Why Does Bloody Mary Deserve The Title

This essay is about whether or not Mary I deserves the title of ‘Bloody Mary’. I will be writing points for and against the name Bloody Mary and I will reach a judgement on how far I personally agree to whether or not she deserves the title Bloody Mary. When Mary came to the throne she changed a lot of things purely to do with religion. Her popularity quickly turned sour because of her religious changes and her marriage. She had been brought up as a strict Roman Catholic, therefore, she made some changes: the Catholic Mass was restored and Holy Communion was banned. All priests had to be Catholic; the basic furniture in the Protestant churches was replaced with the colourful furniture and paintings of the Catholic Church. Services
were held in Latin and Cranmer’s English prayer book was banned. Also, the pope was made head of the church again. The majority of the people of England accepted these changes, however, some did not. Mary has been remembered in History as Bloody Mary because she burnt many people at the stake who refused to change.
I think the most important point to why Mary I deserved to be called Bloody Mary would be that she killed people because of their religion. In the reign of Mary, Protestants were executed for refusing to accept that the Pope was the head of the Church. Others were executed for reading the English Bible. However, the most common cause of heresy concerned something called transubstantiation. Catholics believed that the bread and wine used at communion became the body and blood of Jesus Christ. Protestants who refused to believe this miracle happened during communion were in danger of being executed. Also, she killed people who spent most of their money on their religion. This has to be the most important reason to why Mary I is called Bloody Mary because if she didn’t kill people because of their religion, then, she wouldn’t have burnt so many people at the stake and therefore, she wouldn’t be called Bloody Mary. She deserved the name Bloody Mary because she targeted on certain Protestants e.g. for reading the English Bible. They could have been a Protestant for e.g. who wasn’t caught reading the English Bible or didn’t really read it very often and therefore, was off the hook. Also, she killed Protestants who spent most of their
money on their religion. There must have been Protestants who didn’t spend their money on their religion and this is unfair because she is just targeting certain people. Another point that is important, but, not as important as the first one is that she killed 284 people, the most that a King or Queen has ever executed because of heresy. In 3 years 220 men and 60 women had been killed. She had a very short reign, one of the shortest. She deserved the name Bloody Mary because she executed the most people a King or Queen has ever killed for heresy. Also, in 3 years she killed 220 men and 60 women. This shows she killed considerably more men than women. This is another thing she does that shows she targets certain people, in this case I think she is more lenient with women compared to men. She only burnt people because the Catholic teachings say that you cannot shed blood, the deaths could have been much more gruesome is this was allowed. I think this is the least important reason to why Mary I got the title ‘Bloody Mary’ because at the end of the day whether or not the victim’s execution was gruesome or not they were still being killed. It has a small part to do with her being called Bloody Mary because she could have killed people in a more gruesome manner, but, the actual fact to why she is called Bloody Mary is because she killed people because of their religion and not how. She deserved to be called Bloody Mary because if the Catholic teachings said you are not allowed to shed blood she could have made the victim’s go through even more pain. On the other hand, she doesn’t deserve being called Bloody Mary because she believed that burning people on the stake would cleanse their sole and make them pure, therefore, she had a good intention. Firstly, I think the most important reason to why Mary doesn’t deserve the name Bloody Mary is because she only killed people to try and save them from hell and she gave the victims a chance to change their religion before they were burnt. She doesn’t deserve the name Bloody Mary because when you look at the bigger picture she believed that what she was doing was right because she was trying to save people from going to hell. She was brought up a very strict Catholic, therefore, she doesn’t know any different and that’s all she’s really been taught, so she believed that what she was doing was right and she was saving people from going to hell. Also, she showed them mercy because she gave the victims a chance to change their religion before they were burnt. This shows that she gave them some mercy and even gave them a last final chance to change. Another important reason to why Mary doesn’t deserve the name Bloody Mary is because Mary’s father- in- law, Charles V, burned, beheaded or buried alive around 30,000 Protestants in Europe! I think it is totally unfair that Mary I is called Bloody Mary and Charles V doesn’t have that sort of a title even though he has killed so many more people than Mary I. In conclusion, I think that Mary I partially deserves the title Bloody Mary because she killed a lot of people because of their religion and I think she targeted on certain people e.g. people who spent most of their money on their religion. On the other hand, I think she doesn’t deserve the name Bloody Mary because she killed people because she believed she was saving them from hell and she had them burnt cruelly because she believed that cleansed their sole and made them pure. Also, she didn’t know any different because she was brought up a strict Catholic.