LONDON (AFP) — The only existing copy of the execution warrant against Mary, Queen of Scots, signed by Queen Elizabeth I in 1587, has been acquired by a Church of England library, the library said Tuesday.
The document was acquired for 72,485 pounds (95,895 euros, 141,273 dollars) by the library at Lambeth Palace, the London office of the Archbishop of Canterbury.
The execution is a key episode in British history -- Elizabeth, a Protestant, saw her Catholic cousin as a threat after Mary returned to Scotland from France on the death of her husband, King Francois II.
The manuscript contains the instruction to officials to "repair to our Castell of Fotheringhaye where the said queene of Scottes is in custodie and cause by your commaundement execution to be don uppon her."
Elizabeth denied giving the order for Mary's execution after it happened. The version bought by the library is a contemporary copy of the original, which was likely destroyed after the execution.
"The library is delighted to have played its part in saving this document for the nation," said librarian Richard Palmer.
"The warrant is now reunited with the papers with which it belongs and accessible for the benefit of all."
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