why would elizabeth kill mary queen of scots?

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  • Why did kill Mary, the Queen of Scots?
    • Her claim to the English throne was seen as more  legitimate than Elizabeth's as her grandmother was Henry VIII's sister.  Elizabeth's mother, Anne Boleyn, marriage to Henry wasn't approved by the Pope.
    • She was sent to France at a young age,  becoming  devout Catholic  providing further   ammunition for English  Catholics who saw her as the rightful queen.
    • She returned to Scotland in December of 1560 after the death of her husband Francis II (the heir to the throne).
    • Whilst in France, Scottish  Protestants had become more powerful. Mary was now an outsider and  unprepared for the Protestant opposition.
    • The marriage between to two had started to become sour. On 10th February 1567, the house that Lord Danley was residing in had been destroyed by an gunpowder explosion. Some suspected Mary was involved in his murder.
    • Mary travelled to England hoping that Elizabeth. Luckily for her, Elizabeth agreed to hold an enquiry and allowed Mary to stay though kept her a safe distance from London and Scotland. She was constantly supervised and was largely restricted to the house.
    • The threat to Elizabeth increased as soon as Mary started living in the England. Catholics sought to put her throne.
    • Following the Throckmorton Plot of 1583, spymaster Francis Walsingham helped to pass 1584 Bond of Association act which stated anybody plotting against Elizabeth would be executed.
    • She was arrested in 1586 for her role in the Babington Plot which aims was to have Elizabeth killed and Mary instated as Queen of England. She had replied to a letter outlining details of the plot that Walsingham intercepted.
    • Mary was convicted and sentenced to death on the 25th October 1586. Elizabeth was still was hesitant as killing another was viewed as disrespectful to God as it was believed God chose who would become a monarch. She feared the reaction of Mary's son as well as the French monarchy.
    • The Catholic countries (France and Spain) and Pope Pius V were outraged by Elizabeth's actions. They were all too busy with their own country's concerns and politics to wage war against England
    • King James although distraught by the loss of his mother but didn't want to threaten the Anglo-Scottish alliance. As a result, he did nothing.
    • Speculation rose when she wed the chief suspect, the Earl of Bothwell. Both Catholics and Protestants were outraged. 26 Scottish  Lords forced Mary to abdicate the throne in favour of her son James IV of Scotland.
    • She went to marry Lord  Danley and have a son with him named James. Her child possessed a double claim to the English  throne through both of his parents.
    • However, she eventually signed the death warrant. Mary was beheaded on the 8th February 1587. Elizabeth was distraught claimed her councillors acted without her permission.
  • She went to marry Lord  Danley and have a son with him named James. Her child possessed a double claim to the English  throne through both of his parents.

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