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Mary, Queen of Scots, and the Murder of Lord Darnley
by
Alison Weir
BONUS: This edition contains an excerpt from Alison Weir'sMary Boleyn.
Handsome, accomplished, and charming, Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, staked his claim to the English throne by marrying Mary Stuart, who herself claimed to be the Queen of England. It was not long before Mary discovered that her new husband was interested only in securing sovereign power for himself. Then,...more
Handsome, accomplished, and charming, Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, staked his claim to the English throne by marrying Mary Stuart, who herself claimed to be the Queen of England. It was not long before Mary discovered that her new husband was interested only in securing sovereign power for himself. Then,...more
ebook, 704 pages
Published
December 18th 2007
by Random House
(first published January 1st 2003)
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"En Ma Fingit Mon Commencement
In my end is my Beginning
Mary had this saying embroidered on her cloth of estate while in prison in England.
Mary was 6 days old when her father died and she was crowned Queen of the Scots. At age 15 she married Francis, dauphin of France, and he ascended the throne a year later. Just when events seemed to be going in Mary's favor Francis died after only 18 months as King. Mary was not that welcome in France due to fears she would make a play for the throne. She ret...more
This book is partly a biography of Mary Queen of Scots, and partly an indepth examination of the source material surrounding the explosive murder of her second husband, Lord Darnley, with some conclusions over who was involved.
I have been slowly ploughing through this over-long book. Although the title focusses on the murder of Lord Darnley, the early chapters are more of a biography as they go in great depth through Mary's early life and the actual murder comes quite late on in the book. Then t...more
I have been slowly ploughing through this over-long book. Although the title focusses on the murder of Lord Darnley, the early chapters are more of a biography as they go in great depth through Mary's early life and the actual murder comes quite late on in the book. Then t...more
I really enjoyed this book - I love Alison Weir. You might say I'm a "Weir"do! I've read several of her books and have always been pleased at the end, like my brain is happy to be receiving so much information. She researches so thoroughly - I love reading the bibliographies. I intern at a library and came across the History of Edinburgh published in the 16th century and wondered if she used that as a source and sure enough, it was there! We all know the Mary Story so I shant rehash it here. Her...more
This is not only one of my favorite Alison Weir historical works but also one of my favorite books, in general. All 688 pages of it (I read the hardcover). The overwhelming (but in a positive way) level of research, organization, sleuth-like discoveries, and yet cake batter smoothness of this book results in the perfect combination of informational read and entertainment.
Certainly a page turner, the only thing that kept me taking breaks while reading is that I didn't want to finish it! I've alw...more
Certainly a page turner, the only thing that kept me taking breaks while reading is that I didn't want to finish it! I've alw...more
Nov 05, 2011
Pete daPixie
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
history-scots,
conspiracy-schmiracy
I have encountered yet another historical work that bears accurately the maxim that truth is indeed stranger than fiction. I'm sure that the master of Scottish historical fiction, Sir Walter Scott would struggle to concoct a more dastardly series of plots that Alison Weir sets to untangle in her 2003 publication, 'Mary, Queen of Scots-and the Murder of Lord Darnley'. In fact it is a piece of Scott's verse which springs to mind, that sums up this book precisely. "Oh what a tangled web we weave, w...more
3 likes · like · see review
WOW! The research done for this book was fantastic. Weir does a good job of looking at all of the information available and extracting what was needed to 'solve' the mystery of Darnley's murder. For me, the sad thing was, the information tended to bog down the book. Make sure you check out the list of lords from the beginning of the book and the royal houses from the back. I kept track of a few of the 'principal' players and tended to gloss over the others. I enjoyed the book but have to say, I...more
Many writer/filmmakers present Mary in this big, romantic, misunderstood role as a Queen caught in the middle of a tug of war for the throne of England, and she had a legitimate part to play in this saga. However, Mary was not the sharpest knife in the drawer when it came to leading a country, and she let her heart get in the way of leadership decisions for Scotland. This was one of the weak links that Elizabeth I played to her advantage.
Darnley was a fool and an idiot. Weir captures that precis...more
Darnley was a fool and an idiot. Weir captures that precis...more
At the close of the book, author Alison Weir puts the matter in straightforward terms (Page 577): “Her [Mary’s:] tragedy was that she was in many respects innately unsuited for the role to which she had been born. Compared with her cousin Elizabeth, she was a political; innocent, and as such she was thrust into a situation in which a seasoned, hard-headed male ruler might have floundered.” And, indeed, the juxtaposition between Elizabeth and Mary is warranted.
This book, ostensibly, focuses on wh...more
This book, ostensibly, focuses on wh...more
Alison Weir has again done a wonderful job of retracing the historical evidence of a long standing mystery, peeling away the propaganda and political blame game to find the evidence for who was truly responsible for Lord Darnley's murder. And yet even she may have been outwitted here--James Stewart, Earl of Moray always hovers above the action, never implicated, never in the wrong place, quietly benefiting from every turn of events, yet without a shred of evidence of his hand.
Spoiler Alert - it...more
Spoiler Alert - it...more
Mar 28, 2013
Emily
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Emily by:
google search on Elizabeth I
An account of factionalized backstabbing in olde Westeros Scotland.
This is history written in the style of a Zagat's guide. I miss MacPherson's skepticism about the words that make it into the record, and his humanistic moral sense about the choices people made.
I also miss MacPherson's ability to tag his expansive cast of characters with memorable attributes to help the reader keep up with them. Weir offers the swamp of titles and houses, and while she helpfully keeps track for us of which are C...more
This is history written in the style of a Zagat's guide. I miss MacPherson's skepticism about the words that make it into the record, and his humanistic moral sense about the choices people made.
I also miss MacPherson's ability to tag his expansive cast of characters with memorable attributes to help the reader keep up with them. Weir offers the swamp of titles and houses, and while she helpfully keeps track for us of which are C...more
This one took a LONG time to read. In the preface Weir apologizes for the amount of detail she puts into the book. When I saw that, I thought "Well, she always puts a lot of detail into her books, so what is the big deal?" but this time it was almost too overwhelming.
The book was 577 pages, with tiny print, and was a strain to read. Took me, as moderately quick reader, nearly 2 full weeks, with a couple of nights off, to finish. The information was awesome to have, definitely puts a whole new s...more
The book was 577 pages, with tiny print, and was a strain to read. Took me, as moderately quick reader, nearly 2 full weeks, with a couple of nights off, to finish. The information was awesome to have, definitely puts a whole new s...more
Alison Weir is a menance and probably the most disreputable and pathetic excuse for a historian alive today. She cannot let history be what it is, rather, she feels the need to reinvent the wheel every single time and tell you the truth that she alone has uncovered. Never mind that there are factual holes in her research so big the governator should be driving his Hummer through them, or that it is unlikely that Ms. Weir has been gifted with historical powers so extraordinary that she uncovers t...more
In the Introduction, Ms. Weir says the purpose of this book is to answer the question "...was Mary, Queen of Scots the instigator of, or a party to, the murder of her husband?" She proceeds to take a fresh and comprehensive look at the evidence to draw her conclusion. The result is an entertaining and engaging narrative in which she interprets the evidence in the context of the times.
Overall I enjoy reading Weir's books. She is a thorough researcher who seems to know her subjects very well. However, I feel there are many sides to Mary and to consider her 'one of the most wronged women in history' is not entirely accurate either. She made a series of bad choices, starting with the marriage to Darnley of course, which with the evidence presented, Weir makes a compelling case for Mary's innocence. She is not innocent, however, in regards to the plots against Elizabeth, which ho...more
Jan 15, 2008
Tara
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
History Buffs
Recommended to Tara by:
My Mommy :) :) :)
I've had my disagreements with Ms. Weir before, particularly over her book "The Princes in the Tower." However, I think there are reasons she is one of the bestselling historians today. Not only is her writing highly accessible, she invariably chooses topics of interest and mystery from the tapestry of British history. Weir examines the murder of Darnley and the degree of Mary's culpability from every angle, concluding (correctly in my opinion) that Mary was no party to the scheme; rather, she w...more
Scottish court politics c.1560-1570. Learned some stuff. Whether it will keep is another matter. Well written and detailed as Weir usually is. Partisan, but Weir does say at the outset that she intended to "solve the murder". Jury still out on some points. Rated PG for some adult themes. 3/5
This...is not a book for a non historian, I don't think. It took me a long time to get through it, which is surprising because I usually down Weir's books like water. It's impeccably researched and detailed -- and all of it is necessary; it just lacks something. Maybe it's because Mary isn't as interesting a person as Eleanor of Aquitaine, or Elizabeth I. That's not her fault, nor is it Weir's, but this isn't that compelling after the first 300 pages.
Mar 19, 2012
Wealhtheow
marked it as to-read
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Wealhtheow by:
Jeffrey Keeten
I've always thought Mary was a naive dolt, playing at politics and assassination like she was in a Lord Byron poem. Hopefully this book will give me a better sense of whether that was true, or if she actually had a better idea or rationale for what she was doing.
Weir loves this subject and she makes a pretty compelling case for her assertions involving Mary and Darnley's death...but with me being bias against Mary, I root against her...
For popular history Weir does OK, I would not use her as an academic source.
For popular history Weir does OK, I would not use her as an academic source.
This would make a fascinating story as fiction. To read it as 'fact' makes it all the more interesting. Well researched and argued, the book (whilst long) is an essential read for those wanting to learn more about Tudor/Stuart England.
A “Read-Alike” selection for the 2013 Reading List Historical Fiction category winner.
For the complete list of 2013 Reading List winners please go to the RUSA Awards page.
For the complete list of 2013 Reading List winners please go to the RUSA Awards page.
Alison Weir is one of those authors that I think I should love, but I don't.
I have read quite a bit about Mary Stuart, and wanted to read Ms. Weir's book to further my understanding of the Queen. The murder of Darnley is fascinating history, unfortunately this book is not. I found the book to be plodding and dry. I felt there was too much distance between the author and the subjects, as if Ms. Weir was going down a list and now it was time to write about Mary of Scotland. Ms. Weir unnecessarily...more
I have read quite a bit about Mary Stuart, and wanted to read Ms. Weir's book to further my understanding of the Queen. The murder of Darnley is fascinating history, unfortunately this book is not. I found the book to be plodding and dry. I felt there was too much distance between the author and the subjects, as if Ms. Weir was going down a list and now it was time to write about Mary of Scotland. Ms. Weir unnecessarily...more
Like a couple of other readers, I could not finish this book. I retreated at the half way mark. It is without doubt a well researched book, but I had a lot of trouble keeping up with the Scottish nobles, getting confused about the Huntley's, Hamilton's, Maitland's, Melville's, Moray's, and then they were all related by marriage at some point it seemed! I think that personally, I might be better served by reading historical fiction about Mary, as the personalities are better shown by dialogue and...more
had a tougher time with this one than some of her others. This felt like it was written as a history paper. I'll give her that she did her research, but she is so biased toward believing Mary innocent (which she well may be), but she doesn't let the reader draw the conclusion, she makes these arguments about how obvious something is given her argument/research. IMO Many of the facts she presented could've been interpreted differently, but she doesn't give the reader a chance, she plows forward w...more
This was good, but not one of Weir's best. I actually got a little confused and bored in the middle, and by the time I arrived at the chapters that detailed the actual murder, I had lost some of my interest. I think Weir could have shaved about 200 pages off this book and still kept the heart of the mystery. And of course, in the end, there's no clear answer to the mystery of who murdered Lord Darnley. Unlike "The Princes In The Tower" this murder remains unsolved.
This one was tough. Normally I love Alison Weir and would read just about anything she published. The thought of Weir tackling history's great mystery of the Tudor age was so exciting to me. About 100 pages in, then 200 pages in, it's just boring. So-and-so went here on this day, then so-and-so went here. The adaptations of Mary's letters and the famous Casket Letters are nice to read in their mostly-entirety though.
This was a tough one to plow through. Although I'm still going to say Weir is o...more
This was a tough one to plow through. Although I'm still going to say Weir is o...more
Like all of Ms. Weir's work, this was thoroughly researched. Ms. Weir tackled a difficult subject and looked at it from every possible angle. A very thick book that is not for the faint of heart.
I wanted Scotish History and got more history than I wanted. I'm sure Alison Weir is a fine researcher and her facts are well founded. I would prefer some Scottish fiction. Any suggestions.
Nov 12, 2009
Lisa
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Any one interested in Medieval history/biography
Absolutely stunning detective work leads to an amazing conclusion. A must read for those interested in historical NON-fiction and the lives of nobles during this era.
The author is exploring the evidence for and against Mary's involvment in Lord Darnley's murder. This book is very well documented and thought out.
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Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
Alison Weir (born 1951) is a British writer of history books for the general public, mostly in the form of biographies about British kings and queens. She currently lives in Surrey, England, with her two children.
Before becoming an author, Weir worked as a teacher of children with special needs. She received her...more
More about Alison Weir...
Alison Weir (born 1951) is a British writer of history books for the general public, mostly in the form of biographies about British kings and queens. She currently lives in Surrey, England, with her two children.
Before becoming an author, Weir worked as a teacher of children with special needs. She received her...more
Apr 09, 2013 02:05pm
Apr 09, 2013 02:22pm