Mary Queen of Scots (AQA GCSE History)

Why Was Mary Queen of Scots a Legitimate Threat to Elizabeth? - Summary 

Mary Queen of Scots was a constant problem during the early reign of Elizabeth I. This stemmed from the fact that she had a legitimate claim to the throne of England. Legitimacy was vital in Elizabethan England. The people believed God chose the monarch and bestowed them with Divine Rights. To have the approval of God, an heir's bloodline had to be ‘pure’ and fully connected to a previous monarch. If doubt about a monarch’s legitimacy existed amongst the population, they could face rebellion.

Mary Queen of Scots was a member of the Tudor royal family. Unlike Elizabeth, her parents had not divorced before or after Mary’s birth. This increased Mary Queen of Scots’ legitimacy. From the perspective of an English Catholic, Mary Queen of Scots deserved to be Queen of England. She was a devout Catholic. Mary, through marriage and birth, had claims to the Scottish and French thrones. English Catholics believed that Mary, Queen of Scots could restore England’s reputation as a European power.

Who was Mary Queen of Scots?

• Mary was a direct descendant of the first Tudor King, Henry VII

  • This made Mary, Queen of Scots Elizabeth’s second cousin

• Mary’s parents were James V and Mary of Guise

• Mary became Queen of Scotland, in 1524, when she was six days old

• In 1558, Mary married the heir to the French throne, Francis II

  • King Francis II died in 1560 

  • Mary returned to Scotland 

• Mary was disliked in Scotland 

  • She was a Catholic in a Protestant country 

  • It was suggested that she murdered her husband, Lord Darnley 

• Mary was forced to leave Scotland in 1568 

  • Mary left her infant son King James VI 

  • Mary went to England to seek help from her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I

Why was Mary Queen of Scots a threat to Elizabeth?

• Many English Catholics wanted Mary, Queen of Scots to be Queen of England

• From 1553 to 1557, England had been under the Catholic rule of Mary I

  • In 1558, the majority of England’s population were Catholics

  • Many English Catholics believed Mary Queen of Scots was the rightful heir after Mary I’s death in 1587. She could continue strengthening Catholicism within England

• Mary’s mother, Mary of Guise, was a member of a Catholic noble family from France

  • Her lineage gave Mary, Queen of Scots a powerful connection to France, whose power was rising in the 16th century

  • This connection to France would increase England’s strength and reputation in Europe

• Mary Queen of Scots had the support of King Philip II of Spain

  • Philip wanted a Catholic monarch to rule England

    • He believed England should remain a Catholic ally of Spain after the death of his wife, Mary I

  • After Elizabeth rejected Philip II’s offer of marriage, Philip wanted Elizabeth deposed. Mary Queen of Scots was the logical successor to the throne if Elizabeth was removed

Mary Queen of Scots relationship with Elizabeth and parliament 

• Mary Queen of Scots’ arrival in England created many problems 

  • Protestants feared the return of a Catholic queen 

    • Approximately 300 Protestants were burned by Mary I during her reign 

  • Many Catholics saw this as an opportunity to restore a Catholic queen to the English throne 

  • Parliament and the Privy Council saw it as a threat to the security of the country and the queen 

• Elizabeth had to act, as Elizabeth could not allow Mary to be a free subject in England

Elizabeth’s possible choices for the arrival of Mary Queen of Scots in England 

• Elizabeth decided to place Mary Queen of Scots under house arrest 

  • Mary remained under house arrest for 19 years 

  • Mary was named in many Catholic plots during Elizabeth's reign 

    • This resulted in the rules of Mary’s house arrest becoming stricter and surveillance increased 

    • Many members of the Privy Council tried to persuade Elizabeth to execute Mary during those 19 years 

The Babington Plot, 1586

Aims of the Babington Plot 

• In 1586, a young Catholic called Anthony Babington plotted to kill Elizabeth 

• Babington aimed to restore Catholicism to England by:

  • Killing Elizabeth 

  • Rescuing Mary Queen of Scots 

  • Placing Mary Queen of Scots on the throne 

• Babington needed to know if Mary would support the plot 

  • Babington planned to write to Mary to seek her interest

Events of the Babington Plot 

• In July 1586, Babington wrote to Mary explaining his plot

• Francis Walsingham, Elizabeth’s spymaster, monitored Mary closely after the Throckmorton Plot

  • Walsingham wanted to catch Mary in the act of plotting

    • This would give Elizabeth the evidence needed to punish Mary

  • His spy network was intercepting Mary’s outgoing and incoming letters

    • Walsingham cracked the cypher that Babington and Mary used in their letters. He could use the cypher to decode the letters

  • Walsingham placed spies within Mary’s household. They persuaded Mary it was safe to communicate in secret letters. Mary placed the letters in beer barrels

• Walsingham allowed Babington’s plot to develop

  • He wanted enough evidence to incriminate Mary in treason

  • He was waiting for Mary to send a letter that showed her full involvement in Babington’s plan

  • He needed to know the names of every Catholic accomplice in the plot

• On 17th July 1586, Walsingham uncovered the evidence needed to prove Mary’s guilt

  • Mary wrote a letter to Babington. This letter is known as the ‘Gallows Letter’

    • Historians call this the ‘Gallows Letter’ because it ‘proved’ Mary’s guilt in treason and would result in her execution

  • Mary wrote to Babington that:

• The ‘six gentlemen’ were the men Babington chose to assassinate Elizabeth

• Historians accept this shows Mary’s knowledge of the plot against Elizabeth 

• The Gallows Letter does not state Mary’s agreement to the plot

• Babington learnt that the government had uncovered the plot

  • The government attempted to arrest Babington

  • Babington and two of his accomplices attempted to flee

    • Babington was eventually caught in Middlesex

• Walsingham presented the evidence of Mary’s scheming to Elizabeth

The consequences of the Babington Plot

The consequences of the Babington Plot 

The execution of Mary Queen of Scots 

• Upon the discovery of Mary’s involvement, Elizabeth had to decide how to proceed with Mary Queen of Scots 

  • Members of her Privy Council were demanding her execution 

  • The Catholic threat continued, despite harsh laws 

• On October 1586, Mary Queen of Scots was put on trial for treason 

  • Mary Queen of Scots was found guilty by 36 Nobelmen 

  • She was sentenced to death on 25th October 1586

• Despite Elizabeth’s initial concerns, Mary’s death warrant was signed by Elizabeth on 1st February 1587 

• Mary was executed at Fotheringhay Castle on 8th February 1587 

Did the execution of Mary Queen of Scots end the catholic threat in England?

• Although Mary Queen of Scots was no longer a possible Catholic heir to the English throne, she remained a threat even in death 

  • English Catholics now had a martyr 

  • Elizabeth was seen by some Catholics as a heretic who killed Catholic queens 

  • Elizabeth showed the world that queens could be executed 

    • This was potentially a dangerous idea to show to the Catholics of England 

  • Scottish and French kings were outraged 

    • However they did not act against Elizabeth 

  • King Philip II of Spain was furious at Elizabeth 

    • This caused Philip to speed up his plans for the Spanish Armada 

• Despite these issues after the execution of Mary Queen of Scots there was no more Catholic plots against Elizabeth 

  • Many Catholics lost hope of a Catholic restoration with Mary’s death 

  • Approximately 10% of the population were Catholic 

  • Most people saw Catholicism as not English