Mary Tudor was the sister of Queen Elizabeth I of England, the two daughters of Henry VIII. It was a turbulent time in Britain, with Catholics and Protestants violently opposed to each other. Mary was a Catholic, and had so many Protestants put to death through vicious means such as burning at the stake that she earned the nickname 'Bloody Mary.'
You may have heard a variation in the Bloody Mary story: instead of just saying her name, you'd taunt her in the mirror, saying:
''I stole your baby Bloody Mary.''
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As Queen, there was great pressure on Mary to produce an heir. However, she had a hard time conceiving - often a problem with the inbred bloodline of ancient royals - until she had what is now known as an ectopic pregnancy: a ghost baby. Mary exhibited signs of pregnancy but bore no child. Her throne was given to her sister, Elizabeth, who put her to death.
