4) Problem of Mary Queen of Scots

• Mary, Queen of Scots


  Had a legitimate claim to the English throne and was at the centre of many plots designed to overthrow Elizabeth
• Mary's claim to the throne

  • She was Henry VIII's great-granddaughter and Elizabeth's second cousin
  • She was descended from Margaret Tudor, Henry VIII's sister
  • She was Catholic
  • She had a legitimate claim to the English throne
  • She was married to the French king, Francis II, and inherited the Scottish crown when she was only six days old
• When Mary was in France, her mother, Mary of Guise, ruled Scotland
• Why Mary was important

  • She was Catholic, which meant that many Catholics, including members of the nobility, would be prepared to support her claim to the throne
  • Her claim was strengthened by the fact there were no concerns about her legitimacy, unlike Elizabeth whose mother Anne Boleyn's marriage to Henry VIII was seen by many Catholics as invalid
• Mary would always be at the centre of Catholic plots and conspiracies against Elizabeth
• Mary leaves Scotland


  1. On the death of Francis II in 1560, Mary returned to Scotland and married Henry Stuart (Lord Darnley)

  2. Darnley was subsequently murdered (possibly with Mary's involvement)

  3. Mary then married the Earl of Bothwell

  4. Many Scots assumed Mary had murdered Darnley and in 1568, Protestant Scottish lords rebelled against her, imprisoned her and forced her to abdicate in favour of her son, James

  5. Mary escaped and raised an army, but this was defeated at Langside near Glasgow

  6. Mary subsequently fled to England, seeking her cousin Elizabeth's help against the Scottish rebels
• Mary was held in England in comfort but under guard while Elizabeth decided what to do with her
• The Scottish rebels demanded that Mary be handed over and tried for the murder of Darnley
• Mary's arrival in England


  Created a problem for Elizabeth
• By remaining in England

  Mary could encourage rebellion, as many members of the Catholic nobility believed they could overthrow Elizabeth and place Mary on the throne
• To take action against Mary

  Would also reduce Elizabeth's own status, power and authority
• Relations between Elizabeth and Mary remained tense, as Elizabeth became increasingly concerned about the presence of Mary, Queen of Scots, in England between 1568 and 1569, and the threat she posed to her throne
• Elizabeth's options with Mary, Queen of Scots, in 1568-69

  • Help Mary to regain her throne
  • Hand Mary over to the Scottish lords
  • Allow Mary to go abroad
  • Keep Mary in England
• Possible problems with Elizabeth's options

  • Helping Mary regain her throne would anger the Scottish nobility and leave Elizabeth facing a Catholic monarch on her northern border, potentially reviving the Auld Alliance with France to threaten her
  • Handing Mary over to the Scottish lords for trial, imprisonment and execution could provoke France, driving them into alliance with Spain, which could lead both countries into war with England
  • Allowing Mary to go abroad could see her return to France, provoking a French plot to remove Elizabeth from the English throne and replace her with Mary
  • Keeping Mary in England carried the risk that Catholic plotters might try to overthrow Elizabeth and replace her with Mary
• The Casket Letters Affair

  1. A meeting was set up at York to hear the case against Mary between October 1568 and January 1569

  2. The Scottish lords brought love letters with them, supposedly written by Mary to the Earl of Bothwell, that showed she had plotted to murder Lord Darnley

  3. Mary said that she could not be tried because she was an anointed monarch, and would not offer a plea unless Elizabeth guaranteed a verdict of innocence

  4. The conference did not reach any conclusions, so Mary remained captive in England
• By not handing over Mary, Elizabeth ensured the Scottish nobility would not imprison or execute Mary, the French would be satisfied, and her subjects did not punish an anointed monarch
• Mary remained a threat to Elizabeth, because any plots against her, especially those involving Catholics, would seek to replace Elizabeth with Mary
• Elizabeth did not make Mary her heir because to do so would upset English Protestants, including those on her Privy Council, and the prospect of a Catholic heir would result in civil war in the event of Elizabeth's death