Mary, Queen of Scots background and arrival in England
Mary, Queen of Scots was Elizabeth’s cousin (not to be confused with Mary I, who was Elizabeth’s sister).
Mary’s life had been filled with dramatic events. She had become Queen of Scotland in 1542 when she was just six days old.
Her first two husbands died and she was implicated in the second one’s murder. She was forced to To give up a claim (often a claim to a monarchy). and was imprisoned. She managed to escape and fled to England where she sought The state of being safe or sheltered from pursuit, danger, or difficulty. from Elizabeth in 1568.
Mary’s threat to Elizabeth suddenly became more immediate now that she was in the country. In the short term, Elizabeth allowed Mary to live in Carlisle Castle as a closely guarded ‘guest’. But now she was faced with a dilemma: what should she do with Mary?
Learn more about the issue of Mary Queen of Scots in this podcast.
Listen to the full series on BBC Sounds.
Why did Mary pose a threat to Elizabeth?
Mary, Queen of Scots was a threat to Elizabeth’s rule because she had two claims to the English throne:
- Many people believed Elizabeth to be Born out of wedlock - having unmarried parents. and so felt she had no right to be on the throne. (Her father, Henry VIII, had divorced his first wife. Christians whose religious leader is the Pope. didn’t recognise divorce and so viewed his second marriage to Elizabeth’s mother as illegal.)
- Elizabeth had converted England’s official religion to Christians who broke away from the Roman Catholic Church during the Reformation. They believe in the teachings of the Bible but reject the authority of the Pope., leaving many Catholics disgruntled. Mary was a Catholic and many viewed her as their A nominal leader or head without real power. and a rightful replacement to the throne.