Mary Queen of Scots Execution

Mary Queen of Scots' Execution

On February 01st 1587, Queen Elizabeth I signed the warrant for the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots.

Mary Queen of Scots, or otherwise known as Mary Stuart, was the only legitimate child of King James V of Scotland, but sadly her father passed away when she was six days old. During her reign herself and Queen Elizabeth I of England were always compared to each other, since Mary Stuart was the first female Queen of Scotland, meanwhile Elizabeth was the second Queen for England, but also due to their opposite demeanours: Queen Elizabeth I was seen as tactical, cynical and strong willed, whereas Queen Mary of Scots was seen as feminine, romantic and reckless. These two portrayals of the women, could be due to their upbringing, because Queen Mary of Scots had a pampered childhood, where she was at the centre of the most glamorous and sought-after court (the French Court), all the while, Elizabeth I was watching her father beheading her mother (Anne Boleyn) and future step-mothers. Despite Mary's lavish childhood, she was in France to keep her safe from the English trying to invade Scotland, and was betrothed to Francis, Dauphin of France (later he would die, and she would marry her half-cousin, Henry Stuart).

By no fault of her own, she was cousin to Elizabeth I, and so she did have a claim to the English throne. At this time, England was a protestant country, because of Henry VIII creating the Church of England, due to the Act of Supremacy in 1534. Many people wanted England to be Catholic again, and so they wanted Mary Queen of Scots to be Queen (the Act gave the power as the Head of Church to the monarch). Elizabeth I, seeing this as a threat, she locked Mary up, and later found her guilty for plotting an assassination against the Queen. Hence, on the 01st February 1587, Queen Elizabeth I, signed the warrant for the execution of Mary Queen of Scots, and on the 08th February 1587 she was executed at Fotheringhay Castle.