Mary Queen of Scots, 1542-1587SECTION IReading editionChapter navigation130 reading sectionsGo to chapterChoose a chapter…Front matterQueen of ScotsPREFACEIntroductory materialSECTION IThe Birth of the Queen.1550—April. Queen Mary's Life in France—Character of the Queen.Her Education and Accomplishments.1558.—April. Mary's Betrothal and Marriage to the Dauphin.1560.—June 11. The Death of the Queen Regent.1560.—July. The Treaty of Edinburgh.The Abolition of Roman Catholicism by the Scottish Parliament.December 15. The Death of Francis II.1560.—December 6. Mary's Devotion to Francis II.1560.—December 31. Proposals for Mary's Return to Scotland, and for a Second Marriage.1561.—June 13. Mary's Intentions Regarding Religion on her Return.1561.—July 26. Throckmorton to Queen Elizabeth.1561.—August 12. The Voyage from France to Scotland.SECTION IIIntroductory materialThe Queen's Arrival in Scotland.Knox's Opinion of the Queen.1561.—2nd September. The Queen's Public Entry into Edinburgh.A Ballad of Welcome.Illustrations of the Religious Difficulty—Proclamation regarding Religion.1561.—November 1. The Queen's first High Mass.Popular Songs.The Conduct of Affairs in the Early Years of the Reign—Randolph on Mary's Ministers.Mary on the Treaty of Edinburgh.1562.—Randolph's Account of the Huntly Rebellion.1563.—28th May. The Sentence on the Earl's Body.1563.—22nd February. The Death of Châtelar.The Famine of 1563.1563.—The Meeting of Parliament.1563.—May or June. Knox and the Queen.Mary's Second Marriage.1563.—August 20. Instructions for Randolph.Queen Elizabeth and Sir James Melville.Queen Mary and Randolph.SECTION IIIIntroductory material1563.—Feb. 17-Oct. 23. The Darnley Marriage and the Murray Rebellion.1565.—April 29. Mary's Festivities.Murray's Reception by Elizabeth.Mary's Relations with her Husband.Agreement between Darnley and the Earls of Murray, Argyll, Glencairn, and Rothes, and Lords Boyd and Ochiltree.Bond for Rizzio's Murder—Ruthven's Relation.1566.—April 2. Mary's Description of the Murder of Rizzio, in a letter to the Archbishop of Glasgow, her Ambassador in Paris.SECTION IVRelations between Mary and Darnley.Bequests to the King.Mary's Will as described in the "Book of Articles" (cf. p. 144).The Birth of Prince James.Rejoicings in Edinburgh.Elizabeth and the Rebels.Mary's Treatment of Darnley.Mary and the Poor.The Ride to Hermitage.Buchanan on the Ride to Hermitage.The Queen's Illness at Jedburgh.1566.—The Craigmillar Conference.Events immediately before the Murder of Darnley.An Incident of the Baptism.1566.—December 23. Restoration of the Consistorial Jurisdiction of the Archbishop of St. Andrews.Darnley's Illness.The Visit to Glasgow and the Murder.Mary's Description of the Murder.SECTION V1567.—April 19. Mary's Capture by Bothwell.A Bond by a Number of the Nobility to promote Bothwell's Marrying of Queen Mary.1567.—May. Mary on her Capture. Instructions to the Bishop of Dunblane for the French Court.The Bothwell Marriage.1567.—May. Mary's Demeanour.1567.—June 15. Carberry Hill.1567.—July 12. Lochleven Castle.The Escape from Lochleven.SECTION VIIntroductory materialThe Conference at York.1568.—September 9. Mary's Instructions to her Commissioners.October 8. Complaint of the Queen of Scots against the Earl of Murray.October 10. The Answer of the Earl of Murray.1568.—October 16. Queen Mary's Commissioners' Rejoinder to Murray's Reply.1568.—October 11. Letter to Queen Elizabeth from her Commissioners at York.Abstract of Matters showed to the Queen's Majesty's Commissioners by the Scots, sent the 11th of October.Notes drawn forth of the Queen's Letters sent to the Earl Bothwell.The Conference at Westminster.1568.—November 22. Mary to her Commissioners.1568.—November 26. Murray's "Eik" or Additional Charge.1568.—December 1. The Answer of Queen Mary's Commissioners to the "Eik."1568.—December 4. Elizabeth's Answer.1568.—Dec. 4. Proceedings of the Privy Council.1568.—Dec. 6. Proofs produced at Westminster.1568.—December 19. Queen Mary's own Answer to the "Eik."1569.—January 7. Proceedings at Hampton Court.1569.—January 10. At Hampton Court.SECTION VIITHE CASKET LETTERS.Letter I.Letter II.Letter III.[63]Letter IV.Letter V.Letter VI.Letter VII.Letter VIII.The Love Sonnets.The Contracts of Marriage.The Discovery of the Letters—1. The Earl of Morton's Declaration.2. Buchanan's Account.The Deposition of Thomas Nelson.Thomas Crawford's Deposition.Murray's Journal.The Depositions of Paris.1573.—December 13. Confession of the Laird of Ormiston.1581.—June 2. The Confession of the Earl of Morton.Letter from Mr. Archibald Douglas to the Queen of Scots.SECTION VIIIIntroductory materialQueen Mary's Letter to Queen Elizabeth.The Will of the Queen of Scots.Queen Mary's Appeal to the Pope for Spiritual Faculties.Poem composed by Queen Mary in view of her Approaching Death.1587.—February 8. Narrative of the Execution, sent to the Court.(A.) TABLE SHOWING THE RELATIONSHIP OF MARY TO LORD DARNLEY AND TO THE DUKE OF CHÂTELHERAULT.TABLE SHOWING THE POSITION OF MARY AND DARNLEY WITH REGARD TO THE CROWN OF ENGLAND.(B.) LORD DARNLEY.(C.) CONTEMPORARY WRITERS.(D.) AUTHORITIES.(E.) CONTROVERSIAL WORKS.Previous chapter ←Introductory materialNext chapter →The Birth of the Queen.All chapters and sections (130)Opening pagesFront matterOther sectionsQueen of ScotsPREFACEOpening pagesIntroductory materialOther sectionsSECTION IThe Birth of the Queen.1550—April. Queen Mary's Life in France—Character of the Queen.Her Education and Accomplishments.1558.—April. Mary's Betrothal and Marriage to the Dauphin.1560.—June 11. The Death of the Queen Regent.1560.—July. The Treaty of Edinburgh.The Abolition of Roman Catholicism by the Scottish Parliament.December 15. The Death of Francis II.1560.—December 6. Mary's Devotion to Francis II.1560.—December 31. Proposals for Mary's Return to Scotland, and for a Second Marriage.1561.—June 13. Mary's Intentions Regarding Religion on her Return.1561.—July 26. Throckmorton to Queen Elizabeth.1561.—August 12. The Voyage from France to Scotland.SECTION IIOpening pagesIntroductory materialOther sectionsThe Queen's Arrival in Scotland.Knox's Opinion of the Queen.1561.—2nd September. The Queen's Public Entry into Edinburgh.A Ballad of Welcome.Illustrations of the Religious Difficulty—Proclamation regarding Religion.1561.—November 1. The Queen's first High Mass.Popular Songs.The Conduct of Affairs in the Early Years of the Reign—Randolph on Mary's Ministers.Mary on the Treaty of Edinburgh.1562.—Randolph's Account of the Huntly Rebellion.1563.—28th May. The Sentence on the Earl's Body.1563.—22nd February. The Death of Châtelar.The Famine of 1563.1563.—The Meeting of Parliament.1563.—May or June. Knox and the Queen.Mary's Second Marriage.1563.—August 20. Instructions for Randolph.Queen Elizabeth and Sir James Melville.Queen Mary and Randolph.SECTION IIIOpening pagesIntroductory materialOther sections1563.—Feb. 17-Oct. 23. The Darnley Marriage and the Murray Rebellion.1565.—April 29. Mary's Festivities.Murray's Reception by Elizabeth.Mary's Relations with her Husband.Agreement between Darnley and the Earls of Murray, Argyll, Glencairn, and Rothes, and Lords Boyd and Ochiltree.Bond for Rizzio's Murder—Ruthven's Relation.1566.—April 2. Mary's Description of the Murder of Rizzio, in a letter to the Archbishop of Glasgow, her Ambassador in Paris.SECTION IVRelations between Mary and Darnley.Bequests to the King.Mary's Will as described in the "Book of Articles" (cf. p. 144).The Birth of Prince James.Rejoicings in Edinburgh.Elizabeth and the Rebels.Mary's Treatment of Darnley.Mary and the Poor.The Ride to Hermitage.Buchanan on the Ride to Hermitage.The Queen's Illness at Jedburgh.1566.—The Craigmillar Conference.Events immediately before the Murder of Darnley.An Incident of the Baptism.1566.—December 23. Restoration of the Consistorial Jurisdiction of the Archbishop of St. Andrews.Darnley's Illness.The Visit to Glasgow and the Murder.Mary's Description of the Murder.SECTION V1567.—April 19. Mary's Capture by Bothwell.A Bond by a Number of the Nobility to promote Bothwell's Marrying of Queen Mary.1567.—May. Mary on her Capture. Instructions to the Bishop of Dunblane for the French Court.The Bothwell Marriage.1567.—May. Mary's Demeanour.1567.—June 15. Carberry Hill.1567.—July 12. Lochleven Castle.The Escape from Lochleven.SECTION VIOpening pagesIntroductory materialOther sectionsThe Conference at York.1568.—September 9. Mary's Instructions to her Commissioners.October 8. Complaint of the Queen of Scots against the Earl of Murray.October 10. The Answer of the Earl of Murray.1568.—October 16. Queen Mary's Commissioners' Rejoinder to Murray's Reply.1568.—October 11. Letter to Queen Elizabeth from her Commissioners at York.Abstract of Matters showed to the Queen's Majesty's Commissioners by the Scots, sent the 11th of October.Notes drawn forth of the Queen's Letters sent to the Earl Bothwell.The Conference at Westminster.1568.—November 22. Mary to her Commissioners.1568.—November 26. Murray's "Eik" or Additional Charge.1568.—December 1. The Answer of Queen Mary's Commissioners to the "Eik."1568.—December 4. Elizabeth's Answer.1568.—Dec. 4. Proceedings of the Privy Council.1568.—Dec. 6. Proofs produced at Westminster.1568.—December 19. Queen Mary's own Answer to the "Eik."1569.—January 7. Proceedings at Hampton Court.1569.—January 10. At Hampton Court.SECTION VIITHE CASKET LETTERS.Letters12345678Other sectionsThe Love Sonnets.The Contracts of Marriage.The Discovery of the Letters—1. The Earl of Morton's Declaration.2. Buchanan's Account.The Deposition of Thomas Nelson.Thomas Crawford's Deposition.Murray's Journal.The Depositions of Paris.1573.—December 13. Confession of the Laird of Ormiston.1581.—June 2. The Confession of the Earl of Morton.Letter from Mr. Archibald Douglas to the Queen of Scots.SECTION VIIIOpening pagesIntroductory materialOther sectionsQueen Mary's Letter to Queen Elizabeth.The Will of the Queen of Scots.Queen Mary's Appeal to the Pope for Spiritual Faculties.Poem composed by Queen Mary in view of her Approaching Death.1587.—February 8. Narrative of the Execution, sent to the Court.(A.) TABLE SHOWING THE RELATIONSHIP OF MARY TO LORD DARNLEY AND TO THE DUKE OF CHÂTELHERAULT.TABLE SHOWING THE POSITION OF MARY AND DARNLEY WITH REGARD TO THE CROWN OF ENGLAND.(B.) LORD DARNLEY.(C.) CONTEMPORARY WRITERS.(D.) AUTHORITIES.(E.) CONTROVERSIAL WORKS.FROM MARY'S BIRTH TO HER RETURN TO SCOTLAND FROM FRANCE← Introductory materialThe Birth of the Queen. →