Importance of Mary's arrival in 1568 & her execution in 1587

• Religion:

  > Elizabeth had converted England’s official religion to Protestantism, leaving many Catholics angry. Mary was a Catholic and many viewed her as someone who could replace Elizabeth as Queen.
• War and Violence:

  > Mary could act as a focus for Catholic resistance: she would inspire Catholic rebellions against Elizabeth. For example, her arrival in England quickly triggered a Catholic rebellion: the Northern Rebellion (1569).
• Ideas:

  > Many people (especially Catholics) believed Elizabeth to be illegitimate as she was product of Henry’s second marriage. Therefore, they believed that Mary was the legitimate monarch.
• Government:

  > With her rival claim, Mary could attract the support of discontented nobles who felt excluded from power (e.g The Duke of Norfolk during the Northern Rebellion).
• Execution 1587 and impact:

  • The execution of Mary, Queen of Scots, finally removed the on-going threat at home from Catholics who wanted to replace Elizabeth with her. The English Catholics now had no-one they could rally around and effectively lost hope of ever replacing Elizabeth and reversing the religious settlement.
• Execution 1587 and impact:

  • King Philip had been preparing for an attack on England since 1585 and Mary’s execution made the situation worse, with him even more determined to invade England.