num_pages: 613
description: More than 400 years after her death, Mary Queen of Scots remains one of the most romantic &amp; controversial figures in British history. Fraser's classic biography of her won the James Tait Prize when it was 1st published in '69, became an international bestseller &amp; was translated into 9 languages. Mary passed her childhood in France &amp; married the Dauphin to become Queen of France at 16. Widowed less than 2 years later, she returned to Scotland as Queen after a 13 year absence. Her life then entered its best known phase: early struggles with John Knox &amp; the Scottish nobility; marriage to Darnley &amp; his mysterious death; marriage to Bothwell, the chief suspect, that led directly to her captivity at the hands of Queen Elizabeth; her long imprisonment that ended with the labyrinthine Babington plot to free her &amp; her execution at age 44. Fraser's biography, 4 years in the writing, enters fully into the life of an historical figure who continues to capture the popular imagination, &amp; provides an answer to the question, `What was Mary Queen of Scots really like?'  "Lady Antonia Fraser tells Mary's story movingly, with scholarship, insight &amp; balance. It's the sort of biography of Mary which has long been needed."--The Scotsman  "A fluent narrative style, a perfect eye for physical detail, a rich sense of the black comedy that the period demands &amp; a high feeling for the central tragedy"--Sunday Times
language: English
title: Mary Queen of Scots
titlecomplete: Mary Queen of Scots
characters: Mary, Queen of Scots
genres: Nonfiction, Biography Memoir, Tudor Period, Biography, Scotland, 16th Century, History, European History, Historical, British Literature
ratings_count: 16831
places: Scotland
awards: awardedAt: -31507200000
name: James Tait Black Memorial Prize
category: Biography
publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicolson