Mary Queen of Scots

Book Review: Mary Queen of Scots’ Secretary by Robert Stedall

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Book Review by Sarah J. Hodder, This book centres around William Maitland, secretary to Mary Queen of Scots and one of the men around her who both supported her and, it seems, played a large part in engineering her downfall. I have long had an interest in Mary as a character, who seems to have been an incredibly strong woman who made some incredibly bad decisions. But I knew nothing about Maitland, other than perhaps his name, so was keen to find out how more about him and [More]

Elizabeth and Mary – Battling Down the Centuries (Guest Post)

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                 Guest article by Sarah Gristwood It would be hard to find two women about whom more has been written than Elizabeth Tudor and Mary Stuart - separately and, of course, together. I’ve written repeatedly of them both myself, in fiction as well as in factual history. Each a star turn, they are often presented as counterbalance to each other: Mary the heart to Elizabeth’s head. And which one you prefer isn’t only a matter of personal taste - pe [More]

A Rivalry in Letters: Mary and Elizabeth

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Guest article written by: Ryan Hunter Video et taceo. -Elizabeth I’s motto (“I see and keep silent”). Carry this message from me and tell my friends that I died a true woman to my religion, and like a true Scottish woman and a true French woman; but God forgive them that have long desired my end. -Mary Queen of Scots’ last words to her servants, 8 February 1587. Mary, Queen of Scots and Elizabeth I’s letters to each other were their only sources of communica [More]

Was Henry Stuart a Pawn?

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When you think of Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley a couple of things come to mind - his tumultuous marriage to Mary, Queen of Scots and his scandalous death that made Mary herself the prime suspect. But what do you know about Darnley prior to his marriage to the Queen of Scots? Henry Stuart was born the 7th of December 1545 to Margaret Douglas and her husband Matthew Stuart, 4th Earl of Lennox in England. Named after King Henry VIII, Darnley's mother was the daughter of [More]

Book Review: The Forgotten Tudor Women

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  While searching for books to add to my Christmas list I came across The Forgotten Tudor Women by Silvia Barbara Soberton. The book intrigued me because it was about three women in Tudor history that we often don't hear enough about - Margaret Douglas, Mary Howard and Mary Shelton. As you probably already know I recently wrote an article about Mary Howard and really enjoyed learning more about her during my research. All I had known prior to researching her was that [More]

The Thistle and the Rose: English Princess, Scottish Queen

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Part 3: Margaret Tudor, 2nd child and first daughter of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York (written October 2015)   On 28 November 1489, Henry VII and Elizabeth of York welcomed their first daughter, Princess Margaret. Margaret was named after her paternal grandmother Margaret Beaufort and was baptized at St. Margaret's Church in Westminster. As a princess, Margaret would play a pivotal role in political alliances. By Margaret's sixth birthday her father ha [More]