Mary Queen of Scots, the Armada and war with Spain
Mary, Queen of Scots' background and arrival in England
Mary, Queen of Scots was Elizabeth鈥檚 cousin (not to be confused with Mary I, who was Elizabeth鈥檚 sister).
Mary鈥檚 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鈥檚 murder. She was forced to To give up a claim (often a claim to a monarchy). and was imprisoned. She managed to escape and fled to England where she sought The state of being safe or sheltered from pursuit, danger, or difficulty. from Elizabeth in 1568.
Mary鈥檚 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 鈥榞uest鈥. But now she was faced with a dilemma: what should she do with Mary?
Why did Mary pose a threat to Elizabeth?
Mary, Queen of Scots was a threat to Elizabeth鈥檚 rule because she had two claims to the English throne:
- Many people believed Elizabeth to be Born out of wedlock - having unmarried parents. and so felt she had no right to be on the throne. (Her father, Henry VIII, had divorced his first wife. The Church in Western Europe before the Reformation. The Pope was head of the Church. A member of the Roman Catholic Church. didn鈥檛 recognise divorce and so viewed his second marriage to Elizabeth鈥檚 mother as illegal.)
- Elizabeth had converted England鈥檚 official religion to Christians who broke away from the Roman Catholic Church during the Reformation. They believe in the teachings of the Bible but reject the authority of the Pope., leaving many Catholics disgruntled. Mary was a Catholic and many viewed her as their A nominal leader or head without real power. and a rightful replacement to the throne.