We are reading the tales of three different executions for today, which brings us to the harsh reality of life in the sixteenth century. One of these women was executed for her religious beliefs, one of them was executed by simple fact of being a political pawn for her family, and the last execution is a political execution as well, although she has family ties to Elizabeth I.

Before writing your answer to this prompt, I want to remind you all to read the background information about each of these women, because understanding this is very important to understanding why they were killed and it’s also important to considering how each of these women behaved before and after they met their tragic fate. 

All of the tales are frightening in their own separate ways, but I would like you to consider which account was the most compelling to you and explain why. In picking up with my encouragement to read the background of each of these women, I  would like you to consider each of these women’s behavior leading up to her eventual demise. How firm was each of them in her beliefs, how controlled do you think each of them were in the moments leading up to their death, and what do you think of their words before they were executed? It’s also worth considering how much of these descriptions rely on the testimonies of others, and whether or not their version of the execution might be embellished and for what reason.