How would history be changed if Mary Queen of Scots had assassinated Elizabeth I?

Answer 1

This is an interesting question with many possible answers, which are presented below:

England would have gone back to the Roman church.

Another takeNot only would England have reverted to Catholicism, I believe that there would have been a civil war in Britain 30 odd years earlier. The assassination of one's monarch and the usurping that would follow (remember, Mary had no real claim to the throne that could match Elisabeth's) would cause you to feel very angry, and there would have been uproar from the Protestants. This could have caused a religious civil war. Mary's son, James, was a protestant, and he became King anyway, but England would certainly have been in a sorry state after a religious conflict. See what is happening in Northern Ireland today. Also, after being severely weakened by this war, Spain may have attempted a new armada and invaded Britain. It would be hard to defend if the British were squabbling amongst themselves. If Spain had conquered Britain (although I like to think they might have left the Catholic Scotland alone, as they had a history of friendship), the map of the world would be very different today, with no history of the British Empire. Spain could have become the dominant power in the world.

This is all speculation, of course. It might have never happened, but it could have happened.