Warden of the Queen's March

 This is the latest in my Nigel Tranter reread project. It covers the period when Mary Queen of Scots was the Queen Regnant, Scotland's first and only female ruler. The story is told through the eyes of Sir Thomas Kerr of Ferniehirst, a loyal supporter of the Queen and Border laird in the Middle March.

Mary I was Queen of Scots from 14 December 1542, although in practice only from her return to Scotland in 1561 until her forced abdication in 1567.

Mary returned to Scotland in 1561 after her first husband, King Francis II of France, died. This marked a turbulent period in her rule, as she sought to maintain Catholic traditions in a Protestant-majority kingdom. In 1565, she married her first cousin, Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley. The marriage deteriorated due to Darnley's behaviour and political ambitions. Darnley was murdered in 1567, a crime that implicated Mary's third husband, James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell, whom she married shortly afterwards. This led to widespread scandal and rebellion. Mary was forced to abdicate in favour of her infant son, James VI of Scotland (later James I of England). After escaping and losing the Battle of Langside in 1568, she fled to England, seeking protection from her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I, but was instead imprisoned. This is where the book ends, but Mary's story then became part of the history of England and didn't end well!

Thomas Kerr was a historical figure, even though Tranter had made him a little closer to the Queen and events than he may have been. With notable historical hindsight, he advised against many of her worst mistakes, not least her choice of husbands! While there was relative peace with England (Mary was in the line of succession to the English throne), there were several rebellions. The Protestant Lords effectively ruled Scotland, and when Mary deviated too far from their position, they had the military power to depose her. Her final poor decision was fleeing to England when, despite the defeat at Langside, her cause was far from lost. The Marian Civil War continued anyway, but that is another story in which Thomas Kerr played a significant role.

Langside is a suburb of Glasgow today, and there is a large monument to the battle.

There is also a rare Balkan link in this book. Tranter has Thomas Kerr travelling to Dubrovnik, seeking medical aid from the Knights of St Lazarus for the Queen, who may have thought she had leprosy. She didn't, although she probably did suffer from a range of illnesses, including  Gastric ulceration, Porphyria, and Anorexia nervosa.

Langside is a complex but interesting battle, which I should have a go at on the tabletop.