The petted princess
On the night of February 9 1567, a trail of gunpowder was lit in the cellar of a house in the backstreets of Edinburgh. The explosion reduced the house to rubble and Lord Darnley, the husband of Mary, Queen of Scots, was murdered. Ever since, historians have debated whether Mary was involved in this outrage, and only recently has incriminating new evidence come to light. At the heart of the mystery lies treacherous politics of the Scottish Court, and love letters written by Mary to her secret paramour, James Hepburn, the Earl of Bothwell.
'...she knew little of the affairs of state and had neither the temperament nor training for rule.'
Mary left Scotland when she was just five to be betrothed to the four year-old Dauphin, Francis. She was already Queen of Scotland because her father, James V, had died when she was just six days old, leaving her French Catholic mother, Mary of Guise, acting as Regent. She eventually married Francis when she was 15 years old. A year later, following his father's untimely death in a jousting accident, Francis became King of France and she his Queen. But a year after that, Francis died of a brain tumour and his young widow had no option but to return to Scotland.
Her ill-fated rule began in August 1561, she was just 18 and already widowed, a petted princess of the French court who knew nothing of her native country. The Scottish court was much smaller than its French counterpart, then the most sophisticated in Europe, and Scotland was generally less appealing with its wild weather, harsh landscape and tribal politics. She spoke mostly French and was fond of typical courtly pursuits like dancing, masking, music and embroidery. She was also an expert rider, courageous, spirited and headstrong - some said frivolous - and used to getting her own way. But she knew little of the affairs of state and had neither the temperament nor training for rule.
Published: 2001-01-01
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