Classics Corner: Mary Queen of Scotland and The Isles by Margaret George;Grand and Definitive Historical Fiction of Scotland's Most Famous Queen

Classics Corner: Mary Queen of Scotland and The Isles by Margaret George; Grand and Definitive Historical Fiction of Scotland's Most Famous Queen

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews




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Spoilers: John Lennon was right. Life is what happens when you are busy making plans to finish reviewing the final book in a series for your blog but the Coronavirus pandemic causes the library to close, so instead of reviewing that book, you instead review another book about the same subject. (At least I think that's what he said or something like it. Anyway, it was pretty close.)


I was supposed to wrap up my Philippa Gregory series with the final Plantegenet and Tudor Court Series, The Other Queen about Mary Queen of Scots. But since I don't have a copy and the library is closed for now (though is supposed to reopen soon), that review will have to wait. Instead I decided to review another book about Mary Queen of Scots, Margaret George's Mary Queen of Scotland and The Isles.


Actually, right now I am reviewing the better of the two. While Gregory did a brilliant job capturing the Cousin's War, the six wives of King Henry VIII, Queen Mary I, and Queen Elizabeth, Mary Queen of Scots belongs to Margaret George. Gregory's version was short and anemic which only covered a small fraction of this famous Queen's history, but George covers the whole scope of this fascinating woman's vibrant passionate colorful life.


From the moment she was born and her father James V died, Mary Queen of Scots (1542-1587) is held under scrutiny and criticism. Her dying father expresses displeasure that she isn't a son to replace the legitimate sons that died. She is separated from her mother, Marie de Guise, to be raised in France while her mother acts as regent. Her French relatives judge her for being Scottish. Her Scottish subjects are suspicious of her gender, French upbringing, and Catholic religion. Her illegitimate half-siblings, particularly her brother James are jealous of her becoming the heir. Calvinist religious leader, John Knox considers Mary, the Whore of Babylon because of her religion and her status as a female assuming the Scottish throne. Her cousin, Elizabeth feels threatened by her status as the second heir to the throne. It's already not an easy life and it gets harder.


Mary's childhood establishes much of the character that she carries throughout the book. She has a fondness for pretty things because of her upbringing in France surrounded by beautiful clothes, delicate dishes, and poetry some of which is dedicated to her. She also shows a strong will. When she first encounters the formidable, Catherine de Medici, acting Queen of France she is able to stare her down and stand up to her. Her independent streak also carries over into her wedding to Francois II, future King of France, when she insists on wearing white, even though it's the French color of mourning. She later rues that decision after Francois dies and she finds herself wearing white again, this time at her husband's funeral.


The book also is rich in capturing the people around her. Both Marie de Guise and Catherine de Medici are both strong willed leaders, inspiring Mary with their leadership skills and ability to survive in a man's world. James Stewart, Mary's half brother hovers between being close to Mary because she is his sister and being competitive and resenting everything she stands for.

Mary's four ladies in waiting, who are also named Mary, form a loyal sisterhood to their beloved queen and are individuals in their own right-Mary "Flamina" Fleming is the boldest and most outspoken, Mary "Lusty" Livingston is the robust tomboy, Mary Beaton is the quiet daydreamer, and Mary Seton is the most serious and spiritual.


Francois is also well written as an embodiment of youthful innocence. They marry when he is 10 and Mary 14, so unsure of what to do, they spend their wedding night...falling asleep. Instead of a husband, Francois is more like a kid brother with whom Mary plays games, tells stories, and create elaborate ideas for their future kingdom. Francois is an eternal child who would have a hard time reaching adulthood, which unfortunately he does not. Mary is barely crowned Queen of France upon her father in law's death before she loses her husband less than a year later.


When Mary returns to Scotland after her mother's death, she gets a frosty welcome, literally. The weather is cold and misty so that she can't see anything. If ever there was a sign that her reign would not be a peaceful one, that would be it. The peasant and working class love her, considering her a return to civility. However, the Kirk, the noblemen who act as her council, are mistrustful of her, suspicious of her Catholic religion, dislike her de Guise relatives, and mock her French ways. Even though France and Scotland are allies as part of the Auld Alliance, against England, that's far from saying the Scots actually like the French especially after they convert to Protestantism. Many of the Kirk favor Knox's conservative dour approach and fear the queen simply because he tells them to.


Her antagonists include her brother, James, who more and more sees better advantages siding with Knox and his crew over her, The Hamiltons, a family that often looks out for their own interests, and Lord Ruthven, who is rumored to be a warlock and is certainly creepy enough if he isn't. Queen Elizabeth also has her reasons to fear her second cousin. Since Mary is the closest heir to the throne and a staunch Catholic, the Protestant Elizabeth is fearful that her Catholic subjects would favor Mary over her.

Standing at the center of her antagonists is Knox who puts fear into his followers' hearts that Mary will start another Inquisition. In actuality, she will do nothing of the kind. She respects her subjects' Protestant religion. She only asks that they respect hers. She is very passionate and fair minded, but is willing to compromise to make other's happy. But for some unyielding stubborn individuals, that's not enough.


Partly because of her lonely widowhood and the general dislike of her, Mary throws herself into a second marriage to Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley a relation of hers and Elizabeth's. At first, it seems pleasant enough. Darnley is handsome and charismatic, but he very quickly reveals his true nature. He is a big drinker and a philanderer. He is also intensely jealous of Mary's power and demands that she make him King. George doesn't sugarcoat Darnley's chatacter. He is a spiteful abusive weak willed bully who goes along with whatever scheme benefits him the most. The Reader is rooting for his comeuppance long before he receives it.


Mary has several loyal friends to her defense. Besides the Marys, another is David Riccio, her secretary who also acts as confidant, psychologist, public defender, stand up comedian, minstrel, and best friend. He is a very witty character who isn't afraid to tell Mary the truth whether she wants to hear it or not. He also isn't afraid to call out Darnley or his allies, which he does one too many times. In one of the most heart wrenching moments in the book, Darnley leads a group to come in and stab Riccio to death right in front of Mary.


Another loyal supporter is the man who becomes her third husband, James Hepburn, The Earl of Bothwell. Bothwell is everything that Darnley isn't brave, decisive, strong willed, even if he is a bit of a womanizer to begin with. To her credit, George does not make his and Mary's marriage an abrupt thing. They meet in France when he is part of the party that escorts Mary to Scotland. He then appears periodically in Mary's life, sometimes as an outspoken critic but mostly as a staunch ally and a good friend even before they become romantically involved. One of the best moments is when Mary apologizes that she couldn't make Bothwell king and he tells her that is fine. He is satisfied with his lands of Shetland and the Orkney Islands. Mary muses that Bothwell, a man who is better suited for the role of king doesn't want the title, while Darnley whines about wanting the title but exhibits behavior that could not be considered kingly or leader-like.


There are three mysteries that surround Mary's life and George gives interesting theories to answer them. The first is who killed Lord Darnley. What is known is that Darnley died in an explosion and was involved in the death of David Riccio. Most believe that the most likely suspects were either Mary herself or Bothwell. George's version stops short of actually accusing Mary of her second husband's murder, she certainly doesn't miss him.


The second mystery concerns her marriage to Bothwell. Publicly, Bothwell abducted Mary and she married him while in captivity. However, what muddies the waters of this claim is that there were love letters exchanged between Mary and Bothwell dated before Darnley's death and were found in a silver casket in Bothwell's home. The so-called "Casket Letters" were considered evidence that Mary was complicit in her second husband's death and became evidence for her forced abdication in favor of her son James VI (Later James I of England)

Again George gives her own interpretation to these events that the love between Mary and Bothwell was genuine and the abduction was staged so the blame would fall entirely on him and not her for running off with him. Mary and Bothwell's romance is one that is loving but made from bad timing (She chose not to make Bothwell her second husband because he was already married to a woman whom he would later divorce) and short lived. They end up separated when she escapes to England and he sails to Sweden where he is imprisoned and later dies. Their marriage was short, but it was one of love and loyalty in this book.


The final third of the book where Mary seeks refuge in England is probably the most boring part but it leads to the third mystery in her life. How involved was Mary in plots to bring down Queen Elizabeth. While she is under house arrest and moved about, she makes friends with many noblemen like George Talbot, the Earl of Shrewsbury. Many of these allies want to see a Catholic ascend the throne and promise to aid in Mary's escape. Mary knows that she is playing a dangerous game with these men but she writes letters in code requesting their aid and support. Just as she does with Mary's involvement with Darnley's death, George doesn't outright accuse her, but Mary knew that her release could only come from Elizabeth's death so she turns a blind eye to the consequences and what the end result would be.

Even though Mary is the main character, George also makes Elizabeth believable as well. She is somewhat jealous of Mary's appearance. During his first meeting with the Scottish Queen, Elizabeth pesters her ambassadors with comparisons about her height and her appearance asking if she's more attractive. When Mary gives birth to James, Elizabeth complains that she "is of barren stock." She also gets upset when Mary's family uses the English crest on their china (something Mary doesn't agree with either).

However despite her pettiness, Elizabeth relates to Mary as another female ruler in a man's world. Even though, they never meet face to face they write often calling each other "Sister," and giving tokens of friendship. When Mary finally is arrested for conspiring against Elizabeth, the English queen suffers remorse about having to put her cousin to death and wavers for a long time before she finally signs her death warrant.

Margaret George captured Mary Queen of Scots and made her passionate, headstrong, emotional, reckless, strong willed, and a very vibrant,, colorful, unforgettable woman. Some Royal characters like Elizabeth Woodville, Anne Boleyn, Anne of Cleve's, and Queen Elizabeth belonged to Philippa Gregory. But in this case, Mary Queen of Scots belongs to Margaret George.