The tragic history of Queen Mary I and her brief reign of terror against Protestants in sixteenth century England—includes illustrations. When Mary Tudor, eldest daughter of Henry VIII, succeeded to the throne of England in 1553, she enjoyed a degree of popularity rarely seen on the accession of a British monarch. Yet at her death only five years later, she was so reviled by her people that she was posthumously awarded the sobriquet Bloody Mary. The change of public opinion was not without reason.