A picture of Mary at age 28, nine years before she was proclaimed Queen.
The sad life and short reign of Mary I of England is made sadder still when one compares it to the widely know kingdoms of both her father Henry VIII, and her younger half-sister Elizabeth I. Mary is forever destined to be known throughout history as only a short paragraph in a story written about the other great monarchs of the era. Mary's life started off as one that any little girl would dream of having, a doting father, a loving mother, castles to live in and servants to attend to her every need. Her life soon became more of a tragedy than a fantastical tale of princes and princesses though, leading her down a path in life that she had never expected to be on, being labeled as an illegitimate child of the king and her birthrights and claim to the throne being constantly overlooked in favor of her younger siblings. After many years and trials, Mary eventually ascended to the throne, becoming almost intoxicated with her first real taste of power, trying to undo and make up for all the wrongs that she thought had be done to her and her Catholic religion. Many of the things that she did to right these wrongs earned her the nickname "Bloody Mary Tudor", a name that would follow her to this day. Say what you will about Mary and her terrible practices, but she was still a significant monarch in England's history, a ruler that left her mark on her country and world history.
Below are the links to a documentary about Mary Tudor. It is part of a series of shows called "The Most Evil Women in History". Although this is a good visual representation of the life of Mary Tudor, be warned that it has several historical inaccuracies.
The Most Evil Women In History-Bloody Mary Tudor, Parts 1, 2 and 3.