Off With Her Head: The Wig Reveal, Three Strikes, and One Very Loyal Dog at Mary Queen of Scots' Messy End

On February 8, 1587, Mary, Queen of Scots quite literally lost her head in what can only be described as one of history's most botched executions—and considering the competition in that particular category, that's saying something. The executioner at Fotheringhay Castle was apparently having an off day. His first swing with the axe missed Mary's neck entirely and struck the back of her head. The second blow also failed to sever the head completely, requiring him to saw through the remaining sinew with the axe while Mary's lips were reportedly still moving in prayer. When the executioner finally held up the head to proclaim "God save the Queen," things went from grim to grotesque to downright bizarre: the head fell out of his hands, revealing that he'd been holding Mary's auburn wig. Her actual head, now exposed with short, gray hair, rolled across the scaffold. But wait—it gets weirder. As the execution party attempted to compose themselves from this mortifying spectacle, Mary's small dog, a Skye terrier that had hidden beneath her skirts, emerged and refused to leave her corpse. The traumatized creature positioned itself between Mary's severed head and shoulders and had to be forcibly removed, covered in her blood. According to contemporary accounts, the dog refused to eat afterward and died shortly thereafter. The execution had taken three strikes, one wig, and traumatized a dog. Elizabeth I, who had signed the death warrant, claimed afterward she never actually intended for it to be carried out—a claim absolutely no one believed. This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.