To what extent was England a Catholic country at the time of Mary I’s death in 1558?
When Mary began her reign, England was firmly Protestant, due to the Edwardian Reformation which wiped out all traces of Catholicism. She was a strong Catholic, and attended Mass at least once a day and saying prayers in her chapel every night. She interpreted that her initial popularity was due to the return of Catholicism rather than for the dislike of Northumberland and the support for her own legitimacy as rightful queen. Due to this she aimed to re-assert Catholic doctrines and practises and to re-establish Papal Supremacy. However ultimately Mary’s attempt to make England a full Catholic country failed, as her reign was too short, and she did not produce a Catholic heir to continue her attempt.
Mary felt that it was her commitment to bring back full Catholicism to England. She was devout in personal worship, attending Mass at least once a day, and saying prayers every night. As a Princess she did not abandon her catholic faith, and only accepted the Royal Supremacy of her father in 1536 under duress. This was further encouraged by Cardinal Pole as he compared her to Mary mother of Jesus, and she had a divine purpose. She proclaimed on 18th August 1553 that she hoped that others would follow her religion. This made it seem that she was more interested in reforming religion instead of political reasons.
The beginning of Mary’s reign is a typical example of a catholic Reformation, and much more popular than anything which had been attempted in the previous reign. When Mary became Queen in 1553 she believed that her popularity as ratification of Catholicism, rather than as a reaction to the unpopularity of Northumberland’s rule, or support for her own legitimacy as rightful queen. These beliefs encouraged Mary to embark upon a religious crusade to restore Catholicism to