20th Annual Student Research Conference
Social Science
How to Lose Your Head in Politics: The Mistakes of Mary Queen of Scots
Kristin R. Bennett
Dr. Kathryn Brammall, Faculty Mentor
Mary Queen of Scots is considered by some to be a tragic heroine; to others she is a murderer and an adulteress. At the high point in her life she was queen of both France and Scotland. Yet she met her end on the executioner’s block. Her life was extraordinary, and although hundreds of books have been written about her she is still shrouded in mystery. My paper will focus on the six years that Mary reigned in Scotland before she was forced to abdicate the throne in favor of her infant son. My question is what were the causes of her downfall. I will answer this question by using both historiographical and primary sources. By evaluating the claims of modern historians and investigating written accounts from Mary’s own time I will discover the main reasons she lost her throne.
Keywords: Mary Queen of Scots, Scotland
Topic(s):History
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 50-2
Location: VH 1320
Time: 1:30 pm