... her, and eventually, throw her off the throne. One of the short term causes that lead up to Mary's execution was the St. Bartholomew's day Massacre, 1572. This was when thousands of Protestants were massacred by the French Catholics. This suddenly increased Elizabeth's fear and suspicion of English Catholics and increased her hostility towards Mary. Moreover, when Catholic Priests arrived in England in the mid 1570's, Elizabeth's fear of the Catholic faith spreading was confirmed. The priests held secret religious services for English Catholics. In these services, priests tried to convert people to support Mary and not Elizabeth. This contributed to the worry of Catholics rebelling against Elizabeth. The Throckmorton Plot in 1583 also contributed towards Mary's execution. Francis Throckmorton was a Catholic. The plan involved an invasion of England led by the Duke of Guise and paid for by Philip of Spain and the Pope. The aim was to ...

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