Mary I (r. 1553-1558) is often referred to as the first queen regnant of England, but it can be convincingly argued that she is the second, if not the third, following in Matilda (r.February-November 1141) and Jane’s (r. July 1553) paths. At her accession to the throne, throughout her reign, and even after her death authors compared Mary to Jane, often at Mary’s expense. Most praised Jane’s youth, innocence, marital status, and Protestantism, consequently making Mary a villain in the dominant English historical narrative. This talk will look at Jane’s time as Queen (and the following months) from Mary’s perspective and will examine some of the contemporary comparisons of Mary and Jane.
This talk is part of The Tudor Society’s series “Executed Queens”, which runs from February 9-18, 2024. There are a few spots left if you’d like to join! More information is available here.
Dr Johanna Strong 