According to Nursery Rhymes Collections, the “Three Blind Mice” is based on Mary I, also known as Bloody Mary, the daughter of Catherine of Aragon and King Henry VIII. Mary I became the Queen of England and was Catholic. During her reign, the Queen’s belief in Catholicism fueled persecution against the Protestants. It is believed that the farmer’s wife mentioned in the “Three Blind Mice” is a reference to Mary I.

Amid Mary I’s reign, there were staunch Protestant believers who refused to renounce their faith — despite the consequences — and became known as the Oxford Martyrs. Three of them — Thomas Cranmer, Nicholas Radley, and Hugh Latimer — were Protestant bishops who stood by their beliefs and allegedly connived to dethrone Queen Mary I and bring back Protestantism as the main religion. Their efforts, however, were unsuccessful, and they were accused of heresy (via Mental Floss). The three bishops represent the three blind mice in the nursery rhyme who got their tails cut off for their blind beliefs. In reality, the bishops were not dismembered in any way — they were punished for their heresy by being burned at the stake.