Mary I was the queen of England and Ireland from 1553 to 1558. The daughter of King Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, she was the only child of the couple to survive infancy. Henry’s inability to produce a male heir with Catherine, combined with his desire to marry Anne Boleyn, led him to annul his marriage with Catherine, rendering Mary illegitimate under the new succession laws. As a result, Mary was removed from the court. A series of events led to her eventual succession after the death of her half-brother, Edward VI. In 1553, she was crowned queen of England. After her accession, Mary married Prince Philip of Spain, aiming to strengthen Catholic alliances and solidify her position on the throne. However, the marriage was largely unpopular among her subjects. During her reign, Mary sought to reinstate the Roman Catholic faith and introduced a strict Heresy Law that led to the persecution of Protestants. This mass persecution fostered widespread discontent and earned her the nickname Bloody Mary. Her reign was further troubled by military losses in France, poor weather, and failed harvests. With no child of her own, Mary was succeeded by her half-sister Elizabeth as queen of England upon her death.