part 3: mary queen of scots Flashcards
(12 cards)
1
Q
who was mary queen of scots?
A
- only child of James V of Scotland
- elizabeth’s cousin, her grandmother was henry VIII’s sister
- catholic
- half-french
2
Q
when did mary become queen of scotland, at what age?
A
in 1542 when she was 6 years old
3
Q
where was mary raised?
A
france
4
Q
describe mary’s marriages?
A
- 1558 at age 15, married the heir to the french throne, however he died suddenly in 1560 so returned to england
- 1565, married scottish nobleman Lord Darnley however marriage was unsuccessful
- darnley through mary was having an affair with her personal secretary, david rizzio
- rizzio was stabbed to death in 1566 by a group of scottish nobles
- in 1567, darnley was murdered and it was suspected that mary and the earl of bothwell were behind it
- confirmed when mary married the earl a few months later
5
Q
what happened after mary married the earl of bothwell?
A
- scottish nobles rebelled against her as they didn’t like this decision
- forced her to abdicate in favour of her one year old son James
- fled to england where she sought refuge
6
Q
what happened after mary was forced to abdicate, why was this a problem?
A
- she fled to Cumberland in the hope that Elizabeth would help her regain power in Scotland
- elizabeth unwilling to help as mary’s claim to english throne meant there would be a constant threat of invasion from the north is she returned to power
- instead she had her imprisoned and set up a case to investigate if she had been involved in darnley’s murder
- elizabeth didn’t want to find mary guilty as it would lend support to the actions of the scottish nobles
- she didn’t want a non-guilty verdict either as it would force her to release mary meaning she could try and overthrow her
- inquiry didn’t reach a verdict in the end which enabled elizabeth to keep mary captive
7
Q
why did mary pose a threat?
A
- many catholics supported idea of her named as elizabeth’s successor if she didn’t have any children
- minority supported idea of mary replacing elizabeth as queen
- they thought mary would restore supremacy of catholic church and reverse settlement
- connections to france through mother and first husband were a potential threat
8
Q
options for dealing with mary
A
- sending her out of the country: could sent to scotland or france, but could backfire and allow her to gather more support
- keep her imprisoned: reduce risk of mary gathering more support and allow elizabeth to keep tight control, but unlawfully imprisoning her could provoke international outcry and attacks anyway
- executing mary: would remove figurehead for catholic plots, but could provoke international attacks, wrong to kill a queen
9
Q
effect of babington plot on elizabeth
A
- elizabeth wracked with guilt over regicide
- when mary found guilty of treason she hesitated signing death warrant
- claimed she signed death warrant but was told it was only a precaution
- her council had acted without consulting her
- she was furious and put her secretary in tower for 18 months
- wrote to King James apologising for death of mother
10
Q
effect of mary’s execution
A
- removed catholic threat at home as english catholics had no figurehead so lost hope
- catholics abroad shocked
- led king philip of spain to declare war
11
Q
execution
A
- once walsingham had proof of mary, she was put on trial and executed on 8th february 1587
- made mary a martyr
12
Q
international consequences of execution
A
- france: wanted to maintain alliance with england due to fear of spain
- spain: already at war with england
- scotland: king james on throne, elizabeth’s heir so took no actions
- england: catholic remained loyal
