How far does Mary deserve
her title of 'Bloody Mary'?
Yes, she does
In Wyatts rebellion, she punished the
rebels severely by hanging 120 people
Their bodies left to rot slowly on gallows both in
London and in the villages, a terrible warning to others.
Many believed that only by burning their could their 'evil'
be destoryed and their souls be taken to God.
In three years, about 3000 Protestants were burned at the stake.
Most of the burnings happened in south-east England,
because that was where Protestantism had won most support
No, she doesn't
Compared to her father in deaths, Henry VIII had thousands more
people killed in terms of executions, getting a high score of 70,000!
Her personal history was very troubled. She blamed the new
religion of Protestantism for the break up of her parents marriage.
In her day, any devotion from any deviation from the true
religion (Catholicism) was an insult to God.
The title 'Bloody Mary' was given to her by her enemies (people of the
Protestant faith), who triumphed after her death/short reign (Elizabeth I)
Conclusion
Much of Mary's reputation came from angry Protestants who had a lot to
gain by insulting her name (e.g John Fox's 'Book of Martyrs').
From this point of view, we can say that Mary was only
following the law and believing in and doing what she thought was right, and does not deserve this title.
We have to remember the times she lived in. To Mary and her Catholic
subjects, any deviation from the true religion (Catholicism) was an insult to God.
The penalty for heretics (which Protestants were according to the Catholic Church) was burning.