Mary, Queen of Scots (1542-1587)


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If Mary and Francis II had a son,he would have been brought up in France as he would have succeeded his father as King of France,whilst his mother was still the queen of Scotland.What would happen in Scotland after his mother died is a wild guess but I'd think a shrewd Guise uncle as Regent with a French army!
 
On the next week tv schedule

The Last Days of Mary. Queen of Scots
Thursday 9th April on Channel 5 from 8:00pm to 9:00pm

Writers, thinkers and historians explore the downfall and legacy of six giants of history. In this episode, John Guy, Kate Williams, Robert Hutchinson and others battle out the legacy of Britain's most tragic queen. Was Mary Queen of Scots, brutally beheaded at only 44, a victim of her cousin Elizabeth's treachery, or the author of her own destruction?
Documentary
 
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This is all very interesting. Although Reign on Netflix is only based on history, I a sad that it has been cancelled just as Mary arrived in Scotland from France.
 
padams2359 said:
This is all very interesting. Although Reign on Netflix is only based on history, I a sad that it has been cancelled just as Mary arrived in Scotland from France.
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Reign isn't a Netflix produced show. It airs on the CW network. The past episodes are on Netflix. The new season which will be its last starts Feb 10 on the CW. It covers the Scotland and feud with Elizabeth.
 
First of all Elizabeth is buried with her sister Mary. James did give his Mom the bigger monument.

In fairness to James 1, his feelings towards his mom had to have been complicated she married more than likely his dad's murderer.

When Mary did this all of Scotland Catholic and Protestant were horrified. Pamphlets of Baby James by fathers body avenge me!


Many felt James made sense because not only did he have the best claim by birth but he was also an experienced King. So he would know what to do. I read somewhere that before the Scots crowned him Elizabeth considered adopting him herself.

It was in the end the perfect situation she did not have to train an heir.
 
Have read a lot about Mary of late, just finished John Guy bio, which is detailed and well-written and pretty much pro Mary. I get a picture of her in my mind as a flighty, highly emotional young woman who was determined to wear a crown, any crown lol. She would have had a much better chance of survival in my opinion if she had kept her mouth shut about the English throne, even if that was always her goal but proclaiming herself Q of E at every turn did her no favors. And obviously she should not have married Bothwell...even Mr. Guy could not really explain that little bit of nightmare decision making.
 
Instead of marrying Bothwell, would Queen Mary have done better by marrying a foreign royal?
 
CyrilVladisla said:
Instead of marrying Bothwell, would Queen Mary have done better by marrying a foreign royal?
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My guess would be no in as far as her bid for English crown...and their loathing of foreign royals. Not sure she could do anything right after Darnley's murder.
 
Isn't the marriage to Bothwell thought to have been forced on Mary though? And which foreign Royal if Mary did choose one? Those sort of unions were always contentious. Look at Mary I and Philip of Spain. And Scotland and its elite was always in such a state of turmoil at this period that there's no guarantee that such a marriage would have been accepted anyway.
 
Curryong said:
Isn't the marriage to Bothwell thought to have been forced on Mary though? And which foreign Royal if Mary did choose one? Those sort of unions were always contentious. Look at Mary I and Philip of Spain. And Scotland and its elite was always in such a state of turmoil at this period that there's no guarantee that such a marriage would have been accepted anyway.
Click to expand...

To me, her best bet would be not to remarry since she had the male heir as no foreigner was going to kept alive long in Scotland in those days. But that might have worked only if Darnley had died of natural causes. After his murder and rumors of her possible knowledge of it before the fact, she was doomed. No foreigners were willing to get involved by that point. If she could have rounded up another English noble maybe...but again the murder ruined her chances.

In any event Scotland was too fractious for her to recover after that. I think she may have ended up having to flee even if she had not married Bothwell.

Still...these are just my opinions from all I have read from both "sides" about Mary. Her main flaw seemed to be allowing her heart to rule her behavior . The marriage to Bothwell was not done in secret but made into a huge event that she apparently orchestrated so how unwilling she was is doubtful.
 
Yes, I agree that Mary's heart ruling her head was a major flaw in her role as a monarch. She had little judgement IMO. With few exceptions Elizabeth I was the direct opposite. Of course, Elizabeth's nobles weren't in constant turmoil and revolt...
 
Curryong said:
Isn't the marriage to Bothwell thought to have been forced on Mary though? And which foreign Royal if Mary did choose one? Those sort of unions were always contentious. Look at Mary I and Philip of Spain. And Scotland and its elite was always in such a state of turmoil at this period that there's no guarantee that such a marriage would have been accepted anyway.
Click to expand...

Opinions vary. some say that Bothwell raped her and she had no choice... Others say that the rape was a put up job because she had been sleeping with Bothwell and was pregnant or at least wanted to marry him. however, I think that even if she did want to marry him, within a very short time, his crude character and violence of nature killed off her short infatuation.. and when they had to part, after a while she was eager to get a divorce or annulment and move on...
 
Mary was a great grandaughter of Henry VII...Darnley listed as a great grandson of same. Why was she so convinced she was the Q of E? Seems like there were a lot of cousins floating around with similarly-strength claims, all less strong than Elizabeth, imo. And especially when Henry VIII’s will is factored in. How was her claim the strongest? Even the Greys seemed stronger to me.

I read yesterday in one of my many books that Elizabeth’s tough childhood, compared to Mary’s pampered one where she was always told she was queen of the world, practically, prepared Elizabeth far better for how the world works much better than Mary was. Makes sense to me.
 
The Greys had shown themselves to be very unsuitable. Mary was no Einstein but she was a queen and her being Eliz's heir would untite the 2 kingdoms...
 
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