Mary Queen Of Scots Research Paper

In July 1559, Mary and Francis assumed the royal titles of King and Queen of France since Henry II had died. Her happiness was short, after she learned the death of her mother in June 1560. Six months later, her husband King Francis II was also dead. Mary was devastated and extremely depressed. In spite of these personal tragedies, Mary chose to return to Scotland although it was a different country from the one she had left 13 years ago. In Mary’s absence the Protestant party had gained power in Scotland by abolishing the authority of the pope and forbidding the celebration of the Mass.

Even though the Northern Earls did not want to overthrow Queen Elizabeth and replace her with Mary Queen of Scots, her arrival in England was

Mary was born in Scotland at Linlithgow Palace on December 8, 1542. Her father was the king of Scotland, and her mother was from a very well known French family known as the Guise. During the time that Mary was born her father was engaged in a war away from Scotland with the king of England, who had invaded Scotland at the time. In the fights, Mary’s father was defeated, and he felt that the nobles and generals who led his army, allowed the English to win in order to betray him. The thought of this betrayal was too much for Mary’s father, and as a result his frustration and suffering started to overwhelm him. Under the severity of his suffering he slowly started to decline, and finally, right after the news of Mary’s birth reached him, he passed away. Mary never got the chance to meet her father, and her father never got the chance to meet her, and since her father only produced one child before his death, Mary automatically became queen of Scotland at just six days old. Seeing as she was too

Mary Stuart ruled Scotland and France as well as being eligible for the English throne. She was known as one of the most tragic and human queens in all British history.

Mary, had a peculiar childhood that consisted of things like gaining the throne to rule a country at a young age and almost being killed. When Mary was six days old her father died and so she became Queen of Scotland at a very young age. Due to this at the age of six years old she was handed over to the King of France. When Mary was eight “a man named Robert Stuart and purported to be an English spy was accused of attempting to poison Mary Stuart before her mother's departure” (marie-stuart.co.uk). Addition to this complicated childhood Mary was betrothed at a young age.

It soon became clear that Mary was not going to produce an heir. It was around this time that the burnings of Protestants occurred. Some say that the reason so many were burned was that Mary was simply too depressed and apathetic to stop. (Gold 125) As Mary saw it, Protestantism was the tool that Henry used to cast her aside.

As said in the quote in the UXL Biographies “She continued burning heretics to the last, while England grew more hardened against Catholicism than it have ever been”. Mary in her process of reestablishing the Catholic religion to England would publicly burn or execute anyone who spoke out about being against her reformation. In the end she eventually came to reintroduce Catholicism to England. As said in the article Mary I”Mary soon proceeded to restore Catholicism, reestablishing the traditional services & the authority of the pope”.(Erikson 185). She had completed what she had wanted to do, but at a price of being loathed by her

The two half-sisters, both daughters of King Henry VIII, had a stormy relationship during Mary’s five-year reign. Mary, who was brought up as a Catholic, enacted pro-Catholic legislation and made efforts to restore the pope to supremacy in England. A Protestant rebellion ensued, and Queen Mary imprisoned Elizabeth, a Protestant, in the Tower of London on suspicion of complicity. After Mary’s death, Elizabeth survived several Catholic plots against her; though her ascension was greeted with approval by most of England’s lords, who were largely Protestant and hoped for greater religious tolerance under a Protestant queen.

At French court during the time of King Francis, only Queen Mary of Scots rivaled her influence over Francis. Mary became a Queen only when she was 6 years old. She not only had claims to Scotland but also England as she was the great-granddaughter of Henry VII of England. Though her marriage with King Francis couldn’t last long as he died of an ear infection in 1560, Mary had influence over France in 15th and 16th century. After his death, despite warnings, Mary was brave enough to return to Scotland which was now under Protestants. She was a Catholic herself but Mary ruled successfully and with moderation. But her third marriage in 1565 to Lord Darnley created havoc amongst the nobles and they indirectly helped her execution for supposedly

She had changed the days of ever day protestants by bringing back medieval heresy laws. The medieval heresy laws stated that if someone was considered a “heretic”, mainly protestants under Mary’s reign, to be burnt at the stake. Under Mary, about two hundred and ninety people were burnt at the stake, earning her the nickname Bloody Mary. Bloody Mary had spilled the blood of many protestants and may have been the origin of the legend of Bloody Mary, saying you must turn off the lights and chant “Bloody Mary” into a mirror until the ghost of a woman comes and kills you. Perhaps this legend began by having Protestant parents tell this to their children to warn them of the “evil catholic queen”.

Mary Stuart, also know as Mary queen of Scots could be labeled as one of the most controversial monarchs of 16th century Europe. At one point she claimed the crowns of four nations including Scotland, France, England and Ireland. Even though she was undeniably beautiful and had a kind heart she still lacked political skills to rule Scotland successfully. Mary was married three times while being queen but her most memorable marriage we her second marriage and third marriage, each one more unpopular with the people. The second marriage ended in murder and scandal. Mary’s third ended in forced abdication in favor of her infant son. In 1568 Mary fled to England hoping for help from her cousin Elizabeth I. The two queens never met and Mary remained

Three countries, three husbands, one woman the amazing Mary Stuart. Queen Mary led a life like no other. Mary had the right to simultaneously rule over three countries. Sadly, she died young and was unable to make a bigger impact. First, she became queen of Scotland, but she was quickly shipped off to France to marry her first husband. Once her first husband died, she moved back to Scotland, and began her short, but sweet rule. After her second husband died, and she married her third husband, she was kicked off the throne of Scotland, and fled to England. After one too many unsuccessful plots against the queen of England, Elizabeth I, Mary was executed. Queen Mary’s life was split into three parts, her first marriage, reign in Scotland, and her, captivity and death in England.

To further explain, Queen Elizabeth succeeded her half-sister Bloody Mary, who was loyal to Catholicism and refused to conform to the restored Protestantism. The two, although share the same fatherly blood, were in every other way enemies. King Henry IV, their father, had an annulment with Queen Elizabeth’s mother, by breaking from the Roman Catholic Church, so he could marry Queen Mary’s mother. The “star-crossed lovers” also knew they were an enemy of each other’s

On May 1568, Mary escaped and gathered a group of men to fight with, but was defeated by Murray at Langside. After her loss in battle she ran away to England and was welcomed by her cousin Elizabeth, she would not hand her to the Scottish government, but she did become a prisoner of the English government. She lived the next sixteen years in the hands of Earl of Shrewsbury and under the very strict watch of Sir Amias Paulet. Even under strict watch, she planned consistently to regain her power. Her plans involving leading over the English throne were eventually uncovered. They involved her getting nobles to murder Elizabeth, which led parliament to shout for her execution. Elizabeth did not want to do anything until she was shown the evidence. The English court of Justice was sent letters revealing Mary's part in the murder of her second husband. Mary complained they were all lies, so her part in Darnley's murder was unproven. At her trial, Mary stood up for herself with dignity, but there was no doubt in what she had done. Mary was beheaded at Fotheringay on February 8, 1587

Mary Stuart is a play based off of the reign of Queen Elizabeth and her actions towards Mary Queen of Scots. Mary was attempting to overthrow Queen Elizabeth. Elizabeth was reluctant to have Mary executed because she knew that there were still supporters of Mary who may rebel. Eventually, the Queen has Mary executed to ensure her security but in the end she ended up alone after banishing many of her closest members of her inner circle.