Mary, Queen of Scots

Mary Stuart was born in 1542; 50 years after Columbus found America. She was born, of course, in Scotland. Sadly, Mary's life was brought to an end on February 8, 1586 at the age of forty-four because of her religious beliefs as a Catholic. Her death bill was actually signed by her own cousin, Elizabeth I of England, who at first was against it but was soon convinced by her own benefits of her cousin's death, such as gaining the Scottish throne, that it must be done. Mary Stuart never had the chance to meet her father, James V of Scotland, but James V had caught wind of the birth of his daughter just before his own death. She still had her mother, Mary of Guise, though.

Mary Stuart was very well known as the girl who became a queen before she was even a week old. Another thing she was famous for was being one of two queens, her cousin Elizabeth I of England and herself the Queen of Scotland. One great thing she accomplished was respect for Catholics, though it cost her life.

I chose to do my report on Mary Stuart, a.k.a. Mary Queen of Scots, because I didn't know much about her at the time, and, also, because I have come from a long line of Scot-Irish on my father's side. I somewhat admire Mary Stuart for her bravery because she had been fleeing from death her entire life, even as a child, and still managed to keep calm. By reading about Mary Stuart, I learned that she wasn't just another queen to bow down to and admire just because she was royalty, but that she was a very determined person who actually had many hardships in her life. She was running her entire life and was even betrayed by her own cousin. Mary Stuart was a great inspiration to Catholics every where by showing no fear in the face of death.