"John Guy has unearthed a wealth of evidence that upends the popular notion of Mary Queen of Scots as a female fatale and establishes her as the intellectual and political equal of Elizabeth I." "Guy draws on sources as varied as the secret communiques of English spies and Mary's own letters (many hitherto unstudied) to depict her world and her actions with stunning immediacy. Here is a reappraisal of her multifaceted character and prodigious political...

Queen of France at sixteen, widowed at eighteen, Mary Stuart defies pressure to remarry and instead returns to her native Scotland to reclaim her rightful throne. By birth, she also has a rival claim to the throne of Elizabeth I, who rules as the Queen of England. Mary asserts her claim to the English throne, threatening Elizabeth's sovereignty. Betrayal, rebellion, and conspiracies within each court imperil both Queens, driving them apart, as each...