"History as written by the victor" that famous remark by Winston Churchill can be aptly applied to our appreciation of certain English monarchs that have been derived and influenced by the writings of subsequent writers who either out of inclination or necessity supported the subsequent winning side. Think of how the reputation of Richard the III has been influenced by the portrayal of him in the Shakespeare play and how it contrasts to the writings of several of Richard's contemporaneous observers who praised his statesmanship. A similar monarch who is viewed less than favourably is Mary I of England who is still today better known by the "Bloody Mary" sobriquet given to her by her Protestant opponents. Reigning only between 1553 and 1558 her monarchy is synonymous with the burning at the stake of over 280 Protestant martyrs during the English Counter Reformation that she was principally responsible for. What were the causes and motivations of her actions together with a chronological narrative can be found in the latest Pen and Sword publication by Phil Carradice who has published several previous historical works and hosts a history series on BBC Radio Wales.

I have now read several historic books published by Pen & Sword and I have always found them to be well written and informative and this is no exception. Due to the concise nature of their books (I read this in the course of an afternoon) you can quickly gain a basic appreciation of a subject which can then lead you if desired to further reading and research as may well be the case here. Like in other Pen & Sword books there is here an interesting and fairly comprehensive collection of photographs of paintings, engravings and martyr sites and memorials that lend credence to the text. The conclusion is that Mary was sad rather than bad which was primarily derived from the traumatic effects of her upbringing.

Saddled with inadequate advisers and an ill judged marriage to a Spanish royal the chances of a successful reign were always fairly minimal. In truth there was little public appetite for a counter reformation and a full return to the old ways and a more astute monarch would have realised this as was the case with her successor Elizabeth the great fence sitter who steered a course between Puritanism and Catholicism. In truth it can be argued that the middle way Anglicanism that would eventually emerge would be nearer to Roman Catholicism than Calvinism as opposed to the result of the Reformation in Scotland. For Mary though there could be no compromises and this was perhaps her tragedy.

If you have an interest in this period of history then this I believe is a good basic introduction that you can subsequently build upon.

A review copy was provided by the publisher. ( )