Mary, Queen of Scots: The History and Legacy of Mary Stuart of Scotland by Charles River Editors

Author:Charles River Editors [Editors, Charles River]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Charles River Editors
Published: 2015-05-02T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter 4: Abduction and Abdication

"I have endured injuries, calumnies, imprisonment, famine, cold, heat, flight not knowing wither, ninety two miles across the country without stopping or alighting, and then I have had to sleep upon the ground and drink sour milk, and eat oatmeal without bread, and have been three nights like the owls." – Mary, Queen of Scots

The problem of Darnley had been solved, but it would unleash a whole wave of other difficulties, and his extraordinary death dominated events in Scotland. Suspicion was leveled at Mary, Moray, Bothwell and others, and the question was not so much who had smothered the King Consort or lit the fuse that destroyed his residence but who had given the order.

It is not clear whether Mary was involved in plotting Darnley's death. Her decision to recall him to Edinburgh put him in harm's way, but it also made sense for her to do so for other reasons. She feared that her husband might abduct their son and attempt to seize control of Scotland by putting the infant James on the throne, so summoning Darnley to Edinburgh put him where she could keep an eye on him. Unlikely as the prospect may now seem, if she had any hopes of regaining control of the situation without resorting to death or divorce, then such a resolution could only come by making peace with Darnley. On the other hand, if she was involved in his murder, then she set things up perfectly, ensuring that he was in a place where the assassins could get to him, that his comings and goings were known to her, and that she had an alibi for his death.

By the end of February, Bothwell had become the prime suspect, an accusation leveled against him by Darnley's father, the Earl of Lennox. Lennox demanded that Bothwell be tried for his son's murder, and that time be given for evidence to be gathered. Mary agreed to only half of Lennox's demands. Bothwell was tried on April 12, but there had not been time to properly prepare a case against him, Lennox was absent, and no evidence was presented. Regardless of what had really happened, no case had successfully been made against Bothwell, and he was found not guilty after only seven hours.

Upon Bothwell's acquittal, Lennox left Scotland and travelled to England, where he unsuccessfully sought Elizabeth's intervention in events north of the border. He was not the only major player to leave. Moray, long a political rival of Bothwell, saw that his opponent's star was on the rise. Despite Mary's attempts to reconcile them, Moray had no intention of living in a court where Bothwell held sway, so he packed up and left for the continent, refusing to return until after the end of Mary's reign.

Though rid of one troublemaker in the form of Darnley, Mary would now be beset by another in the form of Bothwell. Like Darnley, Bothwell seems to have combined ambition and a sense of entitlement to power.

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