History Perfect Essay

Why was the execution of Queen Mary a significant event in the history of England?

Because it was the result of a 26-year deteriorating relationship between Queen Elizabeth Tudor I of England and Queen Mary 'Queen of Scots' Stuart of England.

Explain how important the Sectarian Conflict was in terms of what ultimately lead to her execution.

Because of her threat to the throne was so great in the wider scale of the sectarian conflict, it was the main cause that eventually lead to the execution of Mary Queen of Scots.

Explain how Mary's imprisonment lead to her execution.

Cecil's imprisonment of Mary led to to her execution because this plan worked out in 1587. The worsening conditions of Mary's imprisonment were already causing Mary into a deep depression. Her son, James VI then disowned Mary when he became King of Scotland in 1583. This tipped Mary over the edge. She soon responded to Catholic plotter Antony Babington and became involved in a plot to remove Elizabeth from the English throne in July 1586. This plot was discovered by Cecil's spies and then led to Mary being charged with treason in late 1586. Although Elizabeth resisted pressure from Cecil to sign the death warrant to execute Mary, the English Queen eventually signed in February 1587 on the charge of treason after she was told that the Spanish Armada had landed in Wales.

Explain how the Sectarian Conflict lead to her execution.

Elizabeth had made life hard for practicing catholics in England before 1570 with the Religious Settlement of 1559 which made it illegal for catholics not to go to Protestant Church services. However they could still gather to celebrate mass (catholic church service) in their own time or their own homes. As long as catholics showed they were loyal, Queen Elizabeth would have some tolerance towards them. However the events that followed, such as the arrival of Queen Mary of Scots in England was one of the events that imposed further restrictions. Catholics in England longed for a Catholic Queen Mary so they could live without restriction, this resulting in a number of plots - such as the Babington plot. Mary's involvement, by agreeing to this plot is what lead to her execution of grounds of treason. However the Babington plot was just the tipping point of a long build up of conflict, resulting from the sectarian conflict.

Explain the importance of Elizabeths Guilt as a result of queen Mary's execution.

Elizabeth's guilt is a direct response to the execution of Queen Mary of Scots, however in the bigger picture of English history it is not hugely significant, particularly in comparison to the Spanish Armada, the most significant consequence.

Historians thoughts and opinions on the Sectarian Conflict.

Historian Anna Whitelock believes there was nothing either Mary or Elizabeth could do, she quotes William Cecil's opinion on the conflict when he said "This quarrel, now it has begun, is undoubtedly like to be a perpetual incumbent of this Kingdom (England)." Elizabeth had returned England to protestantism through the religious settlement in 1558. Suzannah Lipscomb explains that Elizabeth could not name Mary as heir simply because she was catholic, not protestant like herself. This was the main reason for conflict between Mary and Elizabeth, she badly wanted to named as heir, but Elizabeth would refuse. This conflict became between the two queens, from the very beginning. Suzannah Lipscomb said 'It all came down to religion. Elizabeth was a protestant and Mary a catholic. That mean that if Elizabeth named Mary as heir, England would return to Catholicism and Protestants across the land would be persecuted.

The view of Historian Anna Whitelock as part of the Analysis of the sectarian conflict.

Historian Lisa Hilton explained 'Catholics and Protestants are dying on each side in the Netherlands and and what happens is as privately and modest they may have been, the became polarised as figureheads of two sides in a more and more extreme conflict in which their particular conflict with each other has become emblematic'. This means that there relationship, and all things that stem from their relationship with each other is highly influenced by the wider Sectarian conflict.

Historians thoughts and opinions on Mary's Imprisonment.

Historians such as John Guy and Jessie Childs from Britain are somewhat correct when they argue that Mary's imprisonment was her downfall and this lead to her execution. However there arguments are partly valid because it was also due to her been catholic that lead to her execution.

Overall importance of event in relation to New Zealand.

In hindsight, Queen Elizabeth's ability to keep religious conflict and the secretarian conflict under control was one of the most important successes during her reign. It was the most pressing issue of the 1500's and would be either the making or breaking of England. She stoped Queen Mary returning England to Catholicism, and she stopped the Spanish Armada from returning England to catabolism. As a result she, and those that came after her were able to build an empire in which countries follow their way of life. 430 years later and Protestantism is still the religion of England, although it is not such a crucial aspect of politics nowadays, England and it's colonies such as New Zealand could look very different if Queen Mary or the Spanish Armada had been successful.

Analysis of what happened during the Spanish Armada.

It is questioned to be one of the most ambitious and disastrous campaigns in military history. In May 1588, King Philip II dispatched the 130-ship Spanish Armada on a mission to guide an invasion force to the coast of England and topple the regime of Queen Elizabeth I. The preparations for the Spanish Armada were one of the worst kept secrets in Europe. Elizabeth's spies easily gleaned intelligence about the fleet being assembled in Spain, and by the spring of 1587, the English were convinced that an invasion was imminent. This "Great and Most Fortunate Navy" was one of the mightiest fleets ever assembled, but a combination of poor tactics, robust English resistance and dismal weather ultimately doomed it to failure. The English ships used cannons and their boats were more nimble, the Spanish were relying on the more ancient method of embarkment. This was tactically the wrong decision and caused them to be out manoeuvred many times. By the time Philip's "Invincible Armada" finally limped back to Spain later that autumn, at least a third of its ships were lost and some 15,000 sailors had been killed.

Explain why the Elizabeths Guilt was a social consequence.

It was a social cause because it was all about feeling and emotions that Elizabeth had as a direct result of the execution of Queen Mary. She claimed that she had no idea that she had signed Mary's death warrant, and that it was on the top of a pile of papers that needed signing. She sent the man who took the death warrant to Mary (William Davison) to the Tower but allowed him to keep the secretary's pay. William Cecil claimed that Elizabeth also sought the advice of a judge to see if it was legally possible for her to hang Davison. Elizabeth also blamed the Privy Council (those in her court who advised her, including Cecil) for the execution of Mary. These actions were emotional responses of Queen Elizabeth as a result of her signing Elizabeth's death warrant, which affected a number of people and how she was perceived by society. It looked almost like an attempt to please both sides of the conflict, for Protestants there threat to the throne was dead, and for catholics she tried to blame others, explain it was not her fault. However, by 18th June Elizabeth had calmed down and let Davidson out of prison. She had stopped being angry with Cecil because war with Spain had taken her thoughts off the death of Mary. She also forgave the Privy Council and met with them for the first time at Cecil's home in the same month. For her, it was time to move on. There was other stuff to deal with.

Historians thoughts and opinions of Elizabeths Guilt.

John Guy believed she used blame in order to cover up about how she felt about signing Mary's death warrant. John Guy said 'she always denied that she had been responsible for Mary's death. She used blame to cover up how she felt about signing her death warrant. She lied point blank to James that she was not responsible. She said this in a letter to James VI of Scotland after the execution.

The Bablington Plot as part of the Analysis of Mary's imprisonment.

Mary presence as an alternative Queen of England during her time in prison lead to plots by English Catholics to put her on a throne. The most significant of these was the Babington Plot. The Babington Plot originated in early 1586 when English Catholic Anthony Babington created a plan to use seven fellow plotters to assassinate Elizabeth. Then, he planned to gain men and ships from catholic spain or france to break Mary out of Prison and put her on the English Throne. Bablington made contact with Mary in July 1586, and she accepted his plan.

Describe and explain Mary's imprisonment using factual evidence.

One important political cause political cause of the execution of Mary Queen of scots in February 1587 was her imprisonment. Mary was imprisoned in July 1567 after she has been forced to flee Scotland after been forced to abdicate by the scottish nobility for her suspected role in the murder of her Husband, Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley. Mary was arrested in when she arrived in Workington, England in July 1567. She was then put under house arrest by Elizabeth's Lord Treasurer and close advisor of the last 40 years, William Cecil. Mary was kept in prison infer more and more restrictions for the next 19 years.

Explaining overall importance of the Secraterian Conflict

Overall this is the most important cause that lead to the execution of Mary Queen of Scots. This is because if the sectarian conflict does not exist - Queen Mary would not have been executed, or imprisoned in the first place. Therefore it is the most important cause in the lead up to Mary Queen of Scots as without the wider scale conflict, Cecil and Queen Elizabeth would have had no reason to imprison or execute Mary Queen of Scots.

Explaining overall importance of Elizabeths Guilt.

Overall, this cause was a direct result of the execution of Queen Mary of Scots and is a social and emotional response to her death. Like everything she did, it was very much in the public eye. Society saw, and was able to judge and come up to there own opinions on Elizabeth's involvement in the execution of Queen Mary. In her death, and the death of Queen Elizabeth 16 years later, her Son achieved what she wanted her whole life - become the reigning sovereign of England.

Historians thoughts and opinions of the Spanish Armada.

Peter Snow from the UK believes the defeat of the Spanish Armada is one of the most important turning points of Britain's history. It allowed Britain to survive as a Protestant nation. Then Britain went on to build an empire and spread its influence and way of life all around the globe. He said 'England had defended its faith, for England the defeat of the armada was a turning point. However also explained that the armada was much larger than the conflict between Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth, it was so much more than this. It was apart of the wider secraterian conflict of Protestants and Catholics.

Analysis of James VI of Scotland in relation to Elizabeths guilt.

Queen Mary's Protestant son that had been brought up by the Scottish lords when Queen Mary was forced to abdicate. This was after her involvement in the She apologised and was rather accepting, he was brought up believing she was an evil woman. She had to abdicate after the murder of James's Father, Robert Darnley. However many believed that Queen Mary and the Earl of Bothwell - James Bothwell was involved. James would later become King James 1 of England and King James 11 of Scotland. This is because 16 years after the letter was sent, Queen Elizabeth is on her deathbed, soon to pass away from blood poisoning. Once she died, James was named Heir however they worried his outward bisexuality, Scottish heritage and who his mother was would cause uprisings and Civil War in England. The transition went smoothly with James becoming King on 25th July 1603. Cecil himself said that he was surprised it went so well. This shows that although not a direct result of Elizabeth's Guilt, this letter and connection with James that Elizabeth sent started what would become a long lasting association with the england Monarchy, becoming King just 16 years later.

Describe and explain the sectarian conflict using factual evidence.

The Secraterian Conflict is both a social and political cause, it was the most important cause that lead to the Execution of Queen Mary. This was the religious tension between Protestant England and Catholic Scotland. Both counties wanted their religion to spread, and to stop the other religion from spreading any further. The conflict began well before both Mary became Queen of Scotland and Elizabeth became Queen of England, and as the conflict was much bigger than themselves.Elizabeth had returned England to protestantism through the religious settlement in 1558. If Elizabeth granted Mary her wish to become heir to the throne, protestants thought England would be prosecuted, and Queen Elizabeth would do everything in her power to prevent this. The secraterian conflict 'caught up' with Mary and Elizabeth, despite their best efforts to get along as woman as a male-dominated society.

Explain why the sectarian conflict was both a social and political cause.

The Secraterian Conflict was both a social and political cause. This is because Religion in the 1500's was at the center of both politics and society. It was the reasoning behind decisions, conflict and a way of life. Catholic refers to the Christian faith led by the Pope and based from Rome. Protestant refers to religions that have split off from the Catholic church like Anglican and Presbyterian. In this case, religious beliefs and beliefs about religion inevitably shaped social values and political power. Because England was a monarchy, and the monarch was also head of the church of England, the sectarian conflict had deep ties in both political and social spheres.

Explain the overall importance of the Spanish Armada in relation to the other consequences

The attempt of invasion is the most significant consequence of the Execution of queen Mary of Scots as it had a lasting impact on both England and Spain. It is still significant to the execution of Queen Mary as this was the event that triggered the Spanish Armada to proceed into battle.

Explain how the consequence of Elizabeths Guilt resulted from her execution.

The execution of Queen Mary resulted in Elizabeth's guilt which showed through her actions to blame others. It makes us again think about her relationship with Queen Mary and whether this is something she wanted to do, had to do or something she simply regretted.

Explaining overall importance of the imprisonment of Queen Mary of Scots.

The fact that Mary was imprisoned is important but her catholicism is the real reason she was executed. The whole reason Mary was imprisoned was that she was Catholic and William Cecil though she was a threat. Religion was also the reason that Anthony Babington tried to break Mary out of prison in 1586, not just because he wanted to end her suffering, without religion, Cecil would have no reason to imprison Mary and Bablington would have no reason to help Mary escape. Therefore, imprisonment is a secondary cause of the execution and Mary's religion is the major reason why Elizabeth authorised Mary's Execution in February 1586.

Explain how important Mary's imprisonment was in terms of what ultimately lead to her execution.

The imprisonment of Mary Queen of Scots is the second most important cause of Mary's execution in 1587. It is the second most important cause because the imprisonment happened as a result of Mary's religion, rather than her actions. The sectarian conflict is therefore the overall most important cause.

Describe and explain the consequence of Elizabeths Guilt using factual evidence.

The initial consequence and most direct response to the execution was the guilt of Queen Elizabeth of Mary's Death, this is a social cause. Elizabeth was reluctant to sign the death warrant for Mary, she was worried about what other countries would think of her if she ordered Mary's execution. However, her councillors pressured her and she signed the order in February 1587. She never gets over the guilt of ordering Mary's execution. Elizabeth did not want to sign the death warrant to kill Mary. She probably knew that she would have to at some point. she felt that either she would have been damning her soul by killing a Queen chosen by God. She would look even more illegitimate if she killed an anointed Queen. Mary was another European Queen and Liz understood how difficult it was to be a woman ruling over a nation in a world run by men. William Cecil informed Elizabeth of Mary's death on the same day that she was executed. Elizabeth immediately flew into a rage and blamed her advisors for Mary's death.

Describe and Explain the consequence of the Spanish armada using factual evidence.

The most significant consequence in response to the Death of Queen Mary of Scots was the Spanish Armada, a fleet of 130 ships with the purpose of escorting an army from Flanders to invade England. This was a political consequence. The strategic aim was to overthrow Queen Elizabeth I and her establishment of Protestantism in England, with the expectation that this would put a stop to English interference in the Spanish Netherlands and to the harm caused to Spanish interests by English and Dutch privateering. Phillip II (King of Spain) was married to Queen Elizabeth's predecessor, Mary I. Spain had major colonies in the Netherlands and Belgium. Because of the reformation, there were now many protestants in these countries. This was concerning for spain, a catholic country. Spanish had tried to suppress Dutch Protestants with inquisition. But, this had made Protestants resent Spanish, resulted in outright rebellion in 1568. By this time, Elizabeth was Queen of England. She supported the Dutch because she wanted a friend and to stop the threat of Spanish invasion from Holland. The Pope excommunicated Liz in 1570 in reaction to her imprisonment of mary and harsh treatment of English Catholics. Liz had also sent Privateers/Pirates to the Caribbean to plunder Spanish gold and silver ships being.Phillip created an Armada of 130 ships and 18,000 soldiers in the 1580s in the that was to serve a double purpose of freeing Mary and removing Liz.

Explain how the Spanish Armada relates to the execution of Queen Mary.

This consequence relates to Mary's execution as it was the 'final straw' that angered Philip. He decided to use the Armada at this point. He was also influenced by Pope who used Mary's execution and the excommunication as an excuse to declare the Armada a Crusade, allowing Phillip to collect crusade taxes and receive payments from Rome for his invasion. However, weather and organisation delayed the departure, which had to be held off until May 28th 1588.

Explain why Mary's imprisonment was a political cause.

This imprisonment was a political cause of the execution because Cecil saw Mary as a Catholic threat to Elizabeth which needed to be eliminated. Cecil saw Mary as a threat to Elizabeth which needed to be eliminated. Cecil saw Mary as a threat because she has a strong claim to the English throne through her father James V of Scotland. Cecil also knew that English Catholics wanted to remove Elizabeth from the throne and replace her with Catholic Mary because they were not allowed to practice their religion after laws passed in 1559 and 1585. This politically motivated Cecil to spy on Mary and make conditions worse and worse to put pressure on her to seek help from english catholics who wanted her queen.

Explain why the Spanish Armada was a political consequence.

This was in many ways a very political cause. The King of Spain, Phillip II, had been married to Mary I of England. During this time, he used the English Channel to move supplies and soldiers to the Netherlands. BUT Elizabeth became the Protestant Queen in England in 1558. She supported the Dutch Protestants and even went to war by 1570 in support of the Dutch and Belgian Protestants. This closed the Channel to Phillip. His navy now had to take a longer and much more dangerous route around Ireland and through the North Sea. This had now become not just a matter of religion, but also highly important trade routes. If Spain could return England to Catholism, it's colonies would too. Spain would also be able to regain highly prized trade routes, it was too great of a political opportunity for Spain to miss. Elizabeth angered Phillip even more when she entered the Dutch War of Independence. She also sent 'privateers' to the Caribbean under the command of Sir Francis Drake. These ships attacked Spanish ships bringing gold and silver from the New World. Drake even attacked and burned Spanish ports and forts in the area.

Explaining overall importance of the Spanish Armada.

To England this event is significant because it was the first time they were able to show the might of their naval ability, it secured their Protestant faith which remains 430 years later. It enabled them to go on and build the largest empire the world has ever seen, countries across the globe, influenced by their way of life.

What made the execution an important turning point in English History?

While Mary was alive, there was a possibility that England would return to the catholic faith. After the execution, and defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588, England was firmly under protestant control enforced by Elizabeth. The state religion in England is still Anglicanism after 430 years.

Summary of causes/ consequences.

Within my essay I have analysed political, economic and social causes/consequences of the execution of Queen Mary of Scots and explained their importance. Imprisonment was the second most important political causes because it was the final straw that led to Mary Queen of scots execution. The Sectarian conflict was both social and political and was the main cause that lead to the execution of Queen Mary of Scots. The most direct consequence was the Guilt Elizabeth felt as a result of signing Elizabeth's death warrant, the actions she took made this cause a social one. Finally the Spanish Armada was the most significant cause as it was a turning point in English history, allowing England to remain a Protestant country and continue to build an empire, the biggest the world has ever seen.