Research Paper On Mary Queen Of Scots

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The first swing to Mary’s neck only stunned her, but the second swing severed her head completely. Thus, was the execution of Mary Queen of Scots carried out. However, one might argue that this might never have occurred if Mary Stewart had not repeatedly acted treacherously toward Elizabeth I of England. Although both Queen Elizabeth I of England and Mary Queen of Scotland were both gracious rulers of their home countries, Elizabeth I had no choice but to punish Mary for her treasonous actions.
Mary Queen of Scots and Queen Elizabeth reigned as queens during the sixteenth century, also known as the Elizabethan era. Mary Queen of Scots was Elizabeth’s cousin. She became Queen of Scotland after her father, James V of Scotland, died in battle. …show more content…

When Elizabeth I acceded to the throne of England, trouble began to arise (Whitelock). Mary was the direct descendent of Henry VII of England’s daughter, Margaret, which made Mary the leading Catholic heir to the English throne. She was used as an international pawn, meaning she married men to make alliances between countries. Elizabeth’s father called her a bastard because she was illegitimate in his eyes (Reagan 27). Her father viewed her as illegitimate because he always wanted a son., Mary, however was seen as the pure catholic queen (Sharnette). As the Protestant Reformation occurred, the royal family descendants took two sides. Elizabeth was a Protestant and Mary was a Catholic (“Elizabeth I Executes Mary, Queen of Scots: February 8, 1587.”). Because Mary had been raised a Catholic, many Catholics wanted her to be queen (Adams 30). Elizabeth had many Catholic enemies after reforming England into a Protestant nation. Mary had challenged Elizabeth for the throne but, she had failed. (“The Tudors-Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots”). Plots were executed to have Mary become the rightful Queen of England, whether or not Elizabeth had children. Elizabeth and her children would have been illegitimate to the throne in the eyes of Catholics (Sharnette). With all the talk of Mary becoming queen, Mary had begun to overthink the amount of power she …show more content…

The Church of England had begun to solidify and strengthen ("Elizabeth I Executes Mary, Queen of Scots: February 8, 1587."). Mary’s death also impacted the countries that surround her. Henry III of France mourned for Mary's death. Civilians in France dressed in black and there was an idea to propose Mary Queen of Scots as a saint. The pope called for a crusade against Elizabeth and the Spanish Armada took place (Sapet 123). The rivalry strengthen England as a country. After the execution of Mary Queen of Scots, Philip II of Spain thought that now he must overthrow Elizabeth. There had been minor conflict between them and the execution was the final straw. He deployed the Spanish Armada which the english were favored to lose. Much to his displeasure the English did win (Adams

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