Welcome back to This Day in Scottish History. I’m Colin MacDonald, and today we revisit one of the most dramatic and tragic moments in Scotland’s royal history. On February 8, 1587, Mary, Queen of Scots, was executed at Fotheringhay Castle. It was the final chapter in a life filled with political intrigue, betrayal, and relentless struggle for power.

Mary had been a prisoner in England for nearly two decades. A queen from infancy, she had spent much of her life navigating the treacherous waters of European politics, caught between the ambitions of England, France, and Spain. Born in 1542, she became Queen of Scots just six days after her father, James V, died. Her early years were spent in France, where she was betrothed to the Dauphin, Francis, whom she later married. For a brief time, she was both Queen of Scotland and Queen of France. But when Francis died in 1560, she returned to Scotland to rule a country deeply divided by religious conflict.

Mary’s time in Scotland was turbulent. She married Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, a union that quickly turned disastrous. Darnley was arrogant, unpredictable, and ambitious. He played a role in the murder of Mary’s confidant, David Rizzio, before he himself was assassinated in 1567 in a suspicious explosion at Kirk o’ Field in Edinburgh. Soon after, Mary married James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell, the man widely believed to have orchestrated Darnley’s murder. This scandalous marriage destroyed Mary’s reputation. Scottish nobles turned against her, forcing her to abdicate in favor of her infant son, James VI.

Mary fled to England, seeking protection from her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I. But rather than offering her sanctuary, Elizabeth saw Mary as a dangerous rival. Mary, as a Catholic with a legitimate claim to the English throne, was a constant threat to Protestant England. Elizabeth placed Mary under house arrest, keeping her under close watch in a series of castles and manor houses across England.

For almost 19 years, Mary remained a prisoner, but she never abandoned hope of regaining her throne. She became the focus of Catholic plots aiming to overthrow Elizabeth and restore Catholic rule in England. The final straw came in 1586 with the discovery of the Babington Plot, a conspiracy to assassinate Elizabeth and place Mary on the English throne. Secret letters proved that Mary had approved the plan. With this damning evidence, Elizabeth’s advisors convinced her that Mary had to die.

Mary was tried and found guilty of treason. Elizabeth hesitated to sign the death warrant—after all, executing an anointed queen was unprecedented. But under immense pressure from her council, she finally relented. On February 8, 1587, Mary was led to the execution chamber at Fotheringhay Castle. She met her fate with remarkable dignity, dressed in a red petticoat, the Catholic color of martyrdom.

The execution itself was gruesome. The first blow from the executioner’s axe struck the back of her head rather than her neck. The second blow partially severed her head, and the third completed the task. When the executioner held her head aloft, her auburn hair came away in his hand—Mary had been wearing a wig, her real hair now grey after years of suffering.

Mary’s death sent shockwaves across Europe. To Catholics, she was a martyr; to Protestants, a necessary casualty. Elizabeth claimed she had not intended the warrant to be carried out so swiftly, but the damage was done. Mary’s son, James VI of Scotland, outwardly condemned his mother’s execution but took no immediate action against England. Ironically, in 1603, he would succeed Elizabeth as James I of England, uniting the crowns of Scotland and England.

Mary, Queen of Scots, remains one of the most fascinating figures in Scottish and British history—a queen whose life was marked by romance, scandal, and tragedy. Her execution may have ended her earthly reign, but her legacy endures.

Thanks for joining me on This Day in Scottish History. Tune in tomorrow for another journey through Scotland’s past. Until then, haste ye back!

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