Tudor Queen Mary: Her ‘Bloody Mary’ Reputation, and the Fate of Martyrs

[@jodieg6318]

Mary is another of history’s characters that I think earned her title but when I read about her, her life was incredibly sad and I see why she went down the path she did. It’s not an excuse but it’s just another part of history and humanity showing that monsters are rarely born, they’re most often made.

[@als3022]

What has always annoyed me is that Mary gets called out on her bloody business. But Elizabeth is celebrated and she honestly was even more tyrannical and bloody. Course neither held a candle to their father. Henry VIII was the worst Tudor.

[@resnonverba137]

@@als3022 Yet a good and strong king for the country. As Elizabeth was as queen. The same cannot be said for Mary.

[@jodieg6318]

@@als3022 The Tudor dynasty has quite a high body count, though I think Elizabeth’s is higher than Mary’s because of her rule lasting 40 years longer than Mary’s. Though another interesting aspect to that is Mary and Elizabeth both suffered similar traumas; both their mothers divorced, though while Katherine was not executed, Henry kept her and Mary deliberately separated, even when Katherine was on her deathbed, and both go from being the Princess Royal to being bastards and rightfully fearing for their and their friends lives. Since Elizabeth was younger she was able to learn from from Mary’s mistakes and her own tempestuous life.

[@Yeoman1346]

@@als3022 I believe the fact that Elizabeth didn’t impose her Protestant beliefs on those who were Romanists sets her apart. Her reign started off with assassination attempts by Romanists. She had to be strong. But I never want to equate violence to an individual and an unjustly convicted person is alright.

[@als3022]

@@Yeoman1346 There are also records if priests being tortured to reveal their flock to be persecuted. Reading the handful that escaped primary documents is harrowing. And all under Elizabeth. They really try to make it seem like she was forced to, but she was known by her courtiers as having a terrible temper, to where she physically assaulted them. It was fodder for comedies set in the period in the 80s. Not that I am saying they are alone. This is the cusp of the 30 years war, and a hundred other terrible events. And Bloody rulers. Elizabeth is in good, or bad, company.

[@Canalcoholic]

Stories like this certainly make me appreciate living in a time and place where I can freely choose to follow any religion or denomination, or dismiss the whole concept as complete and utter nonsense.

[@samuelblackwell1041]

I’ve always thought that being burned alive was the most horrible form of death and your vlog confirms it. I appreciate your content.

[@Johnny-te4rv]

Alas, no mention of how the Great William Shakespeare had to conceal his Catholic faith for fear of the same fate. How we look back through history with blinders!

[@Libertaro-i2u]

To be fair, the vast majority of execution methods in previous centuries and millennia were DESIGNED to be as painful and drawn out as possible! Even the relatively benign forms of capital punishment in antiquity through the Renaissance were rather painful by today's standards. Take immurement for example, when it was used as a means of execution (rather than a non-lethal punishment or extreme expression of religious devotion) involved starving the victim to death, and anyone who's ever been a week or so without eating can probably attest to how much pain starvation alone can cause. As for burning at the steak, anyone who remembers suffering relatively severe burns can tell you that it's extremely painful to be burned, and that's only after a second or two of coming into contact with something rather hot. Imagine being exposed to the extreme painful heat of an open flame for minutes on end, and you're tied or chained to the stake so escape is nigh impossible, you're hands are likely bound behind your back or to the stake so covering your face is impossible, and even if your arms are free enough to do so, covering your face only delays the inevitable by a few seconds at best. And to add insult to injury, within a minute or two, the fire has burned your clothes to a crisp (add shame and embarrassment if you're still alive at this point), your jewelry if you're wearing any, has melted off, if you're wearing glasses, they have melted off, immediately after, you've been burned to your birthday suit, and even that is quick to burn, but at this point, you're probably unalive, thus it wouldn't bother you.

[@jayisabluebird]

Wonderful video! I was raised Catholic, went to private school and the whole bit. They taught us a lot about martyrs who died for the Catholic faith... but any martyrs that the Catholics killed were skipped over. Of course, being an adult now, I can reflect on the nuances and such. Really makes you think!

[@Em_Powell_KC]

Not Catholic here, but pretty sure she was killing people for not doing what she wanted. It comes off as "a Catholic did this" and that her faith literally compelled to her kill people! However, she was a very hurt person and we can assume maybe her father's betrayal of her mother and their faith made her so intense! She killed people, and she happened to be Catholic!

[@stevehammel2939]

The Saint Bartholomew Day Massacre and the Spanish Inquisition come to mind.

[@mr-x7689]

The higest form of evil, comes from religion. Now, not all religious people are bad, but a werry large amount of them are. And thats for the reason all religions teach their believers that it's okey to do evil unto others if they dont belive EXACTLY what you belive. They all claim otherwise, but track record shows a different fact.

[@maryatkinson2006]

Really? I am Catholic, English father, British Australian mother, educated in my faith in primary school with a gap of four years in secondary school when in Kuala Lumpur at the time, there wasn't a Catholic convent school teaching in English so did not attend a Catholic school for the 4 years and then went to St Maur's/St George's College, Weybridge (Catholic) for the last two years in UK. It never escaped my notice that Mary Tudor, last Catholic queen of England, was held accountable for Protestant martyrs. I found, however, that the English excused or glossed over the Catholic - and other, non-conformist Protestant - martyrs made by Elizabeth I. Propaganda whitewashed Elizabeth. I'm surprised you could miss the deaths ascribed to Mary Tudor, particularly as the British still call her 'Bloody Mary'. My experience of Catholic education has evidently been entirely different from yours.

[@John-yf8qh]

Reflect on the nuances and reject religion for the cancer that it is. People saying "I was raised catholic." in that mildly boastful way is perfectly horrifying. It's not impressive to anyone a proves you to be a bit of a dope. Just so you know.

[@Celtopia]

"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned"...springs to mind.....thank you Kevin.

[@stephenrickstrew7237]

Thank you Kevin you truly are a master storyteller… you convey such great stories with both Gravity ,Levity .. and brevity..Like Archery ..Skills that you have honed over the years .. Much appreciated..!

[@thehistorysquad]

How lovely, thanks!

[@atilla780]

I agree.. Marvelous

[@nicholasdavies6264]

The historical vlogs you produce are extremely interesting Kevin. Keep them coming because they are excellent! 👍

[@thehistorysquad]

Thanks Nicholas, will do!

[@Bill-xx2yh]

Start burning in the public arena… the PEOPLE❤ will notice and fear. That’s what they want.

[@andrewburkinshaw1446]

Thanks again for the in depth history lessons Kevin. There’s one thing I’ve learned from all these videos. if you want to live a long life, stay as far away from the royalty and anything they have to do with, as you can. Seems like being royalty or associating with them reduces a person’s life expectancy.

[@Dave.Thatcher1]

And particularly religion!

[@spencerfrankclayton4348]

Yes, even today.

[@spencerfrankclayton4348]

​@@Dave.Thatcher1Today in the Western world, you're safe with that. The royal family, though? Nope.

[@qassandraable]

“History is a nightmare from which I am trying to awake,” James Joyce

[@andrews.7754]

Kevin, no matter the subject you speak on in your films, no matter how ghastly, I find your channel quickly becoming my favorite. I could listen to your stories for hours! Thank you!

[@thehistorysquad]

Glad to hear it! Cheers 👍🏻

[@Zanuth-001]

Lord above but were those people brave. I'm not a protestant myself, but I've nothing but respect for their dedication and resolve - I can't begin to imagine what they suffered

[@VKing-di9lo]

I live in Sussex and the towns and villages in the area did not escape this horror. In East Grinstead, three people were burned at the stake for refusing to deny their religious beliefs. They were held in the cellar of the building in the high street (now a shop) the night before and burned at the stake outside the following day. There are three stones in the church almost opposite to commemorate these three brave local people - Thomas Dungate, John Foreman and ‘Mother’ Anne Tree. We were taken there as children as part of our history lesson and flowers are still found on these stones occasionally.

[@ek8710]

I'm just down the road from there, had no idea about this bit of history in the area

[@lynnporter9440]

I think yes she earned the title. It is just horrific and makes me feel physically sick just to hear about it. Did she ever witness what she ordered to be done to these people or was it out of sight, out of mind? Her father earns the same title in my mind, the more so because he did shed blood. And all this in the name of religion. Absolutely dreadful.

[@mommyseastar5776]

I have Catholics and Protestants in my family. I myself am Catholic. I’m sure Christ will have a lot to say at judgement day about how Christians have and are treating each other. God, have mercy. Thank you for the great video! I just love your channel!

[@thehistorysquad]

Thank you. I've always thought how wonderful it would be if the whole Christian faith could unite.

[@mommyseastar5776]

@@thehistorysquad That would be very lovely! What unites us is very great, namely Christ’s life, death and resurrection and our hope in Him.

[@SGBass]

You cannot convince me that those who murdered other believers in the name of Christ are Christian. The Scriptures say, "Ye know that no murderer hath eternal life".

[@mommyseastar5776]

@@SGBass Sadly Christians can also be miserable sinners. Those who do evil to others are disobedient to God but they can still be Baptized Christians. That God for his mercy to those who repent.

[@barrygibbens1900]

I agree. How often is love taught in the scriptures?

[@phaedrapage4217]

I love when you make a model or use other props to bring history to life for us.

[@lokiwoods7862]

How much faith must a person have to pray while being burned at the stake! It's strange how though it's a horrific story of suffering there is a kind of beauty to be found concerning the human spirit. What a terrible thing it must have been to have witnessed acts like that. Whether it's a friend, loved one or perhaps a face you've seen around town it had to have been just awful. Wonderfully told as always! You've a skill at telling even the most grim story in an accessible way. I tip my hat to you. Love the tunic by the way!

[@thehistorysquad]

Thanks Loki, I appreciate that.

[@docstockandbarrel]

We see people online today saying those who don't believe exactly how they want deserve to be shunned, lose their jobs, and even be killed. As much as things change, they remain the same.

[@MrBottlecapBill]

Most people in the area would have watched it with glee and even used it as a day of entertainment. The sad reality is most humans are capable of this. They only need a reason to believe others will accept them for it and at that point......nothing is off limits. The same thing is going on today as we march happily towards WW3. Nobody talking about peace or negotiations.....just preaching their virtues but when the nukes fly we will all burn. Humans are mostly animals with a few brilliant minds here and there. The crowd is a source of unending brutality.

[@kristenbranagan8845]

This was very interesting. You have a very good voice for this. Anyone can research and find these facts but to deliver it this way is just excellent. That's a true gift, really and truly. A wonderful job both in the facts and the delivery

[@thehistorysquad]

Thanks, I appreciate that.

[@JamesWilliams-gp6ek]

I'm happy to have found this post after asking earlier today why they called her bloody and not Henry too. You communicate very clearly which makes watching your posts even more enjoyable.

[@thehistorysquad]

Thanks 👍🏻

[@sharonwhiteley6510]

Gives the drink Bloody Mary a whole new meaning. What a horrible way to die. My Aunt was burned in a housefire and lasted 13 days. It was terrible. Now you know why people jumped on 9/11. May GOD bless

[@brettpaterson8042]

Deserved title for her, but at that time it was so important to make a statement of power. Terrible time it was back then. Another enjoyable Episode Kevin, well done.👏

[@arthurdoucette1786]

Greetings once again from nova Scotia, thanks Kevin, I enjoyed your telling of this chapter in history. I respect your class and decorum, in all you do, please keep the great stories coming. Be safe and be well, Arthur post script, shout out to Kevin's models. Got to love them.

[@thehistorysquad]

Haha, cheers Arthur 👍🏻

[@MAMASTELLA3]

I'm all for calling her Bloody Mary. One of the martyrs she burned at the stake in Feb 1555 was my 10th great-grandfather, Rev Dr Rowland Taylor, in Hadleigh, England. I learned this while researching my family tree.

[@_renaissance.girl_]

How interesting my ancestor is Ellen Donworth, a victim of Thomas Neill Cream, the Lambeth Poisoner ^^

[@debb4809]

I live near the monument for Rowland Tayler. If I'm ever there, I'll place some flowers on it for you x

[@sforza209]

That is super interesting! A rev and dr too! Very cool.

[@davidkgame]

I know Rowland's monument well - I was born and raised in Hadleigh and still live in the area. We get told the tale at school. Or we did, at least, when I was younger (a lonnng time ago!)

[@davidtaylor1299]

I'm a descendant of Rowland as well! He is my 12th great-grandfather.

[@srice8959]

Even though I’m a Catholic myself it both made me mad, and broke my heart when you were reading from the book especially the very first story from the book.

[@Fr.Damian]

I suggest Edward Duffy's book "The Stripping of the Altars". It's a thorough evaluation of the religious development of England from 1480 to 1600. Sadly modern education can really demonize the Catholics and by all means the burning of individuals is absolutely horrible, but it's quite literally an accusation made against your enemies that you yourself are guilty of. People talk a lot about Bloody Mary and her 300 deaths but little is talked about Henry VIIIs some 80,000 clergy that he killed. The English reformation would rip England apart at the seams and it would never be whole again

[@roboparks]

@@Fr.Damian SO England's Crown would have Passed to Spain to a bunch of Habsburg Inbreds and not be English no more? For Henery it wasn't so much about religion . It was the Fate of England and the English. Elizabeth 1 would have never have been Queen (The Golden Age ) The American Colonies might have never happened . Slavery Might have never ended. The Ottomans With the Germans Might have Taken Europe in WW1 . Free Speech, Freedom of Religion and Political Free Speech things we today take for granted may not have happened . By WW2 England would be as backwards as Spain during WW2 . Of course I'm not Giving Henery Credit for any of this . But doing one thing sets off a chain of later events . The Corruption and overreach of the Catholic Church back then had to be dealt with . And to deny this is living in a fairy land. Those Catholics who still want to defend Catholic Rome of that time are NUTS. And need some serious help. Yes Henry could have lock up clergy or exiled them that wouldn't support his reforms And kept the Abby's intact as State institutions of England NOT Rome . And on a Personal note you and I would not be having this open conversion . The Printing Press would have been Controlled by the Catholic Monarchs and now the Internet . I wouldn't have been born My Ancestors Were Congregationalist (Calvinist in those days) and never would have been forced to the Colonies in 1635. Think about it.

[@meandmine8685]

Thank you for your interesting videos Kevin. My 13 year old granddaughter has a huge interest in history . She is home educated so your videos are really helping us. Thank you.

[@thehistorysquad]

That's great to hear, thank you! If you have the opportunity to share our videos with your homeschool community and any social media groups you're with, that would be awesome.

[@meandmine8685]

@@thehistorysquad will do Kevin. Thank you.

[@ronmortimer252]

How did so many societies/countries (I'm a dual Canadian/Australian citizen) emerge from such a dark heritage? I thank the Lord for His guidance, mercy, longsuffering, love, and grace. We really have no other explanation, do we?

[@Spyderredtoo]

I so much appreciate your sense of humor, and the clarity and detail when you share some of your learning.

[@thehistorysquad]

Thanks 👍🏻

[@monicacall7532]

Your discussion of Mary’s life before she was queen was one of the most empathetic that I’ve ever heard. She definitely DIDN’T deserve all of the trauma her father put her and her mother through! It just shows that he was a warped and twisted individual long before he had his traumatic brain injury while jousting. If Mary had kept the love of her people she could’ve been a formidable queen. Unfortunately, her religious dogmatism blinded her to the true situation that she faced which was that many of her people had moved on from Catholicism and didn’t want to return to it. If she could’ve found some middle way perhaps the situation wouldn’t have been so fraught. I’d always wondered why heretics had to be burned and not put to death in some other way. Thanks for the explanation.

[@thehistorysquad]

A great comment Monica, spot on 👍🏻

[@mimimatasar3699]

Fascinating sir, we are all sinners! Thank you!

[@kelrogers8480]

Some were garotted. Brutal. The reasoning behind their suffering is the still-current doctrine of catholiscm that believes you attain to your own salvation by suffering. So physical agony earns you merit thru purgatory. Think of flagellation (still practised) or hair shirts, or painful pilgrimages. Christ's death on the cross - in catholiscm, means you get the right to earn your own salvation - exactly what the protestants were opposing in the first place! BTW Mother Theresa believed the same, and would not allow pain relief for her suffering cancer patients. It's disgusting - and definitely contrary to foundational Biblical teaching!

[@kelrogers8480]

​@@mimimatasar3699some are worse than others. Far, far worse. No excuses!

[@mimimatasar3699]

@@kelrogers8480 Please no lectures on my interpretation s.

[@A_Stereotypical_Heretic]

11:47 45 minutes 😢 oh no... I suffered third degree burns on my right hand... 30% of my right hand, and it was excruciating... That being said I find some solace knowing that the nerve endings do burn away in some amount of time in a given area. The problem with the stake is that the given area constantly expands...so the pain slowly and excruciatingly makes its way up the body 😔 so heartbreaking. I pray these poor souls were so overcome with monoxide and shock that they lost all sense of pain. Terrible what people are capable of all in the name of "good".

[@bassingman9911]

So glad I happened upon your channel. Listening to you tell these stories is not only entertaining, but more importantly, educational. Please keep up the excellent work brother. God bless from North Carolina, USA.

[@thehistorysquad]

Glad you enjoy them! Thanks 👍🏻

[@jenniferjones188]

I love this series. Its so interesting to find out about British History. I never liked history at school but this is excellent thank you.

[@thehistorysquad]

Glad you enjoy it, thanks!

[@charlessanders]

This is a great channel. You're doing great work here!

[@thehistorysquad]

Thank you very much!

[@shonamcwilliam2842]

The models you make are fantastic. Your clothes, the walls everything. It makes your great story telling so much the better for it.

[@thehistorysquad]

Thanks very much!

[@darranwikeepa7079]

I became close friends with a guy from Iraq. He and his family sought asylum here in New Zealand where I met him. From time to time he would share stories of his life in Iraq. One story has stuck with me about his friend who was burned alive for being a Christian. Incredibly the murderers sent him the video. Incredibly he watched it. I wont share the details he went into however, I was completely unprepared to hear it. You hear of similar thing on the News but it doesn't hit you the same as someone who experienced it.

[@thehistorysquad]

Thanks for your comment. My gun in the British Army protected a Muslim village from Christians. Most of the women and children had already been murdered but just a few miles away was a Christian village where everybody had been murdered. And it's sometimes hard for me as a Christian to even acknowledge modern day religions, they can be just as violent today as they ever used to be.

[@darranwikeepa7079]

@@thehistorysquad Thanks for your reply and thanks for sharing. God bless

[@stephaniecowans3646]

Discovered your channel quite by accident and am binge watching them this evening (except for the one on arrow removal surgery -- I'm afraid that one will make me lose every meal I've eaten in the last 24 hrs!). You really know how to catch and hold the interest of your viewers! For this punishment for heretics, I seem to recall that if there was any degree of mercy, it was that on rare occasions, a bag of gunpowder would be tied to the neck of the condemned so that when the flames hit that, it would explode, killing the person before they would slowly die by the fire.

[@stephaniecowans3646]

P.S. Forgot to mention that I HAVE subscribed to your channel!!!!

[@thehistorysquad]

Hi Stephanie, thanks for subscribing, welcome to the channel. You're right about the gunpowder, but it had to be attached tight because of the way gunpowder burns when it's not contained in something, it doesn't actually explode unless it's contained. Sometimes sadly the flames wouldn't reach the gunpowder in time and the victim would suffer greatly.

[@dyansis]

One of the great things about being a modern day historians is how we can look at people like Mary 1st and look at them in a different light. Mary is such a sad story, she must have been such an unhappy person. When you look at how she was treated, she was far from innocent but her life was not one full of sparkling joy

[@jchow5966]

I agree 100%.

[@kelrogers8480]

But since when does not being happy justify such brutality? The families of the innocent people she tortured weren't exactly happy, either!

[@JamesBOydston-pq9zq]

Evil woman .

[@RosinaEmilyW]

⁠​⁠@@kelrogers8480 It’s not a justification for her actions, but Mary 1st was not truly happy at any time in her life. This would have significantly impacted her emotional development and ability to feel empathy. In all this, she only has two guides in her life. Religion and her Mother’s legacy. She was faced with a father who betrayed her mother and as good as killed her. Therefore her mother, and by extension anything Spanish and Catholic was pure and righteous. In comparison anything to do with her father was evil. It is quite possible that watching the martyrs burn was cathartic for her. And, it is important to note that because she was abandoned so heavily, even in comparison to Elizabeth (who was at least Protestant in the eyes of Henry), she was effectively left to stew in poverty, vitriol, loneliness, and rejection with only the knowledge that Protestantism and Henry’s own selfishness ruined the lives of herself and her mother. And that was for 37 years. Even someone with non-violent inclinations would have questionable sanity by that point. So she wanted acceptance and clung to any vestige of what she had perceived as righteous for the preceding 37 years. Add to that the strength of faith at the time and you have a recipe for disaster. Imagine being denied your whole life and told you’re basically the devil’s child. Then imagine suddenly finding an entire army which is willing to follow you based on your divine right to rule. Suddenly, you’re Queen. Additionally, remember that Philip’s envoy was her only real confidant. That would certainly make it hard to see anything outside the borders of your beliefs with sound reasoning or empathy. I am not saying that she is innocent because of these circumstances, only that she failed to resist mental damage and directed her pain and hatred to the outside world, while being taught that her actions were justified through religion. You could not call Mary sane. There is a point where religious fanaticism becomes a mental illness, and Mary had crossed that point. Tbh, the more I hear about Mary’s life, the more I think of the film Saint Maud. Unfortunately mental illness was not a consideration in choosing a Monarch. Religion took precedence. While the public nature and brutality of the executions carried out during her rule is comparable to some of the worst of history, I can’t really see her as being much more accountable than Danaerys, in that both valued themselves only for their positions as divine (in their own perception) rulers and had lost all those of importance. Was Mary malicious? Yes. Was she needlessly cruel? Yes. Does she deserve the title of Bloody in comparison to the monarchs around her? Yes. Was she mentally ill? Certainly. Had she grown up with love, could she have been healthy? Yes. In the end, it should be remembered that she was a product of the seething hatred within Henry 8th’s rule and his own lack of suitability as a father. Mary did not stand much of a chance, and what slim chance there was, was probably crushed by a mixture of genetic and environmental factors, in addition to her own disposition. She is pitiable, but not to the extent of innocence or exoneration. To quote a particular crime podcast “Don’t fck up your kids”. It can make monsters.

[@Ken-dh2te]

Ostensibly you're Catholic. Roman Catholicism is heretical and apostate for myriad reasons. Just listen to a couple of Christian Scholars like John MacArthur & Dave Hunt for starters....if you have the courage.

[@The_ZeroLine]

A shout out to Mrs. Hicks. Excellent work behind the camera as usual, madam. No one can do this all without some brilliant help.

[@thehistorysquad]

Thank you kindly 😉

[@wilsonthewarrior]

Always look forward to these vids !

[@owlfethurz8377]

Thanks so much. Having read Foxes book of Martyrs a couple of times, I feel humbled each time I read it. I always think, if it was me would I have such faith and courage?

[@coraelizabethbrna439]

You are simply phenomenal! Thank you for you ever fascinating explanations. Even topics I know about, there remains these small but delicious morsels of knowledge to still be gleaned. Keep up the great work!

[@thehistorysquad]

Thanks Cora, you're very welcome!

[@susiesnarey8442]

Hello Mr. Hicks I just discovered your channel and have been enjoying your videos. Im an American of English heritage and I love English history . Your videos have been so interesting and so intricate in the history that you talk about. Thankyou for the entertainment sir

[@thehistorysquad]

My pleasure Susie, thank you.

[@davesmith7432]

I’ve been told some people died of smoke inhalation. Perhaps and I hope most went that way. I’m not sure if it’s worse then impalement. There’s stories (Vlad’s Walachia) of priests in holding dungeons with the stake placed outside their cells for psychological torture. I think Mary earned it. Great video as always.

[@thehistorysquad]

Cheers 👍🏻

[@inisipisTV]

It is said that usually the family of the condemned would bribe the executioner to put a bale of wet hay on the fag-ots so that when fired up the smoke from the wet hay would smother the victim and die from asphyxiation. So the condemned would be already dead when the fire reaches them. There’s a German medieval executioner that wrote a diary of his exploits, and he wrote the many time he "did a favor" for condemned (given bribed). He would then execute them thru sword decapitation, which is swift and quick, rather than the slow form of hanging or the brutal way by wheel breaking.

[@Blessed_V0id]

I feel sorry for Vlad. Him and his brother. I'm not saying how he treated people is rightous, just that how he was treated was not either. Tends to be that way with history. Very rarely are there hero's, JFKs, Martin Luthor King juniors, Ghandis...Martyrs or saints if you will, and their stories almost always have the same ending. Sometimes this seems like a dark, dark world indeed. There's not enough compassion. And that's why I feel sorry for Vlad

[@davesmith7432]

@@Blessed_V0id I agree. Thats a good way of putting it.

[@Blessed_V0id]

@@davesmith7432 Thanks man. I appreciate it

[@chrisanderson5317]

Thanks for sharing Kevin. I've read Fox's book, and it is harrowing indeed.

[@TheEarthistheLords]

Only recently stumbled across your history channel. Absolutely love it , absolutely love history too. Right enough said I'm off to watch some more of your episodes

[@thehistorysquad]

Excellent. Thanks & welcome 👍🏻

[@MrArthoz]

I can really empathy with their pain an suffering. What great strong souls they were. I had a table saw accident yesterday and had to undergo surgery to clean, cut and stitch my flesh back together...all the while whimpering in pain and begging the doctor to inject more localized anaesthetic each time the numbness wore off and each time the procedure was to stuck the needle into my finger joints, it was pure agony. The entire night I can't sleep from throbbing pain despite having painkillers. So much pointless torment. Just for having different faith or opinion.

[@als3022]

Look up 30 years war for some really messed up stuff between Protestant's and Catholics.

[@bismarckswalkingstick]

Your words shall be honoured, Good Sir.

[@spacewater7]

Yikes those are no fun. :-/ At least you didn't lose any digits. And soon you'll have an interesting scar to tell the grandkids about. Heal up soon :-)

[@kranson8514]

Our history never fails to astonish, another daily dose of enlightenment 😉👍

[@thehistorysquad]

Thanks

[@darrellpratt4479]

Great film kevin and Julie. Initially I was thinking she didn't deserve the title however when you read from the book and a little of the descriptions that changed my mind. Cant wait for the next one mate.

[@thehistorysquad]

Thanks mate. Indeed, I couldn't read the whole description out, it was too horrific for YT

[@SGBass]

Having read Foxe's Book myself, I cannot help but agree. Mary must have been a monster to enjoy such horrific torture.

[@nomadpi1]

Thank you. What pertinent information. I never understood the reason for burning victims until your explanation of the Catholic "reluctance" for shedding blood. Re: Queen Mary's burning her victims, in public spectacles, I suspect that she found pleasure in knowing her victims knew she'd punished them, legally by Church doctrine, at her pleasure.

[@ruthd7274]

It can't only be that. England had been Carholic for most of its history prior to this and burnings happened rarely, if at all.

[@tommy123dyer]

Please please please kevin could you do a video on the Black Death and plague, what medicines were used and what procedures. How did it all start? How did it end? Thank you I haven’t been into history until I started watching your videos.

[@thehistorysquad]

Haha, thanks Tom. I'm already on it, I have a plague mask and a dead frog......we're on our way 😜

[@tommy123dyer]

Thank you so much I’ve never found history so interesting before

[@ChaiCrimes]

@Tom Dyer He is great, I actually watch until the end of the videos lol

[@tommy123dyer]

@@ChaiCrimes just waiting on the plague and Black Death. It’s so interesting though Kev just brings it all to life

[@ChaiCrimes]

@@tommy123dyer True!

[@rubosrex7303]

Hey, Kevin. Thank you for all the videos, you and Jason Kingsley OBE from Modern HistoryTV are my favorite brit KZbinrs. Keep it up, its lovely to learn from your videos. Good health to you and yours, Sir.

[@thehistorysquad]

Hey, thanks! Yes, Jason's an OBE and I'm a BEM (my honour is military)

[@kevdimo6459]

Thanks Kevin i knew she was bad but she was over the top! Much like her father!

[@ladyhonor822]

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TOURS.

[@thehistorysquad]

My pleasure!!

[@Dane-1219]

Hello Kevin do you have any medals and ribbons from your army days, if so i would love to hear you talk about them

[@thehistorysquad]

Yes I do, I'll chat about them some day for sure 👍🏻. If you look at my Berlin Wall video, you'll see them in the background

[@Dane-1219]

@@thehistorysquad i watched the video but didnt see them i will have to go back and look👍

[@toriedwards126]

Kevin, thank you for keeping History alive for us! and sharing your knowledge

[@thehistorysquad]

My pleasure!

[@PH_1964]

First timer here. You're such an engaging Teacher. I'm Roman Catholic and find the stories truly upsetting. It's hard to imagine. I think Catherine of Aragon wasn't actually divorced in the eyes of the Church but Henry VIII created/convinced himself he was free. Thank you 😊

[@thehistorysquad]

Thanks Michele & welcome to the channel. If you haven't already you might want to check out my video on the Protestant martyr Anne Askew, it's quite harrowing though. But I'll be doing a video shortly on a Catholic martyr too.

[@PH_1964]

@@thehistorysquad Will do. Thanks again. I recalled that my grades in any particular year were as a result of style / voice of the teacher. You're perfect! 🤗

[@Vule34]

Your channel is truly exceptional and prime example for living history. Keep inspiring others to learn more about history and preservation.

[@thehistorysquad]

Thank you! Will do!

[@davidstrother496]

Thank you Kevin, for another interesting and informative video. It is so unfortunate that people will kill in the name of religious belief, but even today the problem persists. I'm thankful that I have never been faced with such prejudice, and believe that no one ever should be. Cheers from Texas.

[@thehistorysquad]

Absolutely, a great comment David, thanks 👍🏻

[@duncanbryson1167]

Well the religiosity is quite extreme in parts of America. I've been following US politics for about 6 or 7 years from 🇬🇧 specifically 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿. I also follow religion from the non religious side not specifically America but most material is by people based in America. I'm not religious myself.

[@MsJubjubbird]

These were the days before significant scientific advancement. Religion was so important to people because it explained how the world worked. They really believed in things like the divine right of kings and that famine was caused by upsetting God. Being the wrong religion, especially in Tudor England at this time where the monarch's legitimacy depended on the denomination, was basically saying that you questioned the order and legitimacy of how the world worked and society.

[@neilcook4686]

Cheers, Sir - I'm a former pupil of Queen Mary's Grammar School in Walsall ("Quas dederis, solas semper, habebis opes" lol), and I found this really interesting. I knew she wasn't a nice character, and I enjoyed this a lot. Many thanks :)

[@alancoe1002]

Richard Cooe was burnt by her order. My ancestor. He was described as an ancient person. In his fifties. Way younger than me, but those were tough times.

[@JCOwens-zq6fd]

Well done sir. Interesting fact, after the age of gunpowder really kicked off they would sometimes hang a little bag if gun powder around the neck of the one being burned to make it quick as an act of mercy.

[@als3022]

If you confessed in the end you would be garroted before. Although that was more a Spanish thing.

[@MZeki-gw2xg]

I think she was very disturbed by the trauma of the divorce and shunning by her father, being called a bastard and enduring other petty cruelties for all these years. Also living constantly under the axe-all that can take a toll

[@danmcg4363]

Your stories have brought me back to my childhood memories of my teacher old mr may telling us a story of a fri. I haven’t had a story since those 40yrs ago and I’m loving your channel since I found it. Keep it up excellent work sir.

[@thehistorysquad]

Will do, thanks 👍

[@c.s.7266]

Mary was treated abominably by her father and his court. He took her away from her mother and literally broke her heart. I think that if she was treated better she wouldn't have behaved the same.. I wish she had re-thought about her punishments towards the people she had burned and instead changed her mind by showing her people that she was merciful and I think she would end up being loved by the people of her kingdom.

[@rowbearly6128]

"Literally broke her heart". NO. Metaphorically,figuratively, but not literally.

[@kelrogers8480]

The Catholic Church supported all she did, and still does. They had a special medal struck for the massacre of the Huguenots, and still celebrate it today. It's an evil and violent religion, and has murdered more Jews than any Muslims ever have - not to mention protestants, who simply wanted to actually read the Bible!

[@kelrogers8480]

​@@rowbearly6128I'm sure the families of those burnt alive were heartbroken, too!

[@rowbearly6128]

@@kelrogers8480 Well,yes, as you'd expect.

[@macgyversmacbook1861]

If she’s going to be continuously called “Bloody Mary” then Henry and Elizabeth deserve it too. Bloody Bess killed more Catholics than Mary did Protestants, Henry is the same. I feel sorry for Mary, I mean imagine being torn not only from your Faith that you’ve devoted your life to but from your MOTHER. Mary was a teenager when she was banned from seeing Katherine and she didn’t even see her the day she died. I still find it poetic that Queen Katherine has a more elaborate tomb than Henry, who planned an elaborate one but only has a simple tablet in the floor

[@ceciliajones7816]

Still Bloody Mary. Henry should have also had such an epithet with the same longevity. Thanks for the post! I love history. Too bad we don’t learn from it.

[@charlessanders]

That's not true at all. If that was the case there would still be slavery and women wouldn't be able to vote. I could go on and on. It's a myth humans don't learn from history or mistakes. Sure there are many instances where people do not, but as a whole we move on.

[@MichaelWilliams-tv1bm]

And Bloody Elizabeth too!

[@als3022]

Henry VII is really the least bloody of them all. His descendents had the blood lust.

[@altinaykor364]

@@MichaelWilliams-tv1bm no

[@yourmasyourda7995]

Wonderful absolutely wonderful finally a channel to feed my addiction to English history

[@thehistorysquad]

Excellent thanks & welcome to the channel 👍🏻

[@wolfgangholtzclaw2637]

Earned the title??? Yes, I think so. Good job Kevin, you tell a story well. Peace and Love in Jesus' name!

[@tonybiddle6668]

Had there been no jesus there would have been none of these barbarities

[@wolfgangholtzclaw2637]

get back on the meds tony.@@tonybiddle6668

[@will2Collett]

Your little figure of what looks like a womanat the stake, it reminds me of another great Medieaval Hero, Jeannette D'arc. There's an amazing story, even for our English symnapthies, mostly mine I GUESS??? I'm new here, I have followed you over the last year and I will hopefull follow you on PATREON. Archery is an amazing discipline. I don't have the muscles to start at my age, I'll be 70 this year. You're admirable Mr Kevin. Your stories and talent are inspiring to watch. THANKS SO MUCH.

[@thehistorysquad]

Wow, thanks William! As it so happens Joan of Arc is a favourite character of mine, so stand by 👍🏻

[@martindrogers]

I am a descendant of John Rogers. This is an eye opening video which brings to light the horror of Mary's reign.

[@LadyAnneJT]

So is my husband! Mind you, John had eleven children, so there are probably quite a few of you, but it's good to "meet" another one.

[@Echo126_]

Very useful video! I've got my Tudors A-level exam tomorrow and this has been a particularly interesting video to watch. Thank you!

[@thehistorysquad]

Best of luck!

[@LilNewo]

An emotional based death speaks to us on a personal level far more han a clean methodical execution.

[@tylermoulton7294]

I’ll become a patreon asap. I so so so so so appreciate having your films on demand. It brings me to a more relaxed mood but still keeping an active mind. Cheers from Colorado

[@thehistorysquad]

Hey Tyler, thanks! I just did a random Google Meet session with our Patrons, it was great to meet everyone and chat about history & all sorts. Maybe see you next time. Cheers buddy 👍🏻

[@zoikles1]

Crazy that these heretics didn't just repent. They were all born Catholic and converted to the English cult when the fat king invented it, less than 20 years before the reign of Mary. They couldn't have genuinely believed in it, they knew first hand that it was made up.

[@carlmitchell3431]

You bring it all to life as always brilliant.

[@allanburt5250]

Fantastic Kevin another brilliant story brought from the pages of history 👏 cheers

[@thehistorysquad]

Thanks for listening

[@mariamanasewitsch2977]

Really liked this one. It’s amazing how “soft” society today’s become.

[@waynevaughan9325]

Well said Kevin another peice of history no one remembers Bless you.

[@LordCommander]

Given the zeal her half-brother Edward has, I'd say if he had not contracted consumption the tyranny would be far worse than one imagined. That period of his rule is often glanced over while it left a big dent on how Anglicanism defined itself in the next hundred years. Edward's vision of protestantism was fanatical, iconoclastic and more akin to the later Puritan movements, or in some manners even more strict. This put him in a polar opposite to Mary, raised Catholic much to the anger of many from the reformation wing of English society. Her childhood and then maturity had both her father and her half brother prosecuting her for her beliefs. This only fortified her resolve to return England under the wing of the Catholic church. How she went about is another problem - completely enamoured with a man that couldn't give a damn about her. Finally she caved in to active prosecution of Protestant (instead of ignoring or soft-prosecuting them like she did at the start of her rule), making enough martyrs that there could be a legend built around her about this Papist queen blood thirsty and eager to burn every bit of her father's defiance from England. Was she that brutal? I think it's a bit exaggerated how bloody her reign was compared to the likes of for example Cromwell or her Father. But the legend of her rule still lingers on in the mind of the English people. If I could recommend further reading about the epoch - Alison Weir's "Henry VIII: King and Court " and Thomas Penn: Winter King: The Dawn of Tudor England" are both excellent reads to understand how the rule of both of these monarchs shaped the mindset of Tudor dynasty.

[@als3022]

Exactly, and not like Elizabeth didn't do worse.

[@LordCommander]

@@als3022 Indeed. It's really interesting if you put things into perspective - Henry VII emerged as a king after a long civil war where allegiances changed daily. He himself first being a hostage, then fleeing England to France to avoid getting his head chopped off, only to return in a bid to claim the throne where two warring families were completely exhausted by fighting. Now one would assume these days that Henry's claim to the throne was legitimate (and it was in a way), but it was still a very shaky claim. Given that the rebellion against a legitimate king by the Bolingbroke s what kicked off the whole affair and left the country in turmoil, it also set a dangerous precedent - any monarch could be deposed by a strong enough noble with sufficient parliamentary support (It did happen with Cromwell!). Henry VII remembered this and was ruthless in the field of realpolitik, a thing that most likely he taught to his own son, given how quickly you could lose favour in the court of Henry's VIII. Now this is the atmosphere where young Edward, young Mary and young Elizabeth were all raised. And that left a big trauma on them (There are two fantastic books on Anne Boleyn and Lady Mary Jane by Eric Ives and Alison Weir respectively, that discuss this in detail). But also these events taught these young monarchs that mercy is not a virtue but a weakness. You could lose the throne to a rebellion so it's better to snuff out the problem in its wake. The Tudor dynasty was exceedingly bloody because of that feeling mistrust planted by emerging from the War of Roses. Compare that to the later two of the Stuart dynasty kings, where as Charles I, who thought of himself as more of a philosopher king - a true enlightened monarch, even with the Gunpowder plot being found out was very careful where he pointed the finger at for the sake of public peace.

[@thehistorysquad]

A great comment and thanks for the recommendations, I know the books 👍🏻

[@als3022]

@@LordCommander I agree a very good comment. And with excellent context. And got to write these down for more learning

[@altinaykor364]

@@als3022 just shut it with constantly trying to paint Elizabeth as worse! in fact, unlike Mary, Elizabeth wasn't cruel to her enemies for no reason (yes, no reason! there's no excuse in burning people alive which you think are sinners and shit and trying to justify it by saying you're cleaning them, that's exactly what a psychopath says) there death sentence on her head by the leader of Catholic church and with that price, of course catholics, outside of all of their crimes, did try to murder her as well, and if you think she's the same as Mary for punishing those who were trying to kill her, you're more ignorant than you know! and unlike Mary, Elizabeth did bring something positive to her country and was strong! not only she saved her country from Catholic church's slavery, she brought so many successions as well, art, science, astronomy, everything that in Mary or Catholic's reign would be called sin or witchcraft and be burned alive! what Mary brought outside of a half decade hellhole?

[@NoName-lo9ym]

Amazing video - thanks Kevin. Could you continue this topic with a video about the Oxford Martyrs and the Lewes Martyrs?

[@thehistorysquad]

I do plan to pick some of the martyrs off one by one, so probably yes 👍🏻

[@kiwifruit27]

Thanks for covering Foxes book of Christian Martyrs, such important history and yet I have never heard it mentioned before on a KZbin history channel

[@thehistorysquad]

Gosh, that's interesting. Thanks for watching 👍🏻

[@d.g.n9392]

More than i had ever known before, wonderful history 🙋‍♂️🐈🐈

[@Wellpro31]

Thank you for those testimony of the martyrs who died for our faith in Christ 🙏🏼

[@elzorro7of9]

Pity they did not live for 'christ'. By the way Jesus is all made up fables.

[@dyansis]

They werent martyred for their faith in christ. They were murdered for HOW they showed faith in Christ.

[@chrisg2739]

@@dyansis exactly. They both worshiped the same thing just in different ways. That’s the whole sad comedy of the two factions.

[@TheOnceMoreGaming]

Love your stories. Love this site. I go back and forth posting on my account and my gaming account depending on whether I'm uploading a new video or not. But I'm watching!

[@thehistorysquad]

Thanks, I'm glad you enjoy it! 👍🏻

[@frankieblue1945]

Another excellent film Sir. Thank you.

[@stevenfoster5217]

I don't think she was any worse than the others who came before or after her. People talk about how bad things are in todays world. But I think we live in pretty peaceful times compared to what people went through a 1000 years ago.

[@ReneMatuscak]

Sir its so nice to listen to you I could listen to you for hours i love hearing stories, I wish in future you can make for example 1 hour video where you talk about something in history I would love that. thank you

[@nadiabrook7871]

Yes, Bloody Mary should remain Bloody Mary because her reign was murderous and bloody!! She took her religious beliefs and twisted them to suit her fanaticism!! GREAT video, as always, Kevin!! XXXX 👍❤💗

[@ivyrose779]

It really wasn’t much worse than other reigns though. And, not that it makes it okay, but things were different back then. They believed that heresy to be like a sickness that is contagious and can be passed to others. So, in her mind, it was her duty to protect her people and their souls.

[@kenreeve6549]

Kevin, as ever brilliant content thank you

[@bobthompson4133]

The faith displayed by those martyrs is the strength required to build and maintain a humane society

[@jchow5966]

Thank you for this fantastic episode!!!

[@maryloumawson6006]

I have always felt that Mary I did not deserve the appellation "Bloody Mary." I was aware of the Fox book and had heard the tale of Thomas Cranmer. But Thomas Cranmer was the bishop that dissolved her parent's marriage. He was the one that facilitated Henry VIII's take over of the Church. He used Henry's obsession with getting a male heir to completely subvert the balance of power in England, by making Henry head of the Church instead of answerable to it, (which was the only thing keeping a check on his power.) IMHO, he was a coward all his life, and only when he knew he'd be burned anyway, did he show any backbone. Mary, for her part, had watched all her young life as the religion she was devoted to, the devout belief of both her parents, was outlawed, and heresy put in it's place. I think she believed she was righting the wrongs that her father's weakness had enabled, and that God would bless her efforts. She'd married a Spaniard, and perhaps felt that a strongly Catholic king would settle the matter, especially when an heir arrived. History shows that she was reluctant to sentence people to burn, but must have thought it would quickly squash Protestantism which she regarded as a cancer in her realm. Her sister and father both killed more people than she did. It was a brutal time in history.

[@Ken-dh2te]

You Roman Catholics are amazing. Roman Catholics is heretical & apostate. As a former catholic I'd encourage you to watch Christian scholars like John MacArthur, Dave Hunt et al.

[@HouseholdDog]

There's a certain character you have to play as a medieval guide. It's quite unique really in acting gigs. Not that it's primarily an acting gig, but it is a big part of it.

[@russellfredrick6519]

Kevin, you could teach through Foxx's book of martyrs chapter by chapter. It would make a great series.

[@thehistorysquad]

Yeah, and pretty grisly too 👍🏻

[@Nansen1981]

Thanks for that insight I could never work out Mary, but you have given me food for thought.👏👏👏

[@mrjohndstrain]

Religion blinds one to reason...

[@1320crusier]

Humans blind themselves.

[@als3022]

I think there are enough examples in the last century alone that show that anything can blind people to reason. It's not like science didn't do horrible things in the 20th century.

[@georgedonnellan36]

And God watched all the burnings of human beings...keep praying all you faithful.

[@azariahisrael5632]

Proud to say John Rogers is my 12th great grandfather. He is the ancestor of Thomas Rogers The Mayflower passenger.

[@ReaperStrain4819]

Love the video kevin!

[@KathrynsWorldWildfireTracking]

13:30 - "Father, Receive My Soule." _in manus tuas domine_ which means "Into Your Hands, Lord" (I commend my spirit.) And, "M. Ridley I will remember your suite" (?) Back then, "f" was "s" much of the time. What is the last word? This engraving or woodcut is exquisite. We have the (bad) part of the art in the form of a "head cluster" to represent a crowd...but amazing details. The man next to "L Willias" - wears a backsword or an early open-hilt rapier. A fine weapon. A stand-up-collar cloak. He's very wealthy. For the others: A collection of anti-cavalry & anti-crowd polearms - bardiche, leaf-spears, and pole-axes. Padded armor cuirass, tunics, and, _ahem,_ codpieces. Crumbling city walls in the distance...as the age of gunpowder is already here. It's irrelevant. And this spectacle happens right outside city gates. An amazing piece of art! Thank you for this touching documentation. Edit: And to answer your question...yes, she deserves "Bloody Mary" for a title. I used to think Elizabeth I was the "good guy" - from movies like the ridiculous "Golden Age." Then I found out she burned people too. What a horrible era. Medieval Times were supposed to be cruel - but the Goths (as Arian Christians) shut down the Roman gladiator atrocities. And in the "Renaissance" - people are supposed to be Enlightened! Really sad this practice bled over into the Americas. The cruelty of the Spanish / some other Christian groups + the Meso-American heart-wrenching sacrifices - were peas in a sick pod!

[@ieuanjones9032]

Truly briliant. Thankyou so much.

[@davidknight1612]

I just wanted you to know I love your channel Kevin!!!

[@thehistorysquad]

I really appreciate it David, thanks 👍🏻