On this day, 439 years ago, on December 4, 1586 (October 24, 1586 lunar calendar), Queen Elizabeth sentenced Mary to death. Queen Mary, like Elizabeth I, is a famous queen in British history. Due to her adolescence, she experienced various complex and sharp court struggles in the palace, and suffered various hardships, she developed a calm and decisive character. She came to the throne with the support of Protestants and the new bourgeois aristocracy, and the Pope did not recognize her as a legitimate monarch. Catholic forces led by the Pope were afraid that England would continue to carry out religious reform, Spain was worried that the strength of England would threaten its maritime hegemony, and Mary Stuya, Queen of Scots, with the support of France, always looked at the British throne. Elizabeth was in a difficult situation. Faced with a dangerous situation, Elizabeth used her intelligence, prudence and prudence, and acted according to the situation. She politely rejected the marriage proposal of King Philip II of Spain, so that Spain could not make England a vassal state by marriage. She actively supported Scottish Protestants and helped the Protestant aristocracy defeat and depose Mary. She tried not to intervene in European affairs externally, and avoided direct conflict with Catholic countries. However, the Pope and Spain were not reconciled with the rise of Protestantism in England and the consolidation of Elizabeth's royal power, and they increasingly planned a conspiracy and rebellion against Elizabeth. The Queen decisively suppressed the rebellion of the Catholic forces in the north of England, and at the same time stepped up the detection of various plots to subvert the royal power. In 1586, the plot of Babington's gang to assassinate Elizabeth and support Mary was uncovered, and the secret letters between Mary and the conspirators and her instructions to the conspirators were seized. Elizabeth knew that the execution of Mary was a bold challenge to the Catholic world, which would surely lead to war. But she still dared to sentence Mary to death on December 4, 1586. Sure enough, as soon as the news of Mary's execution came out, the Pope was furious and called on Catholics to fight against England. In 1588, the Spanish "Armada" expedition to England. At that time, the British naval power was far inferior to Spain's, and Elizabeth decided to face it boldly. She personally gave a speech to the army, expressing her intention to live and die with them. Due to the high morale of the British army and the use of flexible tactics, they finally defeated the Spanish "Invincible Fleet". Elizabeth statue