Fotheringhay Bound: Mary, Queen of Scots

The Day Mary, Queen of Scots’ Fate Was Sealed

On this day in Tudor history, 25 September 1586,  Mary, Queen of Scots was escorted to Fotheringhay Castle. She would never leave.
That same week, Elizabeth I agreed to appoint 36 commissioners to try her cousin. The road from captive to condemned began here.

I’m Claire Ridgway, historian and author. In this episode, I set the scene and trace the chain:

• From captivity (1568) and Pius V’s excommunication (1570) to a climate ripe for plots
• Ridolfi, Throckmorton, and the fatal Babington Plot (Mary’s “set the six gentlemen to work”)
• Walsingham’s cipher trap and the arrests
• Transfer to Fotheringhay; the commissioners named
• Trial (14 Oct) to guilty (25 Oct) to Parliament’s petition to warrant signed (1 Feb 1587) to execution (8 Feb)

Question for you: Was Elizabeth defending her realm, or crossing a line no monarch should? Tell me in the comments.

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