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How historically accurate is Josie Rourke’s 2018 film “Mary Queen of Scots” starring Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie?
I have at last seen ‘Mary Queen of Scots’ in the cinema! As a piece of entertainment I thoroughly enjoyed it. The highlights are the spectacular acting of Saoirse Ronan…
Why did Mary Queen of Scots marry the Earl of Bothwell?
Historians have puzzled long and hard to establish Mary Queen of Scots‘s motive for marrying the Earl of Bothwell after the murder of her husband Lord Darnley. Contemporary evidence from…
Why did Elizabeth I hesitate when signing the death warrant of Mary Queen of Scots?
Following Mary Queen of Scots‘ imprisonment in England, William Cecil, the English Secretary of State, looked for a means of preventing her from succeeding Elizabeth on the English throne as…
Why did Elizabeth I have Mary Queen of Scots executed?
Following the murder of Henry Lord Darnley, the husband of Mary Queen of Scots, Mary failed to arrange a proper investigation into a crime generally thought to have been planned…
What crime was Mary Queen of Scots executed for?
Mary Queen of Scots was deposed from the Scottish throne while imprisoned at Lochleven Castle. She was not brought to trial in Scotland but was implicated in the…
Why did Scotland invite Mary Queen of Scots back from France after the death of her husband Francis II?
Mary Queen of Scots spent her early years in Scotland, having succeeded to the throne as an infant after the death of her father, James V. In 1547, the Scottish…
An Introduction to Robert Stedall’s New Book “Mary Queen of Scots’ Downfall – The Life and Murder of Henry, Lord Darnley”
There are very few books that have been written on the life of Lord Darnley, and very little was known about him prior to his marriage to Mary Queen of…
Was Mary Queen of Scots able to spend time with James before her imprisonment, and how was James supervised afterwards?
James VI of Scotland, son Mary Queen of Scots, was born between 10 and 11 in the morning on 19 June 1566 at Edinburgh Castle. He was handed over…
The Looks and Personality of Henry, Lord Darnley
It is generally assumed that Henry, Lord Darnley was extremely good looking, captivating Mary Queen of Scots as soon as she set eyes upon him. He was the son of…
Did Mary Queen of Scots play a role in Lord Darnley’s murder?
With her precious son, Prince James having been born in 1566, there is no doubt that Mary wanted to be rid of her husband Lord Darnley. She approached Maitland, her…
A Review of “The Challenge to the Crown” by The Stewart Society
‘The Challenge to the Crown’ was recently reviewed in ‘The Stewarts’ (Vol. 24 No3 2014), the magazine of the The Stewart Society. It was reviewed by Geordie Burnett Stuart, a…
Feuding of the Scottish Nobility in the 16th Century
During the Sixteenth Century feuding between rival Scottish clans caused catastrophic problems between them, generally resulting in the Crown having to step in to settle matters. In researching The Challenge…
The Battle of Langside – 13 May 1568
On 2nd May 1568, Mary Queen of Scots escaped from Lochleven Castle, where she had been imprisoned for ten months after being arrested and deposed from the Crown by members…
What Happened to the Duke of Orkney (Earl of Bothwell) after Carberry Hill?
On 15th July 1567, the forces of Mary Queen of Scots and her third husband, the Duke of Orkney (Earl of Bothwell)*1 surrendered to the Scottish nobles at Carberry Hill….
The Affair of Janet Stewart, the Lady Fleming with Henry II of France
While researching for my book ‘The Challenge to the Crown‘, I came across this story concerning Janet Stewart, Mary Queen of Scots’ aunt, who also served as her Governess, when…
Win a FREE SIGNED copy of ‘The Challenge to the Crown’ in our Goodreads Book Giveaway
UPDATE (2014-04-12): The Giveaway has now ended – thanks to the 954 people who who entered! Congratulations if you are one of the 10 winners – your signed, first edition,…
A map of the city of Edinburgh from the time of Mary, Queen of Scots
At about 2.00am on 10th February 1567, there was a massive explosion at the collegiate buildings of Kirk o’ Field being occupied by Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, King Consort of…
Was Mary Queen of Scots involved in the murder of her husband Lord Darnley?
When trying to understand the life of Mary Queen of Scots, generations of historians have puzzled over one important question – was Mary involved in her husband Henry Stuart, Lord…
Lady Margaret Douglas and the Lennox Jewel
This article arises from research that I did for my book ‘The Challenge to the Crown’ and its sequel ‘The Survival of the Crown’. Both books discuss the position of…
What happened to “the four Marys” (Beaton, Seton, Fleming, and Livingston) after the death of their lady, Mary, Queen of Scots?
The four ‘Maries’ accompanied Mary Queen of Scots as a child to France in 1548 and remained her closest lifelong friends. Mary Beaton was the daughter of the head of…
The Complexity of the Entail to the Earldom of Morton
On the death of James Douglas 3rd Earl of Morton in 1550 the title did not pass, as might be expected, to the eldest of his three daughters, Margaret, the…
The Bath of Diana
On 30 June 1559, Henry II of France arranged a spectacular jousting tournament at the Palais de Tournelles, his residence in Paris, as part of the celebrations for two marriages….
The Atholl Inheritance
In researching for my book “The Survival of the Crown“, the second volume of my history of Mary Queen of Scots and James VI, I came across the complex efforts made by…
The Erskine Claim to the Earldom of Mar
When I started writing ‘The Challenge to the Crown‘, I undertook a significant amount of research into my wife’s grandmother’s family, the Erskines. The Erskines laid claim to the Earldom…
The Rothes Inheritance
In researching my history of Mary Queen of Scots in The Challenge to the Crown, I became confused that the Earl of Rothes, who was a loyal adherent of Lord…
Differences between the Ogilvys and the Gordons
Sir John Gordon’s attempt to claim the estates of Ogilvy of Cardell In researching my book ‘The Challenge to the Crown’, I came across the story of Sir John Gordon’s…
“The Challenge to the Crown” featured in two-page spread in The Daily Mail newspaper
Jim McBeth published a two-page article about “The Challenge to the Crown” in the June 16th issue of The Daily Mail. It can be viewed below: [gview file=”http://www.maryqueenofscots.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Jim.McBeth.Daily_.Mail_.Robert.Stedall.Challenge.to_.the_.Crown_.Article.2012.06.16.pdf”]
- How historically accurate is Josie Rourke’s 2018 film “Mary Queen of Scots” starring Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie?
- Why did Mary Queen of Scots marry the Earl of Bothwell?
- Why did Elizabeth I hesitate when signing the death warrant of Mary Queen of Scots?
- Why did Elizabeth I have Mary Queen of Scots executed?
- What crime was Mary Queen of Scots executed for?
- Why did Scotland invite Mary Queen of Scots back from France after the death of her husband Francis II?
- An Introduction to Robert Stedall’s New Book “Mary Queen of Scots’ Downfall – The Life and Murder of Henry, Lord Darnley”
- Was Mary Queen of Scots able to spend time with James before her imprisonment, and how was James supervised afterwards?
- The Looks and Personality of Henry, Lord Darnley
- Did Mary Queen of Scots play a role in Lord Darnley’s murder?
- A Review of “The Challenge to the Crown” by The Stewart Society
- Feuding of the Scottish Nobility in the 16th Century
- The Battle of Langside – 13 May 1568
- What Happened to the Duke of Orkney (Earl of Bothwell) after Carberry Hill?
- The Affair of Janet Stewart, the Lady Fleming with Henry II of France
- Win a FREE SIGNED copy of ‘The Challenge to the Crown’ in our Goodreads Book Giveaway
- A map of the city of Edinburgh from the time of Mary, Queen of Scots
- Was Mary Queen of Scots involved in the murder of her husband Lord Darnley?
- Lady Margaret Douglas and the Lennox Jewel
- What happened to “the four Marys” (Beaton, Seton, Fleming, and Livingston) after the death of their lady, Mary, Queen of Scots?
- The Complexity of the Entail to the Earldom of Morton
- The Bath of Diana
- The Atholl Inheritance
- The Erskine Claim to the Earldom of Mar
- The Rothes Inheritance
- Differences between the Ogilvys and the Gordons
- “The Challenge to the Crown” featured in two-page spread in The Daily Mail newspaper