Mary Queen Of Scots Research Paper

Jade Pinnock

6 December 2014

World History – purple

Mrs. Hill

Never Give Up

Mary Queen of Scotland was a brilliant and compassionate woman. She was understanding and very cunning. During her time as Queen of Scots, and even thought it was predominantly Protestant, she remained true to her Catholic upbringing and did not try and force people to convert to Catholicism. Mary remained true to what she believed in, for example, that she was the rightful queen of England due to her lineage from Henry VII, and she never stopped trying to overthrow Queen Elizabeth I. Mary Queen of Scots, formerly known as Mary Stuart, was significant because she always stood up for her beliefs and had compassion for others.

Mary Queen of Scots was born as Mary

Stuart to James V and Mary of Guise. She was born on December 7 or 8, 1542 in Linlithgow, Scotland. A week after she was born, King James V died, several months later Mary’s mother arranged for her to marry King Henry II’s son, Francis II.

Mary Stuart moved to France and was raised there for 10 years in the Catholic French court. On April 24, 1558, Mary and Francis were married, two years after their marriage is when Mary’s life started to change. November of that year, Queen Mary I of England died and her Protestant half-sister, Elizabeth I, took the throne. Many Catholics in Europe rejected her as their rightful queen. This is because they did not see Henry VIII’s marriage to Anne Boleyn as legal. They believed that Mary Queen of Scots was the true heir because she was the grandniece of Henry VIII. Then, within two years her father-in-law, mother, and husband died. She was devastated, but decided to return to Scotland to rule. When she went back she realized that Scotland was now Protestant. Mary decided to let her people continue their Protestant

practices, but she also added her own Catholic influences. The Scottish people looked up to her as a great and generous leader who showed great courage. At the same time, Mary married her cousin Lord Darnley, whom she thought was stupid and self-centered, in an effort to receive the Throne of England. On February 10, 1567, Darnley’s house blew up and Mary was thought to be a part of that plan. This turned many of Mary’s followers against her. So, she gave up the throne to her son James I, in doing so Mary fled to England to seek help from her cousin Elizabeth I. Elizabeth refused to help her. Soon after that, Mary was found guilty of treason in plotting to kill Elizabeth. She was beheaded on February 8, 1587.
Mary Queen of Scots was a ruler and a rebel.

She was a gracious ruler to the Scottish people. She allowed them to continue their Protestant practices without any repercussions. Yet, she stood up for her Catholic background, which made them admire her even more. She was a rebel because she knew she was the rightful ruler of England, and she never stopped trying to get the throne. Although in the end her plan fell through and resulted in her being executed. After her death, she became a role model for other women to always stand up for what they believe in and to never give

up.
Mary Queen of Scots was an inspiring woman. She stood up for what she believed and never backed down. She ruled with compassion and dignity. Her subjects generally admired her for her courage and determination. She had many hardships in her life following the death of her mother, father-in-law, and her husband, yet she still stood tall and became Queen of Scotland. Although things did not work out in the end, she died still believing what she though was right.

Works Cited
Lewis, Jayne E.. Mary Queen of Scots : Romance and Nation. Florence, KY, USA: Routledge,
1998. ProQuest ebrary. Web. 5 December 2014.
"Mary Queen Of Scots." Hutchinson's Biography Database (2011): 1. History Reference Center.
Web. 5 Dec. 2014.
"Mary, Queen of Scots." UXL Biographies. Detroit: U*X*L, 2003. Student Resources in
Context. Web. 6 Dec. 2014.