Bloody Mary

Mary Tudor, King Henry VIII’s eldest daughter, came to the throne in 1553 and became infamous as one of the bloodiest queens in history. Allegedly executing her subjects at will for their religious beliefs, Mary’s reign became defined by her staunch Catholicism.

Lucy Worsley investigates whether England’s first ruling female monarch, Mary I, was truly as ‘bloody’ as history suggests, or whether this reputation arose from being the first woman in a predominantly male world.