A Brief Biography of Mary, Queen of Scots

While Mary, Queen of Scots was the one of the many heirs to the thrones of Europe, including England, France and Ireland, she is most noted for her reign as Queen of Scotland. Less than a year old, she was crowned Queen of Scotland. Eventually she moved to France with her mother, where she was to marry the Dauphin. Two years later, both her mother and her husband died. Distraught, Mary returned to her beloved Scotland and ruled with grace and kindness. "The Scots received their new queen with great joy and celebration. At once, she began to try and help them; within a year of her arrival, one-sixth of all Church benefices were given to the Protestant ministers to relieve their poverty" (Hanson "Biography" par. 7). Mary believed in religious tolerance and harmony within the state of Scotland.

She was notably kind hearted, and wished nothing but peace for her country. Though she was of the Catholic faith, because of her mother's family, she continued the Catholic faith within Scotland. "She issued, and frequently repeated, a proclamation accepting religion as she had found it -- the first edict of toleration in Great Britain. A slow but steady amelioration of the lot of Catholics took place. At the end of her reign, there were no fewer than 12,600 Easter communions at Edinburgh" (Pollen par. 5). While Mary may have been Catholic, she still believed that there could be peace between both the Protestants and the Catholics within the country, much to the chagrin of Elizabeth I.

Mary's devout Catholic faith essentially became her downfall. With both Henry VIII and then Elizabeth I fearing Catholic invasions, as long as Mary lived, there was hope for an invasion. The tension between the monarchs grew deeper, as Elizabeth attempted to block France from entering Scotland and assisting Mary in a successful overthrowing of the throne. While both women plotted against each other for control of the throne, it became abundantly clear the true nature of the battle; one that had began with Henry VIII when the Vatican refused to grant him a divorce from Catherine of Aragon. "In the space of a single lifetime, England had gone officially from Roman Catholicism, to Catholicism under the supreme headship of the English king, to a guarded Protestantism, to a more radical Protestantism, to a renewed and aggressive Roman Catholicism, and finally to Protestantism again. Each of these shifts was accompanied by danger, persecution, and death" (Abrams 477). This constant shift between religious beliefs continuously tore apart the countries of Europe, causing a greater rift between Elizabeth I and Mary, Queen of Scots, who still maintained that Catholicism was the right religion, despite her religious tolerance in Scotland. The tension made both women suspicious of each other. Mary, who was the rightful heir to the throne, eventually abdicated to her son, and attempted to seek refuge with her cousin. While Elizabeth was sympathetic towards her cousin, her death was inevitable. It was the only way Elizabeth could ensure her position on the English throne.

Eventually, it was her faith which was her downfall. Refusing to convert and the heavy presence of Protestantism within Great Britain led Mary to be imprisoned by Elizabeth for the many attempts of plotting of the Faerie Queene's murder and tried for treason. "The great scandals of Mary's life were forgotten and she was mourned [by her supporters] as a Catholic martyr" (Hanson "Execution" par. 3). Mary died for her faith, being clothed in all red and a Eucharistic panel as she headed to her execution; a representation of her Catholic faith. Her death mirrors the many deaths that have occurred in the name of religion, much like the tensions that continue today in many countries between different cultures and beliefs.

WORKS CITED

Abrams, M.H. and Stephen Greenblatt, Eds. "The Reformation." The Norton Anthology of English Literature. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2000.

Hanson, Marilee. "Biography: Mary, Queen of Scots." EnglishHistory.netJanuary 25, 2008). . 2004. (

--"1587, The execution of Mary, Queen of Scots"

(January 25, 2008)

Pollen, John Hungerford. "Mary, Queen of Scots." The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume IX.

Trans. Marie Jutras. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910.

(January 25, 2008)