Thursday, January 3, 2013

"Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary"

Shall we begin? Because this is my first go at this, I'm going to start with a family I am absolutely crazy about. And in truth, I have an awful cold and thus want to stay inside instead of heading to the library to do any new research, because yes, I still think the library holds value. I'm a historian what can I say? I know, being sick is a lame excuse, but it's true and can you really blame me when in happy valley, Salt Lake City, it is currently only 16 degrees.

Anyways, thanks to the HBO show 'The Tudors' and the book/movie "The Other Boleyn Girl" (both of which I highly recommend--beautiful people recreating history is always a good thing--hello Jonathan Rhys Meyers!) Henry VIII's story has become very popular in the past decade. I just can't seem to get enough, but for the record I was reading about his screwed up family as a ten year old, something I am sure caused some concern for my mother. But don't worry, I won't beat a dead horse (an expression brought to you from mary old England when John Bright was trying to make parliament care about The Reform Act of 1867, but was failing to rouse any interest. Thus he said moving parliament forward on the issue was like flogging a dead horse in order to make it pull a loaded cart. Random history tangent #1).

Though I love my dear relative Henry (thats right, royal blood flows within me-- be jealous) I want to concentrate on Bloody Mary. Oh my dear Mary, how cruel the world is to you! People spew off her name paired with the dreaded bloody and know little to nothing about why she decided to order the killings of what is believed to be 287 protestants. Warning! What I am about to say will sound offensive--287 people is nothing. Im not saying those lives meant nothing but I am saying that throughout history a monarch killing less then 500 people in their reign over something as hot headed as religion is very few. 

But I get ahead of myself. We must start at her beginning to understand her end. Tomorrow, Friday January 3rd, I will be diving into her early childhood, up to the point where she was disowned by Henry and her world changed forever. Good Stuff!

Mary I of England


Happy Journeys, 
Lady Thiessen         

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