海角大神

In 1565, Mary,聽Queen聽of聽Scots聽wrote a letter to her cousin Elizabeth,聽queen聽of聽England, expressing her hopes for their relationship: 鈥淗ow much better were it that we being two queens so near聽of聽kin, neighbors and living in one Isle, should be friends and live together like sisters, than by strange means divide ourselves to the hurt聽of聽us both.鈥� Elizabeth,聽of聽course, would sign Mary鈥檚 death warrant more than two decades later, leading to the beheading聽of聽the Scottish聽queen. Kate Williams expertly and entertainingly details the twisty and sordid path to the monarch鈥檚 execution in 鈥淭he Betrayal聽of聽Mary,聽Queen聽of聽Scots: Elizabeth I and Her Greatest Rival.鈥�

Mary,聽queen聽of聽Scotland from infancy following the death聽of聽her father, King James V, was essentially a pawn from birth. She was sent to France at age 5 after her mother arranged a marriage to the son聽of聽the French king, Henry II. The聽Scots聽hoped the alliance would protect their country from English aggression. For his part, Henry II hoped to use Mary to stake a claim to the English throne, as the child鈥檚 paternal grandmother, Margaret Tudor, was the sister聽of聽the English king, Henry VIII.聽聽

The 15-year-old Mary, strikingly beautiful and nearly six feet tall, married the 14-year-old dauphin Francis in 1558; King Henry II died the following year, making Mary聽queen聽of聽both France and Scotland. But when Francis died in 1560, Mary lost the French throne and returned to Scotland, a country she didn鈥檛 remember and whose power-hungry and warring nobles preferred to run things without her. The Scottish court, writes Williams, who serves as CNN鈥檚 royal historian and has authored previous books on Elizabeth,聽Queen聽Victoria, and Josephine Bonaparte, 鈥渨as a place where masculine power was fighting to be resurgent. Mary was surrounded by men. And they were all fighting for control, using her to get power in whichever way they could.鈥�

Elizabeth I, meanwhile, was crowned in 1559. She was the daughter聽of聽Henry VIII and the unfortunate Anne Boleyn, whose marriage to the king had been annulled before her beheading, making Elizabeth technically illegitimate. The Protestant聽queen聽felt her reign was shaky, especially as she refused to marry and produce an heir. She and her chief advisor, the cunning William Cecil, feared that a claim by the Catholic Mary would have the support聽of聽the country鈥檚 Catholics, particularly once Mary gave birth to a son, James, with her second husband, Lord Darnley. Williams makes the point, however, that James鈥檚 birth "both strengthened and weakened" Mary because "a boy, even one who couldn鈥檛 yet lift his head, was worth more than a woman." Mary too was at risk聽of聽being deposed.

The assassination聽of聽the corrupt and despised Darnley, planned by scheming nobles, set in motion the events that would culminate in Mary鈥檚 tragic demise. Readers unfamiliar with this famous episode聽of聽history will find the events shocking. The nobles who conspired against Darnley, hoping to get rid聽of聽Mary too, attempted to implicate the聽queen聽in his murder. The likely mastermind聽of聽the murder, the Earl聽of聽Bothwell, abducted Mary, raped her, and forced her to marry him, in what Williams calls 鈥渢he most scandalous marriage in royal history.鈥� Mary was subsequently seized and imprisoned by a rival faction聽of聽lords, who forced her to abdicate so James could ascend the throne. Because the new king was only 13 months old, the nobles would in effect be in charge.

While England wasn鈥檛 as lawless as Scotland, Elizabeth was always aware that women鈥檚 rule was tenuous and that what happened to Mary posed risks to her own power. In Williams鈥檚 words, 鈥渋f an anointed聽queen聽could be abducted, raped, imprisoned and then deposed and no one protested, then what聽of聽the right聽of聽any聽queen聽to be on the throne?鈥� Mary escaped her captors, but her fatal mistake was in overestimating Elizabeth鈥檚 sympathies and fleeing to England. She was desperate to meet with the聽queen, who she assumed would provide military assistance for Mary鈥檚 triumphal return to Scotland鈥檚 throne.聽

Instead, Mary was held prisoner in England for 19 years, in part because Cecil remained convinced that Mary would try to seize the English crown. Mary was eventually convicted聽of聽conspiring against Elizabeth and executed for treason. While the two queens were relatives who corresponded frequently and shared the rare experience聽of聽being women in power, they never actually met face to face (a fact so startling that an upcoming film about Mary, to be released next month, invents a dramatic confrontation between the two monarchs).聽

Mary鈥檚 story has been often told, but it has been interpreted differently through the generations. While some earlier historians viewed the聽queen聽as complicit in her rape and subsequent marriage, Williams analyzes events with a modern perspective, incorporating what we now know about the trauma聽of聽sexual assault. The author also stresses how the two queens, unlike kings who governed autocratically, were consistently forced to relinquish some聽of聽their power. In framing Mary鈥檚 story as being one about 鈥渉ow we really think聽of聽women and their right to rule,鈥� Williams hints at its ongoing resonance.