SCOTLAND HISTORY

Mary Queen of Scotland & The Isles by Margaret George

Synopsis
Mary was but 25 years old when she left Scotland for the imagined sanctuary of her cousin Elizabeth I's England, there to remain captive until she was beheaded in 1587. George's new novel illuminates the passions of a woman whose birth generated glorious dreams, hideous treachery, and murder.

Mary, Queen of Scots by Kathryn Lasky

Publisher's Synopsis
Mary is only nine months old when she is crowned Queen of Scotland, succeeding her father, King James V. Because of political conflicts, she is separated from her mother and her country at the age of five. For the benefit of forging an alliance with France, she is betrothed to Francis, the son of King Henry II of France, and his wife, the vicious and jealous Queen Catherine de Medici. Mary is sent to France to live in their care until she is old enough for the marriage to take place. It is at their home, the beautiful Chateau St. Germaine, that we first meet the irresistibly charming Mary at 11 years old.

Mary Queen of Scots by Antonia Fraser

Publisher's Synopsis
Since 1969 Antonia Fraser has written many acclaimed historical works which have been international bestsellers and is the recipient of many literary awards, including the James Tait Black Memorial Prize. These include the biographies Cromwell: Our Chief of Men and King Charles II and the history Faith and Treason: The Story of the Gunpowder Plot. Three highly praised books focus on women in history: The Weaker Vessel: Women’s Lot in Seventeenth-Century England, The Warrior Queens, and The Six Wives of Henry VIII. Her most recent book was Marie Antoinette. She is editor of the series Kings and Queens of England. Antonia Fraser is married to the playwright Harold Pinter and lives in London.

Mary, Queen of Scots, and the Murder of Lord Darnley by Alison Weir

Publisher's Synopsis
Handsome, accomplished, and charming, Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, staked his claim to the English throne by marrying Mary Stuart, who herself claimed to be the Queen of England. It was not long before Mary discovered that her new husband was interested only in securing sovereign power for himself. Then, on February 10, 1567, an explosion at his lodgings left Darnley dead; the intrigue thickened after it was discovered that he had apparently been suffocated before the blast. After an exhaustive reevaluation of the source material, Alison Weir has come up with a solution to this enduring mystery. Employing her gift for vivid characterization and gripping storytelling, Weir has written one of her most engaging excursions yet into Britain's bloodstained, power-obsessed past.

The Captive Queen of Scots by Jean Plaidy

Mary Queen of Scots and the Casket Letters by A. E. MacRobert

Publisher's Synopsis
Mary Queen of Scots was a romantic and tragic figure. The story of the 'Casket Letters' adds richly to the enigma and mystery - eight letters, a love sonnet and two contracts, allegedly written by Mary to her lover, implicated Mary in her husband's murder and 'proved' her adultery. This forensic re-examination of the controversy, the latest historiography, and the huge literature it has generated together with an accessible presentation of the 'Letters', is a detailed and powerful study for both scholar and general reader and illuminates sharply the dramatic events leading to Mary's imprisonment and eventual execution.