In 1553, Mary Tudor became the first woman to sit on the English throne - a reign of just five years, that history has remembered almost exclusively through the lens of her enemies. But today, we revisit the story of "Bloody Mary" to ask: was she really a ruthless tyrant? Joining us is Professor Kate Williams, a historian and broadcaster who specialises in Royal history. She unpacks Mary's life from start to finish and reveals the real Mary Tudor. 0:00 The "Bloody Mary" Myth vs. Reality 3:23 The Early Life of Mary Tudor 5:16 Henry VIII and the Great Divorce 8:28 The Demotion of the Lady Mary 11:17 Reconciling with the King 15:11 The Succession Crisis of 1553 18:04 How Mary Seized the Throne 21:41 The Unpopular Spanish Marriage 26:24 Restoring Catholicism to England 33:53 Phantom Pregnancies and War with France 37:12 The Legacy of England’s First Queen Produced by Mariana Des Forges, James Hickmann and McKenna Fernandez, edited by Matthew Wilson & the channel manager is Vilde Øksnes. You can find more Dan Snow's History Hit on the audio podcast here: https://podfollow.com/dan-snows-history-hit/view Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe. All music from Epidemic Sounds. #DanSnowsHistoryHit #HistoryPodcast #Tudor