Publisher's Synopsis
In this collection of essays, a team of historians reassesses the life and historical significance of Mary Stewart. Best remembered as Mary, Queen of Scots, she was also, briefly, Queen of France and, for almost 30 years, Catholic claimant to the Protestant throne of England. This is the first book to examine her career in all three kingdoms.;The chapters explore Mary's early years in France, highlighting the enduring influence of her French connections on her later actions and attitudes. They follow her return to Scotland, focusing on the contentious years of her personal reign: was Mary a successful and astute ruler or was she the inept and incompetent monarch of tradition? Finally, the volume looks at her long exile in captivity in England, reconsidering her involvement in the conspiracies against Elizabeth I. Throughout, the contributors emphasize the complex interconnections between French, Scottish and English policy and interests.;This book offers a new interpretation of Mary's life, providing a range of insights into the interplay of religions and politics, international diplomacy and dynastic intrigue in which Mary played a major role.
