Does Bloody Mary deserve her reputation?
Yes she does, an estimated 224 protestants were executed during her reign and that total would have been much higher but many went into voluntary exile or renounced their faith, those that were executed were killed by being burnt to death, often after torture. Notable clerics who were executed:Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury; Nicholas Ridley, Bishop of London; and the reformers John Rogers and Hugh Latimer. Mary was prominently featured and vilified in Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, published by John Foxe in 1562, five years after Mary’s death. Subsequent editions of the book remained popular with Protestants through the 19th century. Lady Jane Grey was also executed in this time. To an extent her reputation and the nickname was a consequence of being on the losing side of history but also in having in Philip, the King of Spain, this was very much one of those royal marriages of convenience with the pair spending little time together with Philip looking after his kingdom and interest
