1 00:00:00,200 --> 00:00:03,720 Speaker 1: Just a quick note before we begin today's episode. This 2 00:00:03,840 --> 00:00:08,840 Speaker 1: story contains murder, sexual assault, and pregnancy loss, so if 3 00:00:08,880 --> 00:00:12,239 Speaker 1: any of those are particularly sensitive to you, this might 4 00:00:12,280 --> 00:00:13,720 Speaker 1: be a good episode to skip. 5 00:00:15,560 --> 00:00:16,680 Speaker 2: And on a. 6 00:00:16,760 --> 00:00:20,440 Speaker 1: More personal note unrelated to the episode, before we dive in, 7 00:00:20,840 --> 00:00:23,360 Speaker 1: I just wanted to say I have a brand new 8 00:00:23,440 --> 00:00:26,800 Speaker 1: book coming out. This one comes out in May twenty 9 00:00:26,880 --> 00:00:31,080 Speaker 1: twenty six. It's called The Arcane Arts and it's a sexy, 10 00:00:31,240 --> 00:00:35,520 Speaker 1: dark academia book about a professor and a student studying 11 00:00:36,120 --> 00:00:39,839 Speaker 1: illicit magic at Magic Grad School. I'm not really good 12 00:00:39,840 --> 00:00:42,880 Speaker 1: at describing it. Hopefully I'll get a little better. It's 13 00:00:42,920 --> 00:00:47,000 Speaker 1: by a pseudonym by sd coverly because I co wrote 14 00:00:47,000 --> 00:00:49,680 Speaker 1: it with a friend of mine, Dan Frye. I wrote 15 00:00:49,680 --> 00:00:52,640 Speaker 1: the female points of view, he wrote the male points 16 00:00:52,640 --> 00:00:54,840 Speaker 1: of view, and then we sort of blended it together. 17 00:00:54,960 --> 00:00:58,840 Speaker 1: It was an incredibly fun collaboration. I love this book. 18 00:00:58,880 --> 00:01:03,240 Speaker 1: It's available for pre order now. If you like dark, twisted, 19 00:01:03,640 --> 00:01:06,920 Speaker 1: sexy stories in this podcast, I think you'll really like 20 00:01:07,000 --> 00:01:07,560 Speaker 1: that book. 21 00:01:08,160 --> 00:01:09,600 Speaker 2: Now let's get to the story. 22 00:01:11,160 --> 00:01:15,560 Speaker 3: Welcome to Noble Blood, a production of iHeartRadio and Grimm 23 00:01:15,560 --> 00:01:21,640 Speaker 3: and Mild from Aaron Manky listener Discretion advised. In early 24 00:01:21,760 --> 00:01:26,560 Speaker 3: February fifteen sixty seven, Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley, the King 25 00:01:26,600 --> 00:01:31,920 Speaker 3: of Scotland, arrived at a spacious two story house in Kirkfield, 26 00:01:32,319 --> 00:01:35,760 Speaker 3: an abbey and church college near Edinburgh. It had been 27 00:01:35,920 --> 00:01:39,760 Speaker 3: a tough year for Lord Darnley so far. He had 28 00:01:39,800 --> 00:01:43,240 Speaker 3: been living in Glasgow, away from his wife, Mary, Queen 29 00:01:43,280 --> 00:01:49,320 Speaker 3: of Scots, but after Darnley fell dangerously ill, Mary arranged 30 00:01:49,480 --> 00:01:53,120 Speaker 3: to bring him to be with her in Edinburgh to convalesse, 31 00:01:53,680 --> 00:01:58,840 Speaker 3: perhaps as a gesture of reconciliation after their relationship had 32 00:01:58,960 --> 00:02:05,680 Speaker 3: gone downhill in recent months. Kirkfield seemed like the perfect spot. 33 00:02:06,160 --> 00:02:08,520 Speaker 3: The air was said to be the healthiest in the 34 00:02:08,560 --> 00:02:14,520 Speaker 3: whole town, but still things didn't seem very optimistic. According 35 00:02:14,639 --> 00:02:19,680 Speaker 3: to one of Darnelly's advisors, a raven followed their caravan 36 00:02:19,880 --> 00:02:23,520 Speaker 3: from Glasgow to Edinburgh and perched on the roof of 37 00:02:23,600 --> 00:02:28,840 Speaker 3: the house, an ominous sign. It seemed the raven knew 38 00:02:28,880 --> 00:02:34,840 Speaker 3: something mere mortals didn't. February ninth was supposed to be 39 00:02:35,040 --> 00:02:39,960 Speaker 3: the last day of Lord Darnley's convalescence. This was the 40 00:02:40,080 --> 00:02:44,720 Speaker 3: last Sunday before Lent, and after a day of revelry 41 00:02:44,880 --> 00:02:48,520 Speaker 3: attending a wedding and a dinner with a bishop. Mary 42 00:02:48,720 --> 00:02:52,720 Speaker 3: and her royal entourage spent the evening with Lord Darnley 43 00:02:52,840 --> 00:02:57,200 Speaker 3: in his chamber, playing dice, listening to someone play the lute, 44 00:02:57,240 --> 00:03:02,639 Speaker 3: and chatting. Mary considered sleeping over with Lord Darnley at Kirkyfield, 45 00:03:03,000 --> 00:03:06,200 Speaker 3: but the Earl of Bothwell, the Sheriff of Edinburgh, and 46 00:03:06,240 --> 00:03:09,799 Speaker 3: a member of her entourage reminded Mary that she had 47 00:03:09,840 --> 00:03:14,400 Speaker 3: promised to stop by an aristocrat's wedding mask before the 48 00:03:14,520 --> 00:03:17,720 Speaker 3: end of the night. Besides, she had to be up 49 00:03:17,760 --> 00:03:21,280 Speaker 3: early the next morning to depart from Holyrood on a 50 00:03:21,360 --> 00:03:25,360 Speaker 3: diplomatic excursion. Wouldn't it be easier just to sleep in 51 00:03:25,440 --> 00:03:31,760 Speaker 3: her castle instead. Mary agreed and departed from Kirkyfield, promising 52 00:03:31,840 --> 00:03:33,480 Speaker 3: to see her husband. 53 00:03:33,080 --> 00:03:35,680 Speaker 2: In the morning. At two a m. 54 00:03:35,720 --> 00:03:38,600 Speaker 1: By the time the Queen was asleep in her own 55 00:03:38,720 --> 00:03:43,960 Speaker 1: bed at Holyrood, an explosion startled the whole town awake, 56 00:03:44,560 --> 00:03:49,960 Speaker 1: including the Queen. One townsperson described it as a clap 57 00:03:50,080 --> 00:03:53,680 Speaker 1: of thunder, while the Queen noted that it sounded like 58 00:03:53,800 --> 00:03:58,720 Speaker 1: twenty or thirty cannons. Fairly soon after the Queen was 59 00:03:58,840 --> 00:04:04,200 Speaker 1: informed what had happened, somebody had carried two trunks of 60 00:04:04,320 --> 00:04:09,320 Speaker 1: gunpowder to Lord Darnley's house at Kirkfield earlier that day 61 00:04:09,760 --> 00:04:13,400 Speaker 1: and came back that night to light it, causing a 62 00:04:13,680 --> 00:04:19,160 Speaker 1: huge blast and demolishing the house. Her husband, Lord Darnley, 63 00:04:19,480 --> 00:04:24,600 Speaker 1: had been killed, but strangely, it wasn't the explosion that 64 00:04:24,720 --> 00:04:28,720 Speaker 1: killed him. His body was found in the back garden 65 00:04:29,240 --> 00:04:33,279 Speaker 1: with signs of strangulation. He had made it out of 66 00:04:33,320 --> 00:04:39,000 Speaker 1: the exploded house and been killed. Anyway, this was a murder, 67 00:04:39,480 --> 00:04:45,200 Speaker 1: and the suspicious details would unravel the Scottish aristocracy and 68 00:04:45,400 --> 00:04:49,440 Speaker 1: change the course of Mary, Queen of Scott's life forever. 69 00:04:50,240 --> 00:04:57,320 Speaker 1: I'm Dana Schwartz and this is noble blood. As news 70 00:04:57,400 --> 00:05:03,160 Speaker 1: of Lord Darnelly's murder spread internationally, there was increasing pressure 71 00:05:03,279 --> 00:05:08,159 Speaker 1: on Mary to find and convict the culprit. There was 72 00:05:08,240 --> 00:05:13,279 Speaker 1: no shortage of suspects. Lord Darnley was, to put it mildly, 73 00:05:13,440 --> 00:05:19,120 Speaker 1: a controversial figure in Scotland and beyond. Because both Mary 74 00:05:19,240 --> 00:05:23,680 Speaker 1: and Lord Darnley were descendants of Henry the seventh in England, 75 00:05:24,120 --> 00:05:27,400 Speaker 1: their marriage could give them a more legitimate claim on 76 00:05:27,520 --> 00:05:32,240 Speaker 1: the English throne than Queen Elizabeth herself, making Darnley a 77 00:05:32,320 --> 00:05:36,360 Speaker 1: target of anyone in the Elizabethan court, but even closer 78 00:05:36,400 --> 00:05:41,600 Speaker 1: to home, Mary herself and her entourage had even deeper 79 00:05:41,800 --> 00:05:46,640 Speaker 1: enmity for Lord Darnley. Despite the fact that Mary had 80 00:05:46,680 --> 00:05:50,559 Speaker 1: originally chosen Darnley and married for what seemed to be love. 81 00:05:51,320 --> 00:05:55,520 Speaker 1: The bloom was off the rose fairly quickly. Darnley had 82 00:05:55,600 --> 00:06:01,159 Speaker 1: a reputation as a power hungry, paranoid drunk. He had 83 00:06:01,320 --> 00:06:06,000 Speaker 1: violently stabbed Mary's secretary in front of her while she 84 00:06:06,200 --> 00:06:09,960 Speaker 1: was pregnant out of an unfounded fear that he and 85 00:06:10,040 --> 00:06:14,400 Speaker 1: Mary were having an affair, traumatizing her and alienating him 86 00:06:14,480 --> 00:06:18,600 Speaker 1: from the rest of Mary's court. Like I said, Darnelly 87 00:06:18,720 --> 00:06:22,840 Speaker 1: was a guy with plenty of enemies. Within days, a 88 00:06:23,000 --> 00:06:29,400 Speaker 1: primary suspect for Darnelly's murder emerged, Lord Bothwell. Bothwell was 89 00:06:29,480 --> 00:06:33,520 Speaker 1: a key member of Mary's court, and he wielded political 90 00:06:33,640 --> 00:06:38,040 Speaker 1: and military power. He was the Sheriff of Edinburgh, Lord 91 00:06:38,160 --> 00:06:42,200 Speaker 1: High Admiral of Scotland and Lieutenant of the border between 92 00:06:42,240 --> 00:06:46,719 Speaker 1: England and Scotland. He had access to enough gunpowder to 93 00:06:46,839 --> 00:06:50,800 Speaker 1: set off the explosion, and some of his lackeys had 94 00:06:50,839 --> 00:06:54,360 Speaker 1: been spotted near Kirkfield around the time of the murder. 95 00:06:54,839 --> 00:06:59,520 Speaker 1: He also had a motive. Because Lord Darnley had murdered 96 00:06:59,600 --> 00:07:03,680 Speaker 1: Mary's secretary, who was one of Bothwell's allies. He could 97 00:07:03,680 --> 00:07:07,760 Speaker 1: have been seeking revenge. Bothwell had done this kind of 98 00:07:07,800 --> 00:07:12,640 Speaker 1: thing before. In fifteen sixty two, a political enemy, the 99 00:07:12,640 --> 00:07:16,240 Speaker 1: Earl of Erin, spread a rumor about Bothwell that he 100 00:07:16,360 --> 00:07:20,320 Speaker 1: planned to abduct Mary, Queen of Scots and marry her 101 00:07:20,320 --> 00:07:25,080 Speaker 1: to advance his own political career. These rumors were baseless. 102 00:07:25,400 --> 00:07:28,280 Speaker 1: They actually came to the Earl of Erin in a dream, 103 00:07:28,840 --> 00:07:34,920 Speaker 1: but Bothwell escalated the situation, threatening to retaliate. Mary was 104 00:07:35,080 --> 00:07:38,640 Speaker 1: so afraid of what Bothwell might do to the Earl 105 00:07:38,760 --> 00:07:43,320 Speaker 1: of Erin that she sent Bothwell into exile. But even 106 00:07:43,440 --> 00:07:47,920 Speaker 1: in exile, Bothwell had his lackey's attempt to abduct the 107 00:07:47,960 --> 00:07:53,760 Speaker 1: Earl of Erin's mistress as payback. Just days after Darnley's 108 00:07:53,800 --> 00:07:58,480 Speaker 1: murder in March fifteen sixty seven, anonymous placards appeared in 109 00:07:58,600 --> 00:08:04,120 Speaker 1: Edinburgh openly accusing Bothwell. The English ambassador Sir William Drury 110 00:08:04,440 --> 00:08:08,320 Speaker 1: reported to London that quote, the Earl Bothwell is most 111 00:08:08,520 --> 00:08:12,800 Speaker 1: suspected even Mary might have been wary around Bothwell. By 112 00:08:12,800 --> 00:08:16,760 Speaker 1: this point, one of Mary's courtiers alleged that one of 113 00:08:16,800 --> 00:08:21,120 Speaker 1: Bothwell's allies approached Mary a few months before the murder 114 00:08:21,600 --> 00:08:26,520 Speaker 1: asking for written permission to dispatch her husband. Allegedly, Mary 115 00:08:26,640 --> 00:08:30,120 Speaker 1: declined and said she wanted to hear nothing. 116 00:08:29,840 --> 00:08:30,800 Speaker 2: More of the matter. 117 00:08:31,800 --> 00:08:37,400 Speaker 1: Still, Mary seemed conflicted about bringing Bothwell to court. Mary 118 00:08:37,440 --> 00:08:41,280 Speaker 1: and Bothwell met in fifteen sixty and had been growing 119 00:08:41,360 --> 00:08:45,600 Speaker 1: steadily closer ever since. Even though Bothwell had converted to 120 00:08:45,760 --> 00:08:50,319 Speaker 1: Protestantism while Mary was a staunch Catholic, Bothwell had been 121 00:08:50,400 --> 00:08:56,480 Speaker 1: steadfast and loyal. Ambassadors reported that Bothwell commanded her confidence 122 00:08:56,559 --> 00:09:00,719 Speaker 1: quote more than any other man. Given the chaos in 123 00:09:00,880 --> 00:09:04,400 Speaker 1: Mary's court, she felt that she couldn't trust anyone, even 124 00:09:04,440 --> 00:09:08,000 Speaker 1: her own husband, who was moved to kill her beloved 125 00:09:08,080 --> 00:09:13,840 Speaker 1: secretary based on rumor alone. After Darnley's murder, she needed 126 00:09:13,880 --> 00:09:19,360 Speaker 1: support more than ever. Mired in grief, Mary was bedridden 127 00:09:19,440 --> 00:09:23,760 Speaker 1: and depressed. Sir William Drury, the Ambassador, reported to the 128 00:09:23,840 --> 00:09:27,320 Speaker 1: Secretary of State of England that she was quote for 129 00:09:27,400 --> 00:09:32,840 Speaker 1: the most part, either melancholy or sickly. Perhaps this breakdown 130 00:09:33,120 --> 00:09:38,520 Speaker 1: was in part fueled by guilt. As historian Antonia Fraser 131 00:09:38,559 --> 00:09:42,520 Speaker 1: put it, quote, she had wished Darnley dead and now 132 00:09:42,559 --> 00:09:47,360 Speaker 1: he was. Mary's counsel encouraged her to return to matters 133 00:09:47,360 --> 00:09:51,839 Speaker 1: of state to distract herself, but that backfired. She tried 134 00:09:51,880 --> 00:09:54,840 Speaker 1: to meet the English ambassador in her sick bed, but 135 00:09:54,920 --> 00:09:57,720 Speaker 1: she was so ill that she may have had one 136 00:09:57,760 --> 00:10:02,320 Speaker 1: of her ladies impersonating her. When the Queen moved from 137 00:10:02,400 --> 00:10:06,400 Speaker 1: Hollywood House to Setton a week after Darnley's murder, she 138 00:10:06,559 --> 00:10:11,439 Speaker 1: left Bothwell to take care of her baby's son. Mary's 139 00:10:11,480 --> 00:10:15,880 Speaker 1: hesitation to convict Bothwell made her a suspect as well. 140 00:10:16,440 --> 00:10:21,160 Speaker 1: It was widely known that the Mary Darnelly marriage was fraught, 141 00:10:21,440 --> 00:10:28,480 Speaker 1: making her closeness with Bothwell seem increasingly suspect. Placards began 142 00:10:28,600 --> 00:10:34,040 Speaker 1: appearing in Edinburgh, now accusing both Mary and Bothwell of 143 00:10:34,160 --> 00:10:38,880 Speaker 1: Darnelly's death. On one of the placards, Bothwell was depicted 144 00:10:39,000 --> 00:10:43,640 Speaker 1: as a hare while Mary was depicted as a mermaid, 145 00:10:44,080 --> 00:10:50,000 Speaker 1: a symbol for a prostitute. Worse, after Bothwell visited Mary 146 00:10:50,080 --> 00:10:54,199 Speaker 1: in Seton at the end of March, rumors started spreading 147 00:10:54,440 --> 00:10:59,120 Speaker 1: that Bothwell intended to marry the Queen. Some suspected that 148 00:10:59,200 --> 00:11:03,199 Speaker 1: they may have been having an affair and conspired together 149 00:11:03,360 --> 00:11:07,440 Speaker 1: to have Mary's husband killed. After all, she was the 150 00:11:07,440 --> 00:11:11,160 Speaker 1: one who insisted that Darnley meet her in Edinburgh, and 151 00:11:11,280 --> 00:11:14,920 Speaker 1: she set him up to convalesce in Kirkyfield. Maybe it 152 00:11:15,000 --> 00:11:19,360 Speaker 1: was all part of the murder plan. There's no real 153 00:11:19,520 --> 00:11:24,320 Speaker 1: evidence that implicates Mary in her husband's murder. If anything, 154 00:11:24,480 --> 00:11:28,520 Speaker 1: it seems she had tried to prevent conspiracies against her 155 00:11:28,640 --> 00:11:32,680 Speaker 1: husband throughout their marriage. It was not Mary, but her 156 00:11:32,679 --> 00:11:38,920 Speaker 1: courtiers aligned with Bothwell who insisted that Darnley stay at Kirkfield. 157 00:11:39,520 --> 00:11:44,680 Speaker 1: Mary had actually raised some concerns that Kirkyfield might be unsafe, 158 00:11:45,280 --> 00:11:50,080 Speaker 1: and historically Mary didn't really give Bothwell any special treatment. 159 00:11:50,640 --> 00:11:53,480 Speaker 1: She had been willing to arrest Bothwell and send him 160 00:11:53,520 --> 00:11:56,840 Speaker 1: to exile without a trial when he had threatened the 161 00:11:56,880 --> 00:12:01,040 Speaker 1: Earl of Erin a few years earlier. At the beginning 162 00:12:01,160 --> 00:12:07,160 Speaker 1: of April, with public pressure mounting, Bothwell was formally accused 163 00:12:07,200 --> 00:12:11,840 Speaker 1: of Darnelly's murder, with a trial planned for April twelve. 164 00:12:12,640 --> 00:12:15,160 Speaker 1: In a case like this, it was customary for the 165 00:12:15,280 --> 00:12:20,360 Speaker 1: victim's family to initiate the proceedings, manage the prosecution, and 166 00:12:20,520 --> 00:12:25,400 Speaker 1: gather evidence, so Mary left the trial to Darnley's father, 167 00:12:25,840 --> 00:12:29,280 Speaker 1: the Earl of Lenox. A few days before the trial, 168 00:12:29,440 --> 00:12:34,640 Speaker 1: Lennox attempted to gather three thousand armed retainers, a typical 169 00:12:34,760 --> 00:12:38,640 Speaker 1: show of force for nobles taking the stand, but his 170 00:12:38,800 --> 00:12:44,280 Speaker 1: army was outnumbered by Bothwell's, which might have impacted the trial. 171 00:12:44,920 --> 00:12:51,360 Speaker 1: Bothwell's stronger army could, for instance, implicitly or explicitly threaten 172 00:12:51,520 --> 00:12:56,320 Speaker 1: witnesses away from testifying against him. Lennox also had a 173 00:12:56,400 --> 00:12:58,520 Speaker 1: number of other disadvantages. 174 00:12:59,040 --> 00:13:00,880 Speaker 2: He had only recently. 175 00:13:00,440 --> 00:13:03,920 Speaker 1: Moved back to Scotland after twenty years, so he didn't 176 00:13:03,920 --> 00:13:07,280 Speaker 1: have many allies in the region, and his late son 177 00:13:07,640 --> 00:13:12,320 Speaker 1: was so unpopular that it was hard to galvanize support. 178 00:13:13,280 --> 00:13:17,960 Speaker 1: Lenox begged Mary to postpone the trial, but she refused. 179 00:13:18,520 --> 00:13:22,800 Speaker 1: Queen's did not participate in matters of criminal justice, so 180 00:13:23,120 --> 00:13:26,520 Speaker 1: she was ill equipped to go hunting for legal loopholes 181 00:13:26,559 --> 00:13:30,360 Speaker 1: that could justify the delay. Besides, just a couple of 182 00:13:30,360 --> 00:13:32,840 Speaker 1: months ago, Lenox had been pressuring her. 183 00:13:32,760 --> 00:13:36,800 Speaker 2: To expedite the trial. The trial went ahead as planned. 184 00:13:37,600 --> 00:13:40,960 Speaker 1: In face of the opposition, and perhaps fearing for his 185 00:13:41,040 --> 00:13:45,600 Speaker 1: own life, Lennox didn't show up, fleeing the country entirely. 186 00:13:46,360 --> 00:13:50,200 Speaker 1: Lenox's absence meant there was no one willing to testify 187 00:13:50,280 --> 00:13:55,119 Speaker 1: against Bothwell or introduce any evidence that could convict him. 188 00:13:55,520 --> 00:13:59,600 Speaker 1: It was essentially a sham trial in a courtroom filled 189 00:13:59,640 --> 00:14:06,000 Speaker 1: with Bothwell's allies. After seven hours of deliberating, Bothwell was acquitted, 190 00:14:06,559 --> 00:14:10,319 Speaker 1: an obvious choice given that there was no permissible evidence 191 00:14:10,400 --> 00:14:16,000 Speaker 1: against him. Bothwell installed troops throughout Edinburgh that threatened anyone 192 00:14:16,040 --> 00:14:20,920 Speaker 1: who undermined the verdict with hand to hand combat. With 193 00:14:21,000 --> 00:14:24,960 Speaker 1: that Bothwell technically was off the hook. He could have 194 00:14:25,120 --> 00:14:29,760 Speaker 1: returned to his plumb post as Mary's closest adviser without 195 00:14:29,840 --> 00:14:34,240 Speaker 1: much fanfare, but he decided to use this chaotic moment 196 00:14:34,640 --> 00:14:40,280 Speaker 1: to pursue even greater political power. On April nineteenth, fifteen 197 00:14:40,400 --> 00:14:44,920 Speaker 1: sixty seven, just a week after the trial, he convened 198 00:14:45,000 --> 00:14:48,960 Speaker 1: a meeting with various bishops, earls and lords of parliament 199 00:14:49,360 --> 00:14:56,120 Speaker 1: Edinburgh's upper crust, to Ainsley Tavern to discuss his next moves. There, 200 00:14:56,360 --> 00:15:01,600 Speaker 1: Bothwell revealed his plan. He wanted to mary Mary and 201 00:15:01,800 --> 00:15:05,920 Speaker 1: become the king, and he asked everyone present to sign 202 00:15:06,040 --> 00:15:12,080 Speaker 1: a document formally supporting the marriage. It's almost hard to 203 00:15:12,120 --> 00:15:17,240 Speaker 1: overstate just how crazy this was. It cast the Darnley 204 00:15:17,320 --> 00:15:22,240 Speaker 1: murder in an entirely new light. Perhaps Bothwell assassinated Darnley 205 00:15:22,400 --> 00:15:26,520 Speaker 1: not only for revenge, but to take his place. This 206 00:15:26,800 --> 00:15:32,360 Speaker 1: union with Mary would totally undermine Mary's reputation. If she 207 00:15:32,560 --> 00:15:36,880 Speaker 1: married Bothwell, Mary would be replacing her late husband with 208 00:15:37,040 --> 00:15:41,600 Speaker 1: the man who, despite his acquittal, remained the only plausible 209 00:15:41,760 --> 00:15:46,280 Speaker 1: architect of his murder. Still, as many as twenty four 210 00:15:46,400 --> 00:15:50,440 Speaker 1: of the men competing accounts give different numbers in Angeley 211 00:15:50,520 --> 00:15:55,080 Speaker 1: Tavern that night signed the document in favor of the marriage. 212 00:15:55,120 --> 00:15:59,040 Speaker 1: These men were willing to play along with Bothwell's plan, 213 00:15:59,680 --> 00:16:03,600 Speaker 1: but we don't know how they might have really felt. Later, 214 00:16:03,760 --> 00:16:06,840 Speaker 1: many of them revealed that they only agreed to the 215 00:16:06,880 --> 00:16:11,360 Speaker 1: document because they thought a Bothwell Mary union would confer 216 00:16:11,520 --> 00:16:17,200 Speaker 1: them political advantages. The signers were a group of Protestant nobles, 217 00:16:17,600 --> 00:16:21,720 Speaker 1: so ensuring Mary had a Protestant husband would undermine the 218 00:16:21,880 --> 00:16:27,800 Speaker 1: Catholic stronghold over Scotland that Mary represented. Some might have 219 00:16:27,880 --> 00:16:32,640 Speaker 1: represented Bothwell out of loyalty, others out of fear, since 220 00:16:32,680 --> 00:16:36,520 Speaker 1: he had a reputation for being a powerful, loose cannon 221 00:16:36,840 --> 00:16:40,920 Speaker 1: who sought vengeance on those who confronted him and probably 222 00:16:41,040 --> 00:16:42,360 Speaker 1: wasn't afraid of violence. 223 00:16:43,120 --> 00:16:45,320 Speaker 2: Others still thought they. 224 00:16:45,160 --> 00:16:49,880 Speaker 1: Could sign onto the document and change Bothwell's mind later. 225 00:16:50,720 --> 00:16:55,600 Speaker 1: After all, for the record, Bothwell was already married. He 226 00:16:55,600 --> 00:16:58,880 Speaker 1: would have to get a divorce, not an easy feat 227 00:16:58,880 --> 00:17:04,520 Speaker 1: in sixteenth century Scotland, before he could pursue Mary. Mary 228 00:17:04,760 --> 00:17:10,359 Speaker 1: seemed oblivious to Bothwell's plans. During the Ainsley Tavern meeting, 229 00:17:10,840 --> 00:17:14,120 Speaker 1: Mary was in Settin for a short rest, so when 230 00:17:14,280 --> 00:17:18,159 Speaker 1: Bothwell set off from Edinburgh the next day, met up 231 00:17:18,200 --> 00:17:23,040 Speaker 1: with Mary and formally proposed marriage, she was caught off guard. 232 00:17:23,680 --> 00:17:26,560 Speaker 1: It had only been a couple of months since her 233 00:17:26,680 --> 00:17:31,680 Speaker 1: husband was murdered, and to repeat, Bothwell already had a wife, 234 00:17:32,080 --> 00:17:36,080 Speaker 1: but here he was not only demanding her hand in marriage, 235 00:17:36,440 --> 00:17:40,520 Speaker 1: but carrying a document that suggested that pretty much all 236 00:17:40,600 --> 00:17:45,280 Speaker 1: of the noblemen in Edinburgh also supported that union. Still 237 00:17:45,760 --> 00:17:49,080 Speaker 1: Mary turned him down. A letter she wrote to a 238 00:17:49,119 --> 00:17:53,959 Speaker 1: bishop the day after confirms that impression. It professed her 239 00:17:54,040 --> 00:17:57,800 Speaker 1: loyalty to Pope Pious the fifth and announced her plan 240 00:17:58,040 --> 00:18:02,359 Speaker 1: to die a devout Catholic, which would conflict with having 241 00:18:02,359 --> 00:18:07,160 Speaker 1: a Protestant wedding with the closest adviser. But Bothwell would 242 00:18:07,200 --> 00:18:11,840 Speaker 1: not be deterred so easily. After all, he had already 243 00:18:11,880 --> 00:18:15,600 Speaker 1: proven himself willing to go to extreme lengths to get 244 00:18:15,600 --> 00:18:19,199 Speaker 1: what he wanted. Nothing would stop him on his quest 245 00:18:19,359 --> 00:18:26,200 Speaker 1: for power, not even the Queen. On April twenty fourth, 246 00:18:26,400 --> 00:18:30,200 Speaker 1: Mary was finally on the road back to Edinburgh, returning 247 00:18:30,280 --> 00:18:33,960 Speaker 1: from her long trip. Perhaps she was nervous to find 248 00:18:34,000 --> 00:18:36,960 Speaker 1: out what was waiting for her there. The city had 249 00:18:37,000 --> 00:18:41,760 Speaker 1: been in chaos since Darnley's murder. Moreover, she had just 250 00:18:42,040 --> 00:18:46,240 Speaker 1: turned down Bothwell's marriage proposal, and he was one of 251 00:18:46,280 --> 00:18:51,080 Speaker 1: the most powerful men in Scotland. It's a risky position 252 00:18:51,359 --> 00:18:55,879 Speaker 1: going against one of your closest allies. Mary wouldn't even 253 00:18:55,960 --> 00:19:00,360 Speaker 1: make it half way to Edinburgh before Bothwell suddenly appeared 254 00:19:00,480 --> 00:19:04,280 Speaker 1: on the road with eight hundred men. He warned Mary 255 00:19:04,359 --> 00:19:06,840 Speaker 1: that it was too dangerous to return to the city 256 00:19:07,160 --> 00:19:10,640 Speaker 1: and that she should instead accompany him to his castle 257 00:19:10,680 --> 00:19:14,639 Speaker 1: in Dunbar to hide away. We don't know what was 258 00:19:14,720 --> 00:19:18,119 Speaker 1: going through Mary's mind at the time. She was still 259 00:19:18,200 --> 00:19:21,960 Speaker 1: feeling physically ill. The day before. She had been delayed 260 00:19:22,040 --> 00:19:24,800 Speaker 1: on her journey because she was too weak to continue. 261 00:19:25,440 --> 00:19:31,399 Speaker 1: She was probably tired, overwhelmed, confused and conflicted. Maybe she 262 00:19:31,520 --> 00:19:35,240 Speaker 1: didn't believe Bothwell and wanted to continue on to Edinburgh. 263 00:19:35,480 --> 00:19:39,159 Speaker 1: But she was outnumbered by Bothwell's army and was worried 264 00:19:39,200 --> 00:19:42,879 Speaker 1: he might retaliate or force her if she refused. Or 265 00:19:42,920 --> 00:19:47,320 Speaker 1: maybe she believed Bothwell or at least assumed that Bothwell 266 00:19:47,440 --> 00:19:51,640 Speaker 1: was less dangerous than whatever conspiracy might be afoot in Edinburgh. 267 00:19:52,200 --> 00:19:56,320 Speaker 1: Mary was already paranoid that she might be assassinated, just 268 00:19:56,680 --> 00:19:59,919 Speaker 1: like her ex husband. In any case, she said that 269 00:20:00,080 --> 00:20:02,040 Speaker 1: she would not like to be the cause of any 270 00:20:02,080 --> 00:20:06,160 Speaker 1: more bloodshed and agreed to go with Bothwell to Dunbar. 271 00:20:07,400 --> 00:20:12,720 Speaker 1: Historians debate whether or not this constitutes a kidnapping. To some, 272 00:20:13,040 --> 00:20:18,359 Speaker 1: like Frasier, Mary clearly consented. She describes Mary as docile 273 00:20:18,560 --> 00:20:22,439 Speaker 1: and that the proceedings were so calm and placid that 274 00:20:22,560 --> 00:20:25,800 Speaker 1: it is difficult to describe what happened as an abduction, 275 00:20:26,440 --> 00:20:30,600 Speaker 1: especially since she didn't even attempt to refuse Bothwell or 276 00:20:30,640 --> 00:20:34,320 Speaker 1: seek rescue from the country people as she passed. She 277 00:20:34,600 --> 00:20:38,040 Speaker 1: also argues that Mary must have known ahead of time 278 00:20:38,359 --> 00:20:41,879 Speaker 1: that Bothwell was on his way. Letters from earlier in 279 00:20:41,920 --> 00:20:44,760 Speaker 1: the week between the Earl of Lennox and another noble 280 00:20:45,119 --> 00:20:49,040 Speaker 1: discussed the plan, suggesting that it was fairly common knowledge 281 00:20:49,040 --> 00:20:53,800 Speaker 1: in Mary's court. Other historians like The French historian Catherine 282 00:20:53,880 --> 00:20:58,240 Speaker 1: or Mayville take a more extreme view that Bothwell was 283 00:20:58,359 --> 00:21:02,560 Speaker 1: actually doing Mary a favor by intervening that the two 284 00:21:02,880 --> 00:21:08,280 Speaker 1: were actually secretly in love, and Bothwell pretended to kidnap 285 00:21:08,359 --> 00:21:12,000 Speaker 1: Mary so that they could marry without ruining her reputation 286 00:21:12,800 --> 00:21:19,000 Speaker 1: or at least mitigating the damage. These theories have some flaws. 287 00:21:19,480 --> 00:21:23,040 Speaker 1: First is that there's no concrete proof that Mary had 288 00:21:23,160 --> 00:21:26,840 Speaker 1: been having an affair with Bothwell. While some interpret her 289 00:21:26,880 --> 00:21:33,080 Speaker 1: closeness with Bothwell as romantic, Bothwell's overtures only became explicit 290 00:21:33,240 --> 00:21:36,760 Speaker 1: after the death of Mary's husband, and Mary had shut 291 00:21:36,800 --> 00:21:40,960 Speaker 1: them down. There's also no proof that Mary had heard 292 00:21:41,080 --> 00:21:45,240 Speaker 1: of Bothwell's plan to take her before it occurred, other 293 00:21:45,320 --> 00:21:50,080 Speaker 1: than Fraser sense that it seems likely her courtiers may 294 00:21:50,359 --> 00:21:53,200 Speaker 1: just as well have heard of the plan and decided 295 00:21:53,240 --> 00:21:56,520 Speaker 1: not to tell Mary, not wanting to interfere get in 296 00:21:56,560 --> 00:22:00,199 Speaker 1: the way. These theories are also more focused on the 297 00:22:00,280 --> 00:22:05,600 Speaker 1: explicit consent itself then the larger conditions that influenced it. 298 00:22:06,200 --> 00:22:10,159 Speaker 1: Mary was, I remind you, surrounded by eight hundred armed 299 00:22:10,240 --> 00:22:14,320 Speaker 1: men and the guy who probably killed her husband. Even 300 00:22:14,359 --> 00:22:17,400 Speaker 1: if she did refuse and Bothwell let her go, back 301 00:22:17,400 --> 00:22:22,320 Speaker 1: to Edinburgh. Her political allies there signed a document professing 302 00:22:22,400 --> 00:22:26,879 Speaker 1: their loyalty to Bothwell, so Mary may have faced consequences 303 00:22:26,920 --> 00:22:27,680 Speaker 1: from them. 304 00:22:27,840 --> 00:22:28,320 Speaker 2: Instead. 305 00:22:29,040 --> 00:22:34,719 Speaker 1: Bothwell had gathered enough literal and metaphorical ammunition against Mary 306 00:22:35,160 --> 00:22:38,440 Speaker 1: that her choice to go with him to Dunbar may 307 00:22:38,520 --> 00:22:41,840 Speaker 1: not have really felt like a choice at all. After 308 00:22:42,040 --> 00:22:45,320 Speaker 1: she was taken, Mary sent a member of her entourage 309 00:22:45,440 --> 00:22:49,040 Speaker 1: head to Edinburgh to alert the Provost that she had 310 00:22:49,080 --> 00:22:53,840 Speaker 1: been kidnapped. The Provost rang the literal alarm bell, and 311 00:22:53,880 --> 00:22:58,000 Speaker 1: the citizens called on the government to engineer a rescue, 312 00:22:58,080 --> 00:23:01,600 Speaker 1: but by then it was too late. Mary arrived at 313 00:23:01,680 --> 00:23:06,240 Speaker 1: Dunbar at midnight with an army surrounding her. That night, 314 00:23:06,480 --> 00:23:10,679 Speaker 1: Bothwell raped her. There are a number of accounts that 315 00:23:10,880 --> 00:23:15,600 Speaker 1: confirmed this. One noble, who was at Dunbar while it happened, 316 00:23:15,920 --> 00:23:19,320 Speaker 1: wrote that regardless of whether or not she had wanted 317 00:23:19,359 --> 00:23:24,040 Speaker 1: to marry Bothwell, she had been quote ravished against her will. 318 00:23:24,880 --> 00:23:29,960 Speaker 1: Mary herself said in a cryptic note that Bothwell's actions 319 00:23:30,080 --> 00:23:34,960 Speaker 1: were quote rough, and that given the circumstances, she had 320 00:23:35,000 --> 00:23:37,360 Speaker 1: no choice but quote to make. 321 00:23:37,280 --> 00:23:38,040 Speaker 2: The best of it. 322 00:23:38,960 --> 00:23:42,440 Speaker 1: The story got back to Edinburgh days later. By then, 323 00:23:42,720 --> 00:23:47,159 Speaker 1: the mood had shifted. While some contemporaries maintained that she 324 00:23:47,320 --> 00:23:51,560 Speaker 1: had been kidnapped, most thought that she had gone willingly 325 00:23:52,080 --> 00:23:57,199 Speaker 1: and harbored secret romantic feelings for Bothwell. That said, no 326 00:23:57,280 --> 00:24:00,360 Speaker 1: one cast any doubt that Bothwell had assault at her. 327 00:24:00,880 --> 00:24:04,480 Speaker 1: Mary was known for being straight laced and pious, and 328 00:24:04,600 --> 00:24:09,480 Speaker 1: Bothwell for being lecherous and scheming. Still, no one thought 329 00:24:09,520 --> 00:24:13,080 Speaker 1: that a rape would exempt Mary from her impending marriage 330 00:24:13,119 --> 00:24:17,040 Speaker 1: to Bothwell. If anything, it forced her hand, because the 331 00:24:17,080 --> 00:24:20,080 Speaker 1: only way to lessen the sin of sleeping with a 332 00:24:20,119 --> 00:24:24,040 Speaker 1: man out of wedlock would be to marry him. According 333 00:24:24,080 --> 00:24:27,359 Speaker 1: to them, Bothwell did a heinous act to break down 334 00:24:27,520 --> 00:24:31,320 Speaker 1: Mary's sexual boundaries, but she would have to suffer for it. 335 00:24:32,000 --> 00:24:36,399 Speaker 1: As historian Ruth Warnick put it, quote, Mary reacted like 336 00:24:36,520 --> 00:24:41,680 Speaker 1: many other early modern victims who believed their ravishment polluted them, 337 00:24:42,200 --> 00:24:45,800 Speaker 1: unwilling to dishonor her family by revealing the rape and 338 00:24:45,840 --> 00:24:50,280 Speaker 1: eliciting charges that she was immensely immodest or that she 339 00:24:50,480 --> 00:24:55,560 Speaker 1: deserved to be attacked because she had not lived virtuously enough. 340 00:24:56,840 --> 00:25:01,000 Speaker 1: Mary stayed at Dunbar for three weeks, where she seemed 341 00:25:01,080 --> 00:25:04,520 Speaker 1: to give up and accept her fate. By the time 342 00:25:04,680 --> 00:25:07,720 Speaker 1: she received an offer of rescue at the end of April, 343 00:25:08,040 --> 00:25:12,800 Speaker 1: she rejected it, resigned. Now that Bothwell had secured his 344 00:25:12,920 --> 00:25:16,240 Speaker 1: new marriage, he set out to dissolve his old one. 345 00:25:16,800 --> 00:25:19,800 Speaker 1: That turned out to be way easier than anyone could 346 00:25:19,880 --> 00:25:23,280 Speaker 1: have anticipated. His wife was all too happy to get 347 00:25:23,359 --> 00:25:27,040 Speaker 1: rid of him. Bothwell set up two divorce trials in 348 00:25:27,119 --> 00:25:32,080 Speaker 1: both Protestant and Catholic ecclesiastical courts, and within days the 349 00:25:32,119 --> 00:25:35,560 Speaker 1: courts agreed to end his marriage on the grounds that 350 00:25:35,600 --> 00:25:39,520 Speaker 1: he cheated on his wife, not with Mary, incidentally, but 351 00:25:39,600 --> 00:25:44,280 Speaker 1: with his wife's sewing maid. His servants also found court 352 00:25:44,359 --> 00:25:48,320 Speaker 1: officials and threatened to cut off their noses and ears 353 00:25:48,600 --> 00:25:52,880 Speaker 1: if the verdict wasn't reached quickly enough. The threats worked. 354 00:25:53,200 --> 00:25:58,760 Speaker 1: By May seventh, Bothwell was officially single. That week, Bothwell 355 00:25:58,840 --> 00:26:03,879 Speaker 1: also finally brought Mary back to Edinburgh. One onlooker reported 356 00:26:04,000 --> 00:26:06,800 Speaker 1: that he was holding the queen by the bridle of 357 00:26:06,840 --> 00:26:11,200 Speaker 1: her horse as if she were a captive. On May twelfth, 358 00:26:11,400 --> 00:26:15,800 Speaker 1: Mary declared formally that although she had been abducted, she 359 00:26:15,840 --> 00:26:20,159 Speaker 1: would agree to marry Bothwell. Three days later, Bothwell and 360 00:26:20,280 --> 00:26:24,359 Speaker 1: Mary were wed in a small Protestant ceremony at the 361 00:26:24,359 --> 00:26:28,240 Speaker 1: Great Hall of Holyrood. After the wedding, the Earl of 362 00:26:28,280 --> 00:26:32,200 Speaker 1: Bothwell technically had a new title, the Duke of Orkney, 363 00:26:32,640 --> 00:26:36,280 Speaker 1: but I'll keep referring to him as Bothwell for clarity's sake. 364 00:26:37,080 --> 00:26:41,600 Speaker 1: The atmosphere was hardly festive. The wedding banquet was a 365 00:26:41,720 --> 00:26:46,439 Speaker 1: rush job. Some protesters placed on the palace gates the 366 00:26:46,480 --> 00:26:51,919 Speaker 1: words Wanton's Mary. In the month of May, Mary seemed miserable. 367 00:26:52,400 --> 00:26:57,080 Speaker 1: She had already been depressed before Bothwell's abduction, and now 368 00:26:57,119 --> 00:26:59,960 Speaker 1: she was doing even a worse. One of her advice 369 00:27:00,359 --> 00:27:03,639 Speaker 1: wrote a letter describing a conversation she had had with 370 00:27:03,720 --> 00:27:08,000 Speaker 1: the Queen on her wedding day. Mary apologized for seeming 371 00:27:08,119 --> 00:27:11,720 Speaker 1: too formal with her new husband. It was because she 372 00:27:11,840 --> 00:27:16,600 Speaker 1: felt no joy about the wedding and longed for suicide. 373 00:27:17,400 --> 00:27:20,879 Speaker 1: Mary had no idea that behind the scenes, the political 374 00:27:20,920 --> 00:27:25,000 Speaker 1: elite of Edinburgh were trying to overturn the marriage. Even 375 00:27:25,000 --> 00:27:28,560 Speaker 1: though many of them had signed the letter at Ainsley Tavern. 376 00:27:28,920 --> 00:27:33,240 Speaker 1: They had begun to turn against Bothwell a few months before. 377 00:27:33,400 --> 00:27:36,800 Speaker 1: They had assumed that Bothwell would repay them for their 378 00:27:36,840 --> 00:27:41,800 Speaker 1: support by including them in his plans. Besides, Bothwell probably 379 00:27:41,880 --> 00:27:44,960 Speaker 1: seemed like more reasonable choice of a husband for Mary 380 00:27:45,000 --> 00:27:50,119 Speaker 1: than the paranoid, murderous Lord Darnley. But by May fifteen 381 00:27:50,359 --> 00:27:55,840 Speaker 1: sixty seven, Bothwell seemed much more dangerous than Darnley. He 382 00:27:55,920 --> 00:28:00,680 Speaker 1: had murdered someone, kidnapped and raped the Queen, and pipulated 383 00:28:00,760 --> 00:28:04,800 Speaker 1: the government toward his own ends. Bothwell had shut out 384 00:28:04,840 --> 00:28:09,159 Speaker 1: his former allies, going against their wishes and concentrating his 385 00:28:09,240 --> 00:28:14,040 Speaker 1: own power. Even the more specious claims against Bothwell that 386 00:28:14,080 --> 00:28:19,840 Speaker 1: these nobles had initially dismissed seemed increasingly reasonable. Earlier in 387 00:28:19,880 --> 00:28:23,960 Speaker 1: this episode, we mentioned that in fifteen sixty two, five 388 00:28:24,040 --> 00:28:27,560 Speaker 1: years before any of this happened, Lord Erin spread a 389 00:28:27,680 --> 00:28:31,080 Speaker 1: rumor that Bothwell would kidnap the Queen and marry her 390 00:28:31,119 --> 00:28:37,240 Speaker 1: to advance his own political career. Lord Erin was ruled crazy. 391 00:28:37,680 --> 00:28:40,400 Speaker 1: Lest we forget, the information had come to him in 392 00:28:40,480 --> 00:28:44,080 Speaker 1: a dream. But Lord Erin turned out to be right. 393 00:28:44,680 --> 00:28:49,280 Speaker 1: His dream became a reality. Maybe Lord Erin had even 394 00:28:49,360 --> 00:28:53,560 Speaker 1: given Bothwell the idea. At the beginning of May, while 395 00:28:53,640 --> 00:28:57,040 Speaker 1: Mary was still in captivity at Dunbar, the nobles of 396 00:28:57,200 --> 00:28:59,960 Speaker 1: Edinburgh met up to figure out what to do next. 397 00:29:00,760 --> 00:29:05,440 Speaker 1: These confederates planned to gather an army in secret if 398 00:29:05,480 --> 00:29:09,040 Speaker 1: Mary couldn't escape the marriage herself, they would do it 399 00:29:09,120 --> 00:29:15,440 Speaker 1: for her with whatever force necessary. By June, the anti 400 00:29:15,560 --> 00:29:21,280 Speaker 1: Bothwell nobility, known as the Confederates, had gotten organized. The 401 00:29:21,320 --> 00:29:24,720 Speaker 1: Confederate lords had occupied the city of Edinburgh and taken 402 00:29:24,760 --> 00:29:30,000 Speaker 1: over Parliament, installing troops throughout the city. On June eleventh, 403 00:29:30,040 --> 00:29:33,200 Speaker 1: they issued a proclamation that they would rescue the queen, 404 00:29:33,560 --> 00:29:38,160 Speaker 1: arrest Bothwell and avenge Darnley's murder once and for all. 405 00:29:38,800 --> 00:29:42,800 Speaker 1: Bothwell had already caught wind of the plan. Fearing a 406 00:29:42,920 --> 00:29:48,840 Speaker 1: military coup, Bothwell took Mary to Borthwick Castle, about twelve 407 00:29:48,920 --> 00:29:53,680 Speaker 1: miles south of Edinburgh to avoid a surprise attack. He 408 00:29:53,800 --> 00:29:56,120 Speaker 1: had an army of his own and was ready to 409 00:29:56,200 --> 00:30:00,400 Speaker 1: fight back, but when Bothwell and Mary heard that twelve 410 00:30:00,560 --> 00:30:05,000 Speaker 1: hundred Confederate troops were on their way to Borthwick Castle, 411 00:30:05,440 --> 00:30:10,440 Speaker 1: they fled once again. Bothwell dressed Mary in men's clothing 412 00:30:10,520 --> 00:30:14,560 Speaker 1: to avoid suspicion, and they headed back to Dunbar. On 413 00:30:14,800 --> 00:30:18,360 Speaker 1: June fifteenth, the two armies finally met up for a 414 00:30:18,400 --> 00:30:23,160 Speaker 1: showdown at Carbury Hill, about seven miles from Edinburgh. One 415 00:30:23,240 --> 00:30:27,680 Speaker 1: of the Confederates promised Mary that if she abandoned Bothwell 416 00:30:28,040 --> 00:30:32,800 Speaker 1: he would restore her to power. Mary refused. It may 417 00:30:32,880 --> 00:30:36,960 Speaker 1: seem weird for her to have declared loyalty to Bothwell, 418 00:30:37,360 --> 00:30:40,840 Speaker 1: given that he abused her, raped her, and forced her 419 00:30:40,840 --> 00:30:46,040 Speaker 1: to marry him. But Mary had a secret. She was pregnant. 420 00:30:46,720 --> 00:30:50,840 Speaker 1: She feared that the child was Bothwell's and didn't want 421 00:30:50,880 --> 00:30:54,880 Speaker 1: to sully her reputation further by giving birth to an 422 00:30:54,960 --> 00:30:59,360 Speaker 1: illegitimate child. No matter how they had gotten there, She 423 00:30:59,680 --> 00:31:04,720 Speaker 1: and Bothwell were married. The two armies were at a standoff, 424 00:31:05,320 --> 00:31:09,440 Speaker 1: neither of them particularly wanting to fight. Instead, they argued 425 00:31:09,520 --> 00:31:13,200 Speaker 1: about what to do next. After a few hours, Bothwell's 426 00:31:13,240 --> 00:31:18,600 Speaker 1: soldiers began wandering off. Bored, Bothwell finally called for single 427 00:31:18,760 --> 00:31:23,000 Speaker 1: combat to settle the dispute, but then backed down immediately, 428 00:31:23,440 --> 00:31:26,360 Speaker 1: claiming that he was too high status to fight the 429 00:31:26,400 --> 00:31:31,240 Speaker 1: guy who had volunteered a higher status. Confederate Lord Lindey 430 00:31:31,640 --> 00:31:36,200 Speaker 1: agreed to fight Bothwell, but Bothwell backed down yet again. 431 00:31:37,040 --> 00:31:42,640 Speaker 1: Mary finally took decisive action. She surrendered to the Confederates 432 00:31:42,680 --> 00:31:46,120 Speaker 1: on a promise of good treatment and if they let 433 00:31:46,160 --> 00:31:52,440 Speaker 1: Bothwell go free again. Her choice is somewhat puzzling. Why 434 00:31:52,440 --> 00:31:56,000 Speaker 1: would she want to protect Bothwell after everything he did 435 00:31:56,040 --> 00:32:00,239 Speaker 1: to her. Some historians interpret this as an expression of 436 00:32:00,280 --> 00:32:04,440 Speaker 1: love or affection for Bothwell, while others think she did 437 00:32:04,480 --> 00:32:09,000 Speaker 1: so out of political strategy to separate herself from Bothwell 438 00:32:09,040 --> 00:32:14,280 Speaker 1: and his influence to argue for her own innocence. Historians 439 00:32:14,360 --> 00:32:19,520 Speaker 1: also dispute the order of events. Ritha Vornik suggests that 440 00:32:19,640 --> 00:32:25,920 Speaker 1: Bothwell decided to flee before Mary agreed to surrender. In 441 00:32:26,000 --> 00:32:30,240 Speaker 1: any case, the Confederates accepted her conditions and Bothwell fled, 442 00:32:30,680 --> 00:32:35,080 Speaker 1: first to the south of Scotland, then to Denmark. Mary 443 00:32:35,160 --> 00:32:38,560 Speaker 1: would never see him again. Mary was led back to 444 00:32:38,720 --> 00:32:42,680 Speaker 1: Edinburgh by her horse's bridle, yet again, this time a 445 00:32:42,760 --> 00:32:47,520 Speaker 1: captive of the state. As she entered the city, soldiers 446 00:32:47,600 --> 00:32:53,760 Speaker 1: yelled burn the whore. Banners flew across town, depicting Darnley's 447 00:32:53,840 --> 00:32:58,920 Speaker 1: corpse lying under a tree and their son kneeling praying 448 00:32:58,960 --> 00:33:03,280 Speaker 1: to the Lord for revenge in her tattered clothes. Mary 449 00:33:03,520 --> 00:33:07,600 Speaker 1: was imprisoned, first in Edinburgh and then at a castle 450 00:33:07,680 --> 00:33:12,120 Speaker 1: in Lochleven. Weeks passed before anyone figured out what to 451 00:33:12,160 --> 00:33:16,160 Speaker 1: do with Mary. She spent her days wandering around the 452 00:33:16,240 --> 00:33:20,720 Speaker 1: castle there, with barely anything to do. In captivity, her 453 00:33:20,760 --> 00:33:24,480 Speaker 1: allies met with her and begged her to divorce bothwell 454 00:33:24,840 --> 00:33:29,760 Speaker 1: and repudiate him to gain her release. Mary still refused, 455 00:33:30,200 --> 00:33:34,960 Speaker 1: finally admitting that she was seven weeks pregnant. She emphasized 456 00:33:35,080 --> 00:33:39,200 Speaker 1: that she was only seven weeks pregnant, despite not being 457 00:33:39,320 --> 00:33:44,280 Speaker 1: absolutely sure of the date, to claim that conception occurred 458 00:33:44,600 --> 00:33:51,560 Speaker 1: after the wedding, thereby implicitly denying the primerido. A week later, 459 00:33:51,840 --> 00:33:55,000 Speaker 1: Mary had a miscarriage, leaving her bed ridden for the 460 00:33:55,040 --> 00:33:59,080 Speaker 1: rest of the month of July. On July twenty fourth, 461 00:33:59,240 --> 00:34:03,040 Speaker 1: Mary signed as statement claiming that her illness made it 462 00:34:03,080 --> 00:34:07,080 Speaker 1: impossible for her to reign. She abdicated the throne to 463 00:34:07,200 --> 00:34:11,719 Speaker 1: her one year old son with Lord Darnley, and appointed 464 00:34:11,920 --> 00:34:16,040 Speaker 1: her half brother, the Earl of Moray, as the king Regent. 465 00:34:16,840 --> 00:34:21,600 Speaker 1: When Mary's health began to improve in August, Moray arrived 466 00:34:21,680 --> 00:34:25,040 Speaker 1: in Lochleven to scold her about her mistakes in a 467 00:34:25,200 --> 00:34:30,920 Speaker 1: two day lecture before formally assuming the regency. Mary spent 468 00:34:31,120 --> 00:34:35,560 Speaker 1: nearly a year in captivity, writing secret messages in code 469 00:34:35,880 --> 00:34:40,640 Speaker 1: and planning an escape. Finally, on May second, she boarded 470 00:34:40,680 --> 00:34:44,480 Speaker 1: a stolen boat in its skies and rode horses to 471 00:34:44,560 --> 00:34:48,239 Speaker 1: Hamilton House. A few miles from Glasgow. Two days later, 472 00:34:48,400 --> 00:34:52,040 Speaker 1: she told Moray that she disavowed giving up the crown. 473 00:34:52,760 --> 00:34:56,920 Speaker 1: Six thousand men joined her to protect her and reinstall 474 00:34:57,000 --> 00:35:00,200 Speaker 1: her as the Queen. Angry with Moray for Tree aiding 475 00:35:00,239 --> 00:35:03,600 Speaker 1: her so poorly in prison and holding her accountable for 476 00:35:03,640 --> 00:35:09,359 Speaker 1: her husband's death rather than bothwell. As Mary and her 477 00:35:09,480 --> 00:35:13,640 Speaker 1: army headed toward Dunbarton Castle, Moorey sent a force of 478 00:35:13,719 --> 00:35:16,879 Speaker 1: troops to go after her. Even though Morey had a 479 00:35:16,960 --> 00:35:21,440 Speaker 1: smaller army of only four thousand soldiers, he managed to 480 00:35:21,520 --> 00:35:26,120 Speaker 1: defeat Mary. She was not expecting Moray to actually engage 481 00:35:26,160 --> 00:35:29,359 Speaker 1: them in battle, so her troops were too chaotic and 482 00:35:29,560 --> 00:35:34,720 Speaker 1: disorganized to prevail. Mary also hadn't expected Morey to focus 483 00:35:34,800 --> 00:35:38,319 Speaker 1: on apprehending her When she tried to escape in the 484 00:35:38,360 --> 00:35:42,280 Speaker 1: middle of the battle, Moray redirected his soldiers from fighting 485 00:35:42,600 --> 00:35:48,520 Speaker 1: to seize her instead. After narrowly escaping. After the humiliating defeat, 486 00:35:49,000 --> 00:35:52,160 Speaker 1: Mary decided to serve out the rest of her imprisonment 487 00:35:52,280 --> 00:35:57,000 Speaker 1: in England. She felt like she had no choice. While France, 488 00:35:57,080 --> 00:36:00,239 Speaker 1: a Catholic country, would have been friendlier to Mary, she 489 00:36:00,239 --> 00:36:03,480 Speaker 1: couldn't make it all the way there on the dinghy fishing. 490 00:36:03,120 --> 00:36:04,640 Speaker 2: Boat provided to her. 491 00:36:05,160 --> 00:36:09,120 Speaker 1: She figured that in England, her cousin, Queen Elizabeth the First, 492 00:36:09,560 --> 00:36:12,480 Speaker 1: would keep her safe and maybe even help her win 493 00:36:12,640 --> 00:36:17,239 Speaker 1: back the Scottish throne. Elizabeth had to thread a delicate 494 00:36:17,360 --> 00:36:22,200 Speaker 1: political needle. She didn't want to openly support Mary since 495 00:36:22,440 --> 00:36:26,239 Speaker 1: Mary was accused of murder, but she didn't want to 496 00:36:26,320 --> 00:36:29,520 Speaker 1: execute her or send her back to Scotland and create 497 00:36:29,520 --> 00:36:33,680 Speaker 1: a Catholic murder, so she called for a formal inquiry 498 00:36:33,760 --> 00:36:38,080 Speaker 1: into the accusations against Mary, hoping to produce a verdict 499 00:36:38,160 --> 00:36:42,000 Speaker 1: that could guide her towards a decision. Mary agreed to 500 00:36:42,120 --> 00:36:45,000 Speaker 1: go along with the inquiry if she maintained her royal 501 00:36:45,200 --> 00:36:49,360 Speaker 1: rank during the trial, and if the inquiry was not 502 00:36:49,640 --> 00:36:54,200 Speaker 1: about her alleged murder of Darnley or the marriage with bothwell, 503 00:36:54,520 --> 00:36:57,880 Speaker 1: but instead focused on whether or not she would be 504 00:36:57,920 --> 00:37:03,279 Speaker 1: able to rule over Scotland. On October fourth, fifteen sixty eight, 505 00:37:03,480 --> 00:37:06,080 Speaker 1: the first day of the hearing, the inquiry did not 506 00:37:06,239 --> 00:37:10,040 Speaker 1: follow either of those conditions. One reason is that Moray 507 00:37:10,080 --> 00:37:13,880 Speaker 1: took over the prosecution, and he aimed to prove without 508 00:37:13,920 --> 00:37:18,319 Speaker 1: a doubt that Mary was behind Lord Darnley's murder, so 509 00:37:18,360 --> 00:37:22,439 Speaker 1: that she could never rule again. Moray, a Protestant who 510 00:37:22,480 --> 00:37:28,160 Speaker 1: happily accepted Elizabeth's authority, had many allies in the English court. 511 00:37:28,840 --> 00:37:31,960 Speaker 1: Mary felt like the English officials in charge of the 512 00:37:32,040 --> 00:37:37,320 Speaker 1: trial were already on Morey's side. After a few days 513 00:37:37,360 --> 00:37:42,080 Speaker 1: of taking oaths and reading commissions, Mary's team still had 514 00:37:42,080 --> 00:37:45,239 Speaker 1: some hope that the trial would reach an agreement that 515 00:37:45,280 --> 00:37:50,040 Speaker 1: could satisfy both sides. But Moray went straight for the jugular. 516 00:37:50,520 --> 00:37:55,000 Speaker 1: He accused Mary of having an affair with Bothwell before 517 00:37:55,080 --> 00:38:00,000 Speaker 1: her husband's death, hoping to exploit the fact that, as 518 00:37:59,840 --> 00:38:05,359 Speaker 1: a Varnik put it quote, many contemporaries viewed fornication not 519 00:38:05,440 --> 00:38:09,399 Speaker 1: only as more criminal than murder, but also as inevitably 520 00:38:09,680 --> 00:38:14,239 Speaker 1: leading to murder. Moray introduced his primary evidence for that 521 00:38:14,360 --> 00:38:19,279 Speaker 1: claim a series of documents in a foot long silver casket, 522 00:38:19,760 --> 00:38:25,120 Speaker 1: including six love letters written by Mary to Bothwell, two 523 00:38:25,280 --> 00:38:30,719 Speaker 1: contracts of marriage, one signed before Bothwell's murder trial, a 524 00:38:30,800 --> 00:38:34,920 Speaker 1: request from Mary to the nobleman to sign the Ainsley 525 00:38:35,040 --> 00:38:41,360 Speaker 1: Tavern band, and a French love ballad. These quote casket letters, 526 00:38:41,800 --> 00:38:45,000 Speaker 1: named after the casket they were stored in, seemed to 527 00:38:45,239 --> 00:38:49,360 Speaker 1: damn Mary's case, proving that she was not a victim 528 00:38:49,400 --> 00:38:52,279 Speaker 1: of Bothwell at all, but rather that she had been 529 00:38:52,360 --> 00:38:56,120 Speaker 1: in love with Bothwell for years and conspired with him 530 00:38:56,280 --> 00:39:02,200 Speaker 1: to murder Lord Darnley. Most historians think these letters were forged. 531 00:39:02,640 --> 00:39:07,840 Speaker 1: Some were entirely invented, while others were probably rewrites of 532 00:39:08,000 --> 00:39:11,920 Speaker 1: actual letters that Mary had written to other people. The 533 00:39:11,960 --> 00:39:15,720 Speaker 1: Casket letters were said to have been discovered at Edinburgh 534 00:39:15,800 --> 00:39:19,799 Speaker 1: Castle in June of fifteen sixty seven, after Mary had 535 00:39:19,840 --> 00:39:24,200 Speaker 1: been captured. But why would Bothwell keep his letters from 536 00:39:24,320 --> 00:39:27,920 Speaker 1: Mary there when he didn't live there. He barely spent 537 00:39:28,040 --> 00:39:31,120 Speaker 1: any time in Edinburgh aside from his wedding to Mary. 538 00:39:31,800 --> 00:39:35,680 Speaker 1: Mary also tended to use ciphers and codes to write 539 00:39:35,680 --> 00:39:41,719 Speaker 1: about sensitive material, and the letters contained several inaccuracies. In 540 00:39:41,760 --> 00:39:46,319 Speaker 1: fifteen sixty nine, Mary told Elizabeth quote that even if 541 00:39:46,360 --> 00:39:50,080 Speaker 1: she had imagined the foolish remarks in the Casket letters, 542 00:39:50,440 --> 00:39:54,760 Speaker 1: she never would have put them in writing. It seems 543 00:39:54,880 --> 00:40:00,000 Speaker 1: that Elizabeth did not take these letters particularly seriously, because 544 00:40:00,040 --> 00:40:01,640 Speaker 1: the inquiry continued. 545 00:40:01,160 --> 00:40:02,120 Speaker 2: On for months. 546 00:40:02,840 --> 00:40:07,720 Speaker 1: Mary's side offered various concessions to the Crown, like vowing 547 00:40:07,760 --> 00:40:12,040 Speaker 1: to educate her son in England in exchange for her reinstatement, 548 00:40:12,480 --> 00:40:18,440 Speaker 1: while Moray sought to destroy Mary's reputation entirely. Mary's side 549 00:40:18,600 --> 00:40:22,799 Speaker 1: thought Elizabeth had been unfair. She had agreed to meet 550 00:40:22,840 --> 00:40:26,319 Speaker 1: with Moray outside of the inquiry and allowed him to 551 00:40:26,400 --> 00:40:30,520 Speaker 1: appear at the hearings, while Mary could not participate in 552 00:40:30,560 --> 00:40:35,799 Speaker 1: her own investigation or testify for herself. Mary didn't even 553 00:40:35,960 --> 00:40:39,720 Speaker 1: know what she was being accused of in any case. 554 00:40:39,840 --> 00:40:44,879 Speaker 1: Elizabeth ended the inquiry in January fifteen sixty nine, refusing 555 00:40:44,920 --> 00:40:48,359 Speaker 1: to issue a decision, arguing that there was not enough 556 00:40:48,400 --> 00:40:53,439 Speaker 1: proof to convict Mary nor to exonerate her. Our other 557 00:40:53,600 --> 00:40:57,480 Speaker 1: episode about Mary Queen of scott goes into more depth 558 00:40:57,560 --> 00:41:01,120 Speaker 1: about what happened during the rest of Mary Mary's imprisonment 559 00:41:01,719 --> 00:41:06,040 Speaker 1: and how Elizabeth eventually made the decision to execute her 560 00:41:06,239 --> 00:41:11,239 Speaker 1: in fifteen eighty seven. But this inquiry in fifteen sixty nine, 561 00:41:11,640 --> 00:41:16,120 Speaker 1: even though it ended inconclusively, cemented a narrative of the 562 00:41:16,200 --> 00:41:21,319 Speaker 1: relationship between Bothwell and Mary in the historical record. Even 563 00:41:21,360 --> 00:41:25,600 Speaker 1: though the courts didn't take the casket letters seriously, they 564 00:41:25,640 --> 00:41:29,839 Speaker 1: were published in fifteen seventy one in a book accusing 565 00:41:29,920 --> 00:41:35,960 Speaker 1: Mary of pursuing Bothwell and orchestrating Darnley's murder. Another account 566 00:41:36,120 --> 00:41:41,520 Speaker 1: denied this reading and proclaimed Mary's innocence, dismissing the letters 567 00:41:41,560 --> 00:41:46,520 Speaker 1: as forgeries. These two competing versions of the story of 568 00:41:46,600 --> 00:41:53,040 Speaker 1: Bothwell and Mary's relationship persist even after four centuries. By now, 569 00:41:53,200 --> 00:41:57,760 Speaker 1: most historians, with a few exceptions, believe that while Mary 570 00:41:57,920 --> 00:42:01,879 Speaker 1: may have had a hostile relationship with Darnley, she did 571 00:42:01,920 --> 00:42:06,480 Speaker 1: not actively participate in his death. She chose to marry 572 00:42:06,560 --> 00:42:11,640 Speaker 1: and defend Bothwell not out of love, but out of desperation. 573 00:42:12,360 --> 00:42:16,840 Speaker 1: She had suffered the death of her husband, a debilitating illness, 574 00:42:17,160 --> 00:42:21,560 Speaker 1: a kidnapping, and a rape. In a society that punished 575 00:42:21,600 --> 00:42:26,000 Speaker 1: adultery even over murder and blamed women for their own assaults, 576 00:42:26,680 --> 00:42:30,640 Speaker 1: Mary was stuck between a rock and a hard place, 577 00:42:31,200 --> 00:42:36,640 Speaker 1: a place where even a queen had no power. That's 578 00:42:36,719 --> 00:42:40,080 Speaker 1: the tragic story of Mary, Queen of Scots and Bothwell. 579 00:42:40,400 --> 00:42:44,759 Speaker 1: But stick around to hear about Mary's favorite prison pastime, 580 00:42:45,200 --> 00:42:55,560 Speaker 1: needle point. In her years in prison, Mary had a 581 00:42:55,560 --> 00:42:58,919 Speaker 1: lot of time on her hands under house arrest. At 582 00:42:59,040 --> 00:43:03,200 Speaker 1: George Talbot's English estate from fifteen sixty eight to fifteen 583 00:43:03,280 --> 00:43:08,160 Speaker 1: eighty five, Mary befriended his second wife, Bess of Hardwicke, 584 00:43:08,600 --> 00:43:12,920 Speaker 1: who was a great embroiderer. Mary already had an interest 585 00:43:13,000 --> 00:43:17,200 Speaker 1: in sewing and embroidery. When Mary was imprisoned in Scotland 586 00:43:17,320 --> 00:43:21,279 Speaker 1: in fifteen sixty seven, her allies petitioned the Earl of 587 00:43:21,320 --> 00:43:25,759 Speaker 1: Moray to appoint her an embroiderer to draw designs for 588 00:43:25,880 --> 00:43:30,760 Speaker 1: her sewing. Morey refused. It was common for wealthy women 589 00:43:30,840 --> 00:43:34,920 Speaker 1: to spend time together embroidering. Each person would work on 590 00:43:34,960 --> 00:43:38,080 Speaker 1: a panel that then could be sewn together like a quilt. 591 00:43:38,680 --> 00:43:46,719 Speaker 1: The panels Mary and Bess worked on together mostly depicted animals, dogs, bees, elephants, tigers, 592 00:43:46,760 --> 00:43:50,759 Speaker 1: even dragons. My favorite features a cat playing with a 593 00:43:50,800 --> 00:43:55,600 Speaker 1: mouse called a cat. Some art historians have tried to 594 00:43:55,719 --> 00:44:00,000 Speaker 1: decode these panels for hidden meaning. The Victoria and alas 595 00:44:00,000 --> 00:44:04,680 Speaker 1: Albert Museum interprets one panel quote depicting a grape vine 596 00:44:04,760 --> 00:44:08,160 Speaker 1: and a hand holding a pruning knife as a reference 597 00:44:08,280 --> 00:44:13,080 Speaker 1: to quote Mary's claim on the throne, suggesting the need 598 00:44:13,239 --> 00:44:16,320 Speaker 1: to cut away the fruitless branch of the tudor tree 599 00:44:16,800 --> 00:44:22,120 Speaker 1: represented by the childless and quote illegitimate Elizabeth. The point 600 00:44:22,280 --> 00:44:28,240 Speaker 1: is driven home by the Latin motto viriskit vulner vitus 601 00:44:28,520 --> 00:44:30,520 Speaker 1: virtue flourishes by. 602 00:44:30,560 --> 00:44:32,560 Speaker 2: Wounding end quote. 603 00:44:33,239 --> 00:44:37,560 Speaker 1: It's not entirely clear whether this was Mary's intention, but 604 00:44:37,760 --> 00:44:42,600 Speaker 1: the panel was introduced in a treason trial as evidence 605 00:44:42,680 --> 00:44:57,360 Speaker 1: that Mary had in fact been conspiring against Elizabeth. Noble 606 00:44:57,360 --> 00:45:01,320 Speaker 1: Blood is a production of iHeartRadio and Grimm and Mild 607 00:45:01,360 --> 00:45:05,640 Speaker 1: from Aaron Mankey. Noble Blood is hosted by me Dana Schwartz, 608 00:45:06,040 --> 00:45:11,000 Speaker 1: with additional writing and research by Hannah Johnston, Hannahswick, Courtney Sender, 609 00:45:11,239 --> 00:45:15,000 Speaker 1: Amy Hit and Julia Milaney. The show is edited and 610 00:45:15,160 --> 00:45:20,400 Speaker 1: produced by Jesse Funk, with supervising producer rima il Kaali 611 00:45:20,840 --> 00:45:24,960 Speaker 1: and executive producers Aaron Mankey, Trevor Young, and Matt Frederick. 612 00:45:25,440 --> 00:45:31,080 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, 613 00:45:31,320 --> 00:45:35,279 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.