In Search Of The Murder Scene Of Lord Darnley, Spouse Of Mary Queen Of Scots
Letters previously thought to have been Italian texts from the 16th century, turned out to be written by Mary Queen of Scotts, when she was held prisoner by her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I. This remarkable discovery was made in February 2023, by a team of codebreakers, cryptographer George Lasry, Professor Norbert Bierman, and Satioshi Tomokiyo, a physicist and patent expert, in the French National Library. The 57 letters date from the period 1578 - 1585. By the time Mary was writing these letters she had been in captivity for some years and she would remain so for 19 years in total until her execution on February 8, 1587 at Fotheringhay Castle.
The trial of Mary, Queen of Scots, 14–15 October 1586, in the great hall of Fotheringhay Castle, Northamptonshire, where she was later beheaded. British Library (CC0)
Mary has long been a controversial figure and these letters, which speak of her health issues, the circumstances of her captivity, her ongoing negotiations with Elizabeth I and her pain at being separated from her son who had been removed from her care as a year-old infant, also reveal that Mary both plotted to secure her freedom and attempted to bribe Elizabeth’s officials. Some argue that Mary was an innocent martyr, a victim of circumstance, others that she deserved her fate as she was a traitor to England and her queen. The truth, as always, lies somewhere in the middle, but there is one event that has forever condemned Mary in many people's eyes, both in the 1500’s and ever since: The murder of her second husband Lord Darnley at Kirk o’ Field in Edinburgh. (The Collegiate Church of St Mary in the Fields was commonly known as Kirk o' Field).
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