4 - The Problem Of Mary, Queen Of Scots Flashcards
How was Mary Queen of Scots a legitimate heir to the throne?
- Mary Queen of Scots was the granddaughter of Margaret, Henry VIII’s sister. Therefore she was the cousin of Elizabeth.
- She was legitimate to the Scottish Throne, as her grandfather was James IV, King of Scotland. She was the queen of France as she had married Francis of France who was king of France. She was also had a claim to the English throne, being the cousin of Elizabeth.
- Mary had spent the majority of her life in France and she was a devoted Catholic
As long as Elizabeth remained childless, Mary would be the rightful heir to the throne.
How did Mary Queen of Scots end up in England in May 1568?
- Mary’s French mother, Mary of Guise, had ruled Scotland whilst Mary lived in France with her husband. In 1559, Scottish Protestant nobles took control of the government.
- Mary returned to Scotland in 1561 when her husband died, but was a Catholic monarch under Protestant rule.
- In 1565, Mary married Lord Darnley, a Catholic Englishman with a distant claim to the English throne. They then had a son, James VI, strengthening Mary’s position as an heir to the throne.
- However, Darnley started to display violent behaviour and was an alcoholic, and killed Mary’s secretary Rizzio in front of her, on suspicion of adultery.
- Lord Darnley was then murdered at his home, he was strangled after his house was burnt. The chief suspect was the Earl of Bothwell, who Mary then married.
- This shocked the Scottish government, who forced Mary to abdicate and then imprisoned her in Lochleven Castle.
- However, Mary managed to charm her gaoler and escape. She eventually fled to England, whilst her son, who was an infant, became the King of Scotland. He was raised by Protestant lords.
How was Mary Queen of Scots a threat to Elizabeth and what choices did Elizabeth face?
- The arrival of Mary in England was dangerous to Elizabeth, as she was a legitimate heir to the throne and was a Catholic. As a result, plans to make Mary Queen and overthrow Elizabeth became more realistic in the eyes of recusants (especially nobles excluded from power), especially with foreign support.
Elizabeth could keep Mary in England:
- Elizabeth did not like helping subjects against their queen, so may be reluctant to hand Mary back to the Scottish who believed she was guilty of Darnley’s murder.
- Mary was Elizabeth’s cousin so she felt a duty of care
Elizabeth could hand Mary over to the Scottish:
- Mary was dangerous in England as English Catholics believed she was the rightful queen. Therefore, Elizabeth was susceptible to plots.
- Elizabeth’s councillors believed Mary was too big of a threat to keep in the country
- Maintaining a friendly relationship with the Scottish would ensure that the Northern Border is secure.
What positive relations did Elizabeth and Mary share at first?
1561: Mary returned to Scotland as queen due to the support of Elizabeth and was initially friendly to Elizabeth
1567: Elizabeth sent her sympathies to Mary after Darnley was murdered
What factors caused Elizabeth and Mary’s relationship to worsen?
1560: Mary started to display England’s coat of arms to show her claim to the English throne, Elizabeth was furious.
1565: Mary married Darnley who had a claim to the English throne and in 1566 they had a son
1567: Elizabeth strongly criticised Mary for marrying the Earl of Bothwell
1568- : Mary arrived in England and attempted to persuade Elizabeth to help regain the throne in Scotland, but Elizabeth was in an impossible position as she wanted to remain on friendly terms with the Scottish government and did not want to start a war. Mary also proved to be a schemer, by writing to foreign Catholic countries for support, therefore Elizabeth lost trust in her.
Elizabeth decided to keep Mary under a friendly house arrest at first in Northern England, but gradually tightened the rules as plots against her arose, that Mary was involved in.
