02-08-2025 - On This Day in Insane History

On February 8, 1587, Mary, Queen of Scots, met her dramatic end at Fotheringhay Castle, executed after 19 years of imprisonment by her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I. The beheading was a spectacularly botched affair that would make even the most stoic executioner wince. Wearing a black outer skirt and a crimson petticoat—symbolically dressed as a Catholic martyr—Mary approached the scaffold with remarkable composure.

The first axe blow missed her neck and struck the back of her head, and the second strike was equally inept. When the executioner finally severed her head, he discovered he was holding nothing but a wig, as Mary's true hair was revealed to be short and gray beneath. To add a final layer of macabre theater, her small dog was allegedly hiding under her voluminous skirts during the entire gruesome proceeding, only discovered after the execution.

This moment wasn't just a royal execution; it was the culmination of decades of political intrigue, religious tension, and royal rivalry. Mary's death marked a pivotal moment in British history, effectively removing the last serious Catholic challenger to Elizabeth's Protestant throne. Her final moments became a testament to her legendary composure and a pivotal turning point in the complex power dynamics of 16th-century European monarchies.