Mary Stuart also known as Mary Queen of Scots

Why is Mary Stuart important in the reign of Elizabeth?

Because

• Mary was the mother of King James 1st of England who succeeded Elizabeth
• Mary was a Catholic and being directly related to King Henry 7th was next in line to the English throne after Elizabeth. She was involved with a number of plots with powerful Catholic forces in Europe and at home to kill Elizabeth so that a Catholic Queen could once again rule England. Elizabeth eventually had to execute her for treason.

Mary, born in 1542, was the daughter of King James 5th of Scotland and his second wife, the French heiress Mary of Guise. Her father died when she was 6 days old when she became Queen of Scots and her mother acted as Regent. She was immediately sent to France where 15 years later she married the heir to the French throne. A year later the French King died unexpectedly and Mary became Queen of France in 1559. Which also meant that Scotland and France had the came Catholic Queen who was second in line to the English throne. Elizabeth had just been made Queen of England. Fortunately Mary’s husband, Francois 2nd died a year later. Mary almost immediately returned to Scotland to take her place as a Catholic Queen in a country which following John Knox was rapidly turning Protestant. Four years later in 1565 Mary marries again this time to her Scottish cousin Henry Stuart, the Lord Darnley and Mary is soon pregnant with the future James 6th of Scotland and 1st of England. However the attractive and vivacious Mary is thought to have a lover, her male secretary the Italian David Rizzio who is duly murdered by Lord Darnley. Mary faithfully gives birth to James but six months later Darnley is Murdered by the Earl of Bothwell who Mary then takes as her next husband. The Scottish people had had enough and she is forced to abdicate in favour of her infant son James and put in prison. From here in 1568 she escapes and flees to the sanctuary and hopeful protection in England with her cousin Elizabeth.

Not so, Elizabeth puts her under house arrest  but this does not stop Mary from immediately plotting with the Duke of Norfolk to overthrow Elizabeth. When this is discovered by Sir Walter Raleigh now acting as spy master, Elizabeth signs her execution warrant.  

Other key people who hugely contributed to the thinking, actions and discoveries of the Tudor age and beyond.

• Bacon, Francis; early English philosopher, scientist, lawyer and advisor to the court of Elizabeth. It was rumoured he was Elizabeth’s illegitimate son with Robert Dudley but there is no proof.
• Cabot, John; Italian explorer, (Giovanni Caboto) first to discover Canada,  financed by England’s King Henry 7th but using a crew made up of fishermen from Bristol who had probably been there many times before! Born Italy 1450- 1499
• Charles 5th Holy Roman Emperor, born in Gent, Flanders. The most powerful man in Europe, uncle of Katherine of Aragon, father of Philip of Spain the husband of Queen Mary, ruler of Spain and the Hapsburgs,  jailor of the Pope. Succeeded but not directly involved with keeping the powerful Muslim Ottomans out of western Europe and supporter of Spain’s ruthless exploitation and expansion in Latin America. 1500-88
• Columbus, Christopher; Italian explorer, discovered America for the Spanish in the reign of Henry 7th 1451-1506
• Cortes, Hernando. Spanish warrior, explorer. In 1519 he and other Spaniards destroyed, Inquisition style, the early Mexican civilizations of the 700 year old Mayers in the Yucatan, the Aztecs centred around Mexico City and the Incas of Peru as they plundered silver and put to the sword those who did not immediately convert to Christianity. Central and South America have remained largely Spanish speaking and Catholic ever since and their power base in the south forced the English colonisers towards North America.  1485-1547
• Cranmer, Thomas; English religious reformer, made Archbishop of Canterbury following the demise of Cardinal Wolsey,  responsible for the Prayer Book in English in the reign of Henry 8th  Murdered by Queen Mary. 1489-1556
• Cromwell, Thomas, English religious reformer, became Henry 8th ‘s senior advisor after demise of Wolsey, separated England from Roman Church, Dissolution of Monasteries, murdered by Henry 8th 1485-1540
• Drake, Francis; English explorer, pirate, admiral, first to sail round the world,  Elizabeth 1st 1540-96
• Ferdinand and Isabella, Spanish King and Queen , parents of Henry 8th first wife Katherine of Aragon, conquerors of southern Spain against the Muslims, murders of thousands of Jews in the Spanish Inquisition. 1452-1516    
• Gama, Vasco da; Portuguese explorer, first to sail to India from Europe round Africa thus avoiding the dreaded Muslim Ottomans, Henry 7th  1469-1524
• Hawkins, John; English architect of the new more powerful Elizabethan Navy, also major slave trader, pirate, navigator, and friend of Raleigh, Elizabeth 1st  1532-95
• Knox, John; Scottish Protestant reformer in the reign of Edward 6th. 1514-72
• Lancaster, James. English explorer and merchant, initially serving under Drake against the Spanish Armada, became the first Englishman to reach India and the first Englishman to set up a trading post in India, director of the East India company. Elizabeth 1st 1554-1618.
• Luther, Martin; German religious reformer in the reign of Henry 8th His main complaint was the habit of the Catholic Church to take money off the poor to ensure their passage to heaven. 1483-1546
• More, Thomas; English statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher and saint who became chief advisor to Henry 8th after Wolsey. Murdered by Henry for opposing separation from the Pope.1477-1535
• Raleigh, Walter; English explorer, colonialist, writer, poet, first Englishman to set up a colony in North America, first importer of the potato and tobacco all in the reign of Elizabeth 1stst  1554-1618Murdered by King James 1
• Shakespeare, William; English playwright, poet and actor working in the time of Elizabeth 1st and after 1564-1616
• Suleiman 1st the most powerful Muslim Ottoman, law giver and statesman with over 500 wives and 100s of sons ruling at the same time as Henry 8th and Elizabeth 1st , 1520-66
• Vespucci, Amerigo; 1454-1512. Another Italian explorer, navigator and cartographer financed by the Spanish. The name America comes from the female version of his name which was spotted on one of his maps which drew the eastern seaboard of North and South America.
• Wolsey, Cardinal Thomas, English church leader, but financially ambitious and ruthless, a good example of all that was wrong with the church prior to the Reformation, effective ruler of England in the early part of Henry 8th’ reign, builder of Hampton Court Palace from illicit funds and founder of Christ Church Collage Oxford. Henry 8th  1475-1530