My name is Mary Stuart and I was born on December 8, 1542 at Linlithgow Palace in Scotland to James V of Scotland and Marie de Guise of Lorraine as their third child. They had two sons before me, however unfortunately, they both died when they were infants. My paternal-side family, Stuarts are of a Normandic origin and traces back to Robert the Bruce, King Robert II of Scotland in 14th century. My mother's family held much power in the French court, and she always consulted with her two brothers, Charles, Cardinal of Lorraine and Francis, Duke of Guise. It was the second marriage for both, and the union was to enforce the alliance between Scotland and France. But then the unexpteced happened. My father died right after my birth, and I ascended to the Scottish throne at 6 days old.
My birth on December 8, 1542
The Scotland Crown, the oldest regalia in Great Britain
My coronation on September 9, 1543 by Cardinal Beaton
Henry VIII of England had always felt threatened by the Franco-Scottish alliance against England and tried to betroth his son Edward Prince of Wales to me. Alarmed by this offer, my mother, now a regent, quickly sought an engagement with a French Dauphin, Francis de Valois, a son of Henri II of France and Catherine de Medicis. This caused the England's large-scale intimidation called "Rough Wooing" and the Protestants uprising in Scotland.
My mother, Marie de Guise
My mother felt an urgent need to protect me from the Protestant rebels and finally sent me to France to raise me as a Catholic. As a child, I had four young girls that my mother chose for me as my companions: Mary Seton, Mary Beaton, Mary Fleming and Mary Livingstone. They all had close connections to the House of Stuart and France and were called "Four Maries". I set sail for France with my Four Maries and landed there on August 13, 1548. Thus my days in France started when I was five and there spent the happiest days in my entire life. I grew up with my future husband Francis and his siblings at the French Royal Nursery and received the perfect education that one could ask for. I particularly excelled in languages and poetry, and my poetic talent was praised by Pierre de Ronsard, who was then considered the most notable poet at the French Court.
Francis de Valois, the future Francis II of France and my betrothed
Arms of alliance between France and Scotland
On April 24, 1558, when I was 15 and Francis was 14, we were married at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. About a year after our elaborate ceremony, on June 30, 1559, my father-in-law, Henri II of France, attended a joust match in honor of his daughter, Elizabeth's marriage to King Philip of Spain. During the match, he received a fatal wound to his left eye by a sliver from his opponent and after much suffering and devoted care of his surgeon, he died on July 10, 1559.
At Henri II's death bed: I am seen in the background with other family members.
With Francis at our coronation
My husband Francis succeeded the French throne and on Monday, September 18, 1559, we were crowned as King and Queen of France in Reims. His mother, Catherine was appointed as his regent but my uncle Francis de Guise also held much power in court. But Francis's health was weak and he died from an ear infection in Orléans on December 5, 1960 at the age of 16, leaving me childless. My mother-in-law, Catherine de Medicis, sent me back to Scotland so that my mother's family, the ultra-Catholic Guises would not gain more power through me.
My arrival at Port Leith on August 19, 1561
My entry into Edinburgh on the same day
After I returned to Scotland in August 1561 at 18, I realized that I was facing a new challenge. The Protestants hated me for being Catholic and French, and John Knox denied my right to a Catholic mass. But the first two years of my reign passed without any troubles, until I married my cousin, Henry Stuart, the 19-year-old Lord Darnley and the Duke of Albany.
John Knox and me
I did not usually meet a man taller than me, since my height was unusually tall for a woman in my days. I was 5 foot 11 inches and a half to be exact. When I saw this tall, handsome man with bright blue eyes and a royal heritage, I was stunned. At 6 foot 2 inches, he stood taller than me even with my heels on. As a young widow, however, I failed to recognize his true personalities. He was smart, but too immature (well, he was a teenager) and soon started to show his ambition to seize power all to himself.
Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley
Elizabeth contested my marriage to Henry insisting that such a person would be a disgrace to my throne. She had another important reason to oppose. Henry and I were both great grandchildren of Henry VII of England, so she thought our union would pose a strong threat to her English throne. She recommended me to marry Sir Robert Dudley, her horse master and a Prostestant. I found it insulting that my fellow Queen would ask me to marry her servant.
Me and Darnley
Also, the Scottish nobles preferred me to wed a Scotman. Even though Henry was raised in England, he had the Stuart bloodline and most importantly, a Catholic. We tied the knot at Holyrood in July 29, 1565 and had a son James the following year on June 19, 1566 after a very difficult delivery. I wonder that was because I went through a lot while pregnant.
My entourage in Scotland
When I was about six-month pregnant, I was having a dinner with my private secretary, David Rizzio, in my side room of my bedchamber at Holyrood. Henry and his men stormed in and bludgeoned Rizzio to death in front of me. My husband had always been jealous that I favoured Rizzio and thought we were too close. He also clearly had the intent to kill me and our unborn baby by attempting to induce a miscarriage for the sake of my Scottish throne and perhaps the English. After the horrific incident, I stayed away from Henry. He also had contracted Syphilis, so I had a legitimate reason to avoid him.
Rizzio's murder
The birth of my Son, James on June 19, 1566
James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell, was a brave militant who also served my mother along with his father, Patrick. He was an accomplished sailor and a fierce fighter against the English. My mother always thought highly of his skill as a commander and his loyalty, so I trusted him. He was often arrogant, self-centered and tough, but I loved his loyalty and charisma. There was something that connected us really strongly since the beginning. We first met at the French Court when I was just 16 and he was 24, but the flame was not ignited until we met again in Scotland. We started to develop strong emotion for each other, and we became close especially after Rizzio's murder.
Me and Bothwell when we first met
The rest is history. On February 10, 1567, Henry was murdered with explosive materials at Kirk O'Field where he was recovering from smallpox, and Bothwell and I were held accountable. Whether or not Bothwell was involved, I am not sure. I seriously doubt his association with the plot. He was said to have hated Henry, but he also had a lot to lose by killing him. His reputation, his marriage, my favor and his place in court. He was a proud Scotman with honor and dignity and disliked such act as plotting, resulting in his isolation in court from other Scottish nobles who constantly schemed to gain power. And I, Mary Stuart, a descendant of Robert the Bruce and a proud member of the Royal House of Stuart, here attest by the Grace of God that I had NOTHING to do with such a plot.
James Stewart, Earl of Moray; a bastard son of my father, the late James V. He was later assassinated in Linlithgow in 1570 by my supporter.
I believe that he was set up by people we both knew and had been closely working with. That includes my half-brother, Earl of Moray, who were plotting with Henry to kill me and my son James. As soon as Moray started to see that Henry had become a problem, he then began to plot against him. Now that my son, Prince James is born, he no longer needed Henry to seize power. Moray and his men, most notably, James Douglas, Earl of Morton, constantly encouraged Bothwell to turn against me to execute his plan to overthrow me and crown my son, so that he could serve as his regent. Bothwell, having been so loyal and faithful to me, refused. Perhaps his love for me was so strong, or it was because of his faith that he swore to my mother whom he served. But our strong bond was to be used by Moray and his men for their next plot.
James Douglas, Earl of Morton; he was involved in both Rizzio and Henry's murders. He was later executed by my Son during his reign.
Kirk O'Field murder: the sketch of the crime scene
It is a historical fact that I married Bothwell three months after Henry's death. People always wonder why I married the main suspect of my second husband murder case in such a hasty manner. This was Scotland after all, unlike England where female monarchs were more accepted. The Scottish nobles always preferred their Queen to be married. They also disliked foreign matches, and Bothwell was the only suitable mate with an established record in Scotland. Moray and his men encouraged Bothwell to ask my hands in marriage knowing that he had a true desire to be with me. I, however, disappointed him by turning down his proposal since I knew marrying him at the time would be a political suicide.
Me and Moray
Moray had already accused Bothwell of killing the King, and formed an army to remove him from his position. I had a choice to either abandon my faithful servant, or unite with him and fight against my half-brother. I chose the latter and honor. Bothwell was the only one who would have sacrificed not only his life, but also his honor for me. I wanted to do the same for him. Did I have a life-long love for him? Yes, absolutely. Did I show the love he deserved? No. While having intense feelings for him inside, I often acted in the way that a soverign should act in front of a servant. This caused difficulties in our relationship, as it hurt his pride and feelings. Perhaps our love for each other was too intense for us to show, for we were two very proud people. And giving in to the corruption within the Scottish nobles was also not an option for us.
James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell; he also occupied such high positions as Lord High Admiral of Scotland and Sheriff of Edinburgh.
My third marriage to the love of my love should have been the most ecstatic experience of my life, however, our Protestant wedding ceremony on May 15, 1567 was a rather solemn one. I was seen by close friends acting distressedly, and that's because I just knew what was coming. We quickly made a refuge to Borthwick Castle, located 12 miles east of Edinburgh, to get away from Moray and his army.
Borthwick Castle, near Edinburgh
The rival army demanded me to abandon Bothwell. I refused since I was already pregnant with his twins, whom I miscarried soon after. Giving births to illegitimate children was simply out of questions. Other Scottish nobles, who were not aware of the plot, strongly opposed my third marriage. They acknowledged the forged letters (Casket Letters) to be sufficient enough to assume our guilt in Darnley’s murder.
Casket letters were said to be kept in this silver box. The original letters were assumed to be obtained and destroyed by my Son James.
My third marriage to Bothwell
Moray and the infuriated Scots formed an army to overthrow me so that my Son James can govern Scotland, having Moray as his regent. In June 1567, on a hot sunny day, Bothwell and I raised our troop and fought the rival army at Carberry Hill, located a few miles east of Edinburgh. Bothwell was known to be a brave soldier and a skilled commander, however, I was taken as a captive and Bothwell decided to go to Dunbar, his stronghold, to rally support. I still remember when we parted. We embraced and kissed each other for a long time not knowing that we would never see each other again.
The Battle of Carberry Hill
Soon after his departure, I was taken to Edinburgh by the rival army and forced to abdicate my throne to my Son James. Bothwell tried hard to rescue me, however, he had an arrest warrant on himself which forced him to flee Scotland to Norway, never to return to the land he so loved. He later died in a prison cell at Dragsholm Castle in Denmark in April 1578.
My abdication
The year 1567 turned out to be the most difficult year of my entire life. Historians often say, "Queen was just 24, but her life was practically over." It is true. Between 1565 and 1567, too much happened to me both emotionally and physically. Two marriages, two murders, a birth of my son, a miscarriage of my twins and abdication. After being imprisoned at Lochleven Castle by Moray, I escaped and raised an army, but was defeated on May 1568 at the Battle of Langside.
Lochleven Castle
My escape to England
I finally decided to flee Scotland to seek help. I had a choice either go to France or England. I knew this had to be one of the most crucial decisions I needed to make, but against all advice, I chose England. This was the beginning of my 19-year-long captivity that took place in various parts of England. During this most trying time, I suffered from arthritis and depression. I was also constantly monitored by the English spies who sought any opportunities to charge me for treason as I was constantly tricked into expressing support for a plot to assassinate my cousin, Elizabeth.
Sir Walshingham
Elizabeth, my Tudor cousin. Although we never met, our fates were intensely interwined. If only we did not find each other in such a circumstance, we would have been great sister cousins.
A forged letter from Babington Plot
Sir Francis Walshingham, an English spymaster for Elizabeth, was certainly a shrewd schemer. In 1586, he managed to forge a letter against me and Anthony Babington, a young noble who tried to help me out of captivity. In no time, Babington and his men were executed in the same horrendous way as Sir William Wallace. Meanwhile, Walshingham and William Cecil, an English politician, finally succeeded in persuading Elizabeth to sign the warrant for my execution.
The warrant to order my execution
Being led to the scaffold at Fotheringhay Castle
I was wearing this red petticoat under the black velvet gown on the day of my redemption.
My ladies-in-waiting who accompanied me till the end: Lady Jane Kennedy and Lady Elizabeth Curle. Those tears you shed for me that day forever remain with my soul.
On the morning of February 8, 1587, I could not be happier. I was ready to go. The actual physical pain to sever my neck didn't bother me much. Finally I was free. Free from pain, tragedies and chaos. Though I acknowledge that I made many mistakes during my short life of 44 years, I know that I am forgiven by God and people I loved. As much as I am proud of my regal blood that runs through my veins, which not only traces to Robert the Bruce, but far back to Charlemagne, I am a proud Scot more than anything. My veins, heart and spirit are filled with the Scottish pride. My life was full of tragedies, sorrow and pain, and enduring those challenges was not easy. But seeing my Son took over my will and reigned over England for 22 years, and the five Stuart Kings (and Queens) who followed him, I am happy that my own suffering did not end up in vain. Although I consider Elizabeth as one of the best monarchs ever ruled, I cannot see me living my life without love. If I were given an opportunity to start over, I would still choose to live like a woman and die like a Queen, with much courage, pride and honor.
The 322nd anniversary of my death at Fotheringay Castle on February 8th, 1909; I truly appreciate those gentlemen for attending.
"For Mary's quest is halted and faulted by her love of Bothwell, whereas her son James succeeds where she fails because he learns that to show love, mercy or compassion is a weakness. The human condition is very delicate and that to achieve a balance between love and control is never easy. The grace and beauty of Mary's journey is an inspiration, because in spite of her fallibility, she sacrifices herself to save her son, her lover and ultimately to save her kingdom." - Gub Neal, Producer for BBC drama "Gunpowder, Treason and Plot"
My Quotes: "Remember Gentlemen, the Theatre of history is wider than the Realm of England" - at my trial.
"I thank you for such welcome news. You will do me great good in withdrawing me from this world out of which I am very glad to go...all my life I have had only sorrow...If I swear on the book which I believe to be the true version, will your lordship not believe my oath more than if I were to swear on a translation in which I do not believe?" - upon receiving the death sentence
"Well, Jane Kennedy, did I not tell you this would happen? I knew they would never allow me to live, I was too great an obstacle to their religion." - to my lady-in-waiting, Lady Jane Kennedy
My Prayer: "Keep us, Oh God, from pettiness; let us be large in thought, in word, in deed. Let us be done with fault-finding and leave off self-seeking. May we put away all pretense and meet each other, face to face, without self-pity and without prejudice. May we never be hasty in judgement and always generous. Let us take time for all things; make us to grow calm, serene, gentle. Teach us to put in action our better impulses - straight forward and unafraid. Grant that we may realize it is the little things of life that create difficulties; that in the big things of life we are as one. Oh, Lord, let us not forget to be kind. Amen."
My last words: "In My End is My Beginning", and right before the axe fell over, "Into thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit."