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Challenges to Elizabeth's rule - EdexcelMary, Queen of Scots

Elizabeth faced challenges throughout her long reign - from Mary, Queen of Scots, to the Spanish Armada. She was a cautious ruler who acted carefully to preserve England’s security.

Part of HistoryElizabeth I

Mary, Queen of Scots background and arrival in England

Portrait of Mary, Queen of Scots
Mary, Queen of Scots

Mary, Queen of Scots was Elizabeth’s cousin (not to be confused with Mary I, who was Elizabeth’s sister).

Mary’s life had been filled with dramatic events. She had become Queen of Scotland in 1542 when she was just six days old.

Her first two husbands died and she was implicated in the second one’s murder. She was forced to and was imprisoned. She managed to escape and fled to England where she sought from Elizabeth in 1568.

Mary’s threat to Elizabeth suddenly became more immediate now that she was in the country. In the short term, Elizabeth allowed Mary to live in Carlisle Castle as a closely guarded ‘guest’. But now she was faced with a dilemma: what should she do with Mary?

A timeline showing Mary Queen of Scot's key life events

Why did Mary pose a threat to Elizabeth?

Portrait of King Henry VIII.
King Henry VIII

Mary, Queen of Scots was a threat to Elizabeth’s rule because she had two claims to the English throne:

  • Many people believed Elizabeth to be and so felt she had no right to be on the throne. (Her father, Henry VIII, had divorced his first wife. didn’t recognise divorce and so viewed his second marriage to Elizabeth’s mother as illegal.)
  • Elizabeth had converted England’s official religion to , leaving many Catholics disgruntled. Mary was a Catholic and many viewed her as their and a rightful replacement to the throne.
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What should Elizabeth do with Mary?

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