IIRC, I believe that Elizabeth, being the
illigitimate child of King Henry VIII, was not the rightful heir to the throne of England. Mary, Queen of Scotts, a cousin of sorts to Elizabeth, as you say, was the rightful heir to the throne of England. Elizabeth, knowing this, imprisoned Mary/Scots and had her beheaded years later.
I also recall, that Mary/Scots wasn't interested in the throne of England but Calvin, I believe, was terrified that she would convert the country "back" to the Catholic faith. He conspired to get Mary to go to England to see Elizabeth and Elizabeth arrested her.
Anyone else remember their history differently?
IIRC, I believe that Elizabeth, being the illigitimate child of King Henry VIII, was not the rightful heir to the throne of England...Anyone else remember their history differently? Let me take a wild guess...you're Catholic. :-) Elizabeth and Mary were made legitimate and illegitimate in turns by acts of Parliament. Who decided if someone was legitimate or not in England, or who was eligible for the succession of the throne of England or not...the (English) Parliament, or the (foreign) Pope? That was a large part of the argument at the time.
Mary Stewart was most definitely "interested" in the English throne. She was directly and indirectly involved in several plots to assassinate Elizabeth. The main reason Elizabeth had her executed was that she could never herself be safe as long as Mary could provide English Catholics with a ready (and devoutly Catholic) next-in-line to the throne.
Wouldn't call her illegitimate per se . . . she was Henry's daughter by his second wife, Anne Boleyn.