Abdankung oder Absetzung? – Der Fall Königin Maria Stuarts als Zeugnis für die Macht des schottischen Adels

Résumé

Abdication or Deposition? – The Downfall of Queen Mary Stuart as Evidence for the Power of Scottish Nobility

The following paper aims to examine the influence of the Scottish nobility regarding the abdication of Queen Mary Stuart of Scotland in 1567. Furthermore, it raises the question whether the downfall of Mary Stuart can be defined as an abdication or rather a deposition from sides of the Scottish peers. As will be shown, Scottish nobility demonstrated their power and disfavor in various ways, which eventually resulted in a forced abdication i.e. a deposition of the Queen.