From: mach47  (Original Message)

Sent: 10/17/2007 11:13 AM

Hello Greensleeves, When considering Marie Stuart's return to Scotland, there are two things we need to keep in mind: First, Marie had been raised from her infancy in the French royal court, the most licentious court of it's day., and that she was coddled and pampered as a faery princess, her every wish was granted. So, when she returned to Scotland, she was indeed a French woman in every respect, in fact she spoke French for the rest of her life. In the French court, flirtations, liaisons and affairs, were common place, and not condemned. The second thing to keep in mind is that Marie was just becoming an adult, coming into her sexual prime and began using her sexuality to entice the men of her court. The Lord of Arran is said to have actually gone insane with lust for the queen. After the French poet, Chastelard, was caught under her bed twice, he was executed. You would think that after these incidents she would cool her ardor, but instead she became embroiled with her Italian secretary, David Rizzio, who was often found in her rooms after 2 a.m. As we all know, tragedy ensued. Thus was revealed Marie's biggest failing, her total lack of sound judgment where men were concerned. She compounded it with her marriage to the drunken Darnley. Then there was Bothwell, with whom I believe Marie became lovers when he was her bodyguard in France, and died in a hole in the ground, chained to a pole. In France, these may have been harmless pastimes. In Scotland, they were fatal. Every man who made love to Mary Queen of Scots, paid for the pleasure with his life. How many English men went to the block because of Marie Stuart? Three? Four? And this was the woman who declared that she was being "unjustly murdered" by Elizabeth I for her Catholic faith. I say Marie Stuart received justice on the day of her execution. Harry Gordon ([email protected]) 48° 39' 16" N 122° 56' 13" W 'So when the last and dreadful hour This crumbling pageant shall devour, The trumpet shall be heard on high, The dead shall live, the living die, And Music shall untune the sky!'

I don't think Mary knew about the plot to assasinate Darnley because she seemed really shocked when she heard of it.  She would undoubtedly have liked to get rid of him (as who wouldn't?) but if she had been involved she would surely have chosen a less inept method - poision for instance.  Also it seems likely that some of the lords involved in the plot were hoping to get rid of her as well.

 

I don't see how Mary could not have known that Bothwell was involved, but she chose to ignore it.  Marrying him was another major mistake, but she seems to have believed that he would be a good consort for her.  As with Darnley, this turned out to be a big mistake and she was quickly disillusioned.  She was not a good judge of men, but then it is very difficult to know what a man is really like until you have married him.

 

Going to England rather than to France after she fled was another major mistake.  If she really thought Elizabeth would help her get back on the throne of Scotland then she didn't understand Elizabeth at all.

 

I have always understood that the Casket letters are thought to be forgeries.

 

I think by the time of the Babbington plot Mary was probably desperate enough to agree to anything to get out of prison.  And by that time she probably didn't have any friendly feelings towards Elizabeth, why should she after being imprisoned by her for so long after all?  She probably thought it was worth the risk of trying anyway - anything being better than spending more interminable years in prison.

 

Also, of course, murdering your royal relatives to get the crown was considered quite normal behaviour in those days.  Henry IV murdered Richard II, Edward IV murdered Henry VI.  Richard III of course went too far when he murdered his nephews, child murder was considered a bit off even for kings, but really murder was a quite acceptable way to gain a crown.

 

Louise