Henry VIII, Queen Mary’s father, had abandoned the Catholic church in 1534 after the pope had refused to annul his marriage. He established what came to be known as the Church of England. After his death in 1547, his son Edward VI, aligned the church with the quickly growing Protestant movement, and the nation began to divide between Catholic and Protestant.
When Mary, a vehement Catholic, inherited the throne she made it a top priority to reinstate the Catholic Church as official. She attempted to eliminate Protestantism completely by torture and death, earning her the nickname “Bloody Mary.”
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR US:
Queen Mary’s treatment of Protestants caused a national uproar and threatened Civil War. English subjects, having seen a different option, began to associate Catholicism with torture, and wanted no part of it.
After Queen Mary’s death, Queen Elizabeth I took drastic measures to unite the nation once again, even calling for religious toleration. This succeeded during her reign, but when King James I, a Catholic sympathizer himself, began his rule in 1603, fears of Protestant persecution began to surface again. This eventually prompted 102 passengers to flee to the New World in 1620 and settle the Plymouth Colony.
Coincidentally, Plymouth, England became the first incorporated town by Parliament on Nov. 12, 1439.
