Historical Study: Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots

It seems every year around this time I fall into a fascination with the British monarchy. I recently finished the TV series, The Tudors, for my 2nd time, and am now almost finished with the TV show, Reign. I first started watching this show several years back, simply because I enjoyed the period piece, the costumes, the setting, and the history. Yet I also found the lead actresses to be very attractive, especially Adelaide Kane in the title role. She also has a slew of other attractive co-stars that take part in her royal court.

I realize Reign is perhaps considered teenage drama and nowhere near the quality of The Tudors, however it is still a decent watch for anyone who admires history. After-all a good portion of Mary's life was decided during her younger teenage years. The show presents this in a sappy manner of teenagers in love yet there is still great historical content within the story lines. While I'm sure much of this content is fabricated, as is most historical re-enactments, it has me quite captivated with the life of Mary Stuart, Queen of the Scots.


Mary Stuart's Rivalry with Queen Elizabeth

I learned quite alot from this show, especially the animosity towards Queen Mary of the Scots and Queen Elizabeth of England. The two lived almost parallel to one another, and the tension revolved around Mary's claim to the English throne. I have often confused Mary Stuart with Henry VIII's daughter and successor, Mary Queen of England (also known as Bloody Mary). However the fact is they were cousins and both happened to be Catholics on the opposing side of Queen Elizabeth the Protestant.

When Mary of England died in 1558, Elizabeth ascended to the throne however many considered her the unrightful queen. Elizabeth was after all the daughter of an illegitimate marriage between Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. Some felt the rightful throne belonged to Mary Stuart, who was the eldest daughter of Henry VIII's eldest sister. And thus was born the conflict, between rivaling cousins and yet another chapter in the religious wars of Catholicism vs Protestantism. 

Mary's Early Life in France

The show emphasizes Mary Stuart's French upbringing and connections. She was daughter of King James of Scotland and Queen Mary of Guise, who was from France. However King James died only 6 days after she was born, and Mary Stuart became Queen of Scotland, perhaps the youngest queen there has ever been. Her throne was thus ruled by regents until she became of age. In hopes to secure peace between Scotland and England, King Henry offered an agreement to marry his son Edward to Mary Stuart, in what was known as the Treaty of Greenwich. The agreement was that Mary would move to England at the age of 10 to marry Edward and become queen. However the plan was short lived when in 1553 King Edward died at the young age of 15.

At the request of her mother, Mary spent her childhood years living in France at King Henry II's French court. She was liked by all except Henry II's scheming Italian wife, Catherine de Medici. Much of Catherine's bitterness towards Mary was due to a prophecy by the great Nostradamus, in which her son would die if he married Mary. In 1558 at the age of 14 she married the Dauphin of France, Francis, of whom she loved dearly. In 1559 the French King Henry II died in a jousting accident and Francis and Mary became King and Queen of France. However this marriage was also short-lived as Francis died in 1560 of an ear infection, fulfilling Nostradamus' prophecy. At that point his mother Catherine de Medici became queen regent of France, and Mary returned to Scotland at the age of 18.

Mary's Return to Scotland

She arrived in Scotland during political and religious turmoil between Catholics and Protestants. One of her notable opposition came from the outspoken Protestant John Knox. She however acknowledged his cause and managed to reign with religious tolerance. She eventually found a second husband, her English cousin Henry Stuart of Darnley. In 1565 they gave birth to James VI, whom would become heir to the Scottish throne and later the English throne as well. However Mary's husband Darnley grew unhappy with his status as king consort and began to conspire against Mary with other protestants.

In 1567 Darnley was mysteriously killed in an explosion at Kirk O'Field. Although the crime remains unsolved many Scottish nobility placed the blame on Mary and her confidant Lord Bothwell. In a desperate attempt to seize power Bothwell abducted, raped, and married the willing Queen Mary. However this quickly infuriated the Scottish nobility who captured and imprisoned Mary, while Bothwell was forced into exile. Mary was left with no other choice but to abdicate her throne to her throne to her son James, who would eventually become king of both Scotland and England.

Mary's Final Years in England

In 1568 she eventually managed to escape her imprisonment from the Lochleven castle in Scotland. She was able to raise an army against the nobility however was defeated and forced to flee to England. She turned to her cousin Queen Elizabeth for help, of whom she once felt great animosity towards. However Elizabeth was unwilling to help her cousin and for political reasons she imprisoned Mary for the next 18 years.

During this time there were many Catholic plots to free Mary and assassinate Elizabeth. One of the most infamous of these plots was the Babington Plot in 1586, in which Mary consented with Anthony Babington to assassinate Queen Elizabeth. However the plot was foiled when their letters were intercepted. Mary was tried and found guilty for conspiring against Queen Elizabeth. She was put to death by beheading on Feb 7th 1587 at the age of 44. Her legacy is disputed however her son James went on to rule Scotland longer than any monarch had before him.