Marie de Guise

"Where is now John Knox's God? My God is now stronger than his."

 

Mary of Guise (1515 – 1560) ruled Scotland as Queen Regent from 1554 until her death, on this day (11 June) 460 years ago. She was mother of (arguably Scotland’s most famous monarch), Mary Queen of Scots. I tried several times to rewrite her life story in a way that was short enough to fit into an insta caption but I can’t so instead I’m going to list some of the reasons I find her amazing:

-        She turned down a marriage proposal from Henry VIII (who sought her hand at the same time as the Scottish King James V of Scotland), citing his tumultuous marital history. Given that 6 other women failed to resist the power of Henry’s attentions, this is a testament to Mary’s power and courage.

-        The King of France in accepting James’ proposal offered a dowry more fit for a princess, showing her perceived value.. A grieving Mary (having lost her first husband and one son) was reluctant to leave her country and surviving son. Her father thus sought to delay proceedings and James himself wrote to Mary to persuade her to comply. This is again admirable in a period when men very seldom listened to the desires of their wives and daughters, especially when political dynamics were at play. However, she finally accepted and married James in 1538.

-        James's mother wrote of Mary: "I trust she will prove a wise Princess…she bears herself very honourably to me, with very good entertaining."  This gives us a rare insight into the personality and dignity of such a powerful woman.  

-        After the death of James and Mary’s two sons, their daughter Mary became queen at just six days old. The baby queen was sent to France for her proection, while Mary stayed in Scotland to negotiate, foiling a plot to poison her young daughter. During this time, her ‘courage and virtue’ were praised by contemporary commentators.

-        In 1554, after challenging the male regent of Scotland and suggesting her late-husband’s illegitmate son as replacement, Mary herself was named regent in 1554. Thus, she became one of the first woman to rule in place of a man in British history.

-        As regent, she ruled with advice from her brothers in France making the two nations close allies. Despite the resentment this caused amongst the Scottish nobles, Mary quickly began to deal effectively with Scottish affairs, resolving disputes between local clans and seeing the country through international crisis.

-        When her regency was militarily challenged by Scottish Protestants, Mary used her French support to secure her own stronghold. However, a treaty was drawn between the English and the Scots to jointly expel the French from Scotland. During the ensuing fight, Guise was praised for showing ‘the hart of a man of warre’, ‘a woman with a man’s courage.’

-        While fortifying Edinburgh Castle, Mary became seriously ill. She died of dropsy.  After several months, her body was secretly carried to France and buried in a funeral attended by her daughter. She lay in a marble tomb was erected depicting Mary in full royal regalia.

Mary’s story is often forgotten amongst the political/religious turmoil of the Scottish Protestant reformation and the more scandalous life of her daughter. However, every aspect of her story from her refusal to marry a man she did not trust, to her bravery in the face of war, her commitment to her religious faith, her patriotism to her two countries, and her strength in surviving so much grief with such dignity that even her enemies applauded her grace and courage are all testament to the fact that Mary of Guise was a formidable woman in her own right. Without her, her daughter may not have had a Scotland to return to. I’ve always loved the Tudor/Stuart period because it was dominated by powerful women, and I hope that Mary of Guise can get her proper recognition amongst the more famous monarchs and consorts of her day .