May 19th 1568; after being defeated by the Protestants, Mary the Queen of Scots, fled to England where she was imprisoned by Queen Elizabeth. Mary, Queen of Scots, was born in 1542 and was executed on 1587. It is generally believed that Mary's execution - ordered by Elizabeth I - was the final reason Philip II needed to launch the Spanish Armada. There are few other figures in Tudor England who had such an eventful life, though for Mary, Queen of Scots, it was to end in tragedy.

Mary was Elizabeth I's cousin. Mary had been brought up as a strict Catholic which put her at odds with the Protestant Elizabeth. Mary's father, James V of Scotland, died when she was one. At such a young age, the Scottish lords found it difficult to respect her and by 1548, Mary was sent to France for her own safety.