Mary’s Trial
and Execution February 1587
Contemporary sketch of Mary’s execution.
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I am alone, without counsel, or anyone to speak on my behalf, My papers and notes have been taken from me, so I am destitute of all aid, taken at a disadvantage…My crimes consist of my birth, the injuries that have been inflicted on me and my religion. Mary, Queen of Scots at her Fotheringhay trial, 1587
In 1587, after numerous failed plots to free the captive queen, Mary was accused of treachery for her involvement in the Babington Plot. She was tried and sentenced to death. At her execution, the last act of her queenship, her ladies removed her outer gown. Underneath Mary wore a blood-red gown, the colour of Catholic martyrdom. |
Ah, Kingdom of Scotland , I think your days are shorter now than they were, and your nights longer, since you have lost that princess who was your light. Pierre de Ronsard.