Mary__Queen_of_the_Scots,_and_Her_History

Mary Stuart. The Triple, Unfortunate, Queen of Scotland Tracey Spitzmueller Bell 5, Mr. Klotz, AP Europe Mary’s Life and Rule Mary Stuart was born to Mary of Lorraine (her namesake) and Henry VII. When Mar y of Lorraine’s previous husband, James V, died Mary found her second partner in Henry VII. 1 Due to Henry’s role in English royalty, Mary held hereditary hold over both the Scottish and English crowns. However, Mary never held the English crown and rarely sought it. At less than a week old Mary was crowned Queen of Scotland.2 With this status, it was originally planned for Mary to wed the son of Henry VIII. But this carefully thought out marriage was not meant to be. Henry demanded that Mary instantly be sent to England. The Scots refused, stating that she would go once she had reached the age of ten. An outraged Henry boosted the forces sent to oppose Scotland, furious at the Scots “refusal.” This aggression would be dubbed “The Rough Wooing”.1 Fearing for the young Queen, Mary is sent to Sterling Castle. Needing assistance, Mary of Lorraine, wrote to her brothers in France, in hopes of betrothing young Mary to the young French prince. The brothers agreed, knowing that, if successful, they would bring huge power to their niece, and most importantly, themselves. Young Mary is brought to France amid tumultuous battles between the Scottish and English.2 Mary was accompanied to France by her playmates and ladies (The Maries,) her nurses, nannies, and her servants.1 Sadly, Mar y of Lorraine stayed behind in hopes of keeping her nation secure during the English attacks.2 Mary would never see her mother again besides a final trip by her mother. Mary of Lorraine felt a small reassurance in the knowledge that Mary would now be brought up Catholic, the beloved religion of Mary of Lorraine. She knew she was giving her daughter the best she could as she envisioned three crowns falling upon the small head of her child. Her daughter could hold the English, Scottish, and French thrones! Arriving in Valois at age five, Mary was given a royal welcome. Mary was instantly embraced by the French peoples and was viewed by Henry as “the most perfect child he had ever seen.” 3 Mary soon met the young Dauphin she was to marry. Francis was an extremely sickly little boy, endlessly holding an earache and being a relatively weak-willed boy. Mary was unimpressed, however she was excited to meet her new “playmate.” Mary also instantly befriended young Elizabeth, the daughter of Henry.1Excited by this new and exciting home with what were surely the friendliest people she had met, Mary looked forward to her future with this family as “quite fun.”1 Many regarded her as one of the brightest, charming, and most mischievous girls that they had seen. Throughout her lessons Mary was accompanied by Elizabeth and the two grew extremely close. At the age of eleven, Mary was said to hold intelligence and charm befitting that of an older woman. By this time the family had basically fallen in love with the young Mary and regarded her as family. Not only was she to wed their Dauphin, but she also held Guise blood from her mother. 2 In 1558 Mary wed the Dauphine at age fifteen. A regal and lavish celebration followed and Mary was regarded as one of the most beautiful brides Valois had ever seen.1 She had become a stunning young woman. Surely Mary had begun to catch the interest of men (and possibly returned that interest) as she would throughout her life.2 Mary found another crown in 1559 when King Henry II died from a lance wound. 1 This death brought Francis to the throne. The grieving couple were now King and Queen of France.2 The excitement came to an abrupt standby when Mary’s mother died in the June of 1560. She had died at the age of 45. Just six months later, still suffering immensely from the loss of her beloved mother, Mary faced grief once more.1 Francis, complaining of a particularly painful earache, died of his illness.1 Mary had spent all of her time by his bedside during his ill moments and was devastated by this loss. She surely had loved Francis, and his death was particularly difficult. Mary was horror-struck as she faced these three sharp blows. Some of the most loved individuals in her life were gone. Mary soon realized she was no longer queen of France. Knowing she had no further role in France, Mary planned to return to a Scotland riddled with political and religious strife. She set out for Scotland on August 14th, 1561, and arrived five days later at the port of Edinburgh. 2 Mary was extremely determined to provide stability to Scotland.2 She particularly made sure to focus on religion.1 She would not allow religious persecution and her ultimate goal was to enable anyone to worship and see God as they chose.2 and 1 This can be seen as a comparison to the rule of her cousin, England’s Elizabeth. In Scotland, Mary was embraced with celebration.1 The Scottish peoples were joyous and jumped to embrace their rightful queen. Her charm and beauty were adored. Joyful to be accepted, Mary set to restoring the country at once. Within a year, one-sixth of all church payments were given to Protestant rulers to relieve them of the poverty they had suffereded throughout the struggles with the Catholics.2 Mary also attempted to raise her power against those of the manipulative nobles of Scotland, however she realized this would require further growth in the stability of Scotland.2 The end result of this movement led to much appreciation from the commoners, but a negative wave emerging from the nobles.2 and 1 Though she held a huge amount of persuasion, Mary tread cautiously with her rather dangerous policy of non-discrimination.1 She knew many would not agree with her ideas of unification. 2 Though she kept peace with relatively all countries, Mary found struggle with England. And ultimately within the kingdom itself. Mary had become all too aware of the increasing need for marriage. Her utmost priority was supplying an heir. Her next step in this priority was her marriage to Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley, in July of 1565. Darnley was a cousin of Mary and was also a grandchild of Henry VIII’s sister, Margaret. This man could supply an equal amount of power to Mary (at first he was sent to Mary as a reminder that Elizabeth held someone of equal power.) Darnley, at first wooing Mary with his apparent knightly traits, revealed himself as a pompous royal brat after they were married. It was seen by many that he worked for his own needs rather than that of the country, and was specifically unkind to his wife. However, Mary remained with her husband, feeling as if a new turn of events would make things “all the better.” Mary had discovered she was pregnant. When Mary was six months pregnant in the Christmas holidays, Darnley had become involved in a plot. Darnley had grown increasingly jealous of the queen’s new servant, Rizzio, and fell in among men who viewed Rizzio as the main distraction to the queen. Rizzio had become a hated man as many believed him to be somewhat of a scandalous figure. Darnley, seething with jealousy, began to involve himself in a plan to eliminate Darnley. During one of Mary’s many Christmas parties, Darnley arrived with a group of various Scottish nobles, who drug Rizzio out of the room and brutally murdered the man while a horrified Mary was taken to her chambers. Mary, unfurling the plot in her mind, realized that this plot most likely had an ulterior motive of Mary’s death. Darnley’s family members were specifically distrustful of Mary and would go to any stakes to eliminate her. This plan was, in all likelihood, plotted in hopes that it would shock Mary and cause her to have a miscarriage. While Mary realized this, her horror grew. Her husband had led these murderous plotters straight to her private chambers! She could never trust Darnley. His involvement in the murder of her close friend, Rizzio, only further deepened her loathing of him. (full paragraph-1 and 2) After the plot, Mary was held hostage in her own castle of Holyrood. The plotters would not release the queen, who many of them viewed as the “reward” of the plot. However, Mary tricked Darnley to reveal information.2 Using false tears and very convincing sobs, Mary managed to guilt Darnley into revealing the names and involvements of every plotter. 1 On top of this valuable information, Mary also gained the promise from Darnley that he would accompany her in an escape from her castle. 1 and 2 The two escaped from the castle, accompanied by various servants and captains under Mary. Three months later, Mary’s child was to be born. Mary Stuart’s son was born. His name was James and he would later become Scotland’s King James VI. Congratulations of the birth came from many of Mary’s fellow rulers. During December of 1566, James was baptized. 2 Mary, at her happiest and the climax of her life, had an heir! Meanwhile in England, Elizabeth watched with a somewhat jealous and sad view. She was much older than Mary and knew she would never hold an heir of her own. 2 The next heir was more likely to be James than a child of her own. But, as all else in Mary’s life, these happy times could only last so long… Mary’s next bout of troubles began when she fell in love with another man. After months of trying to distract herself and deny her feelings for Bothwell, she finally accepted her feelings and knew she had fallen in love with another man.3 As the two began a secret relationship, Mary soon made contact with several plotters. Furious that they had been given more blame for the plot of Rizzio (when Darnley had promised to take most of the responsibility) these plotters were more than happy to begin a plan with Mary. After Darnley fell ill, Mary took him to the small cottage of Kirk O Field.1 Here, Mary doted on her husband, acting every bit the loving and devoted wife. Darnley must have been surprised and ecstatic as his wife began to feel love for him again. Sadly, he even began to feel remorse and promised to himself he would be a great husband…However, on a night while Mary was away at a party, Darnley believed he had heard something in the house. Going to investigate, Darnley was attacked and killed. The plotters had reached their goal, with much help from Mary.3 Mary was now able to marry Bothwell. The two were married, however the marriage was not recognized by the Catholic church due to the circumstances with which it had come to pass. Mary refused to listen to the Catholic church.1 This marked only the beginning of Mary’s slow departure from the church’s tradition.1 Scotland was not happy with this new husband. Many nobles feared Bothwell would gain an overabundance of power and that he would influence the Queen.3 A battle was waged against Bothwell. The nobles, the leaders, and most of all, the people were fearful and hateful of Bothwell. 1 Soon after their marriage Mary’s forces clashed with those of rebel groups. It was demanded that Mary leave Bothwell, who it appeared would ruin her rule. With refusal, Mary had no choice but to turn herself over to rebels in hopes of avoiding bloodshed. While she was led away to Edinburgh as a prisoner, Bothwell rallied troops of his own. He would never see Mary again and the two shared a sad and somewhat loving farewell. While held prisoner Mary was forced to sign a document giving the crown over to her son. Her half-brother and often betrayer, James, was named regent. After a revelation that various nobles were responsible for the death of Darnley (the blame was not on Mary) Mary was able to gain many sympathies among individuals.1 After 10 years of imprisonment Mary had aid and made an escape. After a failed attempt to usurp power, Mary did not know where to turn. Believing Elizabeth to hold her in high regard and respect, Mary turned her sights to England.2 Though Elizabeth failed to invite Mary to England, nonetheless May arrived. Not knowing what to do upon her arrival Mary expectantly asked for lodging and proper clothing. She was answered with tattered clothing and a forced home. Elizabeth still held fear of Mary and viewed her as a possible threat. However she could not let her return to Scotland. Surely if Mary returned she would be ripped apart by the rule that had been taken from her. Mary was taken to various castles and abbeys, where she would spend the rest of her 15 years. Never one to allow herself to be penned in, Mary began to loath the English Queen who had forced this upon her. Mary began to become involved in many plots planning to either help her gain freedom or to harm Elizabeth in some way. Finally, with a spy reading through all her mail, Mary was caught during one of these planned plots. The plot involved the assassination of Elizabeth and the saving of Mary. Mary was asked to give up information of Elizabeth, and she was only too generous. Mary was caught and apprehended. She was put on trial and the verdict was unanimous. Mary was guilty of treason. Though Elizabeth, possibly out of pity and reluctance, did everything in her power to save Mary, she ultimately signed the document verifying the planned execution of Mary.1 At her last home, an abbey, Mary prepared herself for what was to come. On the morning of February 8th, 1587, Mary witnessed her last sunrise. She began various prayers and truly showed her Catholic loyalty.2 Comforting her servants, supporters, and friends as she was dressed and prepared, Mary must have felt much fear for what was to come. Mary was led across the Great Hall of Fotheringay Castle where a small dais had been built for her.2 As the executioner asked for her forgiveness, Mary must have kindly obliged, for this man was to be the release of her many years of turmoil.1 Uttering a final prayer, Mary was laid upon the dais with much help.1 Over the years she had developed rheumatism, causing her to gain weight and adding to the suffering she endured.1 As the axe was raised, Mary must have seen a light. For she was to be released and would gain the ultimate freedom which she so loved. The axe fell and Mary was no more. Positives of Mary Stuart While Mary held many harsh criticisms against her, she proved her worth as a ruler through the many years of stability that Scotland held under her rule. Mary brought ultimate religious freedoms and worked admirably to raise the religion she so loved, Christianity, to new heights. Before her rule battles of religion had raged throughout Scotland. These were relatively nullified under the rule of Mary, even though they still occurred. Mary held many troops which she began by ruling over efficiently. She held many under her who would remain loyal. She used her wit and charm to enchant many. Her personality shone through her early rule as her people eagerly embraced their beautiful Queen. Mary’s hard work, even through torturous marriages was proven with her battles for the benefit of herself and her country. She produced an heir, as was customary for her rule. Mary gained large support from the commoners of her country and strived to provide stability in her country to rival the manipulative nobles surrounding her. She brought protection from France and held the hearts of many. Mary’s rule brought much religious stability and provided a model for many of what Scotland could possibly become. She gave a possible threat to Elizabeth and encouraged others to follow their path through their personality. Her story was a tragic one, but throughout Mary struggled for the growth of a stable Scotland. Negatives of Mary Stuart Many of the criticisms aimed at Mary have certain amount of truth. She caused much turmoil with her actions, emotions, and the disloyalty of her fellows. Mary held many subjects, including those in her various troops. Some among these subjects would turn against their Queen when she began to fall from her power. Her various friends/husbands provided much turmoil with rumors and disagreements. An example can be seen in She seemed to take somewhat extreme steps based on her emotions. Examples include Rizzio, who grew to become one of the most disliked men in Scotland. Mary often held cohorts who were seen to be spies or usurpers against her religion. She did not change much in terms of the economy or education and focused most of her attention (while this was needed) on religion and the stabilization of Scotland. Mary’s need for pleasure caused much of a scandal as she planned frivolous parties and often flirted with men…while married. This need for pleasure led to many unwise decisions involving those “dear” to her. A list of her regretful actions can include the assassination of Darnley, the marriage of Bothwell, and her plots against Elizabeth with many plotters who wanted to “rescue her.” She could not seem to grasp the sense that she should ignore certain plots and people and Mary often included herself in various disputes that could have been avoided. An example is the feud erupting due to the denial of a separation from Bothwell. Mary was a bit foolish and jumped headfirst into events without thinking them through. Her relationships with Darnley and Bothwell could have been avoided had she allowed herself to see sense through her love. She held a mischievous side, as stated by many (while this may not necessarily have created any negativity directly, it likely was used in her flirting.) Mary’s unfortunate life really showed through her actions. As her life flowed downhill, so did her character. In her final years she could be seen yelling at her subjects who had betrayed her, behaving as if she was throwing a tantrum (at least in civilized views.) Her arrogance in her manipulation of men continued into her older years where she believed she could still woo many men. This arrogance and self-assurance caused misconception and much petty dislike. In most cases, Mary could be seen as responsible, but there WERE cases where Mary could be seen having frivolous parties or fun and disregarding outside events. In many ways, Mary created much distraction for herself as the years grew harsher for the beautiful Queen. Her beauty became a curse and her preoccupation became a downfall. Sources A(1) - Vance, Maguerite. Scotland's Queen-The Story of Mary Stuart. Toronto and Vancouver: Clarke, Irwin, & Company Limited, 1962. B(2) - Hanson, Marilee. "Mary, Queen of Scots: Biography". EnlishHistory.net. November 1st, 2009 . C(3) - Pollen, John Hungerford. "Mary Queen of Scots." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 9. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. 4 Nov. 2009 . Most of my information gathered was from source 1. It was enough of a challenge to find 2 more adequate sources. I could not include 5 more sources, mostly due to the already ridiculous length of this paper. :