Mary, Queen of Scots

Mary had not been forgotten, however. Many ardent Catholics still thought Mary - now quite ill with various ailments, including rheumatism - should be queen of both Scotland and England. Sir Francis Walsingham (brilliantly portrayed by Geoffrey Rush in the movie, Elizabeth) knew that's what Catholics in England and Scotland thought. He decided to concoct a scheme that would implicate Mary once and for all.

Using the unsuspecting Sir Anthony Babington, a Catholic, as his pawn, Walsingham allowed Mary to secretly correspond with Babington (who wanted to help Mary escape). Mary's two secretaries coded all messages, but Walsingham knew the code. Anxious to be free, and relieved someone was finally talking about escape, Mary responded to Babington's letters.

If the letters had just talked about escape, Walsingham's efforts would have come to nothing. But in one letter Babington went much farther than the subject of escape. He could not resist a reference to Elizabeth.

Babington wanted to know if Mary would reward him, and his compatriots, "For the dispatch of the usurper." (Follow this link to read Babington's letter.) Once again ignoring the advice of her counselors, who were concerned about the veiled reference to a plot against Queen Elizabeth, Mary wrote to Babington.

While she said nothing at all about Elizabeth, Mary did agree to Babington's proposed plans for her escape. Her signature was on the letter. When Walsingham read it for the first time, he must have exclaimed, "I've got her!"

He drew a picture of the gallows on the intercepted letter.