John Guy, Queen of Scots: The True Life of Mary Stuart, Houghton Mifflin (2004). Melissa Koeppen, 'The True Executor of the Execution of Mary, Queen of Scots' Constructing the Past, 6:1 (2005) pp. Carole Levin, Heart and Stomach of a King: Elizabeth I and the Politics of Sex and Power, University of Pennsylvania Press (1994). On February 8, 1587, Mary Queen of Scots was executed, which has, of course come up a few times in films and TV shows depicting her life. What’s interesting is that the outfit she wore to her death has been pretty well documented since the actual event occurred — but, of course, that doesn’t mean that every on-screen version gets it right.

• The Execution Of Mary Stuart 1895
• The Execution Of Mary Queen Of Scots (1895)

The only surviving copy of the warrant which Queen Elizabeth I signed in 1587 authorising the execution of her cousin, Mary Queen of Scots, in an image released by Lambeth Palace Library on Tuesday. Talked of poor Mary of Scots’execution, which M. Said Elizabeth delayed too long, for that her Ministers had been urging it. Talked of poor Mary. “She was a bad woman,” said Lord M., “she was a silly, idle, coquettish French girl.” I pitied her. Diary of Queen Victoria (Friday, 12 July 1839) As reputations go, that of Mary Queen of Scots was never an especially Scottish one.

Mary Stuart's attempt to overthrow her cousin Elizabeth I, Queen of England, finds her condemned to years of imprisonment before facing execution.

Saoirse Ronan stars as Mary Stuart in Mary Queen of Scots.Source:AskMen

When Mary Queen of Scots was beheaded, her execution was absolutely horrendous even by 16th century standards.

Mary was beheaded at Fotheringhay Castle on February 8, 1587, following 19 years of imprisonment for her role in a plot to murder her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I.

Mary, who was 44 at the time, was executed on the orders of Elizabeth, for her part in what was known as the Babington Plot- a plot led by Roman Catholic nobleman Anthony Babington.

Letters said to be from Mary apparently sanctioned the assassination of her cousin and, once the letters were discovered, Mary was put on trial for treason.

Elizabeth I, the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, managed to displace Catherine of Aragon as Queen of England, convincing the king to split from the Catholic Church. But many believed Elizabeth had no real claim to the throne as King Henry had annulled his marriage to Anne before taking a new wife.

Related: Mary Queen Of Scots isn’t the movie you think it is

At all turns, Mary, despite being clever, bold and in charge, is undermined by men who are threatened, petulant and malicious.Source:AskMen

Catholics viewed Mary Stuart as the perfect contender for the throne of England. But it wasn’t meant to be, and instead, Mary was kept a virtual prisoner in England before a botched execution which literally left her head ‘hanging by a thread’, leaving witnesses distraught.

According to an eye witness: “Her lips stirred up and a down a quarter of an hour after her head was cut off.”

The rivalry between the queens is now the subject of the critically acclaimed film Mary Queen of Scots, starring Margot Robbie as Elizabeth and Saoirse Ronan as Mary — the friendship that became a rivalry.

Mary’s ascent to the throne

When she was only six days old, Mary ascended to the Scottish throne in 1542 when her father, King James V, died. She was raised in the French court and, at the age of 16, she married the French dauphin, who became King Francis II of France in 1559. At 18, Mary was briefly queen of both Scotland and France when her husband ascended the throne.

But her reign was short-lived as her husband died of an ear infection just a year after their marriage. So Mary was sent back to Scotland to assume her place as the country’s monarch.

But after three years in Scotland, Mary was forced to abdicate and flee across the border to seek refuge in England — where she expected Queen Elizabeth to welcome her.

Instead, she was imprisoned by her cousin in a variety of castles, where Elizabeth allowed her to live close to various noblemen (loyal to Elizabeth) so they could keep an eye on her.

Mary spent the next 19 years being moved from one castle to the next while the Queen tried to figure out what could be done with her.

During this time there were numerous rumoured plots against Elizabeth. In 1587, when a letter said to have been written by Mary was intercepted — with evidence that she wanted to overthrow her cousin — Elizabeth decided to end her ceaseless worry about whether she was going to be overthrown or not, and ordered Mary’s execution.

Margot Robbie stars as Queen Elizabeth I.Source:AskMen

The pointless trial

During the trial, Mary never had any hope as she wasn’t allowed any legal representatives. Yet she was said to have put up a highly spirited defence, arguing that she was innocent of the charge of treason because she was not actually a subject of England’s queen; reasoning that a charge of treason could not legally be upheld in court.

The Execution Of Mary Stuart 1895

But her defence got her nowhere, Elizabeth showed no mercy and Mary was pronounced guilty of treason on 25 October and sentenced to death.

It must have been excruciating for Mary as she was forced to wait for several months before Elizabeth actually signed the warrant for her death. It couldn’t have been easy for Elizabeth because she was signing the death warrant of a cousin as well as a fellow queen.

Nonetheless, Elizabeth signed the death warrant on 1 February 1587, with the beheading to be carried out a week later.

The horrendous execution

Mary, Queen of Scots in undated portrait.Source:News Corp Australia

While a beheading seems like a horribly gruesome death by today’s standards, back in the 16th Century, it was considered the easy option compared to other methods, such as being hung, drawn and quartered.

Elizabeth’s mother, Anne Boleyn, had been beheaded by a skilled swordsman — a special privilege for a former queen.

In England, there was no crime considered worse than trying to betray the crown. If you were foolish enough to betray the crown, what kind of execution could non-royalty expect? Being hanged, drawn and quartered is probably as bad as an execution can get and it wasn’t unique to England, it was practised across Europe.

First the victim was hanged by the neck, until they were almost dead, then they were pulled behind a horse to their execution which involved “quartering”. If you really want details, you can look it up yourself but plainly speaking, it meant that people were cut into several pieces, often beginning with one’s genitalia.

Mary was spared the worst of the worst executions but, regardless, her beheading was horrific. Witness Robert Wynkfield later wrote about the execution.

First, she was forced to strip to her underwear in front of dozens of witnesses. As she approached her executioners, one of her servants blindfolded her, so her final moments were in darkness. Witnesses claim the former queen had to spend time feeling around for the block so she could place her chin upon it, ready for the axe to fall.

Mary, Queen of Scots was buried in Peterborough Cathedral, but she was later exhumed and buried in Westminster Abbey — just a few metres away from the cousin that ordered her death.Source:News Corp Australia

But, sadly, for Mary, her beheading would not be quick and easy. One executioner held her down while the other lifted the axe — but he missed, and the blade didn’t go straight through her neck, forcing him to strike again. Mary apparently made “a very small noise or none at all, and not stirring any part of her from the place where she lay” throughout the execution.

After two blows, Mary’s head wasn’t completed severed so the executioner had a third go, to try and cut the “one little gristle” that was attaching her neck to her body.

Third time lucky, he lifted Mary’s head for all to see and proclaimed, “God Save the Queen”.

Wynkfield also noted that when the executioner removed Mary’s clothing, he noticed Mary’s small dog had been hidden under her dress throughout the ordeal. The dog was said to be so distressed, it lay down in his dead mistresses’ blood which had formed a puddle on the floor.

From Wynkfield’s notes:

“Then one of the executioners, pulling off her garters, espied her little dog which was crept under her cloths, which could not be gotten forth by force, yet afterwards would not depart from the dead corpse, but came and lay between her head and her shoulders, which being imbrued with her blood was carried away and washed, as all things else were that had any blood was either burned or washed clean, and the executioners sent away with money for their fees.”

Mary, Queen of Scots was buried in Peterborough Cathedral, but she was later exhumed and buried in Westminster Abbey — just a few metres away from the cousin that ordered her death.

— LJ Charleston is a freelance features writer. Continue the conversation @LJCharleston

Chris Jackson looks for unexpected moments when taking photos of the royal family.

Mary, Queen of Scots is often considered one of the most romantic and tragic figures in Scottish history and her enduring story and image continue to fascinate. Today a huge number of images of Mary are in circulation, with many dating to the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries when both her life and appearance were highly romanticised.

In fact, relatively few portraits of Mary which were made during her lifetime survive. Contemporary accounts record that she was tall, over 6ft, and striking in appearance, with auburn hair and brown eyes.

Ten objects which depict Mary, members of her family, and record or commemorate key moments from her life, have been highlighted and can be viewed now at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery.

Mary of Guise was the mother of Mary, Queen of Scots.

The Guise family was immensely powerful in France and this portrait can be seen as part of their efforts to promote their interests.

It was painted to secure an advantageous second marriage for Mary of Guise, who had recently been widowed.

She was sent to Scotland to become the second wife of James V, as a dynastic pawn to help maintain the ‘Auld Alliance’ between the two countries.

After the king’s death, she fought for her daughter’s dynastic rights and to keep Scotland Catholic and pro-French.

Despite their small size, Cornille de Lyon’s portraits offer an insight to the sitter’s personality: Mary of Guise was famed for her wit and charm.

James V became King of Scotland at seventeen months old when his father, James IV, was killed at the battle of Flodden.

During his reign James was eager that the Scottish court should reflect the culturally vibrant Renaissance courts of Europe.

James’s second wife, Mary of Guise, was the mother of his only legitimate daughter, Mary, who, following her father’s death became Queen of Scots at just six days old.

This painting is one in a series of portraits of the Kings of Scotland.

In the late sixteenth century it became fashionable to commission series of portraits of rulers.

It is possible that this example was created as part of the celebrations for James VI’s spectacular entry into Edinburgh in 1579.

François was the Dauphin of France and Mary’s first husband. They were married in a spectacular ceremony at the Cathedral of Notre Dame, Paris on 24 April 1558 – Mary was 15 years old and François 14. The following year François became King of France and Mary, his queen consort. She is shown here wearing an embroidered court gown with slashed sleeves, a beaded French hood and holding an elaborate fan.

These engravings are from a larger series of prints, which depicted 39 European royals. Couples were engraved on, and printed from one plate, although few survive together. It is likely that these prints were made around the time of Mary and Francois’ wedding.

Mary I of Scotland, known as Mary, Queen of Scots (1542-1587) was sent to France in 1548, for her safekeeping.

The Execution Of Mary Queen Of Scots (1895)

Raised and educated at court, she later married the Dauphin, the heir to the French throne, who became François II in 1559.

This portrait shows her aged eighteen, in the white mourning attire of the French court. The original was painted around 1560-1 when Mary was in mourning for her father-in-law Henri II, her mother Mary of Guise, and her husband - they had all died within eighteen months of each other.

The poet Pierre de Ronsard described seeing Mary in these clothes, 'like a sacred image... your long fine mourning veil billows fold upon fold like a sail on the breeze'. Soon after the original of this portrait was painted, Mary returned to Scotland, a Catholic monarch in a newly Protestant nation.

Darnley was the great-grandson of Henry VII and a descendant of James II of Scotland, and therefore an heir to both the Scottish and English thrones. In 1565 he married his cousin Mary, Queen of Scots.

Flattering her ambition, Mary made Darnley King of Scots, but he was spoilt, arrogant and unpredictable, and soon proved to be a liability as a royal consort.

His involvement in the murder of the queen’s secretary, David Rizzio, at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, proved to be the breaking point in their marriage. Despite Mary giving birth to their son and heir, James – later James VI and I – in 1566, the couple’s marriage continued to struggle.

Only nine months later the house, in Edinburgh, where Darnley was staying was blown up and his body was found in the grounds. It soon became apparent that he had been strangled and suspicion fell on the Earl of Bothwell, his supporters and Mary herself.

James VI became king when he was thirteen months old, following the forced abdication of his mother Mary, Queen of Scots.

Here the Netherlandish artist Arnold Bronckorst depicts him, as was the usual practice, like an adult.

He is wearing a fashionable black doublet and hat, and holding a sparrow-hawk on his gloved left hand.

Hawking was an outdoor pursuit appropriate to his age and royal status.

This illustration of Mary and her son James, later King James VI and I, is a book plate and appeared in Bishop John Leslie’s De origine moribus, et rebus gestis Scotorum or The History of Scotland, which was published in Rome in 1578.

The volume featured genealogies of the kings and queens of Scotland and this image reinforces the lineage of the Stuarts.

Leslie was a long-standing supporter of Mary and so it is likely that he would have wanted the portraits in the publication to be close representations of the sitters.

Below the portraits are the royal arms of Scotland which feature the lion rampant at the centre.

This exquisite pair of miniatures was painted in 1566, the year in which the sitters were married. Their marriage, celebrated at the court of Mary, Queen of Scots, crossed religious boundaries. For Bothwell, a determined Protestant, it brought much needed funds. For Lady Jean, the daughter of George Gordon, 4th Earl of Huntly, it helped the political rehabilitation of her Catholic family. The countess, described as ‘a cool, detached character warmed by a masculine intelligence’, divorced Bothwell a year after their wedding, following an affair the earl had with one of her servants.

Bothwell became famous as the third husband of Mary, Queen of Scots, whom he married in 1567, three months after the murder of her second husband, Lord Darnley, despite being acquitted of this crime only the month before.

After returning from France, Mary ruled in Scotland for only six years. Following a rebellion, she was forced to abdicate and fled to England.

Mary was retained and held captive for nearly twenty years before being executed for plotting to murder her cousin, Elizabeth I.

This portrait was not painted from life, but is a version after a sixteenth-century portrait.

The date 1578 marked the ten years that Mary had been held in captivity and the original was probably commissioned by one of her supporters.

The inscription reminds us of Mary’s lineage, and the crusifixes reiterate her Catholic faith.

One crucifix shows the biblical story of Susanna and the Elders, in which an innocent woman was saved from being put to death.

Mary’s life ended on the scaffold at Fotheringhay Castle, near Northampton, on 8 February 1587. After nineteen years in captivity in England, she had been tried and condemned to death for plotting the assassination of Queen Elizabeth I. This watercolour records the moment before the executioner dropped his axe,

To the left of the scaffold are two of Mary’s attendants, Jane Kennedy and Elizabeth Curle, who stand weeping. On the far left of the main scene men are burning Mary’s clothes; this was done to prevent her supporters from keeping them as relics.

The buildings in the background and the costume are Dutch in style, as the drawing was created for an album of historical prints and drawings compiled by Willem Luytsz van Kittensteyn, a Delft magistrate, in 1613.

Mary in 10 Objects is open now at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery. Admission to the gallery is free.