Nicknames are generally defined as a subterfuge given to a person to better understand their personality. To understand whether Queen Mary deserves her nickname we must first look at her history. Mary I of England was born on 18 February 1516. She was the only surviving daughter of Henry VIII's first wife, Catherine of Aragon. Due to his sex and his mother's inability to produce a male heir, they were both abandoned. It was after the death of Edward VI that Mary made a bid for her birthright as heir to the throne. Edward VI and his council intended his cousin Lady Jane Gray to succeed him because of her Protestant faith. However, after just nine days Jane Gray was dethroned by Mary thanks to popular support. During her 5-year reign, Queen Mary I took drastic measures to return England to the Roman Catholic faith. Her attempts, however, were short-lived as they were quickly quashed by her successor and half-sister, Queen Elizabeth I. It was also during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I that Queen Mary I was unfairly given the nickname Bloody Queen Mary. Therefore Queen Mary did not deserve this nickname because it was a partial representation of her through the eyes of the Protestant Queen Elizabeth who later succeeded her, the 16th century (during her reign) was essentially a brutal time and therefore the actions should not be highlighted as brutal because of her violent environment and because of her gender, Maria had to be brutal to maintain respect. The essential part of this nickname is that it was given to her by the Protestants who later succeeded her. Alex Haley once wrote “History is written by the victors.” Unfortunately, this queen's legacy is an unfortunate example of this. This is due to John Foxe's famous book, Book of Mar...... middle of paper ...... written to prevent further power struggles. As for the rebels who marched against the city of London, only 100 were executed while 400 were graciously pardoned by Mary. This iron personality that Mary constructed served her well as there were few instances of rebellion during her reign. Nicknames can be given to any person and can have a great effect but are usually underestimated. The reason nicknames are so powerful is because they can sum up a person's entire character in just a few words. When we look back through the pages of history we must be careful and not trust every word of the people who recorded historical events. We must be cautious in eliminating prejudice and thus free famous people such as Queen Mary I of England, the first official female chief monarch, from misrepresentations that would otherwise tarnish their good name.