Mary, Queen of Scots Executed

In 1587, a crowned queen was led to the execution block not by enemies, but by another queen.

Her name was Mary, Queen of Scots. She was a Catholic monarch in a Protestant England.

And a direct threat to Queen Elizabeth I. Mary had been forced to abdicate the

Scottish throne in 1567. She fled to England seeking protection. Instead,

Elizabeth placed her under house arrest—for 19 years. Mary became the focus of Catholic

plots to overthrow Elizabeth. The most famous was the Babington Plot of 1586,

a plan to assassinate the English queen. Encrypted letters, intercepted by Sir Francis Walsingham,

appeared to show Mary’s approval. Elizabeth hesitated to sign the death warrant.