History Fiction

A Death Sentence

Queen Mary Tudor I has been ruling England for one year now. She eradicated the Protestant faith and brought back her beloved Catholicism. She was the grand-daughter of Isabella De Castile, nicknamed “The Catholic” who brought the Holy Inquisition in Spain that resulted in the death of over twenty-thousand heretics. The Queen’s mother was Isabella’s daughter, Kathrine of Aragon and also a fervent Catholic. The whole of England rejoiced with the ascending of Princess Mary on the throne. Or so she thought…

Queen Mary had to gather an army in order to secure the English throne.Her cousin, Lady Jane Grey was about to be crowned Queen but Mary prevented it, and threw her and her husband in the Tower. Her advisors constantly tried to persuade her to execute her cousin, but Mary did not want to bring a 16 years old girl to the scaffold.

However, the times have changed…

Such thoughts passed through the head of the Queen when her chancellor, Bishop Stephen Gardiner was trying to persuade her how needed the execution of Lady Jane Grey really was.

-       -  The nobles are raising against you, Your Majesty – said he – ever since you ascended the throne there has been a couple of rebellions by Protestants who wanted to bring Lady Grey back to the throne, including one revolt by her father who you ordered to be executed. If Lady Grey continues to live, the Protestants will rebel until they succeed and dethrone you.

“And behead you” were the final words the man of the cloth decided to hold back.

Queen Mary was feeling uneasy and vexed. She stood up from her throne and walked around nervously, holding the cross on her neck.

-      -   It’s all that harlot, Anne Boleyn’s fault – said she – If it wasn’t for her, my father would have never divorced my mother and there would have been no heretics in England.  We would all have been Catholics, he would have never divorced and I would have become Queen seven years earlier preventing the death of so many people. But no, she bewitched him and turned him into the blood-thirsty man he never was. My father was definitely under a spell for when he bedded Anne, she did not bleed, which proved she was the Devil’s mistress. How could he believed she was pure while she was married previously?  And so what, she and her husband did nothing? What a deceiver!

Mary did not mention that her own mother was married before she married her father and also, like Anne Boleyn, claimed she was a virgin.

The Bishop was weary. He was tired of listening about Anne Boleyn every time the Queen was angry.

-       -  Your majesty, the evil was undone, but it has to be finished. If we take Lady Grey out of the way, then the Protestants would have no one to fight for.

-       -  I cannot bring my 17 years old cousin to the scaffold. If I execute her, the heretics would find another excuse to rebel. Then I’d have to execute more and more people until there is no end. I do not want to be remembered like my father who under Anne Boleyn’s spell was beheading his relatives and closest people.

-        -  Your Majesty, the difference with Lady Grey is that she was about to be crowned Queen when you took action against her. If we get rid of her, the nobles would have no immediate pretense to rebel. They would be seen as traitors and their support would be little to none. But now there are a lot of unreasonable barons who prefer Lady Grey to be Queen.

-       -  I did not take any action against her. – cried the Queen – I merely took what was my birthright – to rule this country. I was the first daughter of my father and I deserve to be Queen, it is God’s will.

-      -    Your Majesty is reasonable; you have secured the throne, almost.  With Lady Grey…

-      -    I am sick of hearing about Lady Grey. She is of no threat to us in the Tower. I don’t want to be killing my family, no. I do not wish to be remembered as the bloodiest Queen of England – Mary sat on her throne with her head titled in her hand. She was obviously agonized.

To Be Continued…

Author: Stefany Dyulgerova