Mary Queen of Scots and the Murder of Lord Darnley

Like many people, I'm aware of who Mary Queen of Scots is, how she died and the death of her husband. But, I knew little about the actual details of the case, the atmosphere of the time, and the specific evidence against her. In this book, Alison Weir reveals her theory of what happened to Lord Darnley and how his wife Mary was involved.

Since this mystery is many hundreds of years old, there is no concrete forensic evidence to lay it to rest. Some historians and readers will no doubt disagree with Weir's solution. She doesn't present new "facts," she provides her interpretation of the existing ones. However, she has done meticulous research, which is readily apparent, and presents a solid circumstantial case for Mary's guilt or show more innocence (I won't ruin it!). In one way, Weir's conclusion is irrelevant. Some reviewers have already mentioned Weir's take on the Casket Letters. Weir is not the only historian to doubt their validity, so I had no problem seeing that viewpoint. What makes this worth reading is learning what evidence was used at the time, the placement of people and events, and an examination of it all. I appreciated learning more about this famous, ill-fated woman.

Weir's trademark easy writing style makes this flow like a novel, while still remaining non-fiction. It is a long book, but I don't feel it was bogged down. Readers need more details on the political mood, Mary and the events leading up to Darley's death to get the full picture. I don't think this is as good as The Princes in the Tower. That read like a true-crime novel, and I found myself convinced by her argument at the end. I'm still uncertain what I think really happened to Darnley, but I still found Weir somewhat persuasive in her view. Most of Weir's books are worth reading, but this is definitely one of her best efforts via a vis a mystery. Highly recommended. show less

This was rather dry and considerably too long. It is my least favourite Alison Weir book. But, on the positive side, it is very well researched and extremely, indeed exhaustively, detailed. I find it mostly convincing in its central thesis that Mary did not procure Darnley's death, but I think she showed her customary lack of judgement in trusting others not to kill him and displayed in general reckless naivety and plain unfitness to rule. Indeed, she is a classic example of the weakness of the hereditary principle of monarchy. So my sympathy for Mary is rather more narrowly focused than Weir's description of her as one of the most wronged women in history.

Alison Weir writes wonderfully. Her discussion is crisp, engaging, and even by turns charming. She has a knack for pulling out telling detail, and weaves original source material deftly through each passage. In introducing Lord Darnley, the then-future husband of Mary, Queen of Scots, she notes that his parents doted on him, holding him particularly precious as most of his siblings died in infancy. She finds a letter he wrote at 8 that sheds insight on his ambition and religion. Detail by detail, she paints his personality, bringing him to life before us. This is a book that is hard to put down.

Yet, Weir also has a knack for building assumption on frail assumption, trying to build a house of bricks on a foundation of straw. As an show more example, she speculates that the illness that plagued Darnley in the months before his death was not smallpox (as commonly assumed) but rather an intermediate stage of syphilis. She acknowledges that this is not clear from the record, but merely speculation, and outlines both the pros and cons for her view. Weir is clear enough: there's some reasonable chance she is right, but she acknowledges that, across the years, it is impossible to establish her position with certainty. Weir then builds on this assumption, suggesting it was "inconceivable" that Mary did not find out that syphilis ailed her husband, making assumptions about Mary's state of mind, whether or not she may have had another pregnancy, and how she interacted with other men and her husband based on the speculations about Darnley's disease. This is but one example. Again and again, as one works through the book, speculations which are carefully qualified and limited on first argument become certainties when repeated a few pages later, so that as one finally reaches her conclusion, gets her point, and steps back to consider whether she is right, her logic simply melts away. In the end, she adds nothing to the history but her pretty words.

Had this been a work of historical fiction, I would praise it. Weir is a wonderful story teller. Alas, the book masquerades as history. But, oh, if only other historians could write like Weir! show less

3.5 stars

Mary, Queen of Scots was suspected of murdering her second husband, Lord Darnley. Darnley died in an explosion, but it was definitely murder. Many people at the time thought she’d done it, as well as many historians since. Weir looks at many sources to try to sort out whether or not Mary was, indeed, involved. This does pretty much amount to a biography, with a strong focus on events as relating to Darnley.

This is a long book! With lots of detail. That being said, I went back and forth between being really interested and falling back a bit with some of the detail. Now, Weir really was looking at a lot of information to try to sort out who was involved. Boy, talk about “fake news” of the time! And sham trials with a show more political bent (i.e. predetermined outcome)... Overall, I’m rating it good, but it does take a while to read. show less

I have been reading this book almost this year now, as it is a very long, very fascinating history of Mary Queen of Scots, and how the murder of her second husband set off a chain of events that resulted in her being removed from her throne, and eventually executed. I first became interested in learning more about Mary after reading The Italian Secretary, which centers around the murder of her confidant, Rizzio, and once I actually visited Holyrood Palace, I began looking for a book that could teach me more. I found a copy of Allison Weir's tome at a book sale, and snatched it up.

Weir has clearly done her research, and whether or not you agree with her final conclusion that Mary was innocent in the murder of Darnley, you can't help but show more get drawn into this amazing true story of intrigue, violence, mystery, love, betrayal, and the fate of two kingdoms. It is occasionally hard to keep straight who is who, but Weir does an excellent job of making all the facts easy to follow and easy to understand. show less

Normally, I love Alison Weir's books. The reader can always count on extensive research and astute reasoning, but this one was a slog. We're talking about one of the most perplexing historical figures of all time in Mary, Queen of Scots and yet, it just dragged on. And on and on.

She was the bosom serpent. The 16th Century Princess Diana of her day. Emotional, needy, irrational, and limelight-loving, she just couldn't handle the heat. Her first husband was the King of France and her second was found dead after his abode blew apart in the middle of the night (though he himself was not blown apart). Who actually killed Lord Darnley? History always seemed to be written by the powerful Tudors, so Mary probably received too much blame, but show more she didn't appear to be the brightest stalk in the field.

Granted, there is excitement in the beginning, as we learn of her early life and the constant non-stop intrigues of the always-false Scot Lords. Then it all bogs down, as Weir tries to convince us of Mary's non-compliance. Yes, I get that Buchanan and Knox and Morton and Moray were her enemies and lied. I just didn't need several hundred pages of the he said/she said paragraphing.

In fact, the most exciting character in the book is Lord Bothwell, who was Mary's, and Scotland's, one loyal subject...until he raped her and married her...and then died stark, raving mad in a horrible Swedish dungeon. Poor Mary.

Book Season = Winter (Snow. Scotland. Enough said) show less

This was a mammoth undertaking. Alison Weir explores the evidence that comes from one of the great mysteries of the Tudor period: Mary, Queen of Scots, and the murder of Lord Darnley. The book can be mind numbing in its detail. Weir certainly did her homework and makes no apology for the detail or the length of the book. The reader can get bogged down with it all, but many parts are of interest. In the end, Weir makes the conclusion that Mary did not murder her husband, though it was certainly in her interest to do so.

A die hard fan of Mary, Queen of Scots, would enjoy this.