Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-12-31
FAMOUS WOMEN OF HISTORY.
Copyright . J. Abbott
MARY TUDOR "BLOODY NARY"
1516-1558.

1916
Many an American child grown to wom-
anbood, after the usual education III our
public schools, will remember little OF he'
English history painfully and perhaps tear,
fully learned But she will instantly re.fi
Bloody Mary" So Immortality Is oi''
conferred by an epithet. sometimes u',"
served. Mary Tudor whose NAME ia"
been handed down coupled Win tiii9 cd"
culinary adjective, may or may no'
deserved it, She has her delehuei'' aS
had Toruuemada and Lucrezia borsia'
but popular history has branded her as
Bloody" to the end of time.
Mary Tudor was the daughter of King
Henry VIII of England and his hrst
oucen. Catherine of Aragon. Her history
is interviewer with that of the other royal
women whom this detestablc monarch
either married or fathered. but upon
whom I'm either case descended the curse
Of association with Henry.
Betrothed When But Child.
When a girl was born to royalty in
those brave days of the divine right of
kings the first step was to see how her
hand in marriage could be exchanged
for profitable alliance with some other
royal house. And so the infant Mary
lad scarcely raised her first earthly wall
at Greenwich Palace, February Is. lol6
than the king, her father. set about hnd-
ing a royal spouse for her. Catherine OF
Aragon, ablest of all HenryS galaxy OF
wives, set her heart on betrothlng her
daughter to Emperor Charles V of Spain
.trvl1t Of leo inrN
In extent of possessions, in character
and In intellectual attachments Charles
was easily the leading figure in the courts
of Europe AT the age of twenty-three.
blithe and debonair. he visited England
to make the quaintanCe OF the SlX-year-
old princess whom Catherine had picked
out TO be his queen. In the end a solemn
treaty of betrothal was concluded AT
Windsor by which Charles bound himself
TO marry the Princess Mary when she
had reached her twelfth year.
Destined to joint occupancy or the
throne of the greatest monarch OF Eu-
rope. her education for that station De
came a matter of natural concern 10 her
mother AS guide, philosopher and friend
one I.udovicus Wives, Spaniard OF grave
il not somber learning. was called In. Inc
course of education which he iaid Gown
for Mary was this: She should read the
gospels night and morning. the Acts OF
the Apostles: selected portions OF the Old
Testament and the works OF Cyprlan
Jerome. Augustine and Ambrose; nke
wise Plato. Cicero, Senecas MaXlins,
Plutarch, the Utopia of Sir ThomaS
Moore and selected portions of Horace.
Greek and Latin were to be made as
familiar to her as her mother tongue
Cards, dice, the reading of romances ana
Indulgence in handsome dress were pro-
scribed as pestiferous.
Had Melancholy Disposition.
C,o.om,orarx- b;opranhers note with
mild surprise that Mary emerged from
this educational torment a girl of deli
cate health and melancholy disposition.
Meanwhile her royal father had wearied
of her mother and yearned for another
and A Younger spouse. Rumors that
Henry would soon divorce Catherine be-
came rife. They reached the ears OF the
Emperor Charles, who saw at once tnat
the divorce contemplated would make
Mary illegitimate and ineligible to the
throne Accordingly he Cancelled the mar
riage contract entered into with such
pomp only a few years before.
Thereafter mother and daughter leu
life of misery. infatuated with Anne
Boleyn. Henry pursued with rancor all
who opposed his course. Catherine STOOD
bravely for her rights. Mary, with nilai
spirit supported her mother. Botn We're
exiled from court, Mary given almost
servile employment as lady In waiting 10
her own half sister. Elizabeth, daugnter
of Anne Boleyn. Even when her motner
died, in 1886 she was refused permission
to be at the death bed.
About this time Anne Boleyn, for whom
the king had divorced Catherine, fell un-
der his displeasure. To her was not
granted the comparative mercy OF vi
yorce but she was handed stralghtway
over to the headSman. Being thus re-
stored to single state. King Henry set
about re-establishing relations with MS
daughter. His method was peculiar. to
say the least, for the price or MS 1aVor
was that she should formally recoshlAe
the divorce of her mother as righteous
and thereby accept her own illegitimacy
Though Mary signed the document. par
lament practically nullified the action by
Passing a resolution. three years before
Henry's death, restoring TO Mary all the
rights of a legitimate daughter.
Reign of Edward VI Brief.
When Henry died. in 1876 full of years
and dishonor. his only son. Edward VI,
succeeded him. The reign was brief
one. and brought to Mary little relief
from her trials and perplexities. The re-
ligious controversy burst forth with re-
doubled fury in England. Edwards SYM
pathies were strongly Protestant, and he
prescribed regulations for the solemnlZa-
ton of mass and the conduct or rellg-
ious services, against which Mary Dit
test. and openly detied the new law by
having mass said in Latin in her own
private chapel. When ordered to desist
she appealed 70 his most Catholic majes-
ty Charles of Spain. her betrothed of
her childhood days. who straightway
threatened war If his cousins devotions
were interfered with.
Edwards reign proceeded splendidly,
but not smoothly, to its end. His admin
istration was rent by faction and honey
combed with conspiracy His very pre-
mier Lord Northumberland. plotted to
so change the succession that on Ed
wards death the crown should pass to
Lady Jane Grey. Northumberland
daughter-in-law, instead of the half sis
tiers of Edward The effort was success
full but briefly so only. as we shall see.
OF Mary Tudor's lawful claim to the
throne on the death of Edward VI there
could be but little doubt She claimed
il alike by act of parliament and by in
heritance from her father. Henry VIII.
But had she not possessed a more pow
erful argument than either OF these she
would have gone to her grave uncrown-
ed, and, perhaps, without a head to wear