Mary, Queen of Scots Introducing

Mary, Queen of Scots

Introducing

Queen Elizabeth referred to Mary Queen of Scots as "the daughter of debate." Descending from Scottish royalty, Mary Queen of Scots was also known as Mary Queen of Scotland, as well as, Mary Stuart or Mary Stewart, her original name. Mary, born December 8, 1542 in Linlithgow Palace, West Lothian, Scotland, was the third child and only daughter of James V and Mary of Guise. Both Mary's brothers died before she was born December 7/8, 1542 at Linlithgow Palace. Her father, previously dejected by the disgrace of Solway Moss, considered having a female for his heir am omen of disaster. One week after Mary was born, her father died. She, an infant princess, immediately became queen of Scots.

As Elizabeth I's rival, Mary, Queen of Scots perhaps presented the final authentic hope of a restored Catholicism in England. During the mid-16th century, considerations of religion dictated relations of England, Scotland, and France more than emergent nationalism. Internal struggles over religion rocked France and Scotland, however in international relations, France claimed the reign of the Scottish Catholics. King James V, Mary's father, had cemented this relationship with his marriage to Mary of Guise, daughter of one of the most powerful French Catholics. In turn, this Scottish-French alliance presented a significant threat to England as it struggled with France. In November 1542, however, the English temporarily silenced this threat by defeating the Scots at Solway Moss. ("Mary Queen of Scots) Mary ruled as queen of Scotland from 1542 to 1567. During one year of this term as ruler, she simultaneously served as the queen consort of France from 1559 until 1560). (Fraser; "Mary Queen of Scots") Her reportedly ill-advised marital and political actions repeatedly stimulated rebellion among the Scottish nobles. Consequently, she fled to England. In England, deemed as a Roman Catholic threat to the English throne, she was ultimately beheaded and "died" at the age of 44 on February 8, 1587 in Fotheringhay Castle, Northamptonshire, England. (Fraser) Upon the death of her father, after Mary Stuart became queen of Scotland when she was six days old, King Henry VIII of England, Mary's great-uncle attempted to gain control of her.

Mary's French mother, Mary of Guise, however, fought to retain custody of her. When Mary was five-years-old, her mother sent her to France, where she grew up at the court of King Henry II and his queen Catherine de Medicis. Within a large family, Mary's "rich" childhood included hunting, learning Spanish, Latin, Italian and Greek. As French constituted her primary language, she grew more into a Frenchwoman than Scottish. (Fraser) at approximately 5 feet 11 inches and with a slender figure, golden red hair and amber eyes, Mary was noted to be beautiful. She engaged in music and poetry and reflected the contemporary Renaissance ideal princess. In April 1558, she married Francis, the oldest son of Henry and Catherine, albeit, history contends that this "political match aimed at the union of France and Scotland" was not likely ever consummated. Mary, nevertheless, cared for her "boy husband" in November this year, after Mary Tudor, Queen of England, died, as great-granddaughter of Henry VII on the grounds that Elizabeth had been declared illegitimate, Mary Stuart claimed the English throne. Elizabeth I, however, ascended the throne without opposition in England. Mary and the Dauphin then assumed the royal titles of England and Ireland and continued to use them when ascending to the French throne in July 1559. In July 1560, the Treaty of Edinburgh of July 1560 required them to relinquish their claims to the English throne. On December 5, 1960, after ruling in France a little more than a year, Francis II, Mary's boy husband, died. She became a widow in at the age of 18. (Fraser; "Mary Queen of Scots") Ill-equipped Queen of Scotland in November 1558, after Elizabeth Tudor began to reign on the throne of England, Mary, due to her Tudor blood, became next in line to the English throne. During August 1561, when Mary returned to Scotland, she found her sheltered French upbringing had not prepared her to cope with the series of problems she faced. Her prior pretensions to the English throne acquired Elizabeth's hostility, who refused to acknowledge Mary as her heiress. Mary adhered to Roman Catholicism, the official Scottish religion. In her absence, however, this religion had been reformed to Protestantism. (Fraser) to many Scots, including John Knox, the leading Calvinist preacher, Mary represented a foreign queen, practicing an alien religion. In addition, the Scottish nobles reportedly did not support of the crown. During the first years of her rule, albeit, with her religious tolerance policy, Mary, with the aid of James, earl of Moray, her half-brother, managed to rule somewhat well, as some Scots accepted the attractive young queen, who created a graceful court life. (Fraser)

Mary's Disastrous Second Marriage

During July 1565, Mary married for the second time to Henry, Stewart (Stuart), her cousin, earl of Darnley, son of Matthew Stewart, 4th earl of Lennox. This second marriage reportedly initiated events which ultimately culminated in Mary's destruction. This "love" drive marriage antagonized those interested in the power structure of Scotland, including Elizabeth. Elizabeth, who did not approve of Mary's marriage to another Tudor descendant, and Elizabeth's half brother James, reportedly jealous of the Lennox family's rise to power, immediately rebelled. (Fraser) Instead of proffering support for Mary, Darnley, although ambitious, was considered weak and vicious.

In March 1566, along with a group of nobles, Darnley callously butchered David Riccio (Rizzio), Mary's secretary and confidant, in front of her. This convinced Mary that her husband aimed at to murder her. When their son James was born in June this year, Mary, began to search for some sort of relief from her stressful situation. (Fraser) From June 1566 to February 1567, according to reports from Mary's critics, she developed an adulterous liaison with James Hepburn, 4th earl of Bothwell. Mary and James reportedly planned to murder Darnley so they could marry. Except for highly questionable Casket Letters, letters and poems and letters some contend Mary wrote to Bothwell, however no contemporary evidence exists, to confirm this love affair. Historians now consider the Casket Letters as inadmissible evidence. After experiencing a serious illness in October 1566, however,

Mary most likely considered divorcing Darnley. (Fraser) on February 9, 1567, at Mary and Darnley's house at Kirk o' Field on the outskirts of Edinburgh was blown up, Darnley, who had been where recovering from illness, tried to escape. Instead of escaping the explosion, however, he was strangled. Some historians speculate that he may have plotted to murder Mary in the explosion, but became a victim instead. (Fraser)

Mary's Third Trying Marriage and Imprisonment

In Scotland, following the murder of Darnley, Mary's perceived ill-advised actions revealed her lack of wisdom and wise counselors in Scotland. After Bothwell, the chief suspect for Darnley's murder, abducted and ravished Mary three months after the murder, Mary permitted herself to be married off to Bothwell. On June 15, 1567, Bothwell was exiled and imprisoned until his death in 1578, while Mary, full of despair, in ill health, and unable to manage Scotland's affairs, was imprisoned on Loch Leven, a small island. (Fraser) One year later, after being formally deposed in favor of James, her one-year-old son, she experienced a brief time of freedom. During this time, she sought refuge in England with Elizabeth, her cousin.

Elizabeth, however, utilized excuses connected with Darnley's murder to imprison Mary in numerous prisons for the next 19 years. (Fraser)

Mary's Incarceration During her incarceration, Mary displayed embroidery skills. She embroidered the motto introducing this paper on her canopy of state, while she was imprisoned by Elizabeth I of England. Due to lack of physical care and exercise during her 19-year imprisonment, Mary's health and beauty suffered and declined. (Fraser) While Mary focused on gaining release from the imprisonment she felt unjust, she considered a dangerous a threat to Elizabeth's rule. "Despite the fact that she was the sovereign queen of another country, Mary was tried by an English court and condemned." (Fraser) After being tried for treason and judged guilty, Mary continued to cling to the contention the judgment for her death evolved from her adhering to her Roman Catholic faith. (Marshall 138)

Mary's Execution

In time, as the Catholic threat intensified, Elizabeth felt forced to sign the warrant for Mary's execution. Robert Wynkfielde wrote the following famous account of Mary's execution, which depicts Mary's last moments on earth, which according to the introductory motto, she may have considered her "beginning." (Columbia; Execution)

Her [Mary queen of Scots] prayers being ended, the executioners, kneeling, desired her Grace to forgive them her death: who answered, 'I forgive you with all my heart, for now, I hope, you shall make an end of all my troubles.' Then they, with her two women, helping her up, began to disrobe her of her apparel: then she, laying her crucifix upon the stool, one of the executioners took from her neck the Agnus Dei, which she, laying hands off it, gave to one of her women, and told the executioner he should be answered money for it. Then she suffered them, with her two women, to disrobe her of her chain of pomander beads and all other her apparel most willingly, and with joy rather than sorrow, helped to make unready herself, putting on a pair of sleeves with her own hands which they had pulled off, and that with some haste, as if she had longed to be gone.

All this time they were pulling off her apparel, she never changed her countenance, but with smiling cheer she uttered these words, 'that she never had such grooms to make her unready, and that she never put off her clothes before such a company.'

Then she, being stripped of all her apparel saving her petticoat and kirtle, her two women beholding her made great lamentation, and crying and crossing themselves prayed in Latin. She, turning herself to them, embracing them, said these words in French, 'Ne crie vous, j'ay prome pour vous', and so crossing and kissing them, bade them pray for her and rejoice and not weep, for that now they should see an end of all their mistress's troubles.

Then she, with a smiling countenance, turning to her men servants, as Melvin and the rest, standing upon a bench nigh the scaffold, who sometime weeping, sometime crying out aloud, and continually crossing themselves, prayed in Latin, crossing them with her hand bade them farewell, and wishing them to pray for her even until the last hour.

Then lying upon the block most quietly, and stretching out her arms cried, in manus tuas, Domine, etc., three or four times. Then she, lying very still upon the block, one of the executioners holding her slightly with one of his hands, she endured two strokes of the other executioner with an axe, she making very small noise or none at all, and not stirring any part of her from the place where she lay: and so the executioner cut off her head, saving one little gristle, which being cut asunder, he lift up her head to the view of all the assembly and bade God save the Queen.... Her lips stirred up and down a quarter of an hour after her head was cut off.