Mary I of England
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50 free Mary I of England trivia questions with answers — history quiz, new questions added Oct 2026.
Mary I of England, also known as Mary Tudor, grew up as a monarch's cherished daughter, became an outcast at her father's court, and finally seized a crown that powerful men had tried to keep from her. Her short reign still divides opinion: was she a cruel persecutor, or a ruler judged more harshly than the men around her? This quiz follows her whole story: the childhood and education of a Tudor princess, the break between her parents, the summer she claimed the throne, her marriage to Philip of Spain, the religious upheaval that earned her the name Bloody Mary, and the way writers and dramatists have treated her since. The questions run from famous turning points to details for dedicated Tudor fans, each with a short explanation. The quiz suits history students, pub quiz regulars and anyone curious about the woman behind the nickname.
30 of 50 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01Which lost French port did Mary I of England reportedly say would be found lying in her heart?
Calais
Calais had been English since 1347 and was England's last foothold on the European mainland. French forces took it in January 1558, months before the queen died.
Q 02After Mary I of England died, her widower Philip sought to marry which new queen, who refused him?
Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I, Mary's half-sister and successor, turned him down. Three decades later Philip sent the Spanish Armada against her.
Q 03Mary I of England won the throne by deposing which teenage cousin, nicknamed the Nine Days Queen?
Lady Jane Grey
Lady Jane Grey was proclaimed queen on 10 July 1553 and deposed on 19 July as support swung to Mary. She was executed the following February.
Q 04Mary I of England was nicknamed Bloody Mary after some 280 Protestants were executed in which way?
Burning at the stake
Burning at the stake proved so unpopular that even one of her husband's own churchmen condemned it. The victims were soon lauded as martyrs.
Q 05Mary I of England seemed to be expecting a child in 1554–55; what is it now thought to have been?
A false pregnancy
A false pregnancy, perhaps brought on by her overwhelming desire for an heir, is the likeliest answer. Her abdomen receded in July 1555 and no baby came.
Q 06Under the Marriage Act of Mary I, which title could her husband Philip use during her lifetime only?
King of England
King of England was his style, and official documents carried both their names. He could not act without her consent or appoint foreigners to office.
Q 07Which minister of Henry VIII was dubiously accused of plotting to wed the future Mary I of England?
Thomas Cromwell
Thomas Cromwell was arrested for treason in June 1540 and beheaded. The charges included a claim that he meant to wed the king's daughter himself.
Q 08Mary I of England was the only surviving child of Henry VIII and which of his six wives?
Catherine of Aragon
Catherine of Aragon lost a short-lived son and several other babies before her daughter was born in 1516. Henry later had the marriage annulled.
Q 09Setting aside the disputed Empress Matilda, Mary I of England counts as the country's first what?
Queen regnant
Queen regnant means a queen who rules in her own right. England had no precedent for a married one, so Parliament passed an act to define her husband's powers.
Q 10Mary I of England shares a tomb with her half-sister and successor in which English church?
Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey holds both queens in one tomb, although Mary's will had asked for burial beside her mother. Its Latin inscription calls them consorts in realm and tomb.
Q 11After 1533, the future Mary I of England refused to accept which of Henry VIII's wives as queen?
Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn's rise cost Mary her title and her household, and her refusal to yield enraged the king. Father and daughter did not speak for three years.
Q 12Where did Mary I of England marry Philip of Spain in 1554, two days after they first met?
Winchester Cathedral
Winchester Cathedral hosted the wedding on 25 July 1554. Philip spoke no English, so the couple talked in a mixture of Spanish, French and Latin.
Q 13Which Kent rebel led a 1554 uprising against the plan of Mary I of England to marry Philip of Spain?
Thomas Wyatt
Q 21At six, the future Mary I of England was betrothed to which emperor, her 22-year-old cousin?
Charles V
Charles V broke off the engagement within a few years, with her father's agreement. Three decades later she married his son instead.
Q 22Aged four, the future Mary I of England entertained a French delegation by playing which instrument?
The virginals
The virginals, a type of harpsichord, were her party piece in July 1520. By the age of nine she could also read and write Latin.
Q 23From 1525, the young Mary I of England kept her own court at the castle of which Welsh border town?
Ludlow
Ludlow was her base while she presided, in name at least, over the Council of Wales and the Marches, with powers usually kept for a Prince of Wales.
Thomas Wyatt rallied about 2,500 men and marched on London, but Ludgate was barred against him and his army surrendered.
Q 14Where did Mary I of England imprison her half-sister for two months after the Kent rising of 1554?
The Tower of London
The Tower of London held her for two months while she protested her innocence. She was then moved to house arrest at Woodstock Palace.
Q 15Mary I of England was a granddaughter of which Spanish queen, the sponsor of Columbus?
Isabella of Castile
Isabella of Castile and her husband Ferdinand each kept sovereignty over their own realm while married, a model England lacked when Mary wed.
Q 16Which Archbishop of Canterbury did Mary I of England refuse to reprieve even after he recanted?
Thomas Cranmer
Thomas Cranmer had declared the marriage of Mary's parents void in 1533. On the day of his execution in 1556 he dramatically withdrew his recantation.
Q 17Once Henry VIII's first marriage was annulled, the future Mary I of England was declared what?
Illegitimate
Illegitimate in law, she lost the rank of princess and was styled simply "The Lady Mary". Her household was dissolved and her servants dismissed.
Q 18The mother of Mary I of England had first been married to which elder brother of Henry VIII?
Prince Arthur
Prince Arthur died in 1502, months after the wedding. Henry later argued that marrying his brother's widow had made his own marriage unclean.
Q 19Which French writer's 1833 play Marie Tudor portrays Mary I of England and a fictional favourite?
Victor Hugo
Victor Hugo built the drama around the rise and fall of Fabiano Fabiani, a favourite he invented for the queen. It was later adapted into operas and films.
Q 20Mary I of England was born at the Palace of Placentia, which stood in which Thames-side town?
Greenwich
Greenwich was also where she was baptised three days later, in the church of the Observant Friars, with Cardinal Wolsey among her godparents.
Q 24Which biblical book did Henry VIII cite to call his marriage to the mother of Mary I unclean?
Leviticus
Leviticus was his proof text because the queen was his late brother's widow. She insisted that her earlier marriage had never been consummated.
Q 25Which pope refused Henry VIII's request to annul his marriage to the mother of Mary I of England?
Clement VII
Clement VII may have been reluctant because the queen's nephew, the Holy Roman Emperor, commanded troops that had sacked Rome.
Q 26Which 1536 rising against Henry VIII led to the execution of Lord Hussey, once chamberlain to the future Mary I?
Pilgrimage of Grace
Pilgrimage of Grace rebels demanded, among other things, that Mary's status be restored. Hussey was executed, though nothing suggests she was involved.
Q 27The Privy Purse accounts of the future Mary I of England reveal spending on which favourite pastime?
Gambling at cards
Gambling at cards sits in the accounts beside bills for fine clothes, from the years after she was reconciled with her father.
Q 28Whose Actes and Monuments, known as the Book of Martyrs, painted Mary I of England as a tyrant?
John Foxe
John Foxe fled into exile during her reign and published the book in 1563. It stayed popular for centuries and shaped her bloodthirsty image.
Q 29Maryborough and Philipstown were founded under Mary I of England and her husband in which country?
Ireland
Ireland's midlands were settled with English colonists during the reign, in the new Queen's County and King's County, today's Laois and Offaly.
Q 30In July 1553, Mary I of England gathered her supporters at the castle of which Suffolk town?
Framlingham
Framlingham was where her force had assembled by 12 July, and within a week her rival's support collapsed. She rode into London in triumph on 3 August.