logo
episode-header-image
Jun 2021
50m 6s

Mary, Queen of Scots

History Hit
About this episode

Mary, Queen of Scots, returned to the news headlines when the rosary she carried to her execution in 1587, was recently stolen from Arundel Castle. It's the latest chapter in the enduring story of this highly romanticised figure.


Mary reigned over Scotland for just over 24 years between December 1542 until her forced abdication. Considered the legitimate sovereign of England by many Catholics, Mary was seen as a threat to Queen Elizabeth I. In this episode from our sibling podcast Not Just the Tudors, Suzannah Lipscomb talks to Professor Kate Williams about Mary's tragic life, her disastrous marriages and the plots against Elizabeth that resulted in her execution.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Jul 17
BONUS: The Complete Map of the Odyssey
A special video podcast where Dan charts the course of Odysseus through the Mediterranean as he investigates the true places that could have inspired the Odyssey. Using his new Big Pad, Dan investigates the theories of ancient and modern scholars to see if he can build a plausibl ... Show More
51m 54s
Jul 16
The Real St George and the Dragon
He wasn't an English knight, but actually a Roman soldier, and the dragon didn't appear until centuries later in the medieval period. So what is the origin of the Saint George and the Dragon myth? And why do so many countries - from England to Ethiopia - adopt him as their patron ... Show More
30m 17s
Jul 13
The Real History Behind The Odyssey
Is there any truth in the Odyssey, and what does it all mean? We know it's a story where a man convenes with monsters and gods, ghosts and mythological beings, but the Odyssey actually does tell us a lot about Ancient Greece - about traditions, anxieties, storytelling, geography, ... Show More
53m 21s
Recommended Episodes
Jan 2017
Mary, Queen of Scots
In a programme first broadcast in 2017, Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the history of Mary, Queen of Scots, who had potential to be one of the most powerful rulers in Europe, yet she was also one of the most vulnerable. In France, when she was the teenage bride to their future k ... Show More
52m 19s
Sep 2024
Mary Queen of Scots
Born amid the turmoil of 16th century British society, Mary Queen of Scots was a leader trapped between Scotland and England, Catholic and Protestant ideologies, as well as love and duty. But she was also a woman with burning ambition, and her obsession with securing the English ... Show More
55m 16s
Sep 2023
SYMHC Classics: Mary, Queen of Scots
This 2018 episode focuses on the adult life of Mary, Queen of Scots – especially the conspiracy that ultimately led to her execution in 1587. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 
33m 55s
Jan 2025
Final Days of Mary Queen of Scots
The moment Mary Queen of Scots set foot in England, she became Elizabeth I's prisoner. Mary was fleeing from war and misogyny, hoping for help from her fellow queen. What lay ahead was twenty years of increasingly desperate imprisonment and, eventually, her death.Maddy Pelling an ... Show More
47m 30s
Jul 2025
586. Mary, Queen of Scots: The Battle for Scotland (Part 3)
Following the death of her husband, the King of France, was the glamorous Mary welcomed back to Scotland, her kingdom since infancy, with open arms or deep suspicion? Did she handle the precarious situation in which she found herself well, or recklessly? Did the majority of Scott ... Show More
1h 4m
Jul 2025
585. Mary, Queen of Scots: The Royal Rivals (Part 2)
What was life like in the glittering French court, for the young and newly married Mary Queen of Scots? What momentous destiny was her formidable mother, Mary of Guise, planning for her? How did Mary become, in 1559, not only the queen of Scotland, but also of France, and - accor ... Show More
1 h
Jul 2025
584. Mary, Queen of Scots: Birth of a Legend (Part 1)
Where was Mary Queen of Scots - Elizabeth I’s most famous rival - born, and who were her parents? What was the nature of the turbulent politically and religiously divided world she was born into? How did she become a queen at only one week old, and betrothed to a French Prince at ... Show More
54m 43s
Jul 2025
587. Mary, Queen of Scots: Murder Most Foul (Part 4)
Why did Mary Queen of Scots’ second marriage to the volatile Lord Darnley threaten to send Scotland into civil war? In what way did she essentially declare war upon her powerful cousin, Elizabeth I? Who was the hotheaded James Hepburn, the Earl of Bothwell, and why would he come ... Show More
54m 22s
Aug 2025
589. Mary, Queen of Scots: Downfall (Part 6)
Following the murder of her husband, Lord Darnley, how did Mary Queen of Scots - thought to have conspired for his death - navigate the most precarious situation of her young life so far? Would she marry again, and if so whom? Why was she forced to flee her enemies dressed as a m ... Show More
1h 6m
Dec 2018
The Trial of Mary Queen of Scots
Mary Stuart is one of history’s most memorable figures, with myriad compelling chapters in her life. The Babington Plot was a convoluted bit of intrigue that she’s tied to, and it ultimately led to her execution. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwor ... Show More
34m 53s
Listen to millions of songs and podcasts on Anghami