As the death of Queen Elizabeth I inevitably drew closer in the late 1500s, citizens questioned whether England would remain a Protestant nation or if it would return to Catholicism after her death. Because Elizabeth was not married, the question of her successor’s religion was an important fact to consider for both Catholics and the Church of England. One potential heir was Elizabeth’s Catholic cousin Mary, Queen of Scotland. Mary decided to attempt to stage a coup against Queen Elizabeth; however, Elizabeth preemptively had Mary arrested, and on February 8, 1587, Mary was beheaded. Mary’s son would eventually succeed Elizabeth, and he was decidedly Protestant. He was King James I.
