ROBERT S. RAIT
M.A. (ABERDON.) EXHIBITIONER OF
NEW COLLEGE, OXFORD
LONDON
DAVID NUTT, 270-71 STRAND
1899
Printed by Ballantyne, Hanson & Co.
At the Ballantyne Press
PREFACE
The life of the Queen of Scots presents so many different lines of interest, that, in a volume of the present size, it is necessary to make and adhere to a selection from among the numerous possible varieties of treatment. The attention of the reader has, therefore, been concentrated upon the six active years in Mary's life, from her arrival in Scotland in August 1561, to her imprisonment in Lochleven Castle in June 1567. Documents bearing on the "English Wooing" and the other events of Mary's minority and residence in France have, accordingly, been omitted, except in so far as they are required for an intelligible introduction to the main theme of the book. Most of them, indeed, would be more relevant to a volume having for its subject the history of the Scottish Reformation. It is hoped that such extracts as have been chosen will, with the connecting notes, be sufficient to indicate the position of affairs in 1561. The struggle which had convulsed Scotland for twenty years, was, on its theoretical side, a contest between Roman Catholicism and Protestantism. On its practical side, it was a rivalry between two political parties; the one, headed by the Queen-Dowager, Mary of Guise, and Cardinal Beaton, aiming at the maintenance of the ancient alliance with France; and the other, led by the Protestant nobles and the reformed clergy, striving towards an understanding with England. Before Mary's arrival, the popular, or English Party, had made good its position, and the understanding between the nobles and Queen Elizabeth continued undisturbed. Such wish or power as Mary possessed for the re-establishment of a definite alliance with France, was lessened by her personal dislike to Catharine de Medici, and by her position as nearest heir to the English throne.