[MR] BBC: Mary Queen of Scots' Last Letter

[Garth Groff and Sally Sanford]

Noble Friends, especially fellow Scots,

Today the BBC announced that the last letter by Mary, Queen of Scots, is to
be displayed at the Perth Museum (Scotland) for three months starting on 23
January.

The letter was written by (or for) Mary on 8 February 1587 at Fotheringhay
Castle in Northamptonshire, England, just hours before her execution. It
was to be sent to her former brother-in-law, King of France Henry III. In
the letter, which is in Renaissance-era French, Mary pleads innocence of
any crimes and begs for her servants to be paid. She also seems quite
unimpressed by her son, James VI, King of Scots, later James I of England
(Mary had been forced to abdicate in his favor).

Three questions arise in my mind: (1) Is this Mary's own hand, or was this
dictated to a scribe as was common at the time?; (2) How did the letter end
up in the National Library of Scotland?; and (3), Was this letter ever
really sent to Henry III? [The latter two questions hint at a possible
political/diplomatic betrayal of Mary's last wishes]. The BBC piece does
not answer these questions, but inquiring minds want to know.

The BBC article offers a modern English translation of said letter, so we
can all read it, even if we can't see the original while it is displayed in
Perth.

The BBC story is at https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cg4nzy3r5zyo .

Mary's tragic (and rather feckless) life and disastrous reign have been
covered in numerous biographies and general books of Scottish/English
history, as well as various documentaries and dramas. I will leave you to
decide whether she was guilty of plotting against Elizabeth or was set up
in an elaborate sting by Walsingham and her other enemies. You can read a
Wikipedia gloss of Mary's life at
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary,_Queen_of_Scots . The part about her
ill-starred marriage to Lord Darnley, Darnley's assassination of Mary's
secretary David Rizzio ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Rizzio ), and
Darnely's subsequent murder (
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Stuart,_Lord_Darnley ), make for juicy
reading indeed.

The Perth Museum's web site offers this preview:
https://perthmuseum.co.uk/inside-the-museum/the-last-letter-of-mary-queen-of-scots/
. Note that there are other planned displays and a living history actor
portraying Mary. Also note that this is the Perth Museum in Scotland, NOT
the one in Perth, Australia (Yeah, I made this mistake in my initial
search!).

Yours Aye,

Mungo Napier, Laird of Mallard Lodge  🦆
Continuing a crusade to keep the original Merry Rose relevant and in
business.