MARY STUART

The Scottish queen in 1542 (actually since 1561) - 1567's, also claimed the English throne. Rise of the Scottish Calvinist nobles forced her to abdicate and flee to England. On the orders of Queen Elizabeth I was imprisoned. Implicated in a number of Catholic conspiracies, Mary Stuart (1542-1587) was tried and executed. In literature the image of Mary Queen of Scots, usually idealized.

The death of this woman was much greater and more significant in her life. As if the entire brief way Mary Stewart has sought to an end, it seemed, in his dissolute life, she did her best to finish him on the scaffold, if this God saw its higher purpose.

"En ma fin est mon commencement" - embroidered in adolescence Mary Stuart is still not clear to her at the time saying, in brocade cover. "In my end is my beginning. " Hard to say what prompted the thriving at the French court, high-level pupil to pay attention to these strange words, but in them she prophetically named its historical destiny.

She was the daughter of a Scottish King James V and Duchess Maria French Lorraine. Five days old, Mary Stuart became Queen, having lost his father, who died of a fever. While hot local nobles decide among themselves the issue of power-sharing and influence, the girl was sent to the education to the French court. Yes, and how it could be otherwise when the Frenchwoman mother, who, having received the regency, barely kept the throne with the help of fellow countrymen?

Yard, where Maria grew up, was the most gorgeous, most elegant, most fun, but at the same time the most corrupt in Europe, so it's hard to blame for carelessness and voluptuous Mary, instilled in them since the girl is not on its own. Thanks to a great lover of art - Catherine de 'Medici, Maria got a good art education: write poetry, play music fine, fluent in the language of the then intellectuals - in Latin. She soon became a real gem at the French court, where the brilliant women was enough.

When the princess turned 15, King Henry II began to rush her marriage to the Dauphin. Affected, of course, above all, political considerations - France did not want to lose its influence in the British Isles. After 7 months after the wedding of Mary with the heir to Francis II ascended the English throne cousin Mary Queen of Scots Elizabeth. However, according to the French court, Mary was also a legitimate heir to the English Crown, since it is a direct descendant of Henry VII. With reckless haste Henry II forced Stuart to coat and combine it with the emblem of Scotland. This act he has begun a terrible struggle between Elizabeth and Mary Stuart.

While our heroine suit their dynastic marriage in France, in her homeland intensified religious struggle of Protestants and Catholics, the French and British parties.

Photo — «Mary Stuart»

In the absence of the queen rules Scotland parliament, which was heavily influenced by England. Members of Parliament, do not hesitate to say: "Queen Elizabeth took care of security and freedom of Scotland, and because the kingdom owes her more than their own Sovereign. " With more than cool attitude encountered Mary in Scotland, where she was forced to return after the sudden and unexpected death of her husband in 1560. Tears, Mary said goodbye to her beloved heart of France, where she experienced the love and happiness. As if knowing that will never come back here, Mary stood a long time on the deck of the ship, turned his attention to the retreating coast: "Goodbye, France! . . "

On the Scottish throne, Mary had to face many difficulties. With some difficulty she got used to the harsh, gloomy people of their lords, so different from the gallant men the French court. Ordeal for the Catholic faithful and the dominance of Protestantism was that she was forced to take an exit, though, for a freedom of religion. Continuing in the realm of ripening plots of higher nobility, forcing a young woman to go into vile intrigue and take harsh measures to suppress resistance.

In general, the kingdom of Mary Queen of Scots got not the most pleasant, but the crown, as parents, do not choose. The situation was aggravated and her widowhood. Ardor with which the queen gave herself entertainment, is seen by many as accessibility. It is time to think about a new husband. Many influential suitors sought to hand enviable bride. If Mary Stuart was able to make the right choice . . . But she chose to love political gain.

Lord Darnley quickly but briefly won the heart of the beautiful queen. Do not have time to subside wedding fanfare as fickle woman saw that her choice not smart, not too delicate, and indeed a silly man. Maria began to avoid her husband, Darnley and abandoned in a rage looking for the cause of cooling the queen and, of course, found her in an imaginary opponent. At this point, Maria had found a friend in the person of Secretary David Ritchie. The Italian enjoyed the respect and confidence of the Queen and the jealous man came into a rage at the thought that Ricci is seen with Mary far more often than he does. With the help of the nobility, Lord of the Shrew was a conspiracy against his wife and his secretary.

One evening in the apartments of the Queen broke the armed men, led by Darnleem. Mary had dinner together with their approximate. At the table sat the hated Lord Ricci. In the eyes of a pregnant queen hideous murder occurred, but its very ordered the husband put under house arrest. Such scenes do little to return a lost love, and angry Maria has vowed to take revenge on Darnley.

After recovering from the shock and allow the burden of her son, Maria fell in love again, this time in a daring and dangerous man graph Boswell.

Photo — «Mary Stuart»

He killed her. Unfortunately, Maria did not bother reflections on their actions, prudence was not entirely inherent in its nature. She loved to do as prompted feelings. A sense told her that now we need by all means get rid of her husband. It is quite cunningly used the painful love Darnleya to it. Pretending to be gentle and docile, Maria lured her husband into the trap of using Boswell was a conspiracy. Two of the killers, using fake keys, the night entered the room of the king. Hearing the noise, Darnley threw a coat and jumped out of bed to escape. But the murderer was caught and strangled him and threw the corpse in the garden. After graduating from the criminal case, one of the conspirators lit the wick held in a barrel of gunpowder, to blowing up the house to hide the traces of the crime.

Despite the efforts of the queen to hide his involvement in the plot, soon the gates of the city jail posters appeared, openly called a lover of Mary - Boswell - a murderer. Suspicions rose further when the Queen was openly preparing for a wedding. The story of this marriage - the whole abyss of shame, in which Mary has allowed himself to drown, it is not considering the consequences. And the consequences were dire. Against "wicked couple" a conspiracy of prominent nobles. Boswell was forced to flee and ended life in a Danish prison Malmo, and the queen was forced to abdicate in favor of infant son.

The Queen was disgraced and humiliated, but did not feel defeated. Her wardress - Lady Douglas - had conceived a fierce hatred for Mary, when she learned that eighteen-year-son George entered into relations with the prisoner, and began looking for ways to release it. However, not romantic passion, which is so touchingly tells Walter Scott in his novel "The abbot, led the young man, but rather greed: by the release of Mary, he was hoping to amass money.

Escape queen happily realized May 2, 1568, but it did not bring her good luck. Having yet another military defeat, our heroine decided to flee to England, showing a silly conceit. She was counting on the sympathy of sisters, it belongs to the royal family, the royal solidarity and did not understand it fears its claim Elizabeth as not tolerate this sovereign of a number of beautiful women themselves, as they differ in views on life.

Barely set foot on English soil, Mary became Elizabeth's prisoner, not even someone wanted to meet with the unhappy sister. And although at first Scotswoman was given a small yard, the cost of which is covered by the widows' French money, Mary without a moment to feel comfortable. Nineteen years, Stewart had to eat the prison bread. At the whim of Elizabeth it was delivered from one castle to another, often in harsh winter, paying no attention to her disturbed health, and gives it a cold and damp room.

Photo — «Mary Stuart»

Fotheringhay was the last of her abode. Maria prematurely old woman, her hair fell out, stomach refused to digest food, and she barely held and went on his swollen legs. The strongest blow dealt to her Elizabeth, when entered into a tacit agreement with the only son of Mary. James VI's mother actually sold a few thousand pounds sterling pension, paid to him by Elizabeth, and a promise to the British Crown.

Mary, even in captivity, poses a great danger to his sister's Crowned. The Scottish queen still relied enemies of Elizabeth - the French, Spaniards, so long as Mary was alive, the English could not sleep. Finally had a chance to accuse the disgraced Mary in the attempt on the life of Her Majesty. Plot, uncovered by British ministers, allowed to start proceedings against the prisoner. Although legally prove the guilt of Mary Stuart was difficult, it did not prevent judges to sentence to death the queen. Perhaps, in the history of harsh sentence for such a senior person was pronounced for the first time, and, apparently, Maria did not immediately believed in the possibility of its implementation, because it was a blood relative of Elizabeth.

With the signing of a sentence begins the real remorse the Queen of England. For a long time, more than six months, she could neither what to decide. She waited for Mary turns to her with a request for clemency, hoping for a miracle - can be hateful sister die somehow, without her direct involvement. Elizabeth even wise his nobles to pass a tacit request of the authorities of the secret murder of Mary, but the jailer Paulet time wisely washed his hands of this dirty business. Elizabeth still had to commit one of the most notorious atrocities of the era. No matter how yulila, no matter what role did not try to play in the history of Elizabeth remains a killer of Mary Stuart, ushering in the precedent of taking life royalty.

About worthy of death of Mary Stuart says a lot. Our heroine, having lived a life full of mistakes and missteps, tried to make his end of the magnificent power of the Spirit. S. Zweig in his book devoted to the Scottish queen, wrote that Mary thought through the final chord of life as a talented stage director, she did not miss a single detail, think carefully about even underwear garments. When a black cloak was sleeping with her shoulder, then the witness executions to submit an unforgettable sight - a crimson jacket and gloves of fire - a blood-red triumph of death. She died like a queen without a hint of pallor or confusion on his face. This she went down in history - a proud, independent, unbroken.