Do you know the real horror story of sexism and propaganda behind the Legend of Bloody Mary?
The legend of Bloody Mary
Bloody Mary is the horror story every child knows. Say her name three times in front of the mirror , in the dark, and she appears; a grotesque apparition ready to scare the wits out of you.
However, don't go calling her ; not just yet; not before you find out the real horror story behind Bloody Mary, the scary tale of propaganda and sexism in 16th century England.
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Lady Mary Tudor
The 'Mary' in Bloody Mary , some say, is Lady Mary Tudor, the first daughter and child of King Henry VIII of England. Mary was the daughter of Henry and his Catholic wife Catherine of Aragon. Mary's father started the 'Church of England' ; a protestant sect with him as the head in order to be able to divorce Catherine (prohibited in Catholicism) and marry his mistress.
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| Mary's mother- Catherine of Aragon. |
Resilient, courageous and a devout Catholic, Mary marched to England after the death of Henry's successor and her half brother Edward and took the throne for herself amidst a cheering crowd. However, the next 5 years of her reign would earn her the moniker of "Bloody" Mary.
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| Queen Mary |
Bloody Mary
Mary believed that her primary duty on the throne was to restore Catholicism in England and to unite it under the "original" religion. Thus began her systematic persecution of Protestants. One such incident which earned her this moniker was when 200 -odd Protestants were burnt at the stake at the same time on her orders.
Mary's persecution of Protestants, though brutal from today's lens, was typical of the conditions of medieval England. Protestants and Catholics had tussles and which group was persecuted did depend on the religion of the current person who sat on the throne. Mary's successor and sister Elizabeth I herself persecuted Catholics but had them punished not for heresy (a (religious) opinion or belief that is different from what is generally accepted to be true) but for treason to the State.
So then why does Mary receive so much of flak, so to speak? Why is she portrayed as a blood-thirsty queen and forever remains as a grotesque urban legend? Is it because she was the first Queen of England who sat on the throne, not for her son or her husband, but as her father's rightful daughter? Is it because she took the throne for herself instead of waiting for somebody to give it to her? Is it also because the majority of sources about her come from those who wrote about her, mainly men?
Mary is one of the most fascinating and enigmatic figures in history and someone who perhaps doesn't get the credit she deserves. She initiated several reforms and paved the way for her successor, the one who would take England to its Golden age- the Queen Elizabeth I. If people in England were more accepting of a woman sitting on the throne by virtue of being the daughter of the king, perhaps , it is because of her.
Mary deserves to be celebrated as a trailblazer for women, a strong and bold Queen, not be the subject of a silly horror story for cheap thrills.
Woah
ReplyDeleteWow who knew? Like seriously....
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