The first female monarch of England was Queen Mary I, who reigned from 1553 to 1558. Known as "Bloody Mary" due to her persecution of Protestant reformers, she was the daughter of Henry VIII and his first wife, Catherine of Aragon. Mary aimed to restore Roman Catholicism in England, reversing her father's Protestant reforms. Her reign was marked by political and religious turmoil, culminating in the Marian persecutions, where hundreds of Protestants were executed. Despite her efforts to re-establish Catholicism, her marriage to Philip II of Spain and her widespread unpopularity led to her eventual political downfall, paving the way for Elizabeth I's ascent.