A selection of handwritten documents written and signed during the reign of Mary Queen of Scots. Most of these are signed by "Marie", Marie de Guise, the Queen's mother. The young Queen Mary was sent to France to marry the heir to the French king, and so spent much of the 1550s away from Scotland. Her mother was appointed regent, and in these documents we see her approving matters relating to the trade of the City of Edinburgh. The documents are dated, numbered and signed, and were presumably held by administrators who regulated the trade of the City.
The Regency of Marie de Guise was far from easy. Rivalling noblemen were constantly trying to gain dominance at court to assert their own personal agendas. One supporter of the Guise regency were the Early of Bothwell. Their support served them well; the 4th Earl, James Hepburn, ended up marrying Mary after her return to Scotland following the death of her first two husbands!
Mary Queen of Scots reigned over Scotland from December 1542 to July 1567. After spending much of her early life in France, she returned to Scotland in August 1561. These orders span her time in France and Scotland, illustrating the Queen's close control over the affairs of Edinburgh and the nation via her mother as Regent, even when she was abroad.
Mary Queen of Scots' story is one of diplomacy, intrigue, imprisonment and murder, ending with her execution in 1587. Documents like these show the everyday reality of ruling Scotland, an aspect of her story often overlooked.
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