On 17th February 1565, Mary, Queen of Scots met Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley at Wemyss Castle in Scotland, and fell in love.

It seemed like a fairy tale. Darnley was young, tall, handsome, and charming. He was of royal blood, with claims to both the Scottish and English thrones. He was the son of Lady Margaret Douglas—Mary’s own cousin—and Matthew Stuart, Earl of Lennox, whose family had spent years in exile after being declared traitors. The House of Lennox had once supported Henry VIII’s attempts to control Scotland, and by the 1560s, they were eager to regain their influence.

But for Mary, Darnley appeared to be the perfect husband – a man who could help her strengthen her claim to the English throne, provide her with heirs, and reinforce her position in Scotland. Plus she’d rather fallen under his spell – he was quite the charmer.

Yet, this love match was one of the worst decisions she ever made – a decision that set her on a course toward scandal, betrayal, and ultimately, her downfall.

On this day in Tudor history, 7th February 1587, a fateful message arrived at Fotheringhay Castle – the execution warrant for Mary, Queen of Scots. After years of imprisonment and political intrigue, her fate was sealed. But how did Mary react when she was told she would die the next morning? What did she do in her final hours?

Today, we’re travelling back in time to Mary’s last evening on earth—her defiant words, her final prayers, and the preparations she made for her death. This is the story of a queen who faced the axe with courage and unwavering faith.

Mary, Queen of Scots, had been tried for treason in October 1586 after being implicated in the Babington Plot, a plot to depose Queen Elizabeth I and to replace her with Mary. She had been found guilty and sentenced to death, but Elizabeth would not sign the execution warrant, not wanting the responsibility of killing an anointed queen. However, Mary’s gaoler, Sir Amias Paulet, would not agree to quietly doing away with Mary, and after pressure from her council and petitions from Parliament, Elizabeth finally signed the warrant, although she later said she had asked for it not to be sent to Fotheringhay yet.

On this day in Tudor history, 3rd January 1590, Robert Boyd, 5th Lord Boyd, died at Kilmarnock. This Scottish nobleman played a key role in the turbulent politics of Mary, Queen of Scots’ reign and beyond.

Once a supporter of Mary, Boyd later opposed her marriage to Lord Darnley and participated in a rebellion against the royal couple, only to be pardoned shortly after, and that wasn’t the only trouble he was involved in. Boyd’s complex legacy includes diplomacy, battles, and negotiations with Queen Elizabeth I.

On this day in Tudor history, 8th December, Sir William Coffin, Master of the Horse to Queens Anne Boleyn and Jane Seymour, died (1538), and Mary, Queen of Scots, was born at Linlithgow Palace (1542)…

On this day in Tudor history, 5th December, Anne de Vere (née Cecil), wife of Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, and daughter of William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley, was born (1556), and King Francis II of France, husband of Mary, Queen of Scots, died of an ear infection (1560)…

On this day in Tudor history, 28th November, claimant Edward Plantagenet, son of the late Duke of Clarence, was executed for treason on Tower Hill (1499), and MP and political agent Francis Yaxley drowned while bringing gold to Mary, Queen of Scots (1565)…

On this day in Tudor history, 14th October, statesman, diplomat and poet Thomas Chaloner died (1563); and the trial of Mary, Queen of Scots began at Fotheringhay Castle (1586)…

On this day in Tudor history, 26th September, Sir Francis Drake returned from his 3-year circumnavigation of the Globe; and Sir Amias Paulet, who had served as Mary, Queen of Scots’ gaoler, died…

On this day in Tudor history, 11th September, Mary, Queen of Scots, began a rather eventful first royal progress in Scotland; and Barnaby Fitzpatrick, 2nd Baron of Upper Ossory, a good friend of Edward VI, died in Dublin…

On this day in Tudor history, the English force defeated the Scots at the Battle of Flodden while Catherine of Aragon was regent (1513); and the infant Mary, Queen of Scots, was crowned queen at Stirling Castle (1543)…

On this day in Tudor history, 19th August, Edward VI’s half-sister, Mary, wrote to him regarding him forbidding her to celebrate the Mass, and Mary, Queen of Scots, returned to Scotland from France to rule as its queen…

On this day in Tudor history, 24th July, merchant and conspirator Richard Hesketh was born; Mary, Queen of Scots, was forced to abdicated and her one-year-old son became King James VI of Scotland; and Catholic priest John Boste was executed…

On this day in Tudor history, The Battle of Blackheath ended the Cornish Rebellion; Sir George Blage was lucky to die a natural death: and Mary, Queen of Scots, was imprisoned at Loch Leven Castle after surrendering to the Protestant nobles…

On this day in Tudor history, 19th April, Mary, Queen of Scots got betrothed to the Dauphin; Sir Francis Drake “singed the King of Spain’s beard”; and a Catholic bookseller was hanged at Tyburn…