Series 2 Episode 1 - The killing of a Queen. - Shorter listen (Transcript added).

Artwork    •    The Execution of Mary Queen of Scots at Fotheringhay Castle on 8 February 1587, drawn by Robert Beale (1541-1601), Clerk of the Privy Council to Queen Elizabeth I, who wrote the official record of the execution to which he was an eyewitness. 

The evening before the execution he had read-out to Mary her death warrant and informed her that she was to be executed the following morning. 

Key to numbers: George Talbot, 6th Earl of Shrewsbury and Henry Grey, 6th Earl of Kent are seated to the left (1 & 2) and Sir Amias Paulet, one of Mary's guards, is seated behind the scaffold (3)

 Music   1 •   Christum wir sollen loben schon, 1586     · Württemberg Chamber Choir. Lyricist: Martin Luther.  Composer: Lukas Osiander.

Martin Luther initially adapted his melody from the Latin hymn melodies associated with 'A solis ortus cardine' by Caelius Sedulius to make it suitable for his German verse. 

The chorale text and melody first appeared in print in Erfurt 'Enchiridion' in 1524.

Music   2 •  Miserere Mei.      Composer: Gregorio Allegri (c. 1582–1652) 

Composed for the Sistine Chapel Choir to be sung during the Tenebrae services of Holy Week.

"Miserere mei" is Latin for "Have mercy on me, O God," the opening words of Psalm 51. The phrase is most famously known from the Gregorio Allegri motet Miserere (c. 1630s), a sacred choral piece and known for its complex polyphony and use of a high, soaring vocal line.

There are some writings which Seethe, with a barely concealed anger, even after more than four centuries.

Two memoranda by Robert Beale, Clerk to the Privy Council under Queen Elizabeth the first, exemplify this; in them, he expresses his outrage at Elizabeth’s efforts to shift the blame for the death of Mary Queen of Scots.

After agreeing to the assassination of Mary, Elizabeth would later blame Secretary of State William Davison and the Privy Council, for executing the very death warrant, she had signed.

Transcript

© 2026 The Rise of the Protestants., Author, Shaughan Holt.

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Series 2.

Episode 1.

The killing of a Queen.

Some writings, continue to seethe, with a barely concealed anger, even after more than, four-centuries have passed.

Two memoranda by Robert Beale, Clerk to the Privy Council, under Queen Elizabeth the first, exemplify this.

In them, he expresses his outrage, at Elizabeth's efforts to shift the blame, for the death of Mary Queen of Scots.

After agreeing to the assassination of Mary, Elizabeth, would later blame Secretary of State William Davison, and the Privy Council, for executing, the very deathwarrant, she had signed.

Mary Stuart, became Queen of Scots, on 14 December 1542, just six days after her birth, following the death of her father, King James V, at Falkland Palace in Fife.

Nine months later, as the only surviving, legitimate heir to the Scottish throne, she was crowned, in a ceremony at Stirling Castle, conducted by the Catholic Cardinal David Beaton.

During her childhood, Scotland was governed first by James Hamilton, the Earl of Arran, and later by her mother, Mary of Guise.

As England embraced the Protestant Reformation, English forces repeatedly invaded Scotland.

To ensure her safety, and reinforce the old Alliance, five-year-old Mary, was sent to France in 1548.

Growing up at the court of King Henri the second, and Queen Catherine de’ Medici, she received an education, alongside the French royal children.

In an effort to secure a dynastic claim to the Kingdom of Scotland, King Henri, planned to marry the young Mary to his eldest son, the even younger Dauphin, François the second.

On 24 April 1558, Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots, married François at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.

Though both were teenagers, their union was politically significant, as any heir, would have claims to the thrones of France, Scotland, and possibly England.

On 10 July 1559, King Henri the second, sustained a fatal injury, during a jousting tournament, when a wooden shard of a shattered lance, pierced his right eye, resulting in a severe intracranial infection.

Following this tragic event, François took the throne.

François the Second, was crowned King of France on 21 September 1559, at Reims Cathedral, by his uncle, Cardinal Charles of Lorraine.

His reign was marked by political and religious turmoil, as the powerful Guise family, used him to suppress the Huguenots.

Tragically, the French monarchy, was destined to face, even more sorrow.

On 5 December 1560, François, the young king of France, died from a septic ear infection, in Orléans, at the age of just 15.

His wife, Mary, who was 17 at the time, was heartbroken.

Their marriage, aimed to strengthen the ties, between France and Scotland, but was likely never consummated, due to their ages.

Mary, summed up the contemporary ideal of a Renaissance Princess, with her tall, slender figure, red-gold hair, and amber eyes.

Raised at the court of King Henri and Queen Catherine de Medici, she viewed herself more as a Frenchwoman, than a Scot.

However, following her husband's death, she was advised to return to Scotland by the Guises.

St Giles Cathedral also known as the High Kirk of Edinburgh, is a notable parish church of the Church of Scotland, situated in Edinburgh's Old Town.

Founded in the 12th century, it was elevated to collegiate status by Pope Paul II in 1467.

In 1559, during the Scottish Reformation, Scotland became Protestant under the leadership of John Knox.

Mary returned to Scotland on 19 August 1561, during a period of upheaval, when Protestantism, led by John Knox, was gaining momentum.

As a Catholic Queen, raised in France, she encountered significant hostility.

Setting up home, in Holyroodhouse, her Catholic practices only heightened tensions.
Knox criticised her, stating, "A single mass is more fearful to me than 10,000 armed men", which led her to summon him to defend his sermons.

Despite confrontations, Mary initially ruled moderately.

In 1563, a heated disagreement with John Knox, over her potential marriage to Don Carlos of Spain, escalated tensions.

Knox, had cautioned Mary, against marrying, an "ungodly" Catholic.

In tears, Mary realised that reconciliation was impossible, and never met with him, in private again.

Mary's marriage to Lord Darnley, in July 1565, had begun with promise, but quickly turned scandalous.

The murder of her secretary, David Rizzio, in March 1566, Darnley's suspicious death in February 1567, and her subsequent marriage to the Earl of Bothwell, led the nobility, to pressure her into abdicating, in favour of her young son, James VI, in July 1567.

Confined in Loch Leven Castle, Mary eventually escaped to England, hoping to gain support from her cousin Queen Elizabeth.

However instead of finding refuge, she spent the next eighteen years shuttling between noble households and castles, constantly under guard.

As Mary Stuart's influence diminished, the number of her enemies multiplied.

In 1586, Anthony Babington and Jesuit priest John Ballard, conspired to assassinate Queen Elizabeth, intending to place Mary Queen of Scots on the throne, and restore Catholicism in England.

They were seeking Spanish support for an invasion, but Elizabeths intelligence chief, Sir Francis Walsingham, seized Mary on 11 August 1586, eliminating her as a potential heir.

Her letters revealed she had sanctioned the plot, to assassinate the Queen.

At age 46, Mary Queen of Scots had already endured much of her eighteen years of confinement, at Sheffield Castle and Sheffield Manor.

She was now moved to Fotheringhay Castle, a journey that lasted, Fourdays, and concluded on 25 September.

Fotheringhay Castle, was a grim, Norman Motte-and-Bailey structure, located north of Oundle, a market town in Northamptonshire.

In October 1586, Mary Stuart faced a tribunal of thirty-six noblemen, including Cecil and Walsingham, on charges of treason.

Her two-day trial, saw her vigorously deny the allegations, claiming she had been denied access to evidence, and legal representation.

Mary argued, that as a foreign, anointed monarch, she was not an English subject and could not be guilty of treason.

As a result of her plea, the court suspended Mary's trial for private deliberations.

Fourdays later, they reconvened in the Star Chamber at Westminster, but this time, Mary was not invited.

On 25 October, Mary Queen of Scots was sentenced to death, with only Lord Zouche, opposing the verdict.

Queen Elizabeth hesitated; knowing, that executing a fellow monarch, would set a dangerous precedent, and likely provoke retaliation, from Mary's son, James VI, or the other Catholic powers.

Therefore, seeking deniability, she discreetly asked Sir Amias Paulet, Mary's custodian, to find a way to shorten Mary's life.

Paulet however, refused to risk his conscience or legacy.

Queen Elizabeth, took over two months, to decide on signing Mary's deathwarrant, ultimately yielding to William Cecil's pressure.

She signed it, on 1 February 1587, giving it to William Davison for safekeeping, mistakenly believing everything was secure.

However, on 3 February, without either's knowledge, Cecil convened a Privy Council meeting, to advocate for Mary's execution.

On the evening of 7 February 1587, Robert Beale, Clerk of Queen Elizabeths Privy Council, informed Mary Queen of Scots, at Fotheringhay Castle, that she was to be executed, the next morning.

In her final hours, she spent time in prayer, distributed her possessions, and prepared her will.

Before dawn, at 2 a.m. on 8 February, just six hours ahead of her execution, she penned a heartfelt letter to King Henri.

The letter, written in French, is addressed to King Henri the Third, of France, the younger brother of her first husband, François The second, who died from an ear infection, at the age of 16 in 1560.

The entire letter is included; this is the English Translation.

Mary, Queen of Scotland.

8 February 1587.

Sire, my dear brother-in-law, having by God's will, for my sins I think, thrown myself into the power of the Queen my cousin, at whose hands I have suffered much for almost twenty years, I have finally been condemned to death by her and her Estates.

I have asked for my papers, which they have taken away in order that I might make my will, but have been unable to recover anything of use to me, or even get leave either to make my will freely, or to have my body conveyed after my death, as I would wish, to your kingdom, where I had the honour to be Queen, your sister and old ally.

Tonight, after dinner, I have been advised of my sentence.
I am to be executed like a criminal at eight in the morning.

I have not had time to give you a full account of everything that has happened, but if you will listen to my doctor and my other unfortunate servants, you will learn the truth, and how, thanks be to God, I scorn death, and vow that I meet it, innocent of any crime, even if I were their subject.

The Catholic faith and the assertion of my God-given right to the English crown are the two issues on which I am condemned, and yet I am not allowed to say that it is for the Catholic religion that I die, but for fear of interference with theirs.

The proof of this is that they have taken away my chaplain, and although he is in the building, I have not been able to get permission for him to come and hear my       confession and give me the Last Sacraments, while they have been most insistent, that I receive the consolation and instruction from their own minister, brought here for that purpose.

The bearer of this letter and his companions, most of them your subjects, will testify to my conduct at my last hour.
It remains for me to beg Your Most Christian Majesty, my brother-in-law and old ally, who have always protested your love for me, to give proof now of your goodness on all these points:  Firstly by charity, in paying my unfortunate servants the wages due them - this is a burden on my conscience that only you can relieve.

Further, by having prayers offered to God for a queen, who has borne the title Most Christian, and who dyes a Catholic, stripped of all her possessions.

As for my son, I commend him to you, in so far as he deserves, for I cannot answer for him.

I have also taken the liberty of sending you two precious stones, talismans against illness, trusting that you will enjoy good health and a long and happy life.

Accept them from your loving sister-in-law, who, as she dyes, bears witness of her warm feelings for you.

Again I commend my servants to you.

Give instructions, if it please you, that for my soul's sake, part of what you owe me should be paid, and that for the sake of Jesus Christ, to whom I shall pray for you tomorrow as I die, I be left enough to found a memorial mass, and give the customary alms.

Written, this Wednesday, two hours after midnight.

Your very loving and most true sister, Mary Regina.

To the most Christian king, my brother-in-law and old ally.


In late 1587, Mary's physician Bourgoing, arrived in France to report to Henri the third, likely delivering the letter at the same time.

In fact, it was Philip II of Spain, who authorised payment for Mary’s servants, managed by his ambassador, Bernardino Mendoza.

The letter, likely remained in the French royal archives, before being given to the Scots College in Paris, becoming a relic of the martyred queen.

It changed hands multiple times, and was part of collector Alfred Morrison's collection, before being purchased by subscribers in 1918, and presented to Scotland, through the National Art Collections Fund.

It has been held in the National Library of Scotland since 1925.
When you visit Fotheringhay Castle today, you can walk where the privy lodgings and Great Hall once stood, with the inner bailey boundaries, clearly marked.

On that cold February morning in 1587, Mary entered the hall, to the sound of a crackling fire and the chatter of witnesses.

The scaffold, set up at the high end of the Great Hall, was two feet high, twelve feet broad, draped in black cloth, and furnished with a block, a kneeling cushion, and stools for Mary and the Earls of Shrewsbury and Kent.

The executioner, Mr. Bull, and his assistant knelt before her, seeking her forgiveness, as was customary.

The iconic, posthumous portrait of Mary, depicting her as a Catholic martyr, details her garments.

She wore, an "upper most gown, of black satin", with a ground-length train, and long sleeves, trimmed with jet and pearl buttons.

The design, featured purple under-sleeves, symbolising the liturgical colour of martyrdom in the Catholic Church.

As her servants, Jane Kennedy and Elizabeth Curle, as well as the executioner, helped her disrobe, she revealed a kirtle of black velvet with a crimson satin bodice and skirt.

Mary smiled, and remarked that, "she had never had such grooms before, nor ever put off my clothes, before such a company."

In a gesture of care, her servant Jane Kennedy, blindfolded her, using a white veil, adorned with gold embroidery.

A drawing titled "The Execution of Mary Queen of Scots, at Fotheringhay Castle, on 8 February 1587," created by witness Robert Beale, shows the execution layout and sequence, with spectators around the platform.

Mary, is shown three times, entering with two women, attended by her ladies-in-waiting, and kneeling by the block, as the executioner's axe is raised.

Kneeling on the cushion, she slowly positioned her head, on the block before her.

Stretching out her arms to the side, her last words, were, "In manus tuas Domine, commendo Spiritum Meum"; into thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.

Unfortunately, the executioner, did not behead Mary Queen of Scots, with a single strike.

His first axe blow, missed her neck, and struck the back of her head, instead.

The second blow severed her neck, except for a piece of sinew, which the executioner followed through, sawing through it, with his axe.

Afterwards, and in keeping with tradition, the executioner, held Mary's head aloft, declaring "God save the Queen."

At that moment, the auburn tresses in his hand, turned out to be a wig, and the head, falling to the ground, revealed that Mary, aged 45, had very short grey hair.

And so, it was on 8 February 1587, that Mary, forever to be known, as the Queen of the Scots, lost her life.

Mary, had requested, that she be buried in France, but Elizabeth refused to allow it.

For nearly five months, her embalmed body, remained in a led coffin, until, she was finally, laid to rest, in a Protestant service, on 5 August 1587, at Peterborough Cathedral.

When news of the execution reached Elizabeth, she asserted that her Secretary of State, William Davison, had disobeyed her orders.

To distance herself, from Mary Stuart's execution, she would place the blame, on Davison.

Although acquitted, of malicious intent, he was still found guilty, fined, and imprisoned.

Mary Queen of Scots remains, were exhumed in 1612 by her son, King James I, for re-burial in Westminster Abbey, opposite Queen Elizabeths tomb.

More than four centuries later, the death of Mary Queen of Scots still resonates, as a tale of ambition, betrayal, martyrdom, and the brutal politics of royal rivalry.