Mary Queen of Scots Essay Example: Mary vs. Elizabeth
Mary Queen of Scots Essay:
February 15, 2011
During the late 1500s, Britain experienced two monarchs unique to the island and continental Europe. The English and Scottish kingdom anointed two female monarchs. Their gender was not the only controversial component to this region, yet it played a key role. Queen Elizabeth Tudor was the bastard child of King Henry VIII by a mother accused of treason and adultery. Bearing the burden of her mother’s reputation, Elizabeth sought a pure life as a virgin, taking no husband with the potential of taking her power. Mary Stuart is the daughter of James V of Scotland and Marie de Guise of France. She was raised French and was betrothed to the French dauphin. Mary was also a devote Catholic. The future queen’s French alliance and Catholic religion set the stage for what the relationship between Scotland and its more powerful neighbor England would look like. The two queens were cousins once removed and the only female rulers in Europe. These elements should have brought the two closer together, but the differences in values created mistrust between the monarchs. Women are their own worst enemies when trying to gain more power for themselves. Queen Mary of Scots had a strong personality who believed that she had earned the right to rule with little interest in actually ruling. Elizabeth saw Mary as a constant threat to her thrown, and Mary was not afraid to reminder her of it. Society saw women as inferior to men and for one to reign as queen was complete taboo. The death of Mary Queen of Scots was contributed by herself, her cousin the Elizabeth Queen of England and society’s laws, religion and norms.
Mary wrote her own death warrant with her lewd behavior and conduct during her role as Scotland’s monarch. The queen’s closeness to the French court, Roman Catholic religion and promiscuous behavior with the opposite sex were qualities stereotypical to women and gave reason to why women should not be monarchs
February 15, 2011
During the late 1500s, Britain experienced two monarchs unique to the island and continental Europe. The English and Scottish kingdom anointed two female monarchs. Their gender was not the only controversial component to this region, yet it played a key role. Queen Elizabeth Tudor was the bastard child of King Henry VIII by a mother accused of treason and adultery. Bearing the burden of her mother’s reputation, Elizabeth sought a pure life as a virgin, taking no husband with the potential of taking her power. Mary Stuart is the daughter of James V of Scotland and Marie de Guise of France. She was raised French and was betrothed to the French dauphin. Mary was also a devote Catholic. The future queen’s French alliance and Catholic religion set the stage for what the relationship between Scotland and its more powerful neighbor England would look like. The two queens were cousins once removed and the only female rulers in Europe. These elements should have brought the two closer together, but the differences in values created mistrust between the monarchs. Women are their own worst enemies when trying to gain more power for themselves. Queen Mary of Scots had a strong personality who believed that she had earned the right to rule with little interest in actually ruling. Elizabeth saw Mary as a constant threat to her thrown, and Mary was not afraid to reminder her of it. Society saw women as inferior to men and for one to reign as queen was complete taboo. The death of Mary Queen of Scots was contributed by herself, her cousin the Elizabeth Queen of England and society’s laws, religion and norms.
Mary wrote her own death warrant with her lewd behavior and conduct during her role as Scotland’s monarch. The queen’s closeness to the French court, Roman Catholic religion and promiscuous behavior with the opposite sex were qualities stereotypical to women and gave reason to why women should not be monarchs