Queen Elizabeth to Mary Queen of Scots, December 21, 1568.

When Mary, Queen of Scots, was forced to enter England and request permission to leave through its ports for France where she could gather forces in order to retake her rebellious kingdom Queen Elizabeth saw the great value of the gift that had fallen into her lap.  Permission was withheld. Within some  two years, a commission of English notables was seated in order to determine who was the guilty party between the rebels and their deposed monarch.

The formation of such a commission asserted that England held feudiary authority over Scotland.  The objections of the Bishop of Ross to any such authority were laughed away.  The trial began. The preliminary conditions are outlined in Froude:

The conditions under which Elizabeth generally thought that the Queen of Scots might be restored have been already partially stated:—The confirmation of the treaty of Leith, an engagement that no future league should be made with France, a promise that she should not marry without the Queen of England’s consent, the punishment of the murderers of the King, the maintenance of Murray at the head of the de facto government, and, as a compensation, the recognition of the Hamilton title; and finally, the establishment in Scotland of the forms and constitution of the Anglican Church.[1]

All of the concessions Mary had refused in past quarrels between the kingdoms were to be accepted.  Trial by an English court was to be accepted.  The titles and lands of the House of Hamilton which Mary had given over to her French ally Chatelherault were to be restored. Beyond this, the trial was certain to arrive at accusations against Mary’s behavior as queen that served the interests of the English Court exceptionally well.

As these facts began to reveal themselves, over the course of the proceedings, Mary instructed her councilors to withdraw. The trial continued without her, taking the testimony of her rebellious leaders. In this letter, Elizabeth affects to be saddened by the outcomes of the trial from which her cousin so unwisely chose to withdraw. Mary was the guilty party, it seems. The testimony saddens her for Mary’s sake. How sad that England will not be able to return her to her throne.

 

Madame,[2] whilst your cause hath bene here treated upon, we thought it not nedefull to write any thing thereof unto you, supposing alwayes that your commissioners wold thereof advertise as they saw cause; and sithen they have broken this conference, by refusing to make answer, as they say, by your commandement, and for that purpose they returne to you, although we thinke you shall by them perceive the whole proceeding, yet we cannot but let you understand by these our letters, that as we have bene very sory of long tyme, for your mishappes and great troubles, so find we our sorrowes now doubled in beholding such thinges as are produced to prove yourself cause of all the same. And our grief herein is increased, in that we did not thinke at any tyme, to have seen or heard such matter of so greate apparaunces and moment to charge and condempne you. Nevertheles, both in frendship, nature, and justice, we are moved to cover these maters, and stay our judgement, and not to gather any sense therof to your prejudice, before we may heare of your direct answer therunto, according as your commissioners understand our meaning to be, which at their request is delivered to them in writing. And as we trust they will advise you for your honor to agree to make answer, as we have mentioned them, so surely we cannot but as one prynce and near cousine regarding another, most earnestly as we may in termes of frendship require and charge you not to forbeare from answering. And for our part we are heartely sory and dismayed to finde suche matter of your charge, so shall we be as heartely gladde and well content to

here of sufficient matter for your discharge ; and although we doubt not, you are well certified of the diligence and care of your ministers having your commission, yet can we, not besides an allowance generallie of them, specially note to you your good choice of the bearer the Bishoppe of Rosse, who hathe not onely faithfully and wisely, but also so carefully and dutifully, for your honor and weale, behaved himself, and that both privately and publikely, as we cannot but in this sorte commende him unto you as we wishe you had suche devoted discrete servants; for in our judgement, we thinke, ye have not any in loyalty and faithfulness overmatche him: and thus we are the bolder to write, considering we take it the beste triall of a good servaunte, to be in adversitie, out of which we wish you to be delivered, by the justification of your innocency. And so trusting to heare shortly from you, we make an ende.

Given at Hampton Court, under our signet, the 21st of December, 1568, in the eleventh yeare of our reigne.

Your good Sistar and Cousin,

Elizabeth R.

 

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[1] Froude, James Anthony. History of England from the Fall of Wolsey to the Defeat of the Spanish Armada (1903), Volume VIII. 390.

[2] Queen Elizabeth and Her Times, a Series of Original Letters (1838). I.302-4.

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Gossip as History: The Murder of Amy Robsart. February 17, 2020. "The first sudden death Leicester was rumored to have caused was that of his wife, Amy Robsart, in 1560. In that year, it was still not clear whether the Queen would marry. But certainly not her beloved Leicester if he were married."

Check out the English Renaissance Article Index for many more articles and reviews about this fascinating time and about the Shakespeare Authorship Question.

Check out the English Renaissance Letter Index for many letters from this fascinating time, some related to the Shakespeare Authorship Question.