Monday, February 08, 2010

Today In History, Mary Queen of Scots Looses her Head

423 years ago today Mary Queen of Scots was executed by her cousin Queen Elizabeth I. 
"The executioners and her two servants helped remove a black outer gown, two petticoats, and her corset to reveal a deep red chemise—the liturgical color of martyrdom in the Catholic Church. As she disrobed she smiled faintly to the executioner and said, "Never have I had such assistants to disrobe me, and never have I put off my clothes before such a company." She was then blindfolded and knelt down on the cushion in front of the block. She positioned her head on the block and stretched her arms out behind her."
Queen Mary's official death warrant issued by Queen Elizabeth I
Click image for a larger picture.

"Your judgment I condemn not, neither do I mistake your reasons, but pray you to accept my thankfulness, excuse my doubtfulness, and take in good part my answer, answerless".
Elizabeth to Parliamentary Delegation again in regards to the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots

13 comments:

  1. I side with Elizabeth I on this one...

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  2. What a sad day, though Mary didn't really give Elizabeth any other choice.

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  3. Me too I am on Elizabeth's side. Mary basically did not give Elizabeth a choice, Elizabeth held out as long as she could but Mary would not stop plotting and it doomed her in the end. My favorite part is Mary's red petticoat of defiance. I think if thing would have been different the women could have been the best of friends but who know maybe not because they were too alike and too damn jealous.

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  4. Elizabeth did try but Mary just wanted it too much....

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  5. great post... and yes, Mary did have many chances and she just never saw any clearer.

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  6. To accept their relationship I view it as 2 big fish in a little pond. There just was not enough room for both of them.

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  7. Great, I can leave comments again! Read a few different versions of Mary, Queen of Scots and I just can't decide if she was a victim or a bit of a villian!

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  8. I know Alaine what you mean it all depends on which point of view you are coming from. I think she was a bit of both. Some stuff she did do and some she did not necessarily have a direct hand in.

    I am so glad to see you back I was a bit worried there.

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  9. You can not blame Mary for her plotting. If you look at the lineage then Mary had a fair argument to have a higher claim to the throne of England. She was very devoted to her Catholic faith and all of the Catholic world saw Elizabeth as a bastard! Even though she believed that she had a better claim to the English throne I am sure that she would have been happy to have just been restored to the Scottish throne.

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  10. Jadie, I never would blame Mary for he plotting. I actually admire her courage for accomplishing as much as she did. I really think Mary's real downfall was caused by the men she let into her life. True that the rest of the world saw Elizabeth as a bastard but her catholic sister recognized her right to the crown. I wish Elizabeth would have helped her regain Scotland because it would have been the sensible thing to help a royal cousin. I guess Mary's path was always meant for another route. Sad but maybe in another life the two cousins could have been the best of friends.

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  11. Queen Mary was in fact framed by Elizabeth's Main advisor Walsingham because he forged a fake letter from Mary to a catholic called Anthony Babington and therefore Elizabeth god rid of her

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  12. In fact Mary was framed by Elizabeth's main advisor Walsingham as he forged a fake letter that said that Mary was plotting against Elizabeth with a catholic called Anthony Babington and therefore Elizabeth wanted to get rid of Mary

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  13. Arek, I have read that too and it actually was brought into the Master Piece Theater movie Elizabeth I. It was what finally did it and in that movie after Mary was set up by Walsingham Elizabeth never left a blank space on any letter ever again. Both were incredibly powerful women who ruled in their own right but took completely different paths in life. I respect both of them for their courage.

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