Mary and Elizabeth Enter London

Mary and Elizabeth entered London together, marking a pivotal moment in their relationship and the political landscape of the time. Mary, having recently deposed her predecessor, rode into the city with Elizabeth at her side, showcasing a united front. This display of solidarity was short-lived, as the sisters held fundamentally different religious beliefs. Mary was a staunch Catholic, committed to restoring Catholicism in England after the Protestant reforms that had taken root during her brother's reign. In contrast, Elizabeth had been raised in the Protestant faith, which created an inherent conflict between the two. Mary’s determination to enforce Catholic practices led her to mandate attendance at Catholic Mass, a directive that Elizabeth outwardly conformed to, despite her personal beliefs. This tension between the sisters foreshadowed the religious strife that would characterize their respective reigns and the broader societal implications of their differing faiths.