Mary I (1516 – 1558) was Queen of England and Ireland from July 1553 until her death. She is known for her attempt to bring the Roman catholic way of life back to England and Ireland, and the executions of Protestants that this resulted in got her the nickname of "Bloody Mary".

Mary was the first daughter of Henry VIII (with Catherine of Aragon) and so became queen before Elizabeth. Her younger half-brother Edward VI (son of Henry and Jane Seymour) was first in line after the death of Henry VIII, but he died after a few years, allowing Mary to come to the throne. However, that took a bit of effort because Lady Jane Grey was at first proclaimed queen. This meant that Mary had to raise an army to defeat her. She and her army successfully removed Jane from the throne, and she was eventually beheaded. Then, in 1554, Mary married Philip of Spain, which gave Spain a claim on the English throne and frightened many in England.

Mary then proceeded to restore Roman Catholicism. She lived for only another five years, however, but in this time she had over 280 Protestants burned at the stake. Of course, after Mary's death, Queen Elizabeth I reigned, and she returned England and Ireland to the protestant ways.