Carter Roy

until her jailers got wise and replaced her washerwoman and started strip-searching all visitors.

But Mary Queen of Scots didn't give up easily.

She had her incoming and outgoing messages hidden in books, in shoes, even in kegs of beer.

That's how they allegedly smuggled out the Babington Letter past her enemies in 1568.

Why all the secrecy in her messages?

Well, Mary's very existence was a threat to the rulers of multiple countries.

Their power would only be secure if she was dead and they sought any excuse to kill her.

You see, Mary was crowned Queen of Scotland at the wise and mature age of six days, right after her father died.

Mary's mother and cousin ran Scotland while Mary was busy learning how to walk, and when she was five, they sent her to France, where they'd arranged her marriage to the French Dauphin.

And this is important.

In France, Mary was raised very Catholic, and not modern-day Catholic, Renaissance-era Catholic, where the monarch was anointed by the church and chosen by God.

Mary's faith was a major part of her life.

So was being a queen.

When she was 16, her husband became king of France, so Mary became queen again.

Imagine being 16 and leading two countries.

I couldn't even ask a girl out on a date.

I was too nervous.

Unfortunately, it didn't last.

The King of France died of an ear infection.

Remember, 1500s, anything can happen.