Last month I veered from my 99.99% paranormal motif for my newsletter into my other obsession... All things Tudor!

Well, my fascination with the Tudors, the Yorks, the Lancasters,... yes, I'm a huge War of the Roses historical fiction fan... knows no bounds. I've watched and rewatched "The Tudors," "Reign," "Elizabeth,"... it's really too many shows to count. Add with all the books on my shelves and on my kindle, it's clear I'm obsessed.

First off, I want to clarify that this Queen Mary is NOT Queen Elizabeth's older sister, Queen Mary (also known as Bloody Mary - we can talk about her another time). I know the family tree is WAY overcomplicated.

Queen Elizabeth I was King Henry VIII's daughter with Anne Boleyn (last month's subject matter). She inherited the throne after her brother King Edward VI's death and after her older sister's (Queen Mary I) death. There was the nine-day queen (Jane) but we'll leave her out of this for the time being.

As King Henry VIII's main concern seemed to be producing a male heir to the throne (just ask all his wives how important that was) because "women can't rule", too bad he didn't live to see just how wrong he was.

Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, how does Queen Mary of Scots fit into the equation? These two queens could've/should've been besties! They were the epitome of girl power! But, alas, their relationship was rocky from the start and ended with one a head shorter.

Queen Mary, also known as Mary Stuart, was born in 1542 to James V, King of Scotland, and his wife, Marie de Guise. Her grandmother was none other than King Henry VIII's older sister, Margaret, who had married James IV of Scotland. Making King Henry, her great-uncle and Elizabeth, her cousin.

Thus, giving Mary a claim to the throne of England. Some experts espouse that Mary's claims to the throne of England were almost as strong as her claim to the throne of Scotland. And those wanting to restore England to the Catholic faith saw Mary as their ticket.

There's debate whether Mary truly wanted the English throne. She had already been Queen of France for a short time (her husband, King Francis II died 1560). She had been Queen of Scotland almost since the moment of her birth due to the death of her father six days later.

Didn't she have enough to worry about? Why add another country's issues to her already overfull plate? Why poke the bear that was Queen Elizabeth I?

Short answer is the ambition of her family, the Stuarts, as well as the French (who tried to declare Mary as Queen of England upon the demise of Queen Mary I in lieu of Elizabeth). Even when she left France to return to her homeland of Scotland which she hadn't seen since she left as a baby, political turmoil led her to marry Henry Stuart (Lord Darnley) who was also her half-cousin in 1561. His family had great ambitions for the English throne as well and perhaps pushed Mary on the subject. Her marriage to Lord Darnley (1565) was considered a threat and a slap in the face to Queen Elizabeth who was probably as paranoid about others usurping her throne as just about all English monarchs throughout history. With the added worry that those loyal to the Catholic Church would support Mary.

We won't rehash the whole Catholic/Church of England drama trauma here but it was a highly contentious subject for a long time in England as Henry VIII broke with the Catholic Church so he could marry Elizabeth's mom. In my opinion, Henry didn't like to be told, "No," and that's what led to the break with Rome.

For better or worse, Lord Darnley did not survive long in his marriage as he was murdered two years later in 1567. I'd love to research this topic more as some suggest Queen Mary played a part in his death. I love a good mystery!

Lord Darnley did provide Scotland with something of high importance... an heir to the Scottish throne--the future King James VI of Scotland, also known as King James I of England (funny story).

Other than that, from what I've read, Darnley was not a nice man. He plotted against his wife, to steal real authority and control of Scotland from her, and conspired to murder her Catholic secretary with her to witness it.

That's when things went south for Mary. She quickly married James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell in 1567. Some argue she was kidnapped and forced into the Protestant marriage (Mary was a staunch Catholic). Others believe she merely pretended to be kidnapped and was in love the the Earl.

But it was the beginning of the end for the Queen of Scots. Losing a civil war (many in her country preferred Protestantism over Catholicism), she was imprisoned in Loch Levan Castle and forced to abdicate the throne to her one-year old son, James VI, in 1567. She later fled Scotland (in 1568), hoping to be granted sanctuary in England by her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I.

Oopsies!

But Elizabeth was not comfortable with the ex-Catholic queen who once tried to claim the English throne and had a decent claim to the title of Queen of England. Instead of the safety Mary requested, Elizabeth threw her in the slammer. Mary, former Queen of Scots, was held in captivity for nineteen years before Queen Elizabeth decided enough was enough and it was "off with her head!" in 1587 at Fotheringhay Castle for being suspected in a plot to unalive Queen Elizabeth I.

Two queens. Two legends. The potential for them to work together as a force to be reckoned with was lost for a variety of reasons including: they intimidated the males in the respective realms; the religious animosity raging across the land between Catholics and Protestants; and (I argue) healthy suspicions between rivaling rulers and women.

A piece of history I find interesting is that despite every show and movie regarding the two queens depicts them meeting, historical accounts show they never actually met.

Regardless, with Queen Elizabeth I never marrying or giving birth to a heir for England, Queen Mary of Scots' son, James, inherited both the throne of Scotland AND England, uniting the countries.

***********************

Want some awesome books to read on the subject of Mary, Queen of Scots and her rivalry with Queen Elizabeth I?

Historical Non-Fiction

"Rival Queens" by Kate Williams

"Mary Queen of Scots" by Antonia Fraser

"Mary, Queen of Scots, and the Murder of Lord Darnley" by Alison Weir

"Mary Queen of Scots (tie-in to the movie): The True Life of Mary Stuart by John Guy; formerly published as "Queen of Scots: The True Life of Mary Stuart" by John A. Guy

"The Betrayal of Mary, Queen of Scots: Elizabeth I and Her Greatest Rival" by Kate Williams

"Queen Elizabeth I and Mary, Queen of Scots: The Controversial History of Cousins Turned Rivals" by Charles River Editors

Historical Fiction

"Mary Queen of Scotland and The Isles: A Novel" by Margaret George

"The Other Queen" by Philippa Gregory

**********************

If you're an author of historical fiction looking for an editor, I'd love to help you with your manuscript. Simply reply to this email or visit my website at www.bookmageediting.com