Mary Queen of Scots: A Life From Beginning to End (Biographies of British Royalty) Paperback – October 24, 2016

This is a very good overview of the life and death of Mary, Queen of Scots. Although brief, it hits all of the highlights.Mary became queen when she was six months old. Her mother was not permitted to be her regent, but she was appointed as her protector. Lord Arran was appointed as her regent. Mary was taken to France when she was five years old and raised in the household of King Henry II of France.As a young girl, she was betrothed to King Henry's heir, and in due time they were married. This infuriated England's King Henry VIII who had intended to wed Mary to his heir, Prince Edward.Cutting to the chase, the French king died, then his heir died, leaving the teenaged Mary a widow. Her mother also died during this time.While Mary was in France, Scotland had, in the main, converted from Roman Catholic to Presbyterian. This led to all kinds of trouble with the Catholic nations who wanted to interfere and turn Scotland back to the Roman Catholic church. Mary next met and married the ne'er-do-well Lord Darnley who was subsequently murdered. Mary gave birth to a son, James. She was forced and/or blackmailed into marrying Lord Bothwell who was widely believed to have murdered Darnley.The ultimate betrayal, her execution by order of Elizabeth I, was a truly gruesome spectacle. By now, Mary had been betrayed by every person she thought she could trust."Every subsequent ruler of Great Britain to this day is descended from Mary Queen of Scots and not Elizabeth, who died the 'Virgin Queen'.”8

Great insight into the life of Mary Queen of Scots. Well written and full of juicy history.

Concise and easy to read. The author did a good job of distilling down the facts of a life so full of dramatic twists and turns, ups and downs, love and betrayal. I enjoyed the book.

A life filled with betrayals, battles for power by other royals such as Elizabeth I, an unstable nation at war with other nations—this makes for an intriguing read. Although this is not a novel or a complete biography, it does offer enough for me to grasp Mary Stuart's place in history and life.It’s hard to imagine the painful emotions Mary Stuart endured. But she was a royal through and through and even submitted to beheading with dignity and peace.Added to all the turmoil was the tension and oppression of the churches, whether Roman Catholic or The Church of England. It’s sobering to think that today’s British royalty is descended from Mary Queen of Scots, and not Elizabeth I, the virgin queen. If Mary foresaw that, I think she would’ve been more at peace. After all, with royalty the best revenge is your descendants who gain royal power!I recommend this short book for it helps to give us the reality behind some movies such as “Mary Queen of Scots.”

I was kind of shocked that this "book" is more like a pamphlet! If you are considering this book then you are already aware of its content. Although good, its REALLY short. Not at all what I expected!

Very well done portrait of a woman of consequence in the mid 16th century. I had read books about people who surrounded her, and had a fairly good idea who she was, but this show book was necessary to know her full importance and what made her tick. I didn't find much to like about her, but her blood still flows through rulers of Britain to this day. She was a person of courage.

Pretty well written, so much to cover, but nicely informational. Mary, who ascended to the throne at a very young age, was a fascinating portrait in history. Was she too trusting? The events leading to her demise resemble some of present day politics in America, where innuendo is passed off as fact. The difference is hopefully one does not lose their head over differences. Having read several accounts of Mary, and her reign, this short piece does a nice job of giving an overview of her life. Betrayed by a rigged outcome, she held her head high to the end. The irony here is who replaced her, King James, in whom we can be thankful for his part in what became our Bible, the King James version, 1611.The interesting thing about Mary's "trial", the sham that it was, in today's environment, could have been different because of forensics that did not exist in that day and time.

I enjoyed this biography as this was the first I have learned of Mary as she was and not strictly an English version. Two insights come to.mind as this is read . First, how women were used as pawns by male politicians . Secondly,how bitter the conflict was between the Catholics and Protestants during this time. I suppose, I really mean the personal nature of this conflict considering thenumber of assassinations . If you enjoy history and want a complete picture of Mary Queen of Scotts , you will be well informed here.

Really enjoyed this shortly book on Mary’s life story, well written and it was very well read. Where many books cover portions of her fascinating life this one covered it all very nicely and kept me glued to the end. Really worth the read.

A wonderful book! I could not stop reading until I finished!

Una vida tan fascinante como dramática. Una de las reinas que ha dejado mayor huella tanto en Escocia como en todo el Reino Unido.Aún no se sabe a ciencia cierta si las famosas “cartas del cofre”, que fueron el detonante de su ejecución, son realmente atribuibles a ella. Lo que sí queda claro es que tuvo muy mala suerte a la hora de elegir maridos. Lo pagó caro, con 18 años de reclusión en Inglaterra, siempre creyendo que su medio prima Isabel I intercedería a su favor. No fue así. La leyenda en torno a cómo fue decapitada la ha encumbrado a los altares de las mártires por la causa.Biografía muy breve, pero suficiente para esclarecer las posibles dudas de cualquier lector que no necesite adentrarse en mayores detalles. La he disfrutado.

All think in this

Pour mieux connaître l'histoire de Mary