Mary Stuart was queen, but she wanted more. She wanted love. And for the sake of love she was ready to sacrifice everything, even the crown. She did not know that in this world the crown is lost only with the head.
Brilliant
She became queen five days after her birth, for on that gloomy December day in 1542, when her father, the Scottish king James V, was informed of the birth of his daughter, he was already on his deathbed. A tiny girl, who received a crown instead of toys, realized from early childhood that crowns are created only for heads held up proudly. And since then she did not lower her head in front of anyone.
Its small, war-torn Scotland was a bone of contention between the two great powers, England and France. Both wanted to win her over to their side. France won by asking the baby queen's hand for her Dauphin Francis. A six-year-old baby is immersed in the splendor, fun and luxury of the French court. Maria is the bride of the heir to the throne, and she is prepared for this role very carefully. She studies languages, music, poetry and excels at it. She is a tireless rider, passionate hunter and skilled ball player. Poets vied with each other in praising her beauty and charm, her graceful, majestic posture.
The little naughty girl turns into an adorable girl, endowed with beauty and many talents. Her betrothed is only 14 years old, she is 16. But dynastic marriages cannot wait. King Henry II of France is in a hurry to strengthen his influence in the British Isles.
The wedding celebration amazes with its magnificence and splendor. Mary Stuart becomes the wife of the heir to the throne, Francis, and brings France another crown - the crown of Scotland. But the main event, which played a fatal role in her life, takes place not here, not in France, but in England. There, her half-sister, the granddaughter of Henry VII and the daughter of Henry VIII, ascended the throne. Elizabeth is a tough, strong and decisive ruler. But there is one dark spot in her origin - she is considered illegitimate and, according to France, has no right to the throne. The throne of England should belong to the rightful heiress, the great-granddaughter of Henry VII - Mary Stuart. And the French king, without hesitation, makes the young princess combine the coat of arms of England with the coat of arms of Scotland. This rash move marked the beginning of a feud between the two queens. From that moment on, Elizabeth regards Mary Stuart as a most dangerous rival, as a dark shadow hanging over her royal power.
Promotional video:
Mary Stuart and William of Orange. Wedding portrait.
Stuart and Francis II
Politics is politics and love is love
At 18, she becomes a widow and returns to her native Scotland. However, she was not greeted very warmly.
After the luxurious festive France, she is cold and uncomfortable here.
Her fiery disposition causes discontent among the Puritan-minded Scots. Parliament and lords are demanding a new marriage. Let Mary Stuart, Queen, choose a worthy spouse. But Mary Stuart does not act like a queen, but like a woman. She, one of the most enviable brides in Europe, chooses as her husband Henry Darnley, not too noble and not too enviable groom. She is captivated by his pretty, girlishly beautiful face and broad shoulders. But only for a while. Very soon she realizes that behind her pretty face is hidden the empty and wretched soul of a spoiled boy. Such a person could not win the heart of the Scottish queen for a long time. And she never entered into a deal with her heart.
Under the pretext of pregnancy, she alienates her husband from herself and turns her attention to a man who is his complete opposite - to the young Italian musician David Riccio, who in a short time becomes the queen's closest confidante, her devoted secretary.
Was he her lover? This remained a mystery. But the offended husband did not begin to solve this riddle. He acted easier and more cowardly. Gathering a handful of disgruntled nobles, he burst into the queen's chambers in the evening, where she dined with her entourage. In front of a distraught pregnant woman, the conspirators pounced on the musician and stabbed him many times with daggers, flooding the floor with streams of blood. Maria, on the orders of her husband, is put under house arrest. She silently obeys, but a deadly hatred settles in her soul.
Maria with her husband William II, Stadtholder of the United Provinces.
I forgot my honor for him
All these troubles and unrest, nevertheless, did not prevent the queen from giving birth to her son-heir to the throne in due time. This event seemed to reconcile the spouses, but Mary Stuart knew that there would be no more peace - blood must be shed for blood. Throughout her life, Mary Stuart, as a queen and as a woman, unconsciously searched for that one man who would be the complete opposite of her restless, restless soul. A man strong, stern and infinitely loyal. And she found him. James Hepburn, Earl of Boswell. Tall, broad-shouldered, strong and enduring, capable of both deed and crime, spitting on morality and law, he won the queen's heart, keeping his own empty and cold. They were united by a violent passion, but she was not loved.
Boswell strives for the Scottish throne, but the road to him goes only through the corpse of Darnley. And Mary, using her husband's painful love for herself, lures the unfortunate into a trap - a nondescript, lonely house. Here the assassins deal with the king and, in order to hide the traces of the crime, arrange an explosion.
James Hepburn, Earl of Boswell
The official version, which says that the king was killed by unknown villains, does not mislead anyone, Boswell is openly called a murderer. But this does not bother him much. He is a man of action and is used to acting. The road to the throne is open. Maria Stewart enters into a third marriage, this time with her husband's murderer. Why not a scene from Hamlet? Her frenzied dream of taking possession of Boswell and keeping him came true. But so what? Some kind of breakdown has occurred in her soul, she sees only emptiness and enmity around herself. The Scottish lords are plotting against the "villainous couple" and demand that Mary Stuart break with Boswell. She has to obey. Boswell flees Scotland and ends up in a Danish prison. The Queen is forced to abdicate in favor of a young son and is imprisoned in Lokhliven Castle.
But what can make a woman not be a woman? Nothing! Maria Stuart is still full of feminine charm, still exudes seduction and anxiety. Her obedient Lord George Douglas Lokhlivensky. He is ready for anything for the sake of his beloved, and now Maria, with his help, escapes from the hated prison. She is once again free and again fighting the Scottish nobility. And he is losing this battle. The disgraced queen flees from her native Scotland, in which she no longer has a place.
Road to nowhere
She flees to England, under the wing of her sister, who promised her friendship and protection. The fugitive does not even suspect how dangerous she is for Elizabeth, how the powerful ruler hates the very thought that there is a time bomb next to her by the name of Mary Stuart. The queen didn't even want to meet her sister.
Mary is transported from one castle to another, years pass slowly, youth withers, life passes. She is already over forty, weakened and depressed. But she is still a threat to Elizabeth, a threat to her throne, her freedom and her life. These two women have no place under one sun. Elizabeth, behind Mary's back, enters into an unspoken agreement with her son, Jacob VI, who then breaks off any relationship with his mother. Now Mary Stewart is alone in the whole world and no one else will appear in order to lay down her life for her dream of power and greatness. But she is still alive and still dangerous. And when an opportunity is presented to accuse her of an attempt on Elizabeth's life, they did not fail to take advantage of this opportunity.
44-year-old Maria Stewart is no longer in captivity. She is in the dock and sentenced to death. But Elizabeth cannot make up her mind to sign this verdict. And Mary Stuart does not want to beg for mercy. Six months later, the verdict was signed, and in history the Queen of England will forever remain the murderer of Mary Stuart and the founder of the terrible custom of taking the life of royalty.
On the block - like a ball
In her life, Mary Stuart has always been first a woman and then a queen. In her death she is only a queen, proud, full of dignity. She, who did not bow her head to anyone or anything, is ready to bow her for the first and last time - before the block. She prepares her departure like a holiday, like a celebration. But for no celebration did she dress so carefully as for the celebration of death, thinking over every little thing. As the gorgeous black cloak fell from her shoulders, a bright crimson dress flared hot under it. The maids pulled long fire-colored gloves over her arms. Before the audience, a blood-red flame seemed to flare up - a magnificent, unforgettable sight.
Execution of Mary Stuart
She met her death as a true queen. Mary Stuart didn't need life if there was no love in it. A love that is not worth all the crowns of the world.