Female Rulers of Europe Part II:
Forward
Although several of the posts in this series will be strictly historical, I hope to tie them into modern times and modern perceptions of female politicians and leaders. Eventually, I hope to delve into modern feminist theory and theories of power to interpret how these rulers were viewed.
Mary Queen of Scots
Mary Queen of Scots stands as a controversial and often misunderstood character in history; to some she was a martyr, to others, a scheming, murderous Catholic usurper. Though not as reviled as her coeval Mary Tudor, she was still much maligned by the Protestants in England and by historians for many years after her death. With the recent movie coming out, I figured it would be a good time to explore her life and discover the true history behind it. Was she the independent Catholic freedom fighter many want her to be, or was she an underhanded noblewoman desperately grabbing for power?
Queen Mary's Coat of Arms
Mary Stuart was born in 1542 to a French noblewoman and King James V of Scotland. Her father quickly died after her birth and she was sent to France with her mother and raised in court under Catherine de Medici. Scotland was ruled by regents for the entirety of her childhood. She was married to French nobleman Francis II and was briefly Queen of Scotland and Queen Consort of France. Francis only ruled for a short period before his death, and Mary returned to Scotland soon after her husband’s passing.
Her return to Scotland was fraught with danger and intrigue. A powerful preacher, John Knox, reviled her not only for her strong Catholicism, but also for her gender. She was also viewed with suspicion by the powerful Protestant lords. Many thought she would attempt to consolidate Catholic power in Scotland, threatening their lands. The English lords and royals also worried about her potential to push her claim on the English throne.
“To promote a woman to bear rule, superiority, dominion, or empire above any realm, nation, or city, is repugnant to nature; contumely to God, a thing most contrary to his revealed will and approved ordinance; and finally, it is the subversion of good order, of all equity and justice.”
-John Knox
In a strange move, Mary took many Protestant lords to her council. Some claim she did this in order to strengthen her claim to the English throne by portraying herself as a peacemaker rather than a Catholic sectarian. However, many would claim that she lost much of her referent power as a Catholic leader when she conceded power to Protestant earls and lords. (French & Raven) Machiavelli strongly disagreed with this strategy. When you move into a new space as a ruler, he finds that you must always pick a side and court the favour of one, rather than strike a balance and risk the wrath of both.
Mary married Lord Darnley, her English first cousin and a member of the Scottish royal family, the Stuarts. He quickly became unsatisfied with the marriage as Mary was ill and close with some male advisors. He became jealous and began to jockey for position as the King of Scotland rather than simply King Consort. He was murdered by Scottish nobles soon after. Mary’s involvement with the murder is disputed, but she is rumoured to be involved. Soon after, Mary was abducted by Lord Bothwell, the man who organised the plot against Lord Darnley. He abducted her and may have raped her. She was then married to him in a Protestant rite. The people were outraged and there was a rebellion. She was tried as a murderer and adulteress and imprisoned on an island. She miscarried twins soon after.
Whether or not she was a part of a plot to kill her husband, her conviction of adultery was a classic case of victim blaming. Lord Bothwell was driven into exile but was never tried for his crimes of rape and abduction in Scotland. He was later imprisoned in Denmark however.
Mary was held in captivity for many years before being executed for supposedly concocting a plot to murder Queen Elizabeth. The veracity of this statement has been questioned by historians.
Mary Queen of Scots was a powerful and independent queen who did her best to unite the Scottish people. She was vilified by the Scottish for her gender and her religion and didn’t succeed in her political posturing. She was a strong and charismatic woman, standing 5 foot 11, taller than the large majority of men in the 16th century. Her power, poise, and aggressive political maneuvering were uncommon for female rulers of the age. She will always be a controversial figure in history, but whether she was entirely virtuous or scheming has been lost in time.
References:
Brotton, J. (2019). At last, the Elizabeth v Mary catfight trope of history is being reassessed | Jerry Brotton. [online] the Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/jan/21/queen-elizabeth-mary-queen-scots-stories-women-catfight-josie-rourke [Accessed 23 Mar. 2019].
Goodare, J. (2006). My Heart Is My Own: The Life of Mary Queen of Scots * Mary Queen of Scots. The English Historical Review, CXXI(493), pp.1120-1124.
Hanson, M. (2015). Mary, Queen of Scots: Biography, Facts & Information. [online] English History. Available at: https://englishhistory.net/tudor/relative/mary-queen-of-scots/ [Accessed 23 Mar. 2019].
Solly, M. (2018). The True Story of Mary, Queen of Scots, and Elizabeth I. [online] Smithsonian. Available at: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/true-story-mary-queen-scots-and-elizabeth-i-180970960/ [Accessed 23 Mar. 2019].