Mary, Queen of Scots’ colourful life was, as biographer Lady Antonia Fraser wrote, a tale of “murder, sex, scandal and imprisonment”, with more drama than you could shake a well-written script at. She’s often seen as a victim of circumstance, a tragic figure vilified for her sexuality and suggested involvement in devious plots.
Yet, this overly simplistic view undermines the authority she wielded. This imposing (she was 5ft 11in – a little over 1.8 metres) and, according to Fraser, strikingly attractive queen, had presence, personality, and power. Elegantly portrayed in continental clothes and draped in jewels, she was the first woman to rule Scotland in her own right and succeeded, for a time, as the Catholic monarch of a Protestant kingdom.
She led troops into battle, briefly wore the French crown and remained gracious even as her neck prostrated the block. Here we look at her story in
