The Execution of Mary, Queen of Scots
February 8th 1587 saw the execution of one of history’s most colourful women, Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots.
Mary was destined for greatness at an early age. Her father, King James V of Scotland died when she was just 6 days old. As the only surviving, legitimate, child of James, Mary was heir apparent and at only 9 months old found herself proclaimed Mary, Queen of Scots.
Mary was also briefly the Queen of France. She married Francis II at age 16, but was widowed within two years. Returning to Scotland, Mary married her cousin Lord Darnley but it was not a happy union. Darnley was killed in suspicious circumstances and popular opinion blamed Mary and her new husband the Earl of Bothwell for Darnley’s murder. Forced to give up the throne she fled to England to the supposed protection of her cousin Queen Elizabeth I, but this set in motion the chain of events that led to her execution in the Tower of London.
Mary was seen by many English Catholics as the rightful heir to England’s throne, rather than the Protestant Elizabeth. England was in religious turmoil at the time with the Protestant rulers suppressing Catholicism who they feared were in league with their natural enemies France and Spain.
Francis Walsingham was Spymaster General at the time and his wide network of secret agents and informers held England in his vice like grip. There were a series of plots designed to remove Elizabeth from the throne and Walsingham believed that Mary Stuart was at the centre of the intrigues. In December 1585 a man called Gilbert Clifford was arrested and under torture confessed that he had been involved in a Catholic plot to overthrow Elizabeth.
The wily Walsingham offered to release Clifford if he worked as a double agent. Clifford went to his contact in the French Embassy and said that he could smuggle letters to Mary, at that time imprisoned in Sheffield, in barrels of beer. These letters were read by Walsingham before they were passed to Mary and through it he learnt of a plan by Mary to encourage France and Spain to invade England and instil her upon the throne.
Walsingham allowed the correspondence to continue for some time to learn who was involved in the plot. Eventually he intercepted a letter from Anthony Babington saying that he had a band of six men ready to murder Elizabeth. Walsingham swooped.
The seven men behind the Babington Plot were arrested and executed in bloodthirsty manner. Elizabeth, however, did not want Mary herself to be executed and for six weeks refused to sign the death warrant. Walsingham however insisted that Mary must die and on February 8th Mary, once Queen of Scotland and France and the hope of Catholics throughout England, was beheaded.
A chronicle at the time, by Robert Wynkfielde, describes the scene: “
Thus ended the story of Mary, Queen of Scots.
The executioners, kneeling, desired her Grace to forgive them her death: she answered, “I forgive you with all my heart, for now, I hope, you shall make an end to all my troubles."Then she, lying very still upon the block, one of the executioners holding her slightly with one of his hands, she endured two strokes of the axe… Her lips stirred up and down a quarter of an hour after her head was cut off."So, if memory serves correctly, it is my birthday tomorrow and in case you are curious as to what to buy me (that means you Vincent) I have had my eye on that dvd set for Xena, just in case you couldn’t think of anything…
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