The Execution of Mary Queen of Scots
Posted By Claire on February 8, 2010
Mary Queen of Scots
On this day in history, the 8th February 1587, Mary Stuart, also known as Mary Queen of Scots, was executed at Fotheringhay Castle without the knowledge of Queen Elizabeth I, although she had signed the death warrant.
Mary Stuart’s death was the result of the Catholic Mary being implicated in plots to overthrow and assassinate Elizabeth I, plots such as the Ridolfi Plot and the Babington Plot. Although the Babington plot had been uncovered in summer 1586 and Mary had been under house arrest for many years, Elizabeth I could not bring herself to sign the death warrant until February 1587 and then she she claimed that she had not wanted it acted upon.
Why the “dilly-dallying” and indecision? After all, you can imagine her father, Henry VIII, taking Mary’s head off after the first plot! Well, it was because Mary was Elizabeth’s own flesh and blood, being the granddaughter of Margaret Tudor, Henry VIII’s sister, but it was also because Mary was a monarch. Elizabeth believed, like many monarchs before her, that Kings and Queens were divinely appointed by God and it was against everything she believed in to take the life of a fellow sovereign.
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