I understand they were extremely superstitious in those days and maybe had her mother been there at the crucial ages she would have grown up to never be titled Bloody Mary who knows sometimes I think if Henry had not lost his mother so young he would have been different but a lot of kids have crappy childhoods and crappy parents or parent and they do not harm others so I don't know but Mary certainly had a bad childhood and it was daddy dearest's fault that part
Oh trust me Henry died the way he did for a reason I hope he suffered greatly he had Syphilis and a oozing ulcerated sore on his leg Elizabeth also had a horrible childhood though too her mother was murdered when she was 3 for crap Henry falsified
Hard to imagine a father treating his daughter that way, Henry was a true psychopath
Henry had a damaged brain from syphilis, which can cause mental illness, “madness,” and certainly psychotic behavior.
He treated Elizabeth badly after Anne's death. The only children he treated well throughout their/his entire lives was his sons. Henry hated women. I don't think he started out that way, but no one knows when that tide started to turn within his mind.
This is truly the Best video, on Mary's early life, I have ever seen on RUclips! History Calling has managed to narrate Mary's teenage year's with great skill, knowledge, empathy and compassion. All the while, still holding Mary to accountability for Her later crime's.
Henry and Anne treated this, still innocent child, atrociously! Abandoned beaten and starved, not just of food, but love, affection and of Her Mother's presence. All caused by a Father She had adored! It's small wonder that Mary turned Her many year's of pent up grief, fear and confusion, into anger, hatred and vengeance, as soon as She had Any power
I hope this video shows people the other side of Mary, and the terrible abuse She suffered. I can't help but wonder- would Mary's reign have been so "Bloody" if She'd had a more stable, loving environment during Her formative year's? I doubt it would have been..
Thanks Elle :-) I'm really glad you enjoyed the video and felt I got the balance between Mary's suffering and her own faults right. It's very tricky to do when you know what she did later on, as you don't ever want people to think you're making excuses for her later behaviour.
@@HistoryCalling You done an absolutely perfect job! You gave a fair & balanced account of Mary, at this stage of Her life.. while also not condoning Her future crime's :) Brava!!
@@TheOnlyElle.
I am sure she still would have burnt Protestants. She came from the Spanish Queens and Kings. She would have tortured every Protestant to death. It was common, her Mother enjoyed such events as a child too. They thought it was a pleasure they did to God.
And as much as I find it cruel what was done to her ( well... Tudors. I will never like one of them), I cannot forget how cruel she was, and she was it because of coming from the Spanish reigning family.
My own family had once to flee their home for being protestant. I live my ancestors, and think this beast could have killed them sich way, too.
Again: This cruelty came from her proud feelings of being Spanish catholic. Even if that Tudors had raised her 24/7 on his knees, and if he would have loved her Mother, she would have killed every Protestant she could catch. Her Mother brought it all the way from Spain to England.
@@winterweib ....
France was the same way. My 12th great grandfather was born in Poitou France and had to flee because the Prostetants were being persecuted and executed if caught.
Henry was truly such a cruel monster, even to his own family. He treated Mary like this (and I will not tolerate anyone saying he did it because of Anne -- while she did encourage him, he treated Mary no better after Anne's execution) and after Anne's death, Elizabeth fell into such neglect that none of her clothes fit her.
If I had gone through all the situation that suffered Princess Mary Tudor as a teenager, I would be mad of resentment.
Thanks you for uploading this video, who rescue and underrated historical person as Princess and later Queen: Mary Tudor
RIP Mary joint to you mother 🌹♥️🌷❤️
Greetings from Argentina 🇦🇷
You're welcome :-) Yes, I don't think I'd be able to deal with her treatment either. It's a wonder she held it together as well as she did, for as long as she did.
The Unhappy Queen. Unhappy childhood, Unhappy marriage, Unhappy reign, Unhappy death. As for herself, I say hurt people hurt other people.
Couldn't have put it better myself.
She wasn’t hurt, she was broken. RIP.
She wasn't even trying to hurt her subjects. The prevailing thought of the time was the burning of the stake was a taste of hell that gave the person experiencing it one last chance to repent before experiencing it for real. Terrible as it was she was using the tortious death of their bodies to save their souls.
Yes, young Mary had suffered. But Elizabeth faired no better when it came to Henry's love. When Anne Boleyn was executed, things changed for Elizabeth: she was stripped of the title Princess, and was made illegitimate and taken out of the line of succession to name a few. Then she was put in the tower by her own sister, Mary I later on. I blame Henry.
I can't imagine the pain of being refused access to one's mother.
I love your videos. I feel for Mary. She's not my favourite Tudor but she gets a bad rap. I think all of Henry's children are "damaged" and they all have their father in common. Imagine being the apple of your dad's eye for him to show utter distain and hatred for you? Then he told her she couldn't see her mother? She clearly developed mental health issues from how she was treated by someone who should love you unconditionally. I don't condone her behaviour as Queen but her dad was an arse and her younger brother thought she wasn't worthy so it isn't surprising she acted in such a manner.
I'm the same. She's never been my favourite either, but in putting together the videos on her I'm definitely gaining a better understanding of her and sympathy for her. I also think she's been judged unfairly against her father and siblings, who had easier lives yet did terrible things too (even Elizabeth), yet they don't have the word 'Bloody' in front of their name. I don't think I would be mentally strong enough to endure what she did, let alone as a teenager. She'd be in so much therapy if she was alive today. Glad you enjoyed the video. Thanks for watching and commenting.
@@HistoryCalling Agreed except with one thing: Elizabeth most certainly did NOT have an easier youth/life than Mary. Her mother murdered, her being called Mark Smeaton's bastard, losing Catherine Howard, Thomas Seymour molesting her, both her siblings nearly EXECUTING her....yeah...
Imagine growing up knowing your father had executed your mother. Elizabeth.had a traumatic childhood and was motherless with an abusive father. She, however, found some inner light and strength and became a great Queen. She was not perfect, but for her times and considering her traumatic childhood, Elizabeth was a great monarch.
@@magenta6754.......
They both survived the best way they could during the time under the circumstances when women or most women were nothing or nobody compared to a male.
I believe Mary was mentally abused throughout her life no wonder she struggled with life, she love her mother but was parted from her, she was treated awfully by her father who abused all his wives, except Jane Seymour who died before he had time to tire of her, also she had given him a son, so who knows what would have happened, but I think Mary would have been treated badly.
He would’ve grown tired of Jane Seymour even with the fact that she gave him a son, when Jane Seymour was married to him and pregnant with Edward. He had many mistresses at the time as well. There were no actual “love” at any point in their marriage or even beforehand.
Anne of Cleves didn't abuse Mary
I think it was partly why she was such a staunch Catholic, it was a method of finding order in her mind. The whole business is really sad.
I disagree that Harry was "kind," to Jane Seymour, because he certainly gas lighted her when she tried to get Mary legitimized.
Just have to say I really enjoy your channel! Not only is it entertaining, its relaxing too. Ty and look forward to pt 2 🤗
Thank you. I'm so glad you like it :-)
Thank you so much for making such interesting videos full of knowledge delivered so eloquently! Keep up the great work, I thoroughly enjoy your videos and learn so much of what I never knew I never knew, I love it!
So happy to get this video! I was honestly waiting for it! 🌺 I have mixed feelings for Mary .. her life was nothing but tragic and I feel all the evil she showed later came directly from her father, one of the worst King ever. Do I blame her parents? Sure I do. If I could split on Henry VIII tomb I would. Figuratively speaking obviously.
Haha, I'm glad you won't be spitting on Henry's tomb for real. That would probably get you a lifetime ban from St George's chapel. Also there are other people buried in there too (Jane Seymour and one of Queen Anne Stuart's children if memory serves). Glad you liked the video. Thanks for watching.
@@HistoryCalling thanks to you for sharing! ☺️ ❤️
I think it was very wise of Henry's children to not complete Henry VIII tomb the way he had planned. It was to be 25% larger than his parents tomb and above ground. If that existed today above ground, it would likely be always under repair due to visitors likely seeking his grave out to give Henry VIII a piece of their mind about what they think of him. It wouldn't be pretty. It is best he remains underground with a simple black slab to mark his burial site.
Henry took everything from her, even trying to take her faith. She clung to that so fervently that it warped her.
This is one of the reasons I have always disliked anne boleyn.imagine constantly being afraid your father whom you loved would kill you
I know. Much as I like many things about Anne Boleyn, her treatment of Mary is a great stain on her reputation in my opinion. It really showed a very unpleasant side of her.
You should read Anne Boleyn 500 years of lies
@@HistoryCalling the book shows another side of Anne Boleyn. The awful stories of how she was came out years later by Harry's historians.
@@sarahcarroll3582 I'll look for it on amazon thanks
@@cathrynhesketh5703 I listened to it on audible. It was very interesting bc I always had seen Anne as a villain too. But the book made a lot more sense to me! Let me know what you think 🤓
The picture of Catherine, Henry and Anne together depicts that moment that will change the history of England forever.
I didn't know Mary was sent to the Welsh Marches! Just like Edward V & Prince Arthur Tudor had been, but unlike her own father... I think that's really nice, partly cos it seems like Henry VIII honouring & respecting his eldest daughter for once- & his father Henry VII (even more surprisingly) & grandfather Edward IV too, by following their precedent, just as Henry VII had followed Edward IV's.
Yes, off the top of my head I think she's the only woman in history to effectively be treated as the Princess of Wales in her own right. It was all looking so good for her at that point, but sadly we know what happened next. :-(
@@HistoryCalling And we have Henry and his minions to thank for that(like the Boleyns and the Cranmer)
Say what you may about Mary but she had a backbone like few others. To became an outcast from one moment to another must of been dizzying: from beloved daughter and princess to a bastard born of incest. The anxiety certainly took a toll on her health and she was always in fear of the future. It all must have had an enormous impact on her personality, possibly affecting her perception of the world around her.
Yes, she had incredible strength, resilience and faith, something I think she got from her mother.
Mary should have been married off to a foreign prince when she was younger. It was unnatural that Mary remained on the royal marriage market for so long but unfortunately for her this was due in part to her value as a political asset. Contracts would be broken as Henry switched alliances from one European power to another, with Mary ending up waiting on the shelf. Mary's estrangement from her father during the tumultuous period of the annulment/marriage to Anne, further delayed Mary's marriage prospects. Whilst Henry treated his daughter abominably during this time, he also wasn't prepared to let her go abroad as it would have been too much of a risk to him politically.
Even after her mother's death, Mary languished in spinsterhood. I can't help but think how much happier and content Mary could have been if she had been married off earlier to a foreign prince. The tyranny of distance could have enabled her to escape the tyranny of her father....
Not that Mary would have welcomed that option given that Katherine had inculcated a strong sense of destiny in Mary as the legitimate heir to the throne. It was only under extreme duress that Mary capitulated (insincerely) to her father's threats, for her to accept her reduced status as "Lady Mary".
I actually think that Ann Boylins famous pearl drops came from Katherine of Aragon. On one of the pictures you have showed of Katherine, a necklace with three pearl drops is shown.
That would have pissed off uncle Henry “sorry, Uncle Henry. I needed to go with another girl. Tell Mary she’s still my cousin “
Got to admit I feel sorry for Mary, a rotten upbringing, disowned as illegitimate by her father, despised by her first stepmother, no wonder she became bitter and twisted! The picture you show of her doesn't do her any favours either, she looks to have a sly and vindictive face and then to top it all off she gets rejected by her husband! A really sad Individual who could have turned out differently if her parents had only remained together. I can't help thinking that the reason she burned protestants so often was to punish them for her step mother Ann Boleyn turning her father away from Catholicism.
I know. She had a terrible time of it and I certainly wonder about her attitude towards Protestants as well. I cover that in more detail in my video on her reign (Life of Mary I, part 3).
Anne Boleyn didn't turn Henry from his faith nor was she a Protestant. He was a Catholic til the day he died. What he did was break from the Pope's authority and make himself head of the Catholic Church of England.
@@ThePlataf I respect your opinion, but I reckon that more like he was just hedging his bets! He was a monster in my mind and religion was just another tool to be used for his own self gratification. You would be wasting your time trying to convince me otherwise.
Hi hope you're ok this week. Enjoyed this. Alison 🌸
Hi Alison, I'm good thanks. I'm glad you liked the video and hope you're keeping well too.
I absolutely Love and greatly appreciate the dedication to these videos!!! The loads of research for truth you do! Thank you so very much!!!
New viewer here and absolutely thrilled to have found your work! 🤩🤘🏽🤩🤘🏽
Thank you so much and welcome :-)
New favorite channel!!!
Harry created a cycle of viciousness that his daughters perpetuated as a result of the trauma and emotional neglect he inflicted on them. And yes, I know his other wives tried to bridge the gaps between Harry and his children, however that type of cyclic trauma is not easily remedied so late in the game.
Thanks HC! I've been looking forward to this since You mentioned it last week!
You're very welcome. I hope you enjoyed it :-)
@@HistoryCalling excellent video as usual :) I learned a lot more about Mary's early life and look forward to part two! I hope You're keeping well too ✨
@@TheOnlyElle. I am indeed. Just writing up the script for next week's video at the moment!
@@HistoryCalling Brilliant :) Looking forward to part 2 and glad You and Yours are all well too 🙌🏻
I know how Mary felt my step mother was a lot like Anne, she treated me wrong.
Hi Susannah, I'm really sorry to hear that. :-( I'm sure it does give you a level of empathy with Mary that most others wouldn't have.
Just how many "time bombs" did Henry the VIII set?
Quite a lot. :-) He just wasn't there to see them go off.
He singled handed destroyed his own dynasty by destroying his own family and the heir had to be a woman, Mary was full of hate for very good reasons, and it probably destroyed her health and married to old to produce a heir. Elizabeth bailout of the idea of marriage completely because every woman around her was abused by their husband, Edward was a little sociopath an a tyrant in making that died young and even he noticed in his final moments that all the heirs to the throne were women. I will alway wonder what kind of queen Mary would have being if she wasn't abused as she was
Henry imparted so much TRAUMA onto Mary as he did with many people. The splitting of her parents relationship and how it was done by the King, her father, was injurious to Mary's self worth and it created trust issues for her generally. It shattered her trust in people, I think if she could not trust her Dad. He debased her as he did her mother, and his abuses were emotionally cruel- to deliberately hurt. I cannot understand how she coped as well as she did, to be frank. Internalised a lot, tried to use prayer in doing so, but may well have been injurious to her physical as well as mental health in the end, especially if she was not eating right as I read she was always very thin. I am not surprised she died by some visceral cancer of some sort.
What if she got on the Ship sent by Spain and went to the Lowlands? Would she have been happier in the end???
Yes, Henry was absolutely awful to her and to Catherine too. I think you're correct that it damaged her health. Personally I think it helps to explain her later actions to an extent. It's a fascinating historical 'what if' wondering what would have happened if Mary had gone to Spain. Being a Tudor, my money is on her marrying someone powerful, getting an army and coming back for her throne after Edward's death.
I think she should have gone when she had the chance. That might've produced a better outcome for her. I also believe she made a grave mistake marrying Philip, after she had been advised by Cardinal Pole through his secretary not to marry for both practical and political reasons.
@@HistoryCalling I had thought. Mary may have had conception problems anyway with Phillip given the high 'factor value' of historical inbreeding with their family. Would she have had children if she was married much younger ?? Her health was reported as variable in life, but many women have had successful births in spite of variable ovulation and gynological issues, and still others have presented with uterine cervical or fallopian growths in thirties.
Thanks for your informative replies.
@@stephaniesayers3894 I agree. I guess it is like "Sliding Doors" WotIf ??
In this video I began to understand for the first time why This future Queen was so aggressive against those she perceived as her enemy; of course two wrongs do not make a right.
I always question how much choice Anne Boleyn or any of them had in being with Henry though
Your posts are great..Thank You so much for posting…
Queen Mary was very unfortunate in History but I have a lot of symphaty towards her, she has endured a lot of hardships and humiliation. Even when she was Queen, she had only one objective in mind and that is to restore the Catholic faith but she never anticipate that ruling a kingdom is very complex. Edward and Mary were focused only on religion but failed to grasp the complexities of ruling
Actually she was a good queen
She was raised to be a ruler
@@angelabender8132 Indeed, Catherine of Aragon inherited the traits of her Mother Queen Isabella but Mary, her daughter, failed because of the pain she endured
Anne may not have treated Mary greatly, but alot of the stuff attributed to her came from people who hated Anne.
Excellent. Thank you!
Would you ever do a video about Empress Matilda even the Cromwells? 😊
While we can't say for sure exactly what happened 500 years ago, I feel the fact that King Henry treats Queen Mary at least a bit better after Anne's death somewhat indicates that she might have had a significant part in how Queen Mary was treated.
Oh Anne was definitely horrible to her, but it was Mary's total submission that really improved Henry's treatment of her. I think it might have come as a shock to Mary after Anne's death that her father wasn't immediately lovely to her again. Henry was more than capable (and willing) to be horrible even without Anne potentially egging him on. A thoroughly unpleasant individual.
@@HistoryCalling I agree:)
I feel so sorry for Mary.
She lost everything..she had an awful life..
Unable to see her poor Mother
Ignored by her Father..not to mention all the terrible things that happened to. Her.
Love your videos and channel
Thanks Aman :-)
I’ve always thought the myriad of change and abuse damaged her both mentally, and psychologically. She messed up, but given the circumstances it’s a miracle she got to the throne.
Mary was also forced to wait on Elizabeth, the sibling who now had her titles and personal property. I'm surprised Mary didn't kill Elizabeth after having her father and wicked stepmother pit her against her infant half sister.
You know, the thought has occurred to me too and I've wondered why Anne would want to risk her daughter around Mary. The two would never have been left alone together though and at this point Mary wasn't the kind of murderous fanatic that we know from later years. Anything she did to Elizabeth would have placed herself and her mother in peril too.
Uh....Elizabeth was a BLAMELESS infant, Mary KNEW that. Also Anne Boleyn wasn't a "wicked stepmother", there is FAR MORE NUANCE here than such fairy tale reductions.
@@elisabetta611 Anne Boleyn hated Queen Katherine and Princess Mary. She treated Mary abysmally, so yes, she was a wicked step-mother.
Well, actually it's said Mary did love her little sister Elizabeth when they were growing up, even though she was the daughter of her indeed-sucky stepmother (no, Anne Boleyn didn't deserve to be decapitated, but she could put Lady Tremaine to shame). The rivalry between them really started when Mary saw her reign and the return of Catholicism to England jeopardized by Elizabeth.
She almost did. Elizabeth's stay in the Tower was no joke
Can you do videos on Scottish royalty?😊
Shame Henry didn't live long enough to see his precious dynasty collapse completely.
And I don't have much sympathy for Anne in this particular regard either.
Wonderful video as always you take subjects I am not interested in and make them interesting
And all of us thought Cinderella was just a fairytale...
I Feel So Bad For Mary Because She suffered so much in her childhood
All these years later.. my heart goes out to Queen Catherine and the Princess 👑 Mary… after all Queen Catherine did for King and country they were more than tossed aside… and for what?? Because the King couldn’t produce a male heir with her.. I know they didn’t know any better at the time… But both woman were beyond worthy of their positions and deserved so much better… i truly believe there wouldn’t be a Bloody Mary today had Henry been an HONORABLE MAN… go figure he dumped his legitimate family and still died without a legitimate male heir!! is strange…as intrigued as I am about his life, I really really dislike Henry.
He had Edward at the time of his death (though admittedly the Roman Catholic church questioned his legitimacy as he'd been born after the breach with Rome). Yes, Henry was an ungrateful so and so to Catherine and a terrible father to Mary during this period. I'm with you. I really dislike the man.
Thank you, very interesting 🙏
Henry VIII was a typical narcissist.
It is impossible not to pity Mary. While I would never say that her treatment justified the cruelty she would inflict on others once she became Queen, she was ultimately the product of her circumstances. Henry was a vindictive narcissist; Mary, Elizabeth and Edward were ultimately extensions of himself to pick up and play with when he wanted, never beings in their own right. It's incredibly sad. We also cannot forget Mary was a fair bit older than her younger siblings and had experienced a (seemingly) loving father only to later be the target of his (true) darker side. In comparison, Edward was always well regarded (if largely ignored far away from court) while Elizabeth's only redeeming quality in Henry's eyes was that she was the most like him. Again, I really pity Mary.
She was similar to Pedro Lopez, I pity the child, I hate the adult
I agree with you that Mary was a victim of Anne Boleyn. I also believe that survival was inbuilt into the daughter of Henry and Catherine.
Being a foreign ambassador during all this must've been wild, writing a full gossip column every week back to your home country
I know. I wonder if ambassadors were excited or scared to get 'the England job'.
I think had things happened differently for the better, she might have been not so damaged as evidenced by her own rule
Anne and Harry were monster, this poor tortured girl.
Yes, they were awful to her.
honestly watching this i can completely understand why she was so obsessed with her husband. i know the black legend suggests that he was some kind of monster but most contemporary accounts just suggest that he was a fairly decent man who, critically, did his best to get on well with his wives. (it would also be interesting to know, considering his own experiences, what her relationship was like with her stepson carlos of asturias.)
I'll like to know what was her relationship to philip ii's sisters.
Henry wanted a son to pass the Crown to simple...Like all kings or queens nothing was seen as more important Nor did king or queens let anything stand in their way
Agreed :-)
Great video!! :-)
Thank you! 😀
I adore Mary 1 and Countess Salisbury.
No child can grow up normal when you have witnessed your father’s abuse towards your beloved mother. Kudos for Elizabeth in that terms.
Gosh, the treatment she received in the hands of Henry and Anne was something she did not deserve
I know. She was really treated terribly by them.
It's like this video used the Tudors and Philippa Gregory books to use as 'facts' for Mary... like the tip of her father's hat to her as she looked down from the tower. 🙃 This channel is amazing. I'm simply surprised to have found *this. Half of the crap is from historical fiction shows...
Henry like many kings was brutal. Those who like him will excuse or forget his ruthlessness. But one would think what he said on who is to succeed him would be law ( Until his death anyway ..because while he lived it didn't really matter who was next. ) . .. and that would settle the matter. It seems that a lot of death could have been avoided if the church let him marry Anne and England may have remained Catholic ... but there probably have been a civil war about religion soon after . it's funny/tragic how strong ideas are.
I wondered if you could do a video on Richmond's followers.? I have heard he had a loyal group..I get the feeling that some did not like the idea of a woman ( Mary or Liz) and maybe they thought less strife would occur if he were king. ?
It is said that mary 1 had endometriosis which may ahve been a influence in her actions in her life as it is excruciating normally and made worse with stress (this is from the infographic show) as someone who lives with the condition and experiences awful symptoms even with modern medical treatments i feel bad with how much she had suffered.
I didn't know Anne Boleyn played such an active role in this. So horrible.
Weirdly, this has me wondering what changes in the timeline could have led to a "Good Queen Mary," with a similar legacy of leading her people into the future as Elizabeth now enjoys. Like, you can't make her not Catholic, that's foundational for her, but what influences or experiences could have led her to tolerate Protestants? Or if King Henry had died after his jousting accident, when the break with Rome was still fresh, would the crown actually go to baby Elizabeth, or would Mary win out?
Sin concursos Ni pasarelas tu Eres I Reina
Am I the only one who loves the vids but needs subtitles?
Click on CC for closed captions.
I know the 'Catherine' spelling of the name is a more modern iteration, but that doesn’t preclude women from choosing the older 'Katharine' spelling variant that we see above her tomb. I’ve always preferred that older way. It reminds me of my favorite classic movie actress Katharine Hepburn. And maybe that’s why. Now, she was already an old lady by the time I was a kid, but I discovered a love for classic movies later, and she was magnificent.
What is the name of the painting/artist at 5:35?
'The Courtship of Anne Boleyn' by Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze, 1846.
@@HistoryCalling thanks a lot for the quick response :-)
I am very interested in British history and I like your videos, but honestly you move so quickly through the stories with so many details that I find I don’t really get much out of them! Perhaps some charts or diagrams rather than trying to use so many photos would be helpful. No one but a history major could keep up with all the dates, and verbally linking all the other related stories makes it even more confusing. I’ve watched a good many of your videos, and I wish could leave a more flattering comment. I really wanted to like them.
THanks.
That letter Eustace Chapuys wrote December 16,1533 would have been Catherine of Aragon's 48th birthday.
Great title, she was mistreated by sooo many
Thanks. Yes, she was indeed :-(
Love your videos but so many ads. I understand the need from them but I couldn't just zone out and enjoy the content because there was an ad every couple of minutes. So frustrating
First off, thank you for saying annulment and not divorce. As you have correctly pointed out in other videos, divorce did not exist the way that we know it now, and for the other thing going by Henry's argument, he was never married in the first place so a divorce wouldn't be appropriate anyway. Even today, if Henry was correct, and annulment would be what would be sought.
Thank you for discussing Mary's life pre-queen-ship. People gloss over exactly what she went through just knowing that Henry reputated her. And that it doesn't excuse things that she did when she was a queen, at least it gives maybe, a reason. However, it must be noted that she hesitated to do many things that were later attributed to her. She did not have Jane Gray executed right away when she was crowned as she easily could have done. She was forced to do so when there were movements to put Jane Grey back on the throne. And, I believe, it has been shown in documents that a lot of the killings of Protestants were urged on by Philip and even demanded by Philip. Mary did not instigate them on her own. Furthermore, most people concentrate on the killings that happened in her reign but completely ignore all the killings of Catholics that went on in Henry the 8th, Edward VI, and Elizabeth reigns. Not to mention James the first of England and so forth. It wasn't until more modern times that Catholics could even hold office.
Not discounting the things that Mary did, but maybe throwing some light on them.
I read somewhere that Mary used to play , sing and sew baby Elizabeth dresses during their stay in Hatfield?.
Was it false information?.
Thank you for these videos btw.
I don’t blame Mary for anything that would happen in her during her reign because judging by how terrible her teens and 20s were, it’s a surprise she didn’t snap earlier
A hard childhood doesn’t grant you a free pass to mass murder
Ugh, i wish they would stop calling her bloody Mary! She does not deserve that title. Mary was no worse than Henry or Elisabeth in the death toll.
Mary burnt 54 people a year alive in the name of religion. Elizabeth hung 4 people a year in the name of religion. She was very much a LOT worse than Elizabeth. Mary was second only to her father, who is rightfully remembered as an evil tyrant and pretty much everyone’s least favourite English king
She went through a lot.
It's all Henry's fault
I knew she was treated badly but I never it was this bad.
sound quality poor
Unfortunately, these facts say something about Anne Boleyn's character that she could be so heartless towards Mary.
Royal family drama....sadly it continues today, but nowhere near as harsh. Diana vs Camilla. Harry & Meghan vs...William, Kate, Charles, Camilla, Elizabeth II, the late Prince Philip, etc.
I’m sorry, but there’s actually no reliable evidence of Anne Boleyn treating Mary cruelly. All of the primary sources claiming she was an awful stepmother are from Chapyus who hated Anne and didn’t even refer to her by name, only called her the concubine. There is evidence of Anne trying to reconcile Mary with the king if she’d accept her as Queen but Mary refused (which I don’t blame Mary for at all) and I really don’t think Anne’s character can ever be truly assessed due to all of the lies, rumors, gossip and the fact that Katherine of Aragon came from an extremely powerful family who made it their mission to besmirch both Anne and Elizabeth’s names and reputations. I also keep in mind the fact that the cruel treatment of Mary didn’t end when Anne Boleyn died, it in fact worsened immediately after her execution, and Jane Seymour didn’t actually do all that much to help Mary. She did try but she obviously wasn’t going to push it too hard since she had to look out for herself first. I think Henry was just a cruel bastard and I will say that a lot of the surviving documentation we have of Mary’s cruel treatment is again from Chapyus who was highly biased and would often report gossip as if it were fact in his letters to the emperor and it’s not hard to imagine him exaggerating and embellishing certain details to make the emperor more sympathetic to Mary’s plight-not saying she didn’t suffer greatly at her father’s hand, but a lot of details attributed to Anne are simply because Chapyus hated Anne and truly believed any of Henry’s misdeeds were due to her directly influencing him-which as we’ve obviously seen Henry VIII doesn’t let anyone truly have total influence over him and he definitely wouldn’t have done anything that he didn’t believe was of great benefit to himself. I don’t believe Anne was too concerned with Mary and again all the evidence of her humiliation can’t be attributed to Anne as so many solely blamed Anne for everything while refusing to place any blame on the king when history shows us Henry needed no one else’s help in being cruel to Mary.
There are handwritten notes from Anne to physically punish Mary. I don’t recall the source though. Anne was also cruel to her ladies. Anne was indeed very threatened by Mary. Plenty of supporting contemporary evidence. The only reason she wanted to ‘reconcile’ with Mary was because she wrongly thought she could trade ‘reconciliation’ for Mary recognizing her as Queen of England and Henry as supreme head of the church. Mary had values abs could not be bought
i don't believe anne felt any motherly affection for mary (they were only 9 to 15 years apart, after all) but i also don't believe she was a wicked stepmother. they simply didn't get along. mary was also 17 when anne married henry, so that also plays a factor. there is an exchange between them that i find funnier than i should, when anne thanked mary for bowing to her through a letter, only to receive one back with mary saying "i wasn't bowing to you 😒". feels very much like a teen's response. "YOU'RE NOT MY DADDDD" energy.
Was Cinderella inspired by, in part, Mary?
This is kind of why I don’t have a lot of sympathy for Anne. Yeah, she didn’t exactly ask to be in that position, but she really didn’t need to play the part of the wicked step mother.
The way Henry VIII treated his daughter Mary and his wives was repulsively unacceptable. I pity for Henry VIII's eternal soul. His soul could very well be in the torments like the proud rich man in Luke 16:19-31.