Charlie Fenton’s Reviews > Rival Queens: The Betrayal of Mary Queen of Scots > Status Update

‘Within a day or so, she realised she was miscarrying. Her secretary later said she had been carrying twins - if she was miscarrying at only eight weeks, this would have been difficult to see although, perhaps if identical, two sacs might have been visible, but it was probably more likely that Mary was further along, perhaps even around the three-month mark’

‘Bothwell raped Mary to attempt to reduce her into marrying him, to gain power over her, to show her that despite her riches and authority and God-given crown, she was nothing more than a body and reducible to subservience by a man’s act on her. Most of all, he wanted to impregnate her so she had no choice but to marry him. And once Mary was married and pregnant, everyone would forget the method.‘

‘Mary was both strengthened and weakened by the arrival of a son. She had performed her duty and continued the line, the great role of a monarch and a queen. But a boy, even one who couldn’t yet lift his head, was worth more than a woman, and if the lords deposed her for her son, there would be significant support in the country for a regency’

‘Any remaining goodwill for the marriage within the nobles dissipated when the proclamation was made that all documents would be signed jointly by ‘Queen Marie and King Henry’, ‘in the names of both their majesties as King and Queen of Scotland jointly’. They were scandalised at the idea of a dual monarchy.‘

‘In late 1563, Elizabeth laid down what she expected of Mary’s marriage. Ideally, she would marry an Englishman, but the queen was prepared to consider a foreigner, although not Spanish, French or Austrian - which pretty much ruled out all the power players in Europe. If Mary obeyed, she would be rewarded and would in time be decreed as heir.’

‘he held back from putting on his passionate anti-queen one-man shows. But the question over Mary’s suitor plunged the Protestant side into a whirl of action and Knox was leading the way. It seemed that the biggest problem for a queen was whom to marry. And she had to marry. Scotland would never have accepted Mary setting herself up as the Virgin Queen.’

‘Francis had been her friend since she was four, and then her husband. They had been always together, enjoying a golden childhood in the royal nursery, surrounded by their pets, married in glory, the marvel of the world. In the space of little over a year, she had lost her mother, her father-in-law, both sisters-in-law to marriage overseas - and now her dearest husband.’

‘On the death of Mary I, King Henry II of France moved quickly. He formally declared his daughter-in-law Queen of England and Ireland, as well as France and Scotland. Mary was put into mourning for the late English monarch and the courtiers around her told everybody that she was now the Queen. King Henry, however, did not attempt to enforce his claim with military action’

‘Mary was taught Latin, Italian, Spanish, as well as practising French composition, dancing, needlework, singing and the lute. She would never possess the genius of Elizabeth I, but she was hard-working and quick-witted and pleased her tutors. In religion, she was purely Catholic: Mary of Guise had instructed that her daughter hear daily Mass’

‘James V fell into an even blacker mood. The birth of Mary was the end of everything and James lost his grip on hope. He died on 14 December, when the baby was only six days old. Many fathers in royal history have been disappointed with a daughter - Henry VIII included. But Mary was the only one whose birth plunged her father into a despair that seemingly speeded his death.‘