Bloody Mary: Don’t Summon Her, She Might Burn You at the Stake

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A portrait of Mary from the chest up. She is wearing a black dress with a high neckline and a black and white beaded bonnet. She has a stoic expression on her face.

image courtesy of History.com

If your childhood was anything like mine, you may have had the joyous experience of the Bloody Mary ritual wherein you turn off the lights in the bathroom, close the door, look in the mirror and say “Bloody Mary” three times. This fun little series of events supposedly summons the spirit of Mary I of England, who is known as the first ever Queen of England in her own right, but is also responsible for the murder of hundreds of protestants. Talk about a girlboss.

Mary was born February 18th, 1516 in Greenwich, England to two loving parents: Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon. Now, I use the term loving loosely, because they weren’t loving at all. Her father, who I’m sure you’ve heard of thanks to his proclivity for beheading his wives, was disappointed that Mary was a girl. He longed for a son to carry on the throne. I’m sure you can imagine how this put a wrench in his relationship with his daughter. Not only this, but he was desperate to leave his marriage with Catherine, as he had fallen in love with a woman by the name of Anne Boleyn. To get out of the marriage, he claimed that his relationship with Catherine was incestuous, since she had been married previously to his brother. In the process of deeming the relationship incestuous, Henry consequently delegitimized Mary, since this meant she would have been the product of the taboo relationship.

After such a unique childhood experience, you might not expect Mary to have grown up well-adjusted and level-headed. And you would be correct! The woman would be responsible for the deaths of hundreds of innocent people. So, how did this all happen? Upon the beginning of her rule in 1553, Mary’s main goal was to restore Roman Catholicism in her country, and she would stop at nothing to accomplish it. Her first step to achieving this goal was to marry Philip II of Spain, a dashing, younger man who shared Mary’s desire for Catholic reformation.

Philip II of Spain and Mary posed next to each other against a golden and brown background. They are dressed in ornate, black and gold clothing.

image courtesy of historyextra.com

This pairing stirred up some drama, to say the least. Mary’s advisors would have much preferred she marry her cousin, Courtenay, earl of Devon, but she was not having it. Instead, the feisty cougar opted for Philip, resulting in mass chaos and unrest within the country. In fact, a brave soul by the name of Sir Thomas Wyatt, who was particularly threatened by the Catholic power-couple, staged an insurrection. Things didn’t turn out too well for Wyatt: he was executed following a speech from the Queen encouraging her subjects to fight for her.

After this, it’s safe to say that all hell broke loose, with some 280 protestants being burned at the stake for their religious beliefs under Mary’s instruction. This would earn her the title “Bloody Mary”, and solidify the public’s hatred for her and her husband. It turns out, ordering the deaths of your country’s people will not land you in the public's good books. Despite her best efforts, Mary never actually succeeded in her goal. Likely due to endometriosis, Mary was infertile, and did not produce an heir to the throne. After her death in 1558, her Protestant half sister, Elizabeth, took the throne.

I don’t know about you, but when I’d attempt to summon this woman in the school bathroom in grade four, I certainly didn’t know she was a bitter, 16th century English ruler with daddy issues and an inclination for death via burning. But hey, it’s never too late to learn. I’m just glad my efforts were never successful. Regardless of her failed attempt at religious reform, you can’t knock a woman for trying. Actually, maybe you can, if it meant hundreds of people died horrifically. 

Hi! My name is Kayleigh Vantour. I am a Professional Writing Student at Algonquin College. I love cats, the colour pink, fashion, and writing. When I am not in school or at work, I enjoy hanging out with friends and thrifting. I am excited to be a part of this blog, as I have always had an interest in history, particularly its darker side. I am looking forward to exploring some of history’s creepiest, most disturbing events with you!

The Unsolved Death of Edgar Allan Poe

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A black and white portrait of Edgar Allan poe from the neck up. He has a serious expression on his face. He is wearing a neck tie and a black jacket.

Image courtesy of Britannica

“The Raven”, “Annabel Lee”, “A Dream Within a Dream”. Whether you were forced to read any of these throughout your education, or you were a poetry lover and enjoyed them on your own free will, you have almost certainly come across at least one of these works. These are poems, of course, written by the notable 19th century poet and author, Edgar Allan Poe. Poe is known for the  mysterious, eerie, and supernatural themes of his writing. Almost 200 years following his initial fame, he is still regarded as one of the most talented and influential poets to date.

Poe was born on January 19th, 1809 in Boston, Massachusetts. He had a difficult childhood. His mother died in 1811, when he was only 3 years old. Following her death, he was sent to live with John Allan, who is thought to be his godfather. He lived in Scotland and England for 5 years for his education, and eventually returned and attended the University of Virginia for just 11 months. He was forced to leave the University when he gambled away so much of his money that his then guardians did not allow him to continue.

Despite his inability to finish his education, he was a talented writer. He published his first collection of poems in 1827, titled Tamerlane, and Other Poems. His most notable work, “The Raven”, was published in 1845. This would catapult him to national fame. Throughout his life, Poe struggled with alcoholism. He was frequently publicly intoxicated. He was even fired from his job as an editor at the Southern Literary Messenger in Baltimore because of his drinking.

Edgar Allan Poe's large white grave stone in Baltimore, Maryland. The gravestone features a black engraved portrait of Poe, along with his name engraved at the bottom.

Image courtesy of mpr news

Poe’s success came to a screeching halt when he was found incoherent, beaten, and clad in tattered, secondhand clothes while lying in a gutter. His exact location was outside Gunner’s Hall, a public house in Baltimore. Poe was found by a man named Joseph Walker, who attempted to get him help. Poe died in the hospital a few days later on October 7th, 1849. The exact cause of his death remains unknown, but there are several theories.

Theory #1: Alcohol

Poe suffered from alcohol dependence and had a difficult time tolerating even small amounts of it. He’d be staggering and slurring after a single glass of wine. Because of this, many believe Poe simply drank himself to death. Poking a hole in this alcohol-driven-death theory, is the fact that a postmortem sample of Poe’s hair was taken, which showed low levels of lead. Had he been drinking, these levels should have been elevated. Nonetheless, many still believe alcohol is what did him in.

Theory #2: Brain Tumour

It’s also possible that Poe’s untimely death was as a result of a brain tumour. Not only would that explain the confusion he was experiencing, but when his grave was exhumed twenty-six years after his death, a spherical mass was found inside his skull. This could have been a calcified tumour. The tumour could have also been the reason he was unable to tolerate alcohol.

Theory #3: Murder

Admittedly, it’s unlikely that Poe could have been murdered. He seems to have been suffering from something internal, which would explain his gradual decline over the span of a few days. However, John Evangelist suggested in his 2000 book, Midnight Dreary: The Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe, that he was murdered by his fiance’s brothers. The circumstances around how this could have taken place are a bit fuzzy, however. Evangelist claims that a frightened Poe was disguising himself (hence the unusual clothing) to hide from his fiance's brothers following their disapproval of the pairing. The brothers then would have forced Poe to drink whiskey, knowing his history with alcohol and his inability to tolerate it. After this, Evangelist claims, they beat Poe to death.

Whether it was murder, a brain tumour, alcohol, a combination of the three, or something else altogether, this well known death was eerie and tragic, much like the work of the author himself. Poe will continue to be known as the talented writer he was regardless of this death, and we likely will never know exactly what happened to the famed writer.

Hi! My name is Kayleigh Vantour. I am a Professional Writing Student at Algonquin College. I love cats, the colour pink, fashion, and writing. When I am not in school or at work, I enjoy hanging out with friends and thrifting. I am excited to be a part of this blog, as I have always had an interest in history, particularly its darker side. I am looking forward to exploring some of history’s creepiest, most disturbing events with you!

Lizzie Borden: Innocent Sunday School Teacher or Cold-Blooded Murderer?

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image courtesy of unsplash

“Lizzie Borden took an axe. She gave her mother 40 whacks. When she saw what she had done, she gave her father 41.” Does this sound familiar? The popular yet disturbing children’s rhyme stems from the 1892 murders of Andrew and Abby Borden. Lizzie Borden, the prime suspect in the murder, and daughter of the victims, went down in history as a bitter, jealous spinster who took out her rage on her parents. But did she really do it? After all, she was a godly, charitable woman who taught Sunday school and partook in local women’s charities. Though there is no way of knowing for sure what took place on that fateful August morning, many believe Lizzie was the culprit.

The Borden household consisted of Andrew Borden, a wealthy businessman, his wife, Abby Borden, his daughters Lizzie and Emma Borden, and the family’s maid, Bridget Sullivan.

Andrew married his first wife, and the mother of his children, Sarah, in 1845. The Borden family was struck by tragedy several times beginning with the death of their middle daughter, Alice, and then by Sarah’s death. Two years after Sarah’s death, Andrew married his new wife, Abby. Abby came from a working-class background, making the marriage unusual. Many believed that Abby was interested solely in Andrew’s wealth.

It’s alleged that Lizzie and Emma were jealous of the wealth that Andrew would share with Abby and her family but would hold back from them. Many believe that Lizzie’s resentment towards her parents is a significant enough motive for her to commit murder. But could a sweet Sunday school teacher pull off such an act?

IMage courtesy of Unsplash

The morning of the murder, the family was ill from what was believed to be food poisoning. Despite this, Bridget woke up early as usual and prepared breakfast for the family. Lizzie, however, was too ill to eat and stayed in bed. After breakfast, Bridget started her chores outside and Andrew went to work. At 11 a.m., Andrew returned home as he was feeling unwell, and took a nap on the couch. During this time, Lizzie claimed she was in the barn. When she came back inside, she said she was met with her father’s mutilated body. He suffered 11 axe wounds to the skull. Abby’s body was found next lying face down in the bedroom. She was struck by an axe 18 times. Her blood was dried, meaning her murder took place about two hours prior to Andrew’s.

Why do people think Lizzie did it? There is significant circumstantial evidence. She had the motive of money and jealousy. She was the only other one in the home at the time (Bridget was outside, and Emma was out of town). She was seen burning a dress a few days after the murder, which many believe could be the dress she wore when she committed the crime. There were no signs of forced entry. It didn’t look good for Lizzie.

However, the jury acquitted her because there was no physical evidence against her. With no other significant suspects, many believe to this day that Lizzie got away with murder. Her home, which is now a museum, was once the sight of children throwing eggs at her windows and reciting the eerie playground rhyme many still know today. Whether or not Lizzie was an innocent Sunday school teacher or a cold-blooded murderer is something we can never know for sure.

Hi! My name is Kayleigh Vantour. I am a Professional Writing Student at Algonquin College. I love cats, the colour pink, fashion, and writing. When I am not in school or at work, I enjoy hanging out with friends and thrifting. I am excited to be a part of this blog, as I have always had an interest in history, particularly its darker side. I am looking forward to exploring some of history’s creepiest, most disturbing events with you!