Few English monarchs have a worse reputation than Mary Tudor. Shehas been seen both as a religious fanatic who tried against thewill of her people to reverse the course of the Reformation and asthe pawn of her husband, Philip II of Spain - her infatuation withwhom led her to betray England's vital interests. How this pious, and by contemporary accounts, gentle womanaroused an antipathy that survives until the present is a centralquestion in David Loades's sensitive biography, now in paperback.Based on research into the documents of the time (many newlyuncovered) the compelling story of Mary's life is revealed here inunprecedented detail and depth, packed with incident and intrigue,and enmeshed in the politics of secular and religious struggle inEngland and Europe.