History Script
Introduction:
Mary, Queen of Scots (also known as Mary Stuart), lived between 1542 and 1587. She was the only child of James V of Scotland and Mary of Guise, and through her grandmother Margaret Tudor, Mary had the strongest claim to the throne of England after the children of Henry VIII. This claim (and her Roman Catholicism) made Mary a threat to Elizabeth I of England (who was a protestant), as many English Catholics wanted Mary on the throne in the place of Elizabeth. Elizabeth had her executed after holding her captive for 19 years. However, Mary's son, James VI of Scotland, succeeded Elizabeth to the English throne as James I, as Elizabeth never married or had any children of her own. Mary's reported beauty, charm and her …show more content…
At this time however, these countries were being ruled by some of the most powerful women in history, including Mary of Guise, Mary Queen of Scots, Catherine de Medici and Elizabeth I. They were described as a ‘monstrous regime of women’ by Protestant noble John Knox (Thomas, 1999). According to historians, ‘no consensus has yet emerged on the long term changes in women’s positions over this period as a whole’ and changes are only seen to have emerged 3 centuries later, making these women truly ‘ahead of their time’ (Thomas, 1999). In general, women were described as either submissive, accommodating or defiant in this period, and so the norm for women was to be submissive. Only widows and heiresses were real exceptions to the masculine dominated society. Women who acted out, or were defiant were often described as ‘shrews’ and were considered humorous and not taken seriously. These stereotypes for women were present through all of the hierarchy of society, including in the monarchy, so many nobles felt unsure or uncomfortable with a Queen being the sole leader of the country, as they believed a queen’s place was to sit quietly by her husband. Similarly, these queens had to be a lot more careful with how they behaved compared to their male counterparts. While a King often kept mistresses, and was often considered unusual to not have any, queens like Mary and Elizabeth were not without being accused of promiscuity. Mary and Elizabeth therefore put in considerable effort to ensure that they restricted or eliminated interactions with men outside official meetings and negotiations, as if they were accused of promiscuity then there was a high chance that they could be thrown off the
Introduction:
Mary, Queen of Scots (also known as Mary Stuart), lived between 1542 and 1587. She was the only child of James V of Scotland and Mary of Guise, and through her grandmother Margaret Tudor, Mary had the strongest claim to the throne of England after the children of Henry VIII. This claim (and her Roman Catholicism) made Mary a threat to Elizabeth I of England (who was a protestant), as many English Catholics wanted Mary on the throne in the place of Elizabeth. Elizabeth had her executed after holding her captive for 19 years. However, Mary's son, James VI of Scotland, succeeded Elizabeth to the English throne as James I, as Elizabeth never married or had any children of her own. Mary's reported beauty, charm and her …show more content…
At this time however, these countries were being ruled by some of the most powerful women in history, including Mary of Guise, Mary Queen of Scots, Catherine de Medici and Elizabeth I. They were described as a ‘monstrous regime of women’ by Protestant noble John Knox (Thomas, 1999). According to historians, ‘no consensus has yet emerged on the long term changes in women’s positions over this period as a whole’ and changes are only seen to have emerged 3 centuries later, making these women truly ‘ahead of their time’ (Thomas, 1999). In general, women were described as either submissive, accommodating or defiant in this period, and so the norm for women was to be submissive. Only widows and heiresses were real exceptions to the masculine dominated society. Women who acted out, or were defiant were often described as ‘shrews’ and were considered humorous and not taken seriously. These stereotypes for women were present through all of the hierarchy of society, including in the monarchy, so many nobles felt unsure or uncomfortable with a Queen being the sole leader of the country, as they believed a queen’s place was to sit quietly by her husband. Similarly, these queens had to be a lot more careful with how they behaved compared to their male counterparts. While a King often kept mistresses, and was often considered unusual to not have any, queens like Mary and Elizabeth were not without being accused of promiscuity. Mary and Elizabeth therefore put in considerable effort to ensure that they restricted or eliminated interactions with men outside official meetings and negotiations, as if they were accused of promiscuity then there was a high chance that they could be thrown off the