Historia jest fascynująca! Uwielbiamy ją poznawać i cieszymy się, że nasi uczniowie też mają to niej zamiłowanie – czytają ją, i piszą o niej! Jak Nida Tasarz, z klasy 1a, która zajęła się fascynującymi czasami dynastii Tudorów i pierwszą królową w historii Anglii, Krwawą Mary. Zapraszamy do lektury pierwszej części tekstu w naszym szkolnym periodyku AimHigh w języku angielskim!

Bloody Mary

Bloody Mary is rarely remembered for something else than being that Catholic queen who burned the Protestants. But was she just that? As I see it, no. She was much more.

Mary’s origins were already complicated. Her mother, Catherine of Aragon, was a Spanish princess who got sent to England to marry Prince Arthur, the prince of Wales, the son of King Henry VII. But just a few months later, Arthur died. Catherine had to stay in England for seven years, unsure of her own future, while her father and Henry VII tried to agree on what to do with the young Princess. Finally, they decided that Catherine would marry Henry’s second son, who was also called Henry. When Henry VII died in 1509, his son, crowned as Henry VIII, married Catherine.

Seven years and three dead children later, Mary Tudor was born on the 18 February 1516. What wasn’t known at that time was that she would remain the only surviving child, since her mother would have two miscarriages later on. Mary’s birth was a joyful event for the whole England, although there was a bit of underlaying sadness, since the newborn was a girl and not a boy. Mary’s education was preparing her to marry one day, like her mother did, so Mary was taught many languages, learned how to dance and sing, and she was seen as very smart and graceful for her age. Although she got engaged multiple times, none of the engagements worked out, since her father probably never considered letting his „Pearl” move into another country, due to the fact that Catherine was too old to have children again, and that wuold make Mary the heir of the throne. Well, until a certain Boleyn girl caught Henry’s eye…

Anne Boleyn grew up in the French court and was very different from other English ladies. She wore the clothing they did in France and managed to charm Henry quickly. Henry wanted to marry her and divorce Catherine, but the Pope disagreed, so to make his wish come true Henry seceded from the Church and created the Church of England. With the annulment of the marriage, Mary didn’t have the title of a princess anymore, a humiliation she never forgot. The poeple were angry and called Anne a a promiscuous female (to use a nicer expression) and a witch. Soon enough, she got pregnat, and gave birth to a girl, Elisabeth. Anne gave birth to a dead boy, what made Henry angry. Catherine died in Wales due to a sickness, and Mary wasn’t even allowed to say goodbye to her. Four months later, Henry accused Anne of cheating and made her the first ever Queen to get beheaded in the history of England.

Henry had now two daughters from marriages he annuled and no heirs. He fell in love again, this time with Jane Seymour. Jane managed to get Mary back on the court, but she died in childbirth not so long after.The child was a son, Edward, and no one less than Mary herself became his godmother. Henry VIII was so sad that he remarried, this time the German princess Anne of Cleeves. The marriage ended quickly since Henry said that she looked like a horse. Anna stayed in England and was a very god friend of both Henry and Mary.The next wife, Catherine Howard, was disliked by Mary. First of all, she was five years younger than Mary, and second of all, she was Anne Boleyn’s cousin. Sadly, the young woman shared the same fate as her cousin, getting beheaded after getting accused of cheating. The last stepmother, Catherine Parr, was only four years younger than Mary, and the two developed a very good friendship. She managed to get Mary and Elisabeth back to court again and to get their titles back. Four years later, Henry VIII died.

Nida Tasarz, klasa 1a