Mary was my cousin. It really is sad that our relationship had to end the way it did, but it was also necessary. When she was just a baby, Mary was betrothed to the French prince and sent to the French court. She was raised under the influence of the French and married the prince when she was old enough. The king died and she became Queen of France in addition to Scotland. When her husband died in 1652 Mary moved back to Scotland. The Protestant population had grown in her absence. They weren’t happy about the return of their Catholic queen and started to revolt. Mary came to me for help in calming the Protestants. As a Protestant myself, I wouldn’t stop them. I invited her to stay at my court. Our relationship was stiff and uncomfortable even after I offered my good friend Leicester for her to marry. It was at this point Mary tried to take England from me to convert into a Catholic country. By the grace of God, I caught this plot. I couldn’t bring myself to order her into the Tower so I put her under genteel confinement. My counsellors recommended her execution, but I was content to offer her a chance at a quiet life. It was Mary who forced my hand when she continued scheming, sending out secret notes and the like. I signed her death warrant with a heavy heart. My counsellors, sensing my uncertainty sent the warrant immediately. Killing her strengthened England by taking away any option of a ruler for Catholic people to hope for and because of this, I know I did the right thing.
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