Mary Stuart, queen of Scots, was a Catholic revered by her subjects. When her cousin Elizabeth I acceded to the throne of England in 1559, she and her supporters did their best to bring Mary down and, after a variety of stratagems, succeeded. Mary was imprisoned and finally beheaded in 1587, at the age of 45. John Guy`s story of her life looks at all the factors involved in Mary`s downfall, including her passionate nature and her own machinations against Elizabeth.