Mary's Reign: Religious Persecution and Controversy

Mary's Reign: Religious Persecution and Controversy

Learning Objectives

• Describe the religious climate during Mary's reign
• Compare and contrast the execution methods and numbers under different monarchs
• Understand the varying perspectives on Mary's actions, including potential bias in historical accounts

What do you already know about religious persecution during Mary's reign?

Mary's religious persecution and burnings

• Mary executed 284 Protestants during her reign
• Burning one person every five days on average
• Higher rate of executions compared to other monarchs
• Execution was a common punishment during the 16th century

Comparison of execution methods and numbers

• Mary executed more Protestants compared to Henry, Edward, and Elizabeth
• Her father-in-law, the King of Spain, executed 30,000 Protestants
• Execution methods and numbers varied among different monarchs

Effects and reactions to Mary's actions

• Most of the English population were unaffected by Mary's actions
• Execution was a common punishment during the 16th century
• Accounts of Mary's reign may be exaggerated, particularly from Protestant writers
• Mary showed instances of mercy, such as forgiving rebels and allowing Protestants to leave the country

Potential bias in historical accounts

• Bias can exist in historical accounts, favoring or disfavoring certain individuals or groups
• Protestant writers may have exaggerated Mary's actions
• Multiple perspectives and sources should be considered when analyzing historical events

Mary's personal attitudes and decisions

• Mary's personal attitudes towards brutality
• Her decisions in specific cases
• Examples of mercy shown by Mary

Definition List

• Protestant: A member of the Protestant Church
• Execution: The carrying out of a sentence of death on a condemned person
• Bias: Prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person, or group compared with another, usually in a way considered to be unfair
• Treason: The crime of betraying one's country, especially by attempting to kill the sovereign or overthrow the government

The Rolling Stones is the most controversial rock band.

Agree: Their rebellious image and scandals prove it.

Disagree: They have a mainstream image overall.

Neutral: Controversy can't define their entire career.

Undecided: I haven't explored their controversies enough.

Write down 3 things you learned in this lesson.

Have students enter three things they learned in this lesson. With this they can indicate their own learning efficiency of this lesson.

Write down 2 things you want to know more about.

Here, students enter two things they would like to know more about. This not only increases involvement, but also gives them more ownership.

Ask 1 question about something you haven't quite understood yet.

The students indicate here (in question form) with which part of the material they still have difficulty. For the teacher, this not only provides insight into the extent to which the students understand/master the material, but also a good starting point for the next lesson.