Mary And Elizabeth

Mary Stuart, best known as Mary Queen of Scots, was the Queen from when she was just five days old. Even though she was not mentioned in Henry VIII's succession will, she was related to the Tudor line and had some claim to the throne, she was Henry VII's Great Granddaughter. Although most English Catholics recognized Elizabeth's rule, the Catholic world officially denied the legality of Henry VIII's marriage to Anne Boleyn, since they did not recognize the annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. Under the Catholic interpretation, this made Elizabeth illegitimate and unfit to rule. If Elizabeth was not correctly qualified by lineage to rule England, Mary Queen of Scots, who was a Catholic, had one of the strongest claims to the throne. Also having claims to the throne were Catherine Grey (whose sister Jane Grey was the nine days queen who was beheaded by Mary I), Mary Grey, and Henry Stuart (Lord Darnley). Elizabeth Came to the throne in 1559, after her half sister Mary (Bloody Mary) died probably from ovarian or uterine cancer. When Mary finally died on November 17, 1558 Elizabeth was so overcome with emotion she declared "A domino factum est illud, et est mirablie in oculis meis!" "This is the doing of the Lord and it is marvelous in my eyes." Two queens both so different, one who had her crown handed to her when she was just five years old and another had to survive two other people coming before her and feared for her life for a good part of the time before finally being rewarded with the crown.

On July 10, 1559 Mary and Francois II became King and Queen of France and Scotland. Mary had fulfilled her dynastic allegiance. On September 18 they publicized their claim on the English and Irish throne, and started using the arms of both countries with their own. This was the major stumbling block in Mary and Elizabeth's relationship. Elizabeth was always suspicious of any clear successors to her throne. On July 6 1560 the French and English came up with the treaty of Edinburgh in which the French agreed to take all but a handful of Frenchmen out of Scotland. They agreed that Elizabeth was the rightful heir to the throne of England and Ireland and that Mary and Francois would no longer assume the style or arms thereof. However, Mary refused to sign the treaty until she was promised to be named as Elizabeth's successor. Elizabeth once said "Howsoever it is. so long as I live, I shall be Queen of England; when I am dead, they shall succeed that has most right."

When Francis II, the King of France, died December 5, 1560 Mary returned, full of grief, to Scotland in August 1561. At this time, the widowed Queen returned to Scotland with hopes of taking the English throne. In 1565, Lord Darnley and his father, the Earl of Lennox went to Scotland with the hope of marrying Mary, and claiming the English throne. On July 29 1565 Mary married Darnley, without Elizabeth's permission and in retaliation Elizabeth imprisoned Darnley's mother and brother in the tower. This marriage was not to be a happy one as one Scottish noble said "Unable to hold his drink and not very bright ", this boy who was barely out of his teens had surprised the Scottish lords with his ill-judged comments. His uncontrolled temper earned him a nasty reputation, and he hit people who could not return his blows and gained a reputation for being quick to pull a knife on anyone who displeased him. Just as quick as this flame erupted, it was out. Soon after, Mary was pregnant, and with child she wanted nothing to do with Darnley, and became closer to her secretary (the Italian, Riccio). David Riccio became more hated as he gained in wealth and influence, and rumors became more extreme as they elaborated on Riccio's improper intimacy with the Queen. On March 9, 1566 David Riccio is murdered by Darnley and other noble men, in front of the Queen. On June 19, 1566 Mary and Darnley's son James is born. One year later Darnley is murdered at Kirk O' Field in February of 1567. The main person suspected of murdering Darnley is the man who Mary is intent on marrying next... Earl of Bothwell. They were married May 15 1567, after no serious investigation of Darnley's murder. The people were so incensed against their Queen that they rose in rebellion and created the Confederate Lords. Mary and Bothewell had their own army, and on the 15th of June, 1567 without much bloodshed, Mary surrendered to the Confederate Lords at Carberry and Bothwell fled. She was forced to abdicate on the 24th of July, 1567 and her son James was created King. Her half-brother, the Earl of Moray was created regent. She was imprisoned at Lochleven Castle. Elizabeth, along with all of the rest of Europe's rulers, was horrified at the idea that the common people might revolt against their ruler. Elizabeth, fearing for Mary's life stated that she would not support the actions of the rebels and that she could not believe that "persons of such honor could offer such violence to their sovereign as to commit her to any manner of prison."

With these words of encouragement Mary thought that Elizabeth was finally becoming the intimate and powerful friend she hoped that she would be " she would rather herself and the Prince were in your realm, than elsewhere in Christendom."

When she finally escaped, Mary left Scotland, where she thought she was leaving danger behind. It was England, and a friendly relationship with Elizabeth, that she was looking towards (a relationship that she hoped would bring her closer to getting her crown restored but would also bring her closer to the other crown that she sought...one that she sought even more then her own). Mary was the closest Catholic claimant to the English throne and Elizabeth knew some of her subjects were not above hoping she could be deposed, and Mary made queen of both Scotland and England.

She had determined to keep her cousin's kingdom in continual strife; if Mary was busy at home, she would have less chance to plot against Elizabeth. But when Mary landed on her doorstep May 18th 1568, Elizabeth's conscience was determined to be clear so she appointed commissioners to look into the matter; they met throughout 1568 and 1569. In December of 1569, the so-called Casket Letters were first presented at Westminster. They were supposedly letters and other papers belonging to Bothwell and found in his casket (letter box). They disappeared soon afterwards and only translations and copies remain. Elizabeth, in January 1569, released a statement that 'Nothing had been sufficiently proved, whereby the Queen of England should conceive an evil opinion of her good sister.' Everyone took this to mean that Mary was not guilty of any conspiracy alleged in the letters.

She was essentially