Mary Queen of Scots: Catholic martyr or manipulative femme fatale? Contemporary commentators and historians down the years have been divided about her motivations. Whatever view is taken, the Scottish nobility acting collectively encouraged her to remarry their enemy Bothwell, who was known to have arranged her husband's murder. This offered him the dominant position in Scottish Government. Was the motive to implicate Mary with Bothwell, thus causing her to be deposed? Who would have been prepared to mastermind such a high risk strategy?.