Product Description

A dramatic reinterpretation of the life of Mary, Queen of Scots. Crowned Queen of Scotland at nine months of age, and Queen of France at 16, at 18 Mary ascended the throne that was her birthright and began ruling one of the most fractious courts in Europe, riven by religious conflict and personal lust for power. She rode out at the head of an army in both victory and defeat; saw her second husband assassinated, and married his murderer. She was a woman so magnetic, so brilliant in conversation that her cousin, Elizabeth I, refused to meet her in the course of their lifetimes for fear of being overshadowed or outwitted. At 25 she entered captivity at the hands of her rival queen, from which only death would release her. The life of Mary Stuart is one of unparalleled drama and conflict. From the labyrinthine plots laid by the Scottish lords to wrest power for themselves, to the efforts made by Elizabeth's ministers to invalidate Mary's legitimate claim to the English throne, John Guy returns to the archives to explode the myths and correct the inaccuracies that surround this most fascinating monarch. He also explains a central mystery: why Mary would have consented to marry - only three months after the death of her second husband, Lord Darnley - the man who was said to be his killer, the Earl of Bothwell. He also solves, through careful re-examination of the Casket Letters, the secret behind Darnley's spectacular assassination at Kirk o'Field. With great pathos, Guy illuminates how the imprisoned Mary's despair led to a reckless plot against Elizabeth - and thus to her own execution. The portrait that emerges is not of a political pawn or a manipulative siren, but of a shrewd and charismatic young ruler who relished power and, for a time, managed to hold together a fatally unstable country. The book is a work of historical scholarship that offers radical new interpretations of an ancient story.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #12160 in Books
• Published on: 2004-08-02
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 608 pages

The Times
'...because Guy understands her context, he can bring the queen to life with the vividness of a seafront snap.'

Peter Ackroyd, The Times
'An absorbing biography … meticulously researched… scholarly and intriguing.'

John Adamson, Daily Telegraph
'Certain to be a bestseller, and deservedly so. Rarely have first-class scholarship and first-class storytelling been so effectively combined.'

Customer Reviews

A hugely impressive piece of research.
Although the title makes you think of a romantic novel, this is a robust and intricate examination of Mary's life. She comes across as a sensitive, passionate, moderate woman who tried to deal with the powerful religious and political factions in her country and find a middle way in her dealings with them. The way she fell victim to the power-politics of her time is truly tragic. Film-makers could not invent such a dramatic, involving and complex story. This is miles better than fiction.
I did the tour of Holyrood Palace while I was reading this biography and to visit her rooms where Rizzio was murdered and see the stairway his body was bundled down, was really moving and awe-inspiring.

Nothing else left to read on the subject.
There is an accepted way that Mary's life story usually goes; Sent to France, spoilt, married the heir and became queen, husband died, mother-in-law hated her, moved back to Scotland as Queen, did ok for a bit, fell in love with Darnley, killed him and ran off with one of her co-conspirators in his murder, Scotland rebelled, chased her into England where she was captured by Elizabeth and then executed many years later for plotting Elizabeth's death.
A fascinating story however it's told, but you're often left wondering how this woman could be so stupid.
John Guy's riveting book does more than just shed light on the rumours and misinformation that has always surrounded this most intriguing of Queens; he re-writes history. But this is no bad thing. He doesn't re-write it to fit some jumped up theory of his but through exhaustive research and analysis he blows all other biographies of Mary out of the water.
Whenever I'd read about Mary before I'd always wondered how someone so obviously intelligent could start so well and finish so badly. She was undoubtedly spoilt and far more flighty and romantic than the focussed, driven and politically-minded Elizabeth. But this was never enough to explain the incomprehensible blunders she appeared to make, time and time again.
John Guy explains these 'blunders' so well that you begin to understand they were not blunders at all, merely a woman in a difficult situation doing the best she could while being pulled between factions and manipulated.
If there is one criticism I would direct at John Guy it would be that he has taken all the mystery away from her story. There is no more to debate, no more to speculate on. It is all laid out here so clearly and convincingly it's left nothing more to read about her.
Mary is no doubt looking down with a smile on her face and sighing 'Finally!'

My Heart is my own
The Life of Mary Queen of Scots is a compelling read, whether you are after an historically accurate account of the life of this charismatic Queen, or you enjoy historical novels, this book delivers. Completely 'un-put-downable' this has been one of the very best books I have read this year.

I am willing to bet that no reader will be disapointed.