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WINNER OF THE WHITBREAD BIOGRAPHY AWARD

Now a major film, this is a dramatic reinterpretation of the life of Mary Queen of Scots by one of the leading historians of this period.

For centuries, Mary, Queen of Scots has been a figure of scholarly debate. Where many have portrayed her as the weak woman to Elizabeth's rational leader, John Guy reassesses the young queen, finding her far more politically shrewd than previously believed.

Crowned Queen of Scotland at nine months old, Queen of France by age sixteen and widowed the following year, Guy paints Mary as a commanding and savvy queen who navigated the European power struggles of the time to her advantage in a life of drama and conflict.

Re-examining the original sources, resulting in a riveting new argument surrounding Mary's involvement in her husband murder, Guy's deft storytelling and insightful new arguments provide compelling and dramatic reading.

'An absorbing biography . . . meticulously researched . . . scholarly and intriguing' Peter Ackroyd, The Times

'Rarely have first-class scholarship and first-class storytelling been so effectively combined' John Adamson, Daily Telegraph