Chances are good that you have heard of Mary, Queen of Scots, even if you’re not entirely sure why you’ve heard of her. Also known as Mary Stuart, she lived from 1542 to 1587. Hers was a unique and legendary life—she was Queen of Scotland, Queen Consort of France (briefly), and originally also in line for the throne of England. Her destiny was derailed when she was imprisoned by her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I, and kept in captivity for the final 19 years of her life, before ultimately being beheaded. But there has always been a shroud of mystery surrounding Mary, and that is much of the reason that mention of her name evokes such intrigue.
Over the course of her years of imprisonment, Mary made a number of concerted efforts to win her freedom, and to overthrow Queen Elizabeth even from her disadvantaged position. Of course, with the danger of execution looming should she be caught performing any traitorous activities, she had to be a tad covert in her efforts. Hence the use of complex ciphers into which she translated nearly all of her correspondence. Seven of these letters have been known to historians for quite a while, but 50 others were lost for centuries, their whereabouts entirely
