A Strong Mother Figure
The life of Mary, Queen of Scots might have been very different had the politically canny Mary of Guise survived…
THE movie Mary Queen Of Scots is packing in the crowds. As someone who grew up in Linlithgow, I’d expect no less of a film recalling the life of the town’s famous daughter.
Filming took place at sites including Craigmillar Castle, Edinburgh, a venue Mary reputedly far preferred to Holyrood House. Hence the name of Little France for the area around it where her retinue stayed.
Though I enjoyed the film I’ve always found her mother, Mary of Guise, a more interesting character.
Facing the same challenges of French and Catholic interests vying with those of English and Protestant ones, they both died aged just 44.
The daughter inherited her mother’s looks and talents but was far less politically skilled and a less sympathetic character, despite the tragedy that befell her.
Perhaps if her mother had lived longer, the daughter may have survived. But heirs to the throne were state property, and maternal interests incidental. Her daughter spent more time in France as strategic interests took command, though it’s clear Mary of Guise was a loving parent. Her death through dropsy in 1560 came at a time when the Protestant lords supported by the English throne were flexing their muscles.
That same year the Dauphin of France, to whom Mary, Queen of Scots had been married, also died. Returning the following year to take charge in her own right from regents who had governed since her birth in 1542, Mary found a country convulsed with an intrigue that would lead to her own tragic death in 1587.
Mary of Guise’s life was likewise scarred by sadness but she showed great resilience, as well as remarkable political skills. Born in Lorraine in 1515, her father was Duke of Guise, a powerful figure within the French court. Several of her brothers would go on to be influential and sought to assist their sister when she faced trouble in Scotland. Tall and elegant, she was also intelligent and unafraid to take command and face challenges, in an age that was hugely male dominated.
At the age of 18 she married the Duke of Longueville, but was widowed by 21 with two young sons. One soon died and Mary was separated from the surviving Francis, as she was still an eligible bride. Her size and health appealed to many, not just the recently widowed James V of Scotland but also Henry VIII of England, both of whom were seeking sons to ensure the royal dynasty.
Eligible brides were in those days simply a commodity to be traded, or even shamefully viewed almost as breeding stock. She had no desire to be married to an English king who had already started to behead his wives, and would later stall and ultimately thwart a similar attempt by him to betroth her daughter.