Why did Mary Queen of Scots get sentenced to death? Why was Queen Mary imprisoned?

Following the death of her father, King James V, Mary ascended to the Scottish throne. Her mother sent her to the French court to be raised, and in 1558 she married the French dauphin, who became King Francis II of France in 1559 but died the following year.

Following Francis’ death, Mary came to Scotland to take her rightful place as the country’s monarch. To strengthen her claim to the English crown following Elizabeth’s death, Mary married her English cousin Lord Darnley in 1565.

Darnley was assassinated in a mysterious explosion at Kirk o’ Field in 1567, and Mary’s lover, the Earl of Bothwell, was the prime suspect. Bothwell was cleared of the accusations but his marriage to Mary that year enraged the nobles.

Mary led an army against the nobles, but was defeated and imprisoned at Lochleven, Scotland, and was compelled to abdicate in favour of her son, James Darnley.

Mary escaped from captivity in 1568, and formed a large army, but was defeated and fled to England.

Queen Elizabeth originally welcomed Mary, but she was soon compelled to place her companion under house arrest as Mary became the target of several English Catholic and Spanish schemes to destabilise Elizabeth.

Nineteen years later, in 1586, a major plan to assassinate Elizabeth was revealed, and Mary was put on trial. She was convicted of involvement and put to death as a result.