Mary Queen Of Scoot Essay

Mary Queen of Scot’s entry into England proposed a serious problem for Elizabeth, interrupting her ten year period of good fortune and forcing her to leave for modest approach for actin. So severe was the threat Mary brought that factors as far from England as the Pope where forced into Tutor politics, turning Elizabeth’s moderate government into a war council over religion. The reason Mary was so challenging was because of the number of area in which Mary could cause issues with the current government, not only with regards to religion, but questioning her legitimacy to be on the throne and whether she could really rule the country as she had now for ten years.
Mary posed a particular threat to Elizabeth because of the uncertain and actual

unlikely nature that Elizabeth herself had actually come to the throne. As a Tudor descendent herself, GGGGG, Mary was a legitimate heir, which to the eye of may Catholics in England Elizabeth was not. The fact that Elizabeth was born out of wedlock, as the Pope never annulled the marriage of Catharine of Aragon before the marriage of Anne Boleyn, was not the only legitimacy problem however, because confusion could be argued further with Henry’s choice for child to inherit the throne.. The second act of succession, in which Elizabeth was removed from Henry’s inheritance, was never actually removed form parliament or law; presenting a valid case for the removal of the Queen if considering the Act to be true over the later changes in the third. This shows a challenge for Elizabeth as her inheritance from her father is all the evidence she has for the right to be on the throne, so when compared with a rival who could possibly have greater evidence supporting her (Mary Queen of Scots was never removed from inheritance and not born from “illegitimate” marriage circumstances) the serious nature of the challenge is clear. Contextually the importance of legitimacy because obvious when considering how quickly the “rightful” heir of Mary Tudor was placed on the throne, even if she was a unpopular choice of monarch, again emphasising how quickly Elizabeth’s position could change if the people or government believed there was a more legitimate ruler.
When looking again at Catholicism, Elizabeth’s personnel believes where also a key reason behind the challenge which Mary Queen of Scots presented to her.

Taking over from her Catholic sister Mary, Elizabeth had taken the country on a ten year process of slowly removing the Catholic translons from churches all around the country, and reinstating the more Protestant believes seen in the times of Edward. This change came at large cost, alienating England from the majority of Europe and the largest powers in the world, and creating enemies with many influence leader such as the Pope. This was a challenge not only because of the power they had religious, with the ability to excommunicate the entire nation, but because it could easily inspire religious war with Catholic nations such as Spain or France. Religion under Elizabeth also made challenges in the amount of Catholic (or previously Catholic) subjects that remained in England, as it was an ever looming threat of a religious rebellion from her own people. This can be seen true in the emphasised use of religion to round up peasants to join the cause of the Nobles in the Rebellion of the Northern Earls, which was not itself religiously motivated, but used the loss of Catholicism to raise support against the Queen in an attempt to replace her with Marry Queen of Scots. Plans like these could only be accomplished after the arrival of Mary Queen of Scots however because, she was Catholic and provided a realistic alternative to

plan for if Elizabeth were to be overthrown.
Finally, although a more general threat for Elizabeth, Mary was a larger challenge because Elizabeth was a women, and many though because of this it would be easier to replace her. As a contemporary idea of women at the time was they could not lead an army into battle, Mary Queen of Scots was a significant challenge if she could be married to an influence man, as this would place her in a stronger political position than the single “virgin” Queen Elizabeth was. This weakness of also shown in the rebellion of the Northern Earls, where Mary Queen of Scots is planned to marry an Englishman (the Duke of Norfolk), and would then be not only more legitimate but have an heir and a leader who could head a battle. Mary had already been married to the French Dauphine, which made another foreign marriage also very plausible, again raising more problems on whether Mary could raise an army in her name overseas or in England to come support her assentation to the throne through the prospect of joint leadership through Marriage.
In conclusion Mary Queen of Scots proposed many challenges to Elizabeth because of the many different resources Mary had available to her, and the varying amount of support she had internally and externally, presenting not only the legitimate right to rule in Elizabeth’s face but some show of force that if not stopped could be used to remove her altogether.
Alex Wren