Execution of Mary, Queen of Scots

Active learning helps students grasp the complexities of Tudor politics by moving beyond memorization of dates. When students step into roles, debate decisions, and reconstruct timelines, they see how personal ambition, patronage, and fear shaped events like the Essex Rebellion.

• Year 11
• History
• 3 activities
• 20 min–35 min

Learning Objectives

1. Explain the legal basis and procedures involved in the trial of Mary, Queen of Scots.
2. Analyze the immediate political repercussions of Mary's execution for both England and Scotland.
3. Evaluate the impact of Mary's execution on the stability of Elizabeth I's reign and the question of succession.
4. Compare the perspectives of key figures like Elizabeth I, Mary, and her supporters regarding the trial and execution.

Role Play

⏱ 35 min·Whole Class

Role Play: The Patronage Game

Students act as courtiers competing for 'monopolies' (the right to be the only seller of a product like sweet wine). They must 'flatter' the Queen (the teacher) and sabotage their rivals, experiencing how the system of patronage kept the nobility loyal but also created deep resentment.

Prepare & details

Explain the legal process that led to Mary, Queen of Scots' execution.

Facilitation Tip: During the Role Play, assign students roles with clear objectives and limited information so they experience the frustrations of court politics firsthand.

Setup: Open space or rearranged desks for scenario staging

Materials: Character cards with backstory and goals, Scenario briefing sheet

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

Inquiry Circle

⏱ 25 min·Small Groups

Inquiry Circle: The Essex 'Downfall' Timeline

In small groups, students are given a list of events (the failure in Ireland, the 'slap' from the Queen, the loss of his sweet wine monopoly). They must identify the 'point of no return' where Essex decided that rebellion was his only option.

Prepare & details

Analyze the political and international consequences of Mary's death.

Facilitation Tip: For the Timeline activity, give groups distinct sets of events to prevent overlap and require each group to justify why their event was pivotal to Essex’s downfall.

Setup: Groups at tables with access to source materials

Materials: Source material collection, Inquiry cycle worksheet, Question generation protocol, Findings presentation template

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Self-Awareness

Think-Pair-Share

⏱ 20 min·Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: The Problem of the Succession

Students discuss in pairs why Elizabeth's refusal to name an heir made the court so unstable in the 1590s. They then share their thoughts on whether she was being 'wise' (by keeping everyone guessing) or 'reckless' (by risking civil war).

Prepare & details

Assess the long-term impact of Mary's execution on Elizabeth's reign and succession.

Facilitation Tip: In the Think-Pair-Share, have pairs record their arguments on chart paper so you can circulate and see which claims need more evidence during the whole-class discussion.

Setup: Standard classroom seating; students turn to a neighbor

Materials: Discussion prompt (projected or printed), Optional: recording sheet for pairs

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Teaching This Topic

Start by making the political personal: students need to feel the weight of Elizabeth’s choices and Essex’s desperation. Avoid presenting these events as inevitable; instead, emphasize contingency by having students role-play moments where decisions could have gone differently. Research shows that students engage more deeply with succession crises when they confront the human stakes rather than abstract policies.

What to Expect

Students will explain how patronage worked and why its breakdown mattered, evaluate Elizabeth’s leadership in her final years, and analyze why Essex’s rebellion failed. Their work should show clear connections between individuals’ motives and political outcomes.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

During the Role Play: The Patronage Game, some students may assume the rebellion had widespread public support.

What to Teach Instead

After the Role Play, ask students to tally how many people actually joined Essex. Have them revisit their role-play scripts to identify why so few supported him, focusing on the lack of popular appeal and the city’s guarded response.

Common Misconception

During the Think-Pair-Share: The Problem of the Succession, students might assume Elizabeth’s declining popularity meant she lost control.

What to Teach Instead

After the Think-Pair-Share, have students create a T-chart listing Elizabeth’s strengths and weaknesses in her final decade, using evidence from the rebellion’s suppression to argue whether she remained in command.

Assessment Ideas

Exit Ticket

After the Role Play: The Patronage Game, provide students with a prompt: 'Imagine you are an advisor to Elizabeth I in 1601. Write a short paragraph (3-4 sentences) explaining one reason for or against executing Essex, referencing a specific consequence of his rebellion.'

Discussion Prompt

During the Think-Pair-Share: The Problem of the Succession, facilitate a class debate where students must use evidence from the timeline and trial documents to answer: 'Was Mary, Queen of Scots, a victim of circumstance or a threat to Elizabeth I’s throne?'

Quick Check

After the Collaborative Investigation: The Essex 'Downfall' Timeline, ask students to create a timeline of the key events leading to Mary’s execution, including the Babington Plot and the Act of Association. Have them label each event with its significance in the legal process and submit for peer review.

Extensions & Scaffolding

• Challenge: Ask students to write a letter from a fictional courtier explaining why they chose not to support Essex, using evidence from the role-play debrief.
• Scaffolding: Provide sentence starters for the Essex Rebellion failure analysis, such as 'Essex expected ____, but ____ happened because ____'.
• Deeper exploration: Have students research modern parallels to patronage systems and compare them to Tudor court dynamics.

Key Vocabulary

Treason	The crime of betraying one's country, especially by attempting to kill the sovereign or overthrow the government. Mary was accused of treason against Elizabeth I.
Babington Plot	A conspiracy in 1586 by English Catholics to assassinate Queen Elizabeth I and replace her with Mary, Queen of Scots. This plot directly led to Mary's trial.
Act of Association	Legislation passed in 1584 that stated anyone attempting to assassinate Elizabeth I would be executed, and their accomplices barred from the succession. This provided a legal framework for Mary's potential punishment.
Regicide	The act of killing a monarch. The execution of Mary, Queen of Scots, was a controversial act of regicide, as she was an anointed queen.