The Love Affairs of Mary Queen of Scots: A Political History

Whether you’ve seen the recent movie starring Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie or the classic 1970’s film starring Vanessa Redgrave and Glenda Jackson, this vibrant work of history will give you new insight into the life of Mary, Queen of Scots and her rivalry with Elizabeth I of England.

Mary Queen of Scots, also known as Mary Stuart, was one of the most well-known and controversial monarchs of the sixteenth century. She ascended to the throne of Scotland at only six days old and would eventually become ruler of four countries at once—Scotland, England, Ireland, and France. She was intelligent, compassionate, and tolerant, despite the popularity of that time for religious persecution. Despite her popularity, Mary’s reign was a tumultuous one: she was married three times, was forced to abdicate her throne, and was eventually imprisoned and beheaded by her cousin, Elizabeth I of England.

What caused Mary’s rapid descent from royalty? Historian and scholar Martin Hume analyzes Mary Queen of Scots’s fall from power based on her love affairs. Though many previous historians had assumed that her downfall was caused by her lack of virtue, Hume posits that Mary’s ruin was not based on her “goodness or badness as a woman, but from a certain weakness of character.”

Fans of the royal families of Scotland and England, professional and amateur historians, and anyone looking to discover one of history’s most famous and controversial women, the ups and downs of Mary Stuart’s life and reign in The Love Affairs of Mary Queen of Scots will be educational and entertaining.