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In the dramatic story of England’s Reformation, the reign of Mary I is often considered a short, bloody glitch. Mary is often remembered chiefly as a murderous monster – ‘Bloody Mary’ (see article in Further Reading). In recent years though, her reign has been reinterpreted, challenging the image portrayed by fervent Protestant John Foxe in his Book of Martyrs. In place of the dour, vengeful Queen desperately seeking to overthrow her father’s heresy, these reinterpretations see Mary as brave, popular and, to an extent, successful. Notably, she was England’s first regnant queen – and, if nothing else, paved the way for Elizabeth’s acceptance as a female ruler in a deeply patriarchal age. And, in one of history’s great ‘what ifs’, perhaps only her early death prevented England from re-joining the wider Catholic world.