Mary, Queen of Scots’ last letter is going on display in 2026 – five interesting facts about her other writing |
The last letter of Mary, Queen of Scots goes on display in 2026 for the first time in almost a decade. Deposed from her Scottish throne in 1567, Mary spent 20 years in captivity across Scotland and England before she was executed for plotting against her cousin and captor, Elizabeth I of England. Writing that final letter was one of the last things Mary did before mounting the scaffold on February 8, 1587.
As I explore in my PhD thesis, writing was a key concern for Mary throughout her captivity. She wrote hundreds of letters as well as poems and prose essays, using her words as a means of influence with her supporters, jailers and a reading public at large. Here are five things you should know about her from her writing.
Sent to France at the age of five, Mary developed a lifelong attachment to the country and its language. Studying under the French poet Pierre de Ronsard, she had a particular fondness for French poetry. It was here that Mary first began composing poems of her own, with short verses penned in prayer books belonging to her female family members. French also remained her language of choice for writing throughout her life, even after she returned to rule Scotland in 1561.
However, contrary to popular myth, Mary was also fluent in her native Scots, speaking and writing letters in it throughout her........