Mary
Queen of the Scots: The Forgotten Reign
The
Legendary Women of World History Book 3
by
Laurel A. Rockefeller
Genre:
Historical Fiction
Queen
Mary Stuart was one of the most beloved and controversial women in
Scottish history. The granddaughter of King James IV and his wife
Margaret Tudor, Queen Mary's status as heiress-apparent to Queen
Elizabeth's throne in England paired with the violence of the
Scottish Reformation set the stage for one of the most dramatic and
poorly understood lives of the 16th century.
Mary
Queen of the Scots tells Mary's true story, focusing primarily on her
reign as queen of Scotland, celebrating her life more than her death
and showing us all why she was truly a woman ahead of her
time.
Features
a detailed timeline, a list of Latin prayers with their English
translations, and the lyrics to all four featured period songs
performed in the book.
**Available
in 6 languages!**
Amazon
* B&N
* Kobo
* Smashwords
Born,
raised, and educated in Lincoln, Nebraska USA Laurel A. Rockefeller
is author of over twenty-five books published and self-published
since August, 2012 with editions spanning across ten languages and
counting. A dedicated scholar and biographical historian, Ms.
Rockefeller is passionate about education and improving history
literacy worldwide.
With her lyrical writing style, Laurel's
books are as beautiful to read as they are informative.
In her
spare time, Laurel enjoys spending time with her cockatiels,
travelling to historic places, and watching classic motion pictures
and classic television series. Favorites:
Star
Trek
,
Doctor
Who
, and
Babylon
5.
Laurel
proudly supports Health
in Harmony, The
Arbor Day Foundation,
and other charities working to protect and re-plant forests globally.
GUEST POST
Frenemies: Queen Mary’s
Most Dangerous Companions
By
Laurel A. Rockefeller
“Keep your friends
close and your enemies closer,” goes conventional wisdom. We’ve
all heard the phrase of course. It’s the sentiment behind the new
word “frenemy” – the fusion of friend and enemy. That is,
someone who is both your friend and your enemy. Frenemies are common
in royal courts of course where back room deals and palace intrigues
characterize the reigns of even the most virtuous monarchs, female
and male.
As common as these
complex relationships have been, few monarchs have faced such
extremes in their frenemies as Queen Mary Stuart of Scotland where
her most constant male companions were also those most bent on
destroying her. Let’s take a look at her three deadliest.
James Stewart,
the Earl of Moray
One of Mary’s
half-brothers through James V’s many mistresses, James Stewart was
a leading member of the “Lords of the Congregation” in the
Scottish Parliament and therefore a key figure in the Protestant
Reformation in Scotland.
As a member of
Parliament, self-serving nobleman, and Protestant, he tirelessly
worked to contain Queen Mary and undermine her ability to govern even
while operating as her de facto chief of staff.
As her brother, he
helped Mary transition from her role as queen-consort of France to
queen sovereign of Scotland and genuinely seemed to care for her
well-being as much as any in her court could.
Henry Stewart,
Lord Darnley
Queen Mary’s
second husband, Henry Stewart was Mary’s cousin through her
grandmother Margaret Tudor’s remarriage to Archibald Douglas. Tall,
handsome, and sharing Queen Mary’s love of riding, falconry, and
hunting, he seemed a suitable match for the lonely and widowed queen.
But Darnley had a
dark side. He was vain (even by standards of the time), arrogant,
and prone to drunkenness, traits that made the Scottish people hate
him as fiercely as they loved Queen Mary’s generous, kind, and
amiable temperament. A particularly violent drunk, Darnley readily
beat and terrorized Queen Mary.
In March, 1566,
Darnley’s vanity and jealousy towards Queen Mary’s secretary
David Riccio led to murder in Holyrood palace as Darnley stormed the
queen’s apartment, seized her person, and forced her to watch
Darnley’s men stab Riccio 56 times. Darnley put a pistol to Mary’s
pregnant belly, hoping to force her to miscarry their son, while he
demanded the crown matrimonial –the right to become king if she
died childless. Mary refused. Eleven months later Darnley himself
was found dead at Kirk o’ Field house in Edinburgh.
John Knox
The fire-brand whose
May 1559 sermon set off a bloody rebellion against Queen Mary’s
throne while she was still in France, John Knox was the ultimate
frenemy for Queen Mary. A staunch misogynist who did not believe
women possessed the capacity to rule over men in any capacity and who
openly preached against women leaders on all levels of society, Knox
was nonetheless one of Queen Mary’s preferred social companions,
especially when indulging in hunting, archery, falconry, and other
outdoor pursuits. Like the Earl of Moray, his politics and religion
clashed with his social sensibilities, perhaps in part because Queen
Mary was one of the most charismatic and charming of all royals in
Europe.
Mary’s charm could
not banish Knox’s paranoia towards both Catholics and women nor
persuade him of her benevolent intentions. In the end, he, like the
Lords of the Congregation who supported him, rejoiced in Mary’s
final downfall and eventual death at English hands.
Court intrigue, murder, and violent revolution swept through Queen
Mary’s Scotland during her largely forgotten reign. Yet despite the
pressures around her, Mary remained gentle, kind, and a true people’s
princess, loved by all – even by some of her most dangerous
enemies. Where her cousin Elizabeth Tudor hardened her heart and kept
her thoughts to herself, Queen Mary remained open, trusting, and
charismatic, untainted by the terrors and sorrows of her life. A
grieving widow, a battered wife, a persecuted Catholic, Queen Mary
Stuart was so much more than her final years as Queen Elizabeth’s
political prisoner. It is a life worth remembering and worth
exploring. I hope you will take time this summer and learn her
story.
“Mary
Queen of the Scots, the Forgotten Reign” and its follow-up,
“Queen Elizabeth Tudor:
Journey to Gloriana” are available in multiple languages at a
bookstore near you. See https://bit.ly/2IWJeOB
for a complete list of available languages for each volume.
Follow
the tour HERE
for exclusive excerpts, guest posts and a giveaway!
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