Download Mary, Queen of Scots: The History and Legacy of Mary Stuart of Scotland AudioBook Free
"Did I not tell you this would happen? I recognized they might never let me live, I was too great an obstacle with their faith." - Mary, Queen of Scots The position in history of Mary Queen of Scots is a paradoxical one. Her popularity as a monarch is placed less in her personality or accomplishments than in her position within the dynastic maneuvers and political-religious upheavals occurring in northwest European countries in the 16th hundred years. Most monarchs spend their early years learning in planning to rule and then spend the second option part of these lives wielding electricity and position. Mary was thrust upon the throne when she was only a week old, and she ceased to be queen practically 20 years before her fatality. Mary's was a unique reign in a tumultuous period, and her tragedy was intertwined with her country's transformation. In Mary's case, she was a second cousin once removed of England's Queen Elizabeth I, which made her a rival for the throne. Mary was the granddaughter of Margaret Tudor, Henry VIII's sister, and her Catholicism made Mary the true and rightful Queen of Britain in the sight of many Catholics and the Vatican. These facts, in conjunction with the realization that several English reinforced Mary, made Elizabeth I uneasy. Mary also didn't help herself when she wedded Wayne Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell, who was broadly accused of raping her. The Scottish people rebelled, and Mary abdicated and fled southwards towards Britain. Elizabeth I was unsure initially what to do with Mary, so she retained Mary imprisoned in several castles and manor properties inside Britain (making escape difficult and so improbable). After 18 years in Elizabeth's guardianship, it became clear that the problem was becoming untenable.
