Tudor History with Claire Ridgway

Fotheringhay Bound: Mary, Queen of Scots


Listen Later

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.


    If this “On This Day” was useful, please like, subscribe, and ring the bell for daily Tudor history.

      #OnThisDay #TudorHistory #MaryQueenOfScots #ElizabethI #Fotheringhay #BabingtonPlot #Walsingham #EnglishHistory #EarlyModern #16thCentury 

    ...more
    View all episodesView all episodes
    Download on the App Store

    Tudor History with Claire RidgwayBy Claire Ridgway

    • 4.7
    • 4.7
    • 4.7
    • 4.7
    • 4.7

    4.7

    68 ratings


    More shows like Tudor History with Claire Ridgway

    View all
    Renaissance English History Podcast: A Show About the Tudors by Heather Teysko

    Renaissance English History Podcast: A Show About the Tudors

    531 Listeners

    Rex Factor by Rex Factor

    Rex Factor

    927 Listeners

    Dan Snow's History Hit by History Hit

    Dan Snow's History Hit

    4,811 Listeners

    Queens Podcast by Queens Podcast

    Queens Podcast

    1,388 Listeners

    Tudors Dynasty & Beyond by RedTop Media / Rebecca Larson

    Tudors Dynasty & Beyond

    729 Listeners

    Talking Tudors by Natalie Grueninger

    Talking Tudors

    733 Listeners

    Historic Royal Palaces Podcast by Historic Royal Palaces

    Historic Royal Palaces Podcast

    451 Listeners

    British History: Royals, Rebels, and Romantics by Carol Ann Lloyd

    British History: Royals, Rebels, and Romantics

    163 Listeners

    Gone Medieval by History Hit

    Gone Medieval

    1,830 Listeners

    Not Just the Tudors by History Hit

    Not Just the Tudors

    2,039 Listeners

    Betwixt The Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society by History Hit

    Betwixt The Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society

    1,331 Listeners

    History Tea Time by Lindsay Holiday

    History Tea Time

    509 Listeners

    The Tudor Chest Podcast by Adam Pennington

    The Tudor Chest Podcast

    92 Listeners

    After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal by History Hit

    After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal

    1,063 Listeners

    Queens, Kings, and Dastardly Things by Daily Mail

    Queens, Kings, and Dastardly Things

    145 Listeners