Title: Mary Queen of Scots Pdf The True Life of Mary Stuart
In the first full-scale biography of Mary Stuart in more than 30 years, John Guy creates an intimate and absorbing portrait of one of history's most famous women, depicting her world and her place in the sweep of history with stunning immediacy. Bringing together all surviving documents and uncovering a trove of new sources for the first time, Guy dispels the popular image of Mary Queen of Scots as a romantic leading lady - achieving her ends through feminine wiles - and establishes her as the intellectual and political equal of Elizabeth I.
Through Guy's pioneering research and superb prose, we come to see Mary as a skillful diplomat, maneuvering ingeniously among a dizzying array of factions that sought to control or dethrone her. Mary Queen of Scots is an enthralling, myth-shattering look at a complex woman and ruler and her time.
A thorough and compelling read Though I have been a lifelong fan of Elizabeth I and have absorbed Tudor history like a sponge, my interest in history truly began when I read a novel about Mary Stuart as a teenager. My impression of her then is something that remained years later: an interesting but very flawed woman for whom I felt sympathy but very little respect or appreciation. My reading of Fraser's biography did little to change this perspective, though I don't mean any disrespect towards Fraser - it's still a good biography.I recently decided to re-read Fraser's book along with several other texts about Mary. After having done so, I have to say that I recommend this book hands down. Guy clearly empathizes with and is a fan of Mary Stuart (though this doesn't mean he's unwilling to point out her flaws), and what's more is that he endeavors to show that much of the story about Mary isn't quite correct. Many who have written about her seem to wish to have it both ways: they consider her to be a shrewd, plotting, calculating woman engaged in an affair while planning the downfall of her husband, yet simultaneously a less-than-astute woman wholly unfit to rule. The truth is somewhere in between, it seems. She made some shrewd decisions that demonstrated her adaptability and made many abysmal choices (particularly with regard to the men she trusted). She ruled with the heart at times---- but even my studies of Elizabeth I had long proven that she did so herself, as have many rulers male and female.Most importantly, this work draws in additional study of Cecil's actions and, moving beyond mere conjecture, Guy is able to connect some dots with the casket letters proving that Cecil very clearly had an agenda against Mary, one he had enacted well before she even returned to Scotland, and one that had a heavy hand in her downfall. A final note for readers is that, while Cecil clearly does not come out looking positive (though arguably, what he did was to protect his vision of England; it's the sort of plotting many engaged in), Elizabeth I herself is not viewed particularly harshly. I've noticed that many readers share an interest in both women and often react very strongly when Elizabeth is viewed dimly in any work. This is not really the case here.Guy's work is balanced, interesting, detail-rich and a pleasure to read start to finish. I highly recommend it even if you feel you've read almost all there is to read about Mary already.smart or stupid This is a highly readable, balanced and nuanced account of the life of a controversial figure. John Guy describes Mary Queen of Scots as he finds her: not among the countless pro- and anti-Mary propaganda tracts that have piled up over the centuries, but in the archives and primary sources, some of them not reviewed for many years and some not discovered until Guy came along. If you are willing to suspend preconceived ideas about Mary--saint or sinner, smart or stupid, martyr or manipulator--and allow the hard evidence to outweigh the speculation, you will be swept along by Guy's prose and enjoy a thoroughly fascinating story.Very readable biography This is a very thorough and readable biography about Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots. It explores the historical circumstances which guided many of her decisions, and the people who either supported, opposed or manipulated her. She was beautiful and spoiled but also had health issues which impacted her performance. There is also information about her conflicts with John Knox, the preacher. It does not have footnotes so is readable for the non-scholar. Guy is a little biased toward her, but that is forgiveable.
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