Mary was certainly accused of sanctioning the attempted assassination of Queen Elizabeth in 1586 – the infamous Babington Plot. This scheme, led by Sir Anthony Babington, planned to kill the protestant Elizabeth and replace her on the throne with the catholic Mary. The proof of Mary’s involvement with this plot rested on letters between she and the plotters, where she undoubtedly agrees to the plan. However, there has always been a suggestion that this evidence was fabricated by Elizabeth’s spymaster, Sir Francis Walsingham. The court clearly believed him, and Mary was executed for treason at Fotheringhay Castle on 8 February 1587. To the end she protested her innocence. So, as with many events in Scottish history, it depends on who you believe, and to an extent which side you are on, as to whether Mary Queen of Scots was a martyr or a conspirator to murder.

Answered by George Dalgleish, principal curator of Scottish History, NMS.

Interestingly, despite the historical clear-cut nature of the plot, many academics and historians believe that not all was as it is now chronicled, with Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury and spymaster to King James 1st, often been cited as instrumental to the plot’s progression. Indeed, many commentators argue that Cecil (a devout Protestant) was made aware of the plot early on its formation and let it develop in order to foil it later, with much publicity, allowing him to usher in a wave of new anti-Catholic laws. Cecil’s ability to undertake such a scheme, note academics, is supported by the fact that he was trained by the famous spymaster of Queen Elizabeth 1st, Sir Francis Walsingham, who had excelled in foiling numerous Catholic plots against her, as well as penetrating the upper echelons of Spanish society, who were at war with England at the time.