Her Cousin Became Her Executioner | Mary, Queen of Scots

[00:00:00]She crossed into England seeking protection.

[00:00:02]19 years later she was executed.

[00:00:05]Scotland had turned against her. Nobles had rebelled. She had been forced to surrender her throne and separated from her infant son.

[00:00:14]With few options remaining, she crossed the border into England seeking help from her cousin Queen Elizabeth the first. The two women had never met.

[00:00:24]Yet their lives had been intertwined for years.

[00:00:27]Both were queens. Both were descendants of the Tudor family and many Catholics believed that one of them had a stronger claim to the English throne than the other.

[00:00:37]Elizabeth faced an impossible decision.

[00:00:39]Helping her risked strengthening her rival. Harming her risked outrage across Europe. So instead, Elizabeth chose neither. She was not welcomed as a guest.

[00:00:50]She was not restored as a queen.

[00:00:52]She was placed under guard. Months became years. Years became decades. For nearly 19 years she remained in England unable to leave, unable to see the son she had left behind.

[00:01:05]Meanwhile, plots and conspiracies continued to gather around her name whether she encouraged them or not.

[00:01:12]Eventually one proved fatal. She was accused of supporting a plot to assassinate Elizabeth and seize the English throne. The verdict was clear.

[00:01:21]Death. In 1587, Elizabeth signed the warrant. The woman who had crossed the border seeking protection was led to the scaffold instead. Her cousin had become her jailer.

[00:01:33]Then the queen who authorized her execution.

[00:01:37]Her name was Mary Queen of Scots.