Politics on Trial: Mary Queen of Scots vs the Secret State

In today’s episode an extraordinary political trial that culminated in the execution of one queen at the behest of another: Mary Queen of Scots, convicted of treason in 1586 and beheaded in 1587. But who really wanted her dead, Queen Elizabeth or Elizabeth’s powerful political servants? Why did Mary demand to be tried before parliament rather than a court of noblemen? How did she attempt to defend herself in the face of apparently overwhelming incriminating evidence against her? And who was the only person who voted for her acquittal? Listen to David’s episode about Schiller’s Mary Stuart as part of our Great Political Fictions series https://www.ppfideas.com/episodes/the-great-political-fictions%3A-mary-stuart Next time: 50 years on from the 1975 Europe Referendum w/Robert Saunders Coming soon in Politics on Trial: Galileo vs the Inquisition   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices