Scottish History - The House of Stewart
Mary, Queen of Scots part 3 of 3

• Robert II (1371-1390) & Robert III (1390-1406)
• James I (1406-1437)
• James II (1437-1460)
• James III (1460-1488)
• James IV (1488-1513)
• James V (1513-1542)
• Mary Queen of Scots (1542-1587)
• James VI (1567-1603)

Mary, Queen of Scots (1542 - 87) Part 3

• Mary Queen of Scots Part 1
• Mary Queen of Scots Part 2
• Mary Queen of Scots Part 3

Escape

The Earl of Moray, a strong Protestant, and Mary's once beloved and later discredited half-brother, was made Regent for James VI. When Mary escaped from Loch Leven Castle the Earl gathered an army together to go after her. Many nobles swore their allegiance to Mary and met with Moray in battle just outside of Glasgow. The battle lasted less than an hour and was won decisively by Moray.

Mary now feared that she would fall into the hands of her enemy and against the advice of the nobles who had supported her she escaped to England and to what she thought would be the protection of one queen for another.

Mary was accused many times of plotting against Elizabeth. Elizabeth professed impartiality, requesting evidence of Mary's treason and then upon being given the Casket Letters, which may have been forged to begin with, refused to rule for either side.

In truth, she was afraid of Mary whose position as legitimate Roman Catholic Queen of England became more dangerous to Elizabeth, especially after her own excommunication. In 1572 she secretly proposed to send Mary back to Scotland to be murdered but this plan did not come to fruition. Though Elizabeth had been named Godmother to Mary's son, they never met face to face. Even today, they are both buried at Westminster Abbey separated so that they can not see each other.

Elizabeth had her put under house arrest for the remaining 19 years of her life. Elizabeth felt it would be better to keep her a prisoner than to let her return to Scotland where more plots could be hatched and where her presence could provoke a civil war. During her captivity, Mary encouraged many plots to free her and to put her on the English and Scottish thrones. For her involvement in these plots, and the fear Elizabeth had of one of them succeeding, Elizabeth signed the warrant for Mary's execution and she was beheaded at Fotheringhay Castle in 1587.

Mary, Queen of Scots Letters

Mary's final letter to Elizabeth expressed her final requests, which would never be granted.

"Now having been informed, on your part, of the sentence passed in the last session of your Parliament, and admonished by Lord Beale to prepare myself for the end of my long and weary pilgrimage, I prayed them to return my thanks to you for such agreeable intelligence, and to ask you to grant some things for the relief of my conscience.

I will not accuse any person but sincerely pardon every one, as I desire others, and above, all God, to pardon me. And since I know that your heart, more than that of any other, ought to be touched by the honour or dishonour of your own blood, and of a Queen the daughter of a king, I require you, Madam, for the same of Jesus, that after my enemies have satisfied their black thirst for my innocent blood, you will permit my poor disconsolate servants to remove my corpse, that it may be buried in holy ground, with my ancestors in France, especially the late Queen my mother, since in Scotland the remains of the Kings my predecessors have been outraged, and the churches torn down and profaned.

As I shall suffer in this country, I shall not be allowed a place near your ancestors, whoa re also mine, and persons of my religion think much of being interred in consecrated earth. I trust you will not refuse this last request I have preferred to you, and allow, at least, free sepulture to this body when the soul shall be separated from it, which never could obtain, while united, liberty to dwell in peace.

Dreading the secret tyranny of some of those to whom you have abandoned me, I entreat you to prevent me from being dispatched secretly, without your knowledge, not from fear of the pain, which I am ready to suffer, but on account of the reports they would circulate after my death. It is therefore that I desire my servants to remain witnesses and attestators of my end my faith in my Saviour, and obedience to His church. This I require of you in

the name of Jesus Christ in respect to our consanguinity, for the sake of King Henry VII, your great-grandfather and mine, for the dignity we have both held, and for the sex to which we both belong.

I beseech the God of mercy and justice to enlighten you with his holy Spirit, and to give e the grace to die in perfect charity, as I endeavour to do, pardoning my death to all those who have either caused or cooperated in it; and this will be my prayer to the end.

Accuse me not of presumption if, leaving this world and preparing myself for a better, I remind you will one day to give account of your charge in like manner as those who preceded you in it, and that my blood and the misery of my country will be remembered, wherefore from the earliest dawn of your comprehension we ought to dispose our minds to make things temporal yield to those of eternity.

Your sister and cousin wrongfully a prisoner,

Marie R."

Mary Queen of Scots Letter to Henri III

Her last letter to Henri III shows her state of mind knowing that she was to be executed.

"Monsieur mon beau - frere, estant par la permission de Dieu" (she wrote in French as that was preferred by her).

"Royal brother, having by God's will for my sins I think, thrown myself into the power of the Queen my cousin, at whose hands I have suffered much for almost twenty years. I have finally been condemned to death by her and her Estates. I have asked for my papers, which they have taken away, in order that I might make my will, but I have been unable to recover anything of use to me, or even get leave either to make my will freely or to have my body conveyed after my death, as I would wish, to your kingdom where I had honour to be queen, your sister and old ally.

Tonight, after dinner, I have been advised of my sentence: I am to be executed like a criminal at eight in the morning. I have not had time to give you a full account of everything that has happened, but if you will listen to my doctor and my other unfortunate servants, you will learn the truth, and how, thanks be to God, I scorn death and vow that I meet it innocent of any crime, even if I were their subject. The Catholic faith and the assertion of my God-given right to the English throne are the two issues on which I am condemned.

The bearer of this letter and his companions, most of them your subjects, will testify to my conduct at my last hour. It remains for me to beg your most Christian Majesty, my brother-in-law and old ally, who have always protested your love for me, to give proof now of your goodness on all these points; firstly by charity, in paying my unfortunate servants the wages due to them - this is a burden on my conscience that only you can relieve; further, by having prayers offered to God for a queen who has borne the title Most Christian Queen of France, and who dies a Catholic, stripped of all her possessions.

I have taken the liberty of sending you two precious stones, talismans against illness, trusting you will enjoy good health and a long and happy life. Accept them from your loving sister-in-law, who, as she dies, bears witness of her warm feelings for you. Give instructions if it please you, that for my soul's sake part of what you owe me should be paid, and that for the sake of Jesus Christ, to whom I shall pray for you tomorrow as I die, I be left enough to found a memorial mass and give the customary alms.

Wednesday at two in the morning,

Your most moving and most true sister,

Marie R. Queen of Scotland."

Death of Mary, Queen of Scots

It was a cold and bitter winter's day when Mary, with dignity intact as always, was led to the block. She wore her customary black cloak with a white veil over her head. When she reached the block, she dropped her cloak and revealed a crimson dress. Her last words were, - "Into thy hands, O, Lord, I commend my spirit." - it took three strokes of the axe to sever Mary's head. True or not, the story is that when her head toppled, her body began to move, frightening everyone present. It was found that her little dog had been hidden in her dress.

All that Mary took with her to her execution, crucifix, writing book, then her bloodstained clothes and even the block were burned. There were to be no relics. When the executioner held up Mary's severed head the wig that she wore fell off and she was an old woman, white of hair and partially bald.

Her wishes were not granted. Instead of being buried in France as she wished she was buried in England. Her death passed without incident from the Scottish people who were too busy with other troubles to give more than a passing thought to the Queen who had caused so much controversy in their country.

Mary, Queen of Scots (1542 - 87) Part 3

• Mary Queen of Scots Part 1
• Mary Queen of Scots Part 2
• Mary Queen of Scots Part 3