Mary, Queen of Scots: And the Murder of Lord Darnley (Hardback)

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On the night of 10 February 1567, an explosion devastated the Edinburgh residence of Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley, second husband of Mary, Queen of Scots. The noise was heard as far away as Holyrood Palace, where Queen Mary was attending a wedding masque. Those arriving at the scene of devastation found, in the garden, the naked corpses of Darnley and his valet. Neither had died in the explosion, but both bodies bore marks of strangulation. It was clear that they had been murdered and the house destroyed in an attempt to obliterate the evidence. Darnley was not a popular king-consort, but he was regarded by many as having a valid claim to the English throne. For this reason Elizabeth I had opposed his family's longstanding wish to marry him to Mary Stuart, who herself claimed to be the rightful queen of England. Alison Weir's investigation of Darnley's murder is set against one of the most dramatic periods in British history. Her conclusions will shed a brilliant new light on the actions and motives of the conspirators and, in particular, the extent of Mary's own involvement.

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Published
03/04/2003

Publisher
Jonathan Cape Ltd

ISBN
9780224060233

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UK Kirkus review

Revenge, sex, love, hate and that ultimate aphrodisiac, power, all play their part in one of history's unsolved mysteries - the murder of Lord Darnley, husband of Mary, Queen of Scots, in 1567. The beautiful if misguided queen is still suspected of complicity in her husband's murder, especially because of her hasty remarriage to the chief suspect, James Earl of Bothwell. Historians throughout the decades have tried her and passed judgement. Now Alison Weir sets out to give a fresh examination of the known facts, attempting to discover just how closely involved in Darnley's death Mary really was. In doing so, Weir examines not just the murder but the wider facets of this unfortunate monarch's tragic existence. Intrigue, conspiracy and rivalries abound across all aspects of Mary's life and Darnley's murder, and Alison Weir's spare yet evocative prose guides us carefully through the key events. She keeps up the momentum throughout - an achievement when evaluating a turbulent period where endless power struggles existed within the Scottish and English courts, and a quick rise to power was inevitably followed by an even faster descent of those out of favour. Analysing Mary's actions through the accounts of her supporters and those who condemned her, Weir clarifies as much as possible the events leading up to the murder of Darnley. Most interestingly, she looks in depth at the notorious, probably forged Casket Letters, in which Mary seems to admit her guilt. As with all modern evaluations of historical mysteries, Weir can never fully answer the questions she raises, but her defence of Mary is a convincing one, and whatever this book may lack in hard fact it makes up for in sheer exhilarating detail, as Weir uses her considerable skills to bring Mary's court vividly to life. (Kirkus UK)