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6) Mary, Queen of Scots - Coggle Diagram
6) Mary, Queen of Scots
Who is she?
- She was Elizabeth's cousin. her grandmother was Henry VIII's sister
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- She became the queen of Scotland in 1542, at only eight days old
- She was married the heir to the french throne in 1558 and was briefly queen of two countries
- As Elizabeth had no children, Mary was also heir to the throne of England, some believed she was in fact the rightful queen
- After her husbands death, she returned to Scotland but became increasingly unpopular. Scotland had become increasingly Protestant in her absence
- In 1567, having been accused of the murder of her second husband, Lord Darnley, Mary fled to England. her young son, James, was crowned King of Scotland in her place
The 'threat'
- Mary's arrival in England concerned many protestants
- They were worried that she may directly lead, or simply inspire a rebellion against Elizabeth
- The idea that she could ever become queen reminded them of the horrors of Mary I's reign
- Parliament and a number of Privy Councillors called for Mary's execution, but Elizabeth was hesitant. she didn't want to kill a fellow queen
- Mary was kept under close guard and moved around england for the next 19 years. although she wasnt directly involved in plots against elizabeth, she was certainly an inspiration for several
- One final plot in 1586 did seem to involve Mary directly
The Babington plot
The plotter - in 1586, a rich young catholic names Anthony Babington planned to kill Elizabeth, rescue Mary and place her on the throne
The plot - Babington needed to know if Mary supported his pan. He managed to get Mary's servants to hide coded messages within beer barrels that were sent to her room. the messages reached Mary and she replied, giving her backing to the plot
The plot uncovered - Unfortunately for Mary, the servants were spies for Sir Francis Walsingam, Elizabeth's spy master. the original message and Mary's reply were decoded and taken straight to Elizabeth. it was clear that Mary was plotting to kill the queen
The aftermath - With such clear evidence, Elizabeth had little choice but to act. although still hesitant, she ordered that Mary should go on trial for treason