GCSE History (AQA)

Elizabethan England Topic Summaries

Religious challenges and plots

Mary, Queen of Scots

  • Mary was Catholic and the great-granddaughter of Henry VII. Thus, she had a strong claim to the English throne.
  • Initially, Elizabeth allowed Mary diplomatic respect and safety but kept her politically constrained. She avoided treating her as a rival publicly so as not to inflame tensions with Catholics.
  • Mary became Queen of Scotland in 1542 at just 6 days old after the death of her father, James V. In 1568 she was forced to abdicate in favour of her infant son, James VI, after a rebellion by Scottish nobles. She fled to England seeking Elizabeth’s protection, claiming she was politically endangered in Scotland. 
  • Elizabeth could not openly support Mary’s enemies in Scotland without provoking international conflict, so placing Mary under house arrest allowed Elizabeth to limit her influence in England. At that stage, she feared executing Mary could make her a martyr. 
  • Catholics, both domestic and foreign, saw Mary as the legitimate monarch and considered Elizabeth a usurper. Her presence in England inevitably encouraged plots against the Queen. 
  • Mary had few options to regain power except by plotting with supporters, including the young nobleman Anthony Babington. Walsingham intercepted encrypted letters between Mary and Babington in which she approved of assassinating Elizabeth.
  • In 1587, Elizabeth had Mary executed for treason. This removed a major threat to her rule, but angered Catholic Europe, particularly Spain, which would later lead to the Spanish Armada.
Elizabeth's pros and cons for executing Mary
Pros Cons
  • Mary had been involved in or a figurehead of multiple plots against Elizabeth.
  • Babington Plot (1586): Mary agreed in writing to support assassinating Elizabeth, and Walsingham had evidence of this.
  • Mary sent treasonous letters to foreign Catholic rulers asking for help.
  • Parliament strongly supported her execution.
  • She was an anointed queen, believed to be chosen by God.
  • Killing a monarch could encourage enemies to do the same to Elizabeth.
  • She was Scottish and it wasn’t legally clear if an English court had the right to sentence her.
  • Execution would anger Catholic countries like France and Spain.

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