Shes the one who got her head chopped off by the real Queen , so really Mary was a short "reign" her coins are scarce.
Indeed! I have yet to own a Scottish coin, despite being of Scottish descent on my mother's side. Great historical coin!
Very nice coin! Congratulations. As ever, it is a lot more complicated than that! Mary was the legitimate Queen of Scotland (as her title suggests) and actually reigned from 1542 to 1567 - quite a decent period. She was only 6 days old when she acceded and spent most of her childhood in France, Scotland being ruled by Regents in her name. She then married the Dauphin (heir apparent to the French throne) and was Queen consort of France for a short while until her husband died. She returned to Scotland but faced a rebellion and was forced to abdicate in favour of her son, who became James VI of Scotland. Mary fled and sought protection from her cousin Elizabeth I of England. (Mary's grandmother was sister to Henry VIII of England.) However Mary had a claim to the English throne if Elizabeth died childless, and as she was Catholic she became the focus of those Catholics in England who wanted to end the switch to the Church of England. Elizabeth was forced to imprison her - initially on good terms and for her own protection, but increasingly under stricter control as the English Catholics raised more threats and revolts. Mary was eventually executed for "plotting to assassinate" Elizabeth after 18 years in custody. (It is amazing how many people reach a brutal end once religion gets involved!) Elizabeth did die childless and so Mary's son - James VI of Scotland - became James I of England, so uniting the thrones for the first time. Scotland and England remained independent until the Act of Union in 1706/1707.
I had to look up what a "bawbee" was. It was a Scottish six pence worth one half English penny. I learn something new every day.
Yes - the Bawbee was introduced in 1538 by James V - Mary Queen of Scots's father, and continued until William II of Scotland (William III of England) reign, disappearing with all the other Scottish coins after the act of Union. It is interesting to note that in Medieval times the Scottish and English Penny were of equal value, being broadly the same weight of silver and circulated in both countries and across Europe. Gradually the Scottish economy proved less strong than the English and the Scottish penny devalued until, as you say, by the time of the Bawbee 6 Scottish pennies were equivalent to half an English penny. The weakness of the Scottish economy was one of the main reasons they accepted the Act of Union in 1707.
A good book on Mary is Antonia Fraser's Mary Queen of Scots, published in 1969. It has a detailed description of how the "death penalty" was applied in Merrie Olde England.
