Royal Betrayal: The Death of Mary, Queen of Scots, and Her Last Curse

The tragic and politically charged demise of Mary, Queen of Scots, in 1587, marked not only the end of a life steeped in intrigue, but also the culmination of a bitter and deeply personal rivalry with her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I. In the final hours preceding her execution, which was sanctioned by Elizabeth, Mary is believed to have uttered words fraught with a mixture of defiance, sorrow, and perhaps a profound sense of retribution. While the precise nature of the curse attributed to Mary remains shrouded in historical ambiguity, it is clear that her death was not just the tragic end of a monarch, but also a symbolic and poignant moment in the larger narrative of Elizabethan politics and the religious schism of the time.

Mary Stuart, whose tumultuous reign as Queen of Scotland was marked by personal and political tragedy, had been a constant thorn in the side of Elizabeth I. Their relationship was irrevocably strained by their competing claims to the English throne, as both were granddaughters of Henry VII of England, making Mary a legitimate claimant to the English crown in the eyes of many Catholics. For Elizabeth, who had ascended the throne after the death of her half-sister, Mary Tudor, and had struggled to establish her authority over both Catholics and Protestants, the presence of Mary, with her Catholic pedigree, was an existential threat. Elizabeth's refusal to acknowledge Mary's legitimacy was in part a response to the Catholic plot to depose her, and it set the stage for Mary's long period of incarceration in England, where she was held under what can only be described as a delicate and fraught imprisonment. The catalyst for her eventual execution was Mary's alleged involvement in the Babington Plot of 1586, a Catholic conspiracy aimed at assassinating Elizabeth and placing Mary on the throne of England. The plot, which was uncovered by Sir Francis Walsingham’s network of spies, sealed Mary's fate, and she was sentenced to death for treason.

    French: La mort de Marie Stuart, 1587

    The execution of Mary, Queen of Scots

Artist: Abel de Pujol

As Mary awaited her execution, imprisoned at Fotheringhay Castle, her thoughts likely turned to the fate of her rival and cousin, Elizabeth. In the weeks leading up to her death, Mary is said to have faced the inevitable with a stoic resolve, although it was evident that her heart remained filled with profound resentment toward the woman who had condemned her to death. The most famous of the alleged words she spoke were those in which she "committed" Elizabeth to God, a phrase that some contemporary chroniclers and historians interpreted as a thinly veiled curse. In committing Elizabeth to God, Mary may have been acknowledging that the ultimate judgment for the execution, and indeed for the suffering she had endured at Elizabeth’s hands, rested not with human rulers, but with a higher power. The implication was that Elizabeth would not escape divine retribution for her actions—a rebuke not just of Elizabeth's political maneuverings but also of her religious policies and the hardship they had inflicted upon Catholics like Mary.

Yet, this act of "committing" Elizabeth to God was more than just a spiritual pronouncement—it was a subtle but potent declaration of Mary’s belief that the scales of justice would one day tip in her favor. Some sources suggest that Mary also expressed a desire for Elizabeth’s reign to come to a violent and tumultuous end, possibly predicting a future marred by civil unrest and political discord. This sentiment could have been drawn from the grim experiences of Mary herself, whose reign had been one of continual strife, marked by betrayals, the loss of her throne, and ultimately, her imprisonment. Having witnessed firsthand the fragility of monarchal power, she may have been projecting her own suffering onto her cousin, foreseeing a future where Elizabeth’s throne would be equally vulnerable.

Another aspect of the alleged curse was that Mary purportedly wished Elizabeth would never marry or produce an heir, thereby leaving the throne of England without a clear successor. This, of course, was deeply resonant given the fact that Elizabeth I, who had been dubbed the "Virgin Queen," had never married or borne children. The notion that her reign could end without a legitimate heir was a source of anxiety throughout her rule, and Mary’s suggestion that Elizabeth’s dynastic line might be cut off was both an act of personal vengeance and a political prophecy. The historical context of such a curse cannot be overlooked. The English throne was precariously situated between the interests of the Catholic and Protestant factions, with Elizabeth's refusal to marry a Catholic suitor or produce an heir ensuring that the issue of succession was ever-present. To Mary, a Catholic queen with her own claim to the throne, the absence of an heir was not just a personal slight but a potential catalyst for further upheaval in the Protestant-dominated English court.

Despite these powerful expressions of ill-will, Mary’s curse, however, was not the only legacy she left behind. The execution of Mary Stuart was not only a personal tragedy but a political watershed. It solidified Elizabeth’s hold on power but also led to increased tensions between England and Catholic Europe. Mary’s death became a rallying cry for Catholics who saw it as the martyrdom of a legitimate monarch, while Elizabeth’s actions alienated potential allies and stoked animosity between Protestant England and Catholic nations such as Spain and France.

In the end, the curse, whether spoken in the heat of anger or born out of a sense of final retribution, never manifested in the way Mary may have hoped. Elizabeth, though faced with mounting pressures and intrigue, continued to reign for another 15 years after Mary’s death, weathering numerous challenges, including the Spanish Armada. Yet, the tragic end of Mary Stuart, with all its political, religious, and personal ramifications, remains a poignant moment in the annals of history, a testament to the lethal combination of royal rivalry, faith, and fate.