Read Mary Queen of Scots Online
Authors: Retha Warnicke
Tags: #Biography & Autobiography, #Scotland, #Royalty, #England/Great Britain, #France, #16th Century, #Nonfiction
Elizabethan records
Elizabeth’s letters
Letters of Queen Elizabeth and King James VI of Scotland
, ed. John Bruce (London: Camden Society, 1849);
Elizabeth I: Collected Works
, eds Leah Marcus, Janet Mueller, and Mary Beth Rose (Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2000).
Mary’s captivity
Illustrations of British History, Biography, and Manners in the Reigns of
Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary, Elizabeth and James I
, ed. Edmund Lodge, 3 vols (London: Chidley, 1838);
Accounts and Papers Relating to Mary
Queen of Scots
, ed. Allan Crosby and John Bruce (London: Camden Society, 1867);
The Letters and Memorials of William Cardinal Allen
(1532–94)
, intro., Thomas Knox (London: Nutt, 1882);
The Last Days
of Mary Stuart and the Journal of Bourgoyne, Her Physician
, ed. Samuel Cowan (London: Nash, 1907);
The Bardon Papers
, ed. Conyers Read (London: Royal Historical Society, 1909), which includes documents
from the Babington Plot; and
The Trial of Mary Queen of Scots
, ed. A.
Francis Steuart, 2nd edn (London: Hodges, 1951).
Histories concerning Mary Queen of Scots
Recent biographies
Far too many biographies have been published to cite here. These are among the most recent ones: Antonia Fraser,
Mary Queen of Scots
(New York: Delacorte Press, 1969; New York: Delta, 1993, 2001), which has the best coverage; Jenny Wormald,
Mary, Queen of Scots: Politics, Passion,
and a Kingdom Lost
(New York: Tauris Park, 2001
)
; James MacKay,
In
My End is My Beginning: A Life of Mary Queen of Scots
(Edinburgh: Mainstream, 1999); Susan Watkins,
Mary Queen of Scots
(New York: Thames and Hudson, 2001); and John Guy,
The Life of Mary Queen of
Scots: My Heart is My Own
(London: Fourth Estate, 2004).
Chronology of her early life
Marcus Merriman,
The Rough Wooings: Mary, Queen of Scots, 1542–51
(East Linton: Tuckwell, 2000), which discusses the French alliance and the attempts of English armies to capture the young queen, should be read in association with Norman MacDougall,
An Antidote to the
English: The Auld Alliance, 1295–1560
(East Linton: Tuckwell, 2001).
James Stevenson,
Marie Stuart: A Narrative of the First Eighteen Years of
her Life, Principally from Original Documents
(Patterson, 1886); Alphone de Ruble,
La Première Jeuness de Marie Stuart
(Paris: Bibliothèque Nationale, 1891); David Hay Fleming,
Mary Queen of Scots from her Birth
to her Flight into England
(London: Hodder and Stoughton
,
1897); and Jane Stoddard,
The Girlhood of Mary Queen of Scots
(London: Hodder and Stoughton 1908) narrate her early years. Of interest for French strategies are two articles by Elizabeth Bonner, “The French Reactions to the Rough Wooings of Mary Queen of Scots” and “The
Politique
of Henry II: De Facto French Rule in Scotland, 1550–1554,”
Journal of the Sydney
Society for Scottish History
, vols 6 and 7, 1998, 1999, respectively.
Her personal rule
David and Judy Steel,
Mary Stuart’s Scotland: The Landscapes, Life and
Legends of Mary Queen of Scots
(New York: Harmony Books, 1987);
Edward Furgol, “The Scottish Iteinerary of Mary Queen of Scots, 1542–6 and 1561–8,”
Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland
, 117, 1987; and Peter McNeill and Hector MacQueen (eds),
Atlas of
Scottish History to 1707
(Edinburgh: University of Edinburgh, 1996) recount her travels. A.A. MacDonald, “Mary Stewart’s Entry to Edinburgh: An Ambiguous Triumph,”
Innes Review
, 42, 1991, identifies the Protestant bias present during the entry. Michael Lynch,
“Queen Mary’s Triumph: The Baptismal Celebrations at Stirling in December 1566,”
Scottish Historical Review
, 69, 1990 and “The Reassertion of Princely Power in Scotland: The Reigns of Mary, Queen of Scots and King James VI,” in M. Gosman, A. MacDonald, and A.
Vanderjagt (eds),
Princes and Princely Culture, 1450–1650
(Leiden: Brill, 2003), discuss her son’s christening and her court culture.
Brief comparisons of her rule to her son’s can be found in Julian Goodare and Michael Lynch (eds),
The Reign of James VI
(East Linton: Tuckwell, 2000)
.
Gordon Donaldson,
All the Queen’s Men: Power and
Politics in Mary Stewart’s Scotland
(London: Batsford, 1983); and Margaret Sanderson,
Mary Stewart’s People: Life in Mary Stewart’s
Scotland
(Tuscaloosa, AL: University of Alabama, 1987) offer studies of her subjects. Mortimer Levine,
Tudor Dynastic Problems, 1460–1571
(London: Barnes & Noble, 1973) discusses the English succession question. Finally, R.H. Mahon,
The Tragedy of Kirk o’Field
(Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1930
)
examines the death of her second husband.
Her English captivity
Gordon Donaldson,
The First Trial of Mary Queen of Scots
(New York: Stein and Day, 1969) presents information about her trial and the Casket Letters. Katherine Thompson, “All Things to All Men: Mary Queen of Scots and the Scottish Civil Wars, 1568–73,”
Journal of the
Sydney Society for Scottish History
, 9, 2001, examines the political struggle in Scotland. Andrew Lang, “The Household of Mary, Queen of Scots in 1573,”
Scottish Historical Review
, 2, 1905, identifies her attendants and servants. John Leader,
Mary Queen of Scots in Captivity
(London: Bell, 1880); and Patrick Collinson,
The English Captivity of
Mary Queen of Scots
(Sheffield: Sheffield History Pamphlets, 1987) examine her years in prison. G.R. Batho, “The Execution of Mary, Queen of Scots,”
Scottish Historical Review
, 39, 1960; and Jennifer
Woodward,
The Theatre of Death
:
The Ritual Management of Royal
Funerals in Renaissance England, 1570–1625
(Woodbridge: Boydell, 1997) recount her death, her funeral, and interment.
Her public images and portraits
James Phillips,
Images of a Queen: Mary Stuart in Sixteenth Century
Literature
(Berkeley, CA: University of California, 1964); and Alexander Wilkinson,
Mary Queen of Scots and Public Opinion, 1542–1600
(New York: Palgrave, 2004) present contemporary views of her. See also, Pearl Brandwein,
Mary Queen of Scots in Nineteenth and Twentieth Century Drama:
Poetic License with History
(New York: Lang, 1989); and Jayne Lewis,
Mary, Queen of Scots: Romance and Nation
(London: Routledge, 1998).
Helen Smailes and Duncan Thomson,
The Queen’s Image: A Celebration of
Mary, Queen of Scots
(Edinburgh: The Trustees of the National Galleries of Scotland, 1987) reproduce exquisite copies of her portraits.
Scottish studies
Important contemporaries
Studies of Scottish individuals important to her life are useful. Frederik Schiern,
The Life of James Hepburn
, trans. D. Berry (Edinburgh: Douglas, 1880); Thomas Duncan, “The Queen’s Maries,”
Scottish
Historical Review
, 2, 1905; A. Francis Steuart,
Seigneur Davie: A Sketch
Life of David Riccio
(London: Sands, 1922); Maurice Lee,
James Stewart,
Earl of Moray: A Political Study of the Reformation in Scotland
(New York: Columbia University Press, 1953); D.M. Lockie, “The Political Career of the Bishop of Ross,”
University of Birmingham Historical Journal
, 4, 1953; Neville Williams,
Thomas Howard, fourth Duke of Norfolk
(New York: Dutton, 1964); I.D. McFarlane,
Buchanan
(London: Duckworth, 1981); Peter Anderson,
Robert Stewart, Earl of Orkney
,
Lord of Shetland,
1533–1593
(Edinburgh: Donald, 1982); David Walker,
The Scottish
Jurists
(Edinburgh: Green, 1985); Margaret Sanderson,
Cardinal of
Scotland: David Beaton, 1494–1546
(Edinburgh: Donald, 1986); Caroline Bingham,
Darnley: A Life of Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley
,
Consort
of Mary Queen of Scots
(Edinburgh: Constable, 1995); Jamie Cameron,
James V: The Personal Rule
(East Linton: Tuckwell, 1998); Rosalind Marshall,
Mary of Guise: Queen of Scots
(Edinburgh: National Museums
of Scotland, 2001); Pamela Ritchie,
Mary of Guise in Scotland,
1548–1560: A Political Career
(East Linton: Tuckwell, 2002); and Jane Dawson,
The Politics of Religion in the Age of Mary, Queen of Scots
(Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002).
General histories, social and economic issues
For the Scottish context numerous studies are available. Only a few can be listed here. Edward Burns,
The Coinage of Scotland
, 3 vols (Edinburgh: Black, 1887); Jenny Wormald,
Court, Kirk, and Community: Scotland,
1470–1625
(Toronto: University of Toronto, 1981); Leah Leneman (ed.),
Perspectives in Scottish Social History: Essays in Honour of Rosalind
Mitchison
(Aberdeen: Aberdeen University Press, 1988); Keith Brown,
Noble Society in Scotland: Wealth, Family and Culture From Reformation to
Revolution
(Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2000); and Julian Goodare,
State and Society in Early Modern Scotland
(Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999) and
The Government of Scotland, 1560–1625
(Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004).
Religion and politics
Gordon Donaldson,
The Scottish Reformation
(Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1960) is the traditional survey. Michael Lynch,
Edinburgh and the Reformation
(Edinburgh: Donald, 1981) examines the queen’s relationship to her capital. Essays in Norman MacDougall (ed).,
Church, Politics and Society: Scotland, 1408–1929
(Edinburgh: Donald, 1983); James Kirk,
Patterns of Reform: Continuity and Change in
the Reformation Kirk
(Aberdeen: Clark, 1989); and Roger Mason (ed.),
John Knox and the British Reformations
(Burlington, VT: Ashgate, 1998) provide further revisionist nuances. See also, Michael Graham,
The Uses
of Reform: “Godly Discipline” and Popular Behavior in Scotland and Beyond,
1560–1620
(Leiden: Brill, 1996). For a comparative study, see Clare Kellar,
Scotland, England and the Reformation, 1534–1561
(Oxford: Clarendon Press, 2003).
Legal and constitutional studies
The most useful are Lord Normand, intro.,
An Introduction to Scottish
Legal History
(Edinburgh: Stair Society, 1958); Keith Brown,
Bloodfeud
in Scotland: 1573–1625: Violence, Justice and Politics in Early Modern
Society
(Edinburgh: Donald, 1986); M.D. Young (ed.),
The Parliaments
of Scotland
, 2 vols (Edinburgh: Scottish Academic Press, 1992–93); David Walker,
A Legal History of Scotland: Vol. 3, The Sixteenth Century
(Aberdeen: Clark, 1995); and J.H. Burns,
The True Law of Kingship:
Concepts of Monarchy in Early Modern Scotland
(Oxford: Clarendon, 1996). Terry Brotherstone and David Ditchburn (eds),
Freedom and
Authority: Scotland c.1050–c.1650: Historical and Historiographical Essays
(East Linton: Tuckwell, 2000); Julian Goodare, “The Scottish Political Community and the Parliament of 1563,”
Albion
, 35, 2003, and “The First Parliament of Mary, Queen of Scots,”
Sixteenth Century Journal
, 36, 2005. Dauvit Broun, R.J. Finlay, and Michael Lynch (eds),
Image and
Identity: The Making and Re-making of Scotland through the Ages
(Edinburgh: Donald, 1998) offer interpretative essays on selected topics, including the Declaration of Arbroath. See also, Roger Mason (ed.),
Kingship and the Commonweal: Political Thought in Renaissance and
Reformation Scotland
(East Linton: Tuckwell, 1998).
Architectural studies
No investigation of her life would be complete without studies of architecture, including David Breeze,
A Queen’s Progress
:
An Introduction
to the Buildings Associated with Mary
,
Queen of Scots, in the Care of the
Secretary of State for Scotland
(Edinburgh: Historic Buildings and Monuments, Scottish Development Department, 1987); Richard Fawcett,
Scottish Architecture from the Accession of the Stewarts to the
Reformation
, 1371–1560 (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1994); and Miles Glendinning, Ranald MacInnes, and Aonghas MacKechnie,
A History of Scottish Architecture from the Renaissance to the
Present Day
(Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1996).
European studies
British cultural studies
Especially useful are Helena Shire,
Song, Dance and Poetry of the Court of
Scotland Under James VI: Musical Illustrations of Court-Song
(ed.) Kenneth Elliott (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1969
)
; Roy Strong,
Art and Power: Renaissance Festivals, 1450–1650
(Woodbridge: Boydell,
1984); Louise Fradenburg,
City, Marriage, Tournament: Arts of Rule in
Late Medieval Scotland
(Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin, 1991); A.A. MacDonald, Michael Lynch, and Ian Cowan (eds),
The Renaissance
in Scotland: Studies in Literature, History and Culture Offered to John
Durkan
(Leiden: Brill, 1994); Carol Edington,
Court and Culture in
Renaissance Scotland: Sir David Lindsay
(Amherst, MA: University of Massachusetts Press, 1994); Janet Williams (ed.),
Stewart Style,
1513–1542: Essays on the Court of James V
(East Linton: Tuckwell, 1996); Gordon Kipling,
Enter the King, Theatre, Liturgy and Ritual in the
Medieval Civic Triumph
(Oxford: Clarendon, 1998); Sally Mapstone and Juliette Wood (eds),
The Rose and the Thistle: Essays on the Culture of Late
Medieval and Renaissance Scotland
(East Linton: Tuckwell, 1998); and R.
Malcolm Smuts,
Culture and Power in England, 1585–1685
(New York: St Martin’s Press, 1999)
.