Mary Queen of Scots

On 7 September 1571, Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk, was arrested for the Ridolfi plot. Backed by Spanish gold and papal blessing, it looked like the end of Elizabeth I - until a suspicious draper and an unburnt cipher unravelled the whole amateur circus.

On 8 February 1587, Mary, Queen of Scots was beheaded at Fotheringhay after the Babington Plot. Her death was lawful theatre, political necessity, and a dynastic tragedy all at once.