Product Description

Mary Queen of Scots (1542-1587) is the tragic heroine par excellence. Previous writing about her has tended to focus on the religious aspects of her turbulent reign, and has been prone to Protestant or Catholic partisanship. In this book, James Mackay sets out to strip away much of the myths and distortions to produce a biography in keeping with late 1990's constitutional debate and the move towards Scottish devolution.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1914413 in Books
• Published on: 2000-10-05
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

Review
In this new and powerful biography of one of the more tragic figures of British history, MacKay strips away much of the prejudice and partisan scholarship which has always surrounded Mary. He paints a vivid picture of a queen who in her brief reign over Scotland, 1561-7, had to fend off a treacherous nobility, deal with the Reformation in religion and manage with few resources, but was still able to survive and produce an heir before being imprisoned for 20 years by her cousin Elizabeth I. MacKay's Mary is an impressive figure, neither the saintly martyr nor the weak incompetent of myth, and his account deals with all aspects of her reign and its relations with England. (Kirkus UK)