Was Queen Mary a Protestant who persecuted Catholics?
Queen Mary, often remembered as "Bloody Mary," reigned from 1553 to 1558. Her reign is particularly known for its religious policies. Mary was a devout Catholic, and she aimed to restore Catholicism as the dominant religion in England after the reigns of her father, Henry VIII, and her brother, Edward VI, who had established Protestantism. During her relatively short reign, Mary oversaw the persecution of Protestants, with many being burned at the stake for heresy. This earned her the infamous nickname. So, the statement that she was a Protestant who persecuted Catholics is incorrect. It's the opposite way around. It's easy to get confused because religious history in England during this period was turbulent, with the pendulum swinging back and forth between Protestantism and Catholicism depending on the monarch. But Mary's staunch Catholicism and persecution of Protestants are key facts to remember.
Bloody Mary's nickname hints at her actions: she persecuted Protestants, not Catholics.