Programme-Specific Activities:

1. Identify the Crimes
2. Identify Possible Motives
3. Why Was Riccio Murdered?
4. Who Murdered Darnley?
5. The Nature of Evidence

Free-Standing Activities:

6. Violence and the Stewart Dynasty
7. Who Should Mary Marry?

Requirements

Programme-Specific Activities

1. Review programme.
2. Review first part of programme about the Reformation and international relations; + first four sections of background information.
3. Review section of programme relating to murder of Riccio; + section on Mary and Marriage in Background Information.
4. Review section of programme on Kirk o'Field; + section in background information on murder of Darnley.
5. Review section of programme concerning Mary's meetings with Knox.

Free-Standing Activities

6. Any general history of Scotland or one relating to fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.
7. Section in background information about Mary and Marriage.

Answers

Programme-Specific Activities

Activity 1

Activity 2

Why the Scots were divided over religion:

Protestant:

• complaining about the apparent corruption in the church
• disputing some of the religious teachings of the church
• wanting the property of the church returned to original owners
• demanding widespread availability of bibles in Scots

Catholic:

• trying to rectify obvious failings
• asserting that other accusations were unfair and unjustified
• clarifying religious teachings
• disputing the motivation of the 'reformers'

Why the Scots were divided over supporting England or France:

France:

• The Auld Alliance
• A good 'makeweight' against powerful England
• England had tried to take over Scotland in the past
• Catholics supported the French alliance, Protestants did not
• Henry VIII would have taken over Scotland if not for France

England:

• a good trading neighbour
• France was just 'using' the Scots when it suited them
• Scotland had more to gain than by being friendly with England
• England was Protestant
• Under Mary of Guise, France was taking over Scotland

Activity 3

Possible suspects and motives:

• Darnley - jealousy, frustration at not having real power
• Scottish nobles who wanted power through Darnley
• Scottish nobles who wanted to bring down Darnley

Reasons for suspecting that murdering Riccio was not the main aim of the conspirators:

• Mary might have died and so Darnley might have become King
• Mary might have miscarried and weakened Darnley's influence
• Mary might have been abducted and been replaced by as ruler by her child and a committee of nobles ruling on the child's behalf.

Activity 4

Possible suspects and motives:

Mary:

• she was fed up with her husband
• she could not divorce him (she was a Catholic)

Bothwell:

• he was ingratiating himself with Mary
• he knew Mary was fed up with Darnley
• with Darnley dead Mary could marry him (he was ambitious)
• possibly he was already 'involved' with Mary (depends who you believe)

Moray;

• he had a long-standing antipathy to Darnley
• Darnley's death would restore his influence in Scotland
• He was possibly plotting to bring down Mary as well as Darnley
• He left Scotland at the time of the murder and did not return until 'all the dirty work was done' - had he been arranging it from abroad?

Darnley:

• Mary intended to stay at Kirk o' Fields that night - here was a chance to kill her
• If Mary was dead, Darnley could become Regent for his son (James VI)
• How could so much gunpowder be put into the house without Darnley being aware of it?
• This version does not explain why Darnley was found strangled outside the house?

Activity 5

The interchange between Knox and Queen Mary:

• Origin - written by Knox himself some time later in his History of the Reformation, but could still be considered a primary source in view of his own participation in the events.
• Purpose - could be seen as Protestant propaganda and self-promotion by Knox, therefore biased and one-sided.
• Content - useful details of exchanges between Mary and Knox but may be selective or otherwise 'doctored' to suit Knox's purposes.

Mary's description of the murder of Riccio:

• Origin - written by Mary herself, an eye-witness, shortly afterwards. So can be considered primary evidence when memory of events still vivid.
• Purpose - to inform friends and relatives of what had happened. Seems factual and straightforward - although how did she know the exact number of blows struck, especially as they had taken Riccio out of her chamber?
• Content - useful details of events, Ruthven's role and Darnley's attitude; although a partial account based on what Mary herself witnessed.

Mary's last letter to the King of France:

• Origin - written by Mary herself just before her execution, so a primary source.
• Purpose - to convey her last thoughts to her French relatives and portray herself as a martyr in the Catholic cause. Could be considered biased and/or one-sided in the sense that, like Knox in his writings, she wants to present herself and her beliefs in a favourable light.
• Content - good evidence of how she wanted to be seen as a martyr to her faith, but says nothing about the scandal of Darnley's murder and her marriage to Bothwell, nor the plots against Elizabeth which had contributed to her downfall.

Robert Wynkfielde's eye-witness account of Mary's execution:

• Origin - an eye-witness account; not clear exactly when written but can be considered primary evidence.
• Purpose - to inform others of details of the execution. As with Mary's own account of Riccio's murder, it appears factual and straightforward with no axe to grind.
• Content - graphic, even gruesome, detail of the execution, but not exhaustive.

Free-Standing Activities

Activity 6

On that basis, what should Mary, Queen of Scots have expected to happen to her?

• violent plots against her by her nobles
• trouble from England
• possibly an early death

Activity 7

Advantages or disadvantages of marrying the following:

Protestant or Catholic

Protestant:

• please Scots and English Protestants
• upset Scots and English Catholics
• upset Mary's Catholic friends abroad
• go against Mary's religious beliefs

Catholic:

• upset Protestants in Scotland and England
• upset Elizabeth of England
• please Scots and English Catholics
• please Mary's Catholic friends abroad
• suit Mary's religious beliefs

Royal or Noble

Royal:

• kept 'royalty' as a separate group
• be used to power and ruling
• limited number of possible candidates
• would probably have to be a foreigner

Noble:

• would involve the royal family with nobles
• could encourage feuds in the Scots nobility
• would not be used to power and ruling
• probably there would be more candidates

Scotsman or Foreigner

Scotsman:

• would avoid further foreign interference
• would understand the situation
• might involve his family and its feuds

Foreigner:

• could involve Scotland in foreign wars
• could involve Scotland in wars with England
• could cause English interference in Scotland

Why did Darnley appear to be a good choice for Mary?

• He was of royal blood.
• He was the correct religion.
• He was related to Elizabeth and Mary.
• He had been brought up in England.

Why was he a bad choice?

• His family were considered to be traitors by many Scots.
• His family were greed y for power and influence.
• Darnley wanted the power but he not the work.
• He was not a nice man.

Activities

Programme-Specific Activities

Activity 1 - Identify the Crimes

The Detective lists the following crimes with the reign of Mary, Queen of Scots. Use the content of the programme and your own research to identify examples of them:

• a fatal stabbing
• political assassination
• falsification of evidence
• plots against the English throne
• a rigged trial

(10 minutes)

Activity 2 - Identify Possible Motives

During the reign of Mary, Queen of Scots, Scotland was divided over the issues of religion and foreign influence.

Use the programme and your own research to explain the following:

• why the Scots were divided over religion
• why the Scots were divided over supporting England or France

(10 minutes)

Activity 3 - Why Was Riccio Murdered?

a. Use the evidence in the programme and your own research to list possible suspects for the murder of Riccio together with their possible motives.

b. Are there any reasons for suspecting that murdering Riccio was not the main aim of the conspirators?

(15 minutes)

Activity 4 - Who Murdered Darnley?

The murder of Darnley is the greatest unsolved mystery in Scottish History.

What evidence is there to suggest that each of the following people were responsible?

• Mary
• Bothwell
• Moray
• Darnley

(20 minutes)

Activity 5 - The Nature of Evidence

Look at the reconstruction of the interchange between Knox and Queen Mary.

How useful is this as historical evidence?

In particular you should think about:

• Origin. Who wrote this account of the interchange? When was it written - is it primary or secondary evidence?
• Purpose. Why was this account written? Is it biased or one-sided?
• Content. What does it tell us? What does it not tell us?

Use the same three headings to consider the value of each of the following sources as evidence:

Source A. From Mary's description of the murder of Riccio:

We were in our chamber at our supper. The King (Darnley) came into our chamber and stood beside us. Lord Ruthven, dressed in a warlike manner, forced his way into our chamber with his accomplices. We asked our husband if he knew anything of the enterprise. He denied it. Ruthven and his accomplices overturned our table, put violent hands on Riccio and struck him over our shoulder with daggers. One of them even stood in front of our face with a loaded pistol. They most cruelly took him out of our chamber and gave him fifty-six blows with daggers and swords.

Source B. From Mary's last letter to the King of France:

The Catholic faith and the assertion of my God-given right to the English throne are the two issues on which I am condemned. And yet I am not allowed to say that it is for the Catholic religion that I die, but for the fear that I will interfere with their Protestant religion. The proof of this is that they have taken away my chaplain and, although he is in the building, I have not been able to get permission for him to come and hear my confession and give me the last Sacrament. While they have been most insistent that I receive the consolation and instruction of their minister, brought here for that purpose.

Source C. From Robert Wynkfielde's eye-witness account of Mary's execution:

One of the executioners holding her slightly with one of his hands, she endured two strokes of the other executioner with an axe, she making very small noise or none at all, and not stirring any part of her from the place where she lay. And so the executioner cut off her head, saving one little gristle, which being cut asunder, he lift up her head to the view of all the assembly.

(25 minutes)

Free-Standing Activities

Activity 6 - Violence and the Stuart Dynasty

The first four Kings called James ruled for only a few years and met an early death.

a. Find out:

• which of them were murdered by their subjects
• which of them were killed fighting the English
• how many of them were children when they became ruler

b. On that basis, what might Mary Queen of Scots have expected to happen to her?

(20 minutes)

Activity 7 - Who Should Mary Marry?

Mary would have to be very careful in choosing a husband.

a. What would be the advantages or disadvantages of marrying the following:

• Protestant or Catholic
• royal or noble
• Scotsman or foreigner

b. Why did Darnley appear to be a good choice for Mary?

Why was he a bad choice?

(20 minutes)