The movie Mary Queen of Scot s was based on his books My Heart is My Own: The Life of Mary Queen of Scots and Queen of Scots: The True Life of Mary Stuart. I am certain that my mother loved this book.History Scotland talks to historian Dr John Guy, whose books inspired the movie Mary Queen of Scots, about the misconceptions of Mary as queen.ĭr John Guy is a fellow of Clare College, University of Cambridge. For this treason Elizabeth executed her on February 8, 1587. Out of desperation she did participate in a plot to kill Elizabeth.

The lengthy confinement of Mary by Elizabeth eroded Mary’s beauty and health. Shortly before her imprisonment, Mary married the tempestuous Earl of Bothwell, who, ironically, was involved in Darnley’s assassination. Mary was unjustly accused of complicity in Darnley’s murder, ultimately giving Elizabeth I an excuse to imprison her. She then married the dissolute and hideous Robert Darnley, who was then murdered after fathering the future King of England, James VI. After the death of Francis II she left France for Scotland, where she became queen of the Scots. As a very young lady she wed the sickly Francis II and became the Queen of France. Mary’s biggest weakness was her choice of husbands. Mary, a Roman Catholic, was undercut by many, including the despicable John Knox, who makes me ashamed of my Presbyterian roots. Both monarchs were impressive, but Mary was thrust into an intolerable political and religious circumstance which arguably no monarch could survive. The author, John Guy, refutes this and portrays Mary as the political equal of Elizabeth. Until this book, published in 2004, history had judged Mary to be the intellectual and emotional inferior to her rival and cousin, Queen Elizabeth I of England. My mother would certainly be bemused by the fact that I am reviewing this splendid biography of Mary Queen of Scots. When I did so, she would sigh and rightly regard me as a hopeless dolt. On occasion when we did have a discussion on this, I would inevitably put the kings and queens in the wrong chronology and often place them in the wrong century. She was a well-versed authority on the English monarchy and, frankly, intimidating in any conversation about the subject. I “borrowed” this book from my mother’s library after her death. QUEEN OF SCOTS: THE TRUE LIFE OF MARY STUART

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