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MARY, QUEEN OF SCOTS Born into an age when noblewomen were a commodity to secure alliances and land, it's easy to see how political maneuverings and societal oppression could turn an infant queen into a bitch. Mary Stewart (Later changed to the French, Marie Stuart.) was a precious prize in the monarchy lotto. Crowned before her first birthday, Mary's future was plotted out by power hungry men looking to make their sons King. Her mother sent the tender young Mary to France to be raised in the French Courts. When Mary came of age she was married to the Dauphin Francis who soon succeeded his father and became King of France. Before the age of 18 this bitch was Queen of two lands. Her double reign was short lived, her husband died after only 17 months on the throne. Rather than put up with her mother in law ruling over her, Mary decided to take her chances in her homeland and sailed back to Scotland. The next couple of years were embroiled in religion, politics and trying to secure a politically advantageous marriage with Don Carlos, the son of Philip II of Spain. When that fell through, she married her first cousin Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley. I can't even go into every reason why this marriage was so wrong, but Mary was soon regretting her rash decision. Her husband was know to take off for days at a time, whoring seemed to be his favorite pastime after social climbing. Luckily for her, she found comfort and wisdom in her Italian secretary David Rizzio. Unluckily for Mr. Rizzio, the Protestant Lords felt his Catholic ways were influencing the young pretty queen, while Lord Darnley thought she was getting it on with her hot manservant. Darnley insisted that David Rizzio be stabbed in the presence of the Queen, in the hope that she would miscarry his own child and leave her without an heir to the throne. Can we say bastard? Mary fled her bloodthirsty spouse and gave birth to a son, James. During her estrangement from Darnley, she befriended James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell. Too bad for her. Soon her marital troubles came to an end, Lord Darnley was mysteriously murdered. There was some finger pointing at the Earl of Bothwell, but he was acquitted in a brief trial. Shortly afterwards, he obtained a divorce from his wife, abducted Mary and later wed her in a Protestant ceremony which sealed the beginning of the end of Mary's reign. Mary's last marriage was an unhappy one; her husband was jealous, controlling and emotionally abusive. He was still sleeping with his first wife and called Mary his concubine. It was reported that she spent most of her days crying at the foul treatment of her husband and had threatened suicide. Hepburn was greatly disliked and Mary's supporters soon turned on her. Forced to abdicate her throne to her son, she soon had a small army rallying behind her as she tried to regain power in her land. Unfortunately, they were badly beaten and Mary felt it best to flee to England and seek the protection of her cousin Elizabeth I with whom she had always been on friendly terms. Mary sent several letters to her cousin asking for assistance in retaining her Scottish throne, but Elizabeth seemed reluctant to help. Finally Elizabeth stated that until Mary was acquitted in Lord Darnly's murder, her hands were tied. Mary felt the trial was merely a formality and agreed. The trial that followed has been described as one of the worst legal aberrations of our history. Her traitorous half brother the Earl of Moray produced the infamous Casket Letters, and Mary was not allowed to examine these false documents or even attend her trial to answer the accusations. Mary was imprisoned and held captive for nineteen years. Although she wrote many letters swearing her allegiance to her cousin and requesting freedom, her words fell on deaf ears. There were many plots to over throw Elizabeth by Catholic idealists carried out in Mary's name without her approval or even her knowledge. Mary was trapped, denied the outdoor sports she so loved. She was forced to sit and embroider, (gag) and soon grew sick from the dampness of her prison. For a time she was even denied writing and receiving letters, for fear of her inciting more uprisings controlled her world. Soon Elizabeth put Sir Francis Walsingham in charge of the Catholic problem. An appointment that soon sealed our fair Mary's fate. It took him several years to finally devise a scheme to trap the caged Queen into seeming to agree in a plot against Elizabeth. Mary was beheaded on Wednesday 8th February 1587. Because she was true to her faith and she had a blood claim to the English throne which made her a powerful tool in the tug of war between Protestant and Catholic churches she was murdered by her own kinswoman. Mary fought hard and long, but in the end her fight was lost to the vipers that plotted against her. Poor bitch. BunnyBitch  |
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