| Mary, Queen of Scots |
|
|
| Mary, Queen of Scots |
|
Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots, was born on December 8, 1542, in Linlithgow, Scotland. Through her parents, she was related to both the English and French ruling families. Her father, King James V of Scotland, according to Morrison (1960), was the "poor man's king" and very popular with his subjects. (p.16) He was also a nephew of King Henry VIII of England. Unlike Henry, James and his family were Catholic. Her mother, Mary Guise, was related to the French royal family.
At the time of her birth, King James and Mary were hoping for a son and an heir. James was away and ill at the time. When he learned that his child was a girl, he was not pleased. Bingham (1969) stated, "To her sick father, James V, the fact of her sex was the last in a series of defeats." (p.4) According to Morrison (1969), James said about his daughter, "It came with a lass and it will pass with a lass." (p.17) James V died five days later.
Hahn (1953) wrote, "After James V died, Henry VIII of England declared that he was taking possession of Mary, not yet a week old." (p.5) Henry wanted his son Edward to eventually marry Mary and combine England and Scotland. Bingham (1969) stated, "The Union of England and Scotland was a project, a dream. The children of kings...were pawns in a long-term political game." (p.6) Mary Guise, now regent of Scotland, was unwilling to compromise Scotland's independence. She had her daughter move from castle to castle, avoiding the English.
When Mary was five years old, Mary Guise sent her daughter to live in France. It was a practical decision, not only because her family lived there, but also because both France and Scotland were Catholic countries united against England. It was arranged that Mary Stuart would be betrothed to the Dauphin, the future King Francois II. She left for France in July, 1548.
When Mary arrived in France, she was welcomed with cheering crowds. In the royal court, Mary was very popular. While she was young, Mary played with many of the other court children, including her future husband. She was also educated. As noted by Bingham (1969), she was tutored in Greek, Latin, Italian, French, geography, history, and poetry. Zwilig (1935) also commented:
We are told that she was studious, aimable and pleasantly sociable, well-mannered and pious, that she excelled in the practice of the arts and sports of the day and yet showed no predilection for any art or sport in particular, no any special talent one way or another. Good, obedient she was a model of the virtues expected of a king's bride in the making. (p.20)
Although she was Scottish by birth, Hahn (1953) revealed, "Mary loved France and looked on it as her home. French was her language, and she had French tastes and ideas." (p.26) However, Bingham(1969) believes, "She was constantly in touch with affairs beyond the sea [in Scotland]." (p.13)
On April 1558, Mary and Francois were married at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Its fanfare compared to any royal wedding of modern times. Mary was sixteen; her husband was fourteen and a half.
The wedding was not popular in Scotland, where the Scots were forced to pay a 60,000-pound tax for the wedding expenses. Religous problems were occuring in Scotland. The Reformation had finally caught up with Scotland, and the Protestants were demanding more from the government. To Morrison (1960),"There were now two factions in Scotland: the Protestant England, and the 'French' party, loyal to the old alliance and the old faith." (p.27)
On November 17, 1558, Queen Mary Tudor of England died. Her half-sister, Elizabeth, succeeded her. Immediately, this caused problems. Many questioned the legitimacy of her birth, due to her father Henry VIII's many divorces. Even Henry VIII did not recognize Elizabeth as his child. Zwilig (1935) wrote:
Henry VIII declared his marriage to Anne Boleyn [Elizabeth's mother] a union with no legal foundation, and insisted upon his parliament's proclaiming Elizabeth a bastard. (p.23)Catholics opposed Elizabeth because, unlike Mary Tudor, she was a Protestant. Because of these issues, Mary Stuart was urged to her claim as the queen of England, because her paternal grandmother had been the sister of Henry VII. Plowden (1971) pointed out:
In spite of Henry's will, which arbitrarily excluded the Scottish line, by all laws of primogeniture Mary Sturat had an excellent claim to the English crown. No slur had ever been cast on her name, and many people felt she had every right at least to be the heiress presumptive. (p.144)Mary Stuart considered herself Queen of England, and Plowden (1971) stated, "Young Mary of Scotland was openly quartering the royal arms of England on her shield." (p.212)
In July, 1559, King Henri II of France died. On September 18, 1559, Mary's husband was crowned King Francois II of France. Mary was now Queen of Scotland and Queen of France.
The Luxembourg Palace was where the French court lived while in Paris. |
|---|
In July 1560, Mary Guise died in Scotland. The Protestants took over political control. One of the Protestant leaders was James Stuart, Mary Stuart's half-brother, the illegitimate son of James V and one of his mistresses. Although some historians say he was bitter over being unable to be the heir, he was a man who took advantage of situations. Zwilig (1939) conveyed that James knew he would not be king, and used his money to influence others. Not only did James Stuart help with the Protestant takeover, but Queen Elizabeth also aided the rebels. Hahn (1953) revealed:
It was an open secret that Elizabeth of England helped the Lords to throw the Regent over. In many ways the English Queen wasn't in her heart on the side of the rebels...But she was ready to use any power at hand to get rid of French influence in Scotland (p.37).
Six months later, on December 5, 1560, King Francois II died. It was obvious that Mary cared for him by the words she wrote.
Mary wrote of her husband's death, "God deprivd me of everything which I loved and held dear in this world, leaving me the consolation, such as it is, that I see those around who weep for his loss and my great sadness." (Bingham, 1969, p.26)Mary not only felt great loss because she loved her husband, but also because he allowed her a great degree of independence and authority in her own right. Zwilig (1935) wrote:
Mary Sturt's sorrow at the loss of her husband, Francis II, was undeniably genuine, and not merely a political fiction. For in losing Francis, Mary not only lost a pleasant and docile companion and an affectionate friend, but at the same time her position among European potentates, her power, and her security. (p.32)
With her husband now dead, nothing was keeping Mary in France. Her mother in-law, Catherine de Medici was name regent, and the two women had never gotten along. Mary had no say in the government of France. In August, 1561, she left France for Scotland.
Mary in her widow's weeds |
|---|
On her arrival, Mary met with her half-brother, James. She realized that he was a man of power and influence. Ridley (1987) noted, "She created him Earl of Moray, and in effect allowed him to govern Scotland in her name." (p.118)
In Scotland, Mary fought herself practicing her own religion. James, being Protestant, encouraged Mary to support the Reformists. Mary believed in religious freedom. Hahn (1953) recorded, "She wanted religious freedom. She could stay wit her Church, and her subjects could stay with theirs." (p.43) However, Catholicism was already illegal at the time. Ridley (1987) wrote, "She herself attended a Catholic Mass in the privacy of her chapel royal, but anyone who celebrated or attended mass elsewhere was severely punished," (p.118) Many Scots protested outside her chapel while she attended Mass.
Mary also had to deal with her cousin, Queen Elizabeth. They were now sharing an island on which both their kingdoms lay. They were similar in many respects: both were tall, attractive women, and they were two important women. However, there was a major difference between them. According to Ridley (1987):
The greatest difference between Elizabeth and Mary was that Elizabeth was Queen of England and Mary was Queen of Scotland. Elizabeth was Queen of a prosperous, powerful and disciplined kingdom, and Mary was Queen of a poor, weak, and lawless one. Elizabeth had loyal counsellors and Mary's counsellors were traitors. (pp.135-136)
A priority was to find a husband. It was important to make a wise decision, as it could affect the fate of Scotland. She considered Don Carlos, heir to the throne of Spain, and Robert Dudley Earl of Leicester, Elizabeth's personal choice. However, Henry, Lord Darnley, a nineteen year-old Englishman, became engaged to Mary. Zwilig (1935) pointed out that Darnley was the great-grandson of Henry VII and a descendent from the House of Tudor. James Stuart and Elizabeth were not pleased when Mary and Henry married on July 29, 1565 in a Catholic ceremony.
In the beginning, according to Morrison (1960), Henry was truly the love of her life. However, he began to take advantage of his situation. He left Mary out of important decisions and affairs. Although he was king in name only, Fraser (1988) stated, "Mary Queen of Scots' disastrous second husband Darnley...was always referred to as King Henry." (p.207) Bingham (1969) believed, "It is certain that Darnley neglected her, and became arrogant and impossible." (p.53)
As they were growing apart, Mary became closer to her French secretary, David Rizzio (Riccio). She was lonely, and he was someone that she could talk to. Zwilig (1935) pointed out, "It has never been proved, nor is it ever likely to be proved that...David Rizzio was the queen's lover." (p.116)
On March 9, 1566, Mary, who was five months preganant at the time, was eating supper with members of her court. Bingham (1960) said:
Mary's own account said that the table was deliberately overturned and that she herself felt a pistol to her womb and the touch of the steel daggers as they struck Riccio...Riccio clung to the Queen crying: "Madame, Savez ma vie, savez ma vie!" (p.56)
Donaldson (1971) believed, "The actual attack on Riccio was designed to endanger the lives of the queen and her unborn child." (p.121) But Bingham conveyed that Darnley demanded the murder. Mary considered divorce after the incident, but Donaldson (1971) wrote, "Mary was opposed to dissolution of her marriage, lest it should render her son illegitimate." (p.124) According to Bingham (1960), Mary also thought of seperation and returning to France.
In June, 1556, Mary's son, James VI, the future King James I of England, was born. He was baptized on December 17, 1556. Elizabeth was his godmother, although she was not present at the ceremony. Henry was not there, either; he and Mary were not living together.
Soon after this, Mary fell in love with James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell. He was a married Scotsman who was cheif advisor and commander of the Scottish Army. It is Bothwell that marked the beginning of the end for Mary's reign of Scotland.
On January 22, 15667, Mary went to Glasgow to pick up her husband, who returned with her to Edinburgh. He was lodged at Kirk O'Field, a small house, while Mary stayed at Holyrood, a castle.
The map shows Scotland at the time of Mary. |
|---|
Immediately thereafter, suspicious-looking figures were seen rushing away from the house where the king lodged. A wave of terror swept through the awakened city. The gates were opened, and messengers hastened to report that the lonely house in Kirk O'Field had been blown up, together with the king and his servants." (Zwilig, 1935, p.190)
Although Bothwell had an alibi for that night, he was implicated in the explosion. Some historians believe that Mary was also involved. Zwilig (1935) said, "To all appearances...it was Mary who was taking the initiative, by moves which seem to put beyond a doubt her complicity in schemes against Darnley." (p.125) However, Donaldson (1971), recorded, "The truth about the murder continues to elude historians because there was more than one conspiracy and, as no individual party was privy to more than one, no contemporary knew the whole truth." (p.126)
Zwilig (1935) believed the worst thing that Mary could have done in such a suspicious situation was to do nothing. That's exactly what she did. On top of the conspiracy, Mary discovered that she was pregnant. mary had to marry Bothwell; consequently, he received a divorce from his wife.
After the wedding, rebel forces gathered an army to overthrow Mary and her new husband. Her army was badly defeated at Carberry Hill in June 1567. She was forced to go back to Edinburgh with the lords. She was imprisoned at Lochleven Castle for almost one year. No one knows exactly what happened to her baby.
On May 2, 1568, she escaped from Lochleven and went to England. Elizabeth was extremely unhappy at this, and from 1569-1584, she held Mary under house arrest. Also during this time, trials took place to determine if she killed Darnley. Elizabeth was against executing her, but hated the fact that another queen was living in her country.
Mary had limited freedoms while incarcertaed. She sewed, read poetry, and wrote letters. She received a pension from France and had servants. However, it was an unhappy life.
In 1587, Elizabeth heard of an execution plot against her by Mary's supporters. She finally signed the papers to have Mary executed. On February 8, 1587, she was killed, wearing rosaries and holding a crucifix.
The execution of Mary had religious and political overtones. Had she been a Protestant, or had she been willing to unite Scotland with England, her fate may have been different. But Elizabeh, like her father, was determined to combine the countries, not only for territorial issues, but to create a stronger Protestant front against France and Spain.
According to Zwilig (1935), "Today in Scotland Mary's weaknesses and follies have in great measure ben forgotten by her people; they find excuses for her mad passion, and they remember her chiefly by the sad story of [her] last days of freedom and flight." (pp. 253-254)
Return to Index