Walking in Queen Mary’s Footsteps: Palaces and Castles
By
Laurel A. Rockefeller
Welcome to “Summer in Scotland,” our
month-long celebration of Scotland and in particular the Scotland known and
loved by its most famous queen, Mary Stuart, better known simply as “Mary Queen
of Scots.”
Across Queen Mary’s forty-four years she
lived in France, reigned in Scotland, and died in England. Though not all of
the places she guested at, lived at, and/or worked from still exist (notably Fotheringhay Castle where she was executed in 1587), these six palaces and
castles are not only still standing, but they are open to the public for you to
visit this summer.
Built as a retreat from court life at
Edinburgh Castle by the Stewarts, the peace and quiet of Linlithgow makes it
the perfect getaway for royals and modern visitors alike. Overlooking Loch
Linlithgow, there is scenic beauty and waterfowl aplenty to melt away whatever
stress comes your way. No wonder it was the Stewarts preferred place to give
birth and is Queen Mary Stuart’s birth place.
(Loire Valley, France)
Located in the Loire Valley about halfway
between Orléans and Tours, Chateau Blois was 15th and 16th
century France’s preferred royal residence.
Here Queen Mary and Prince François spent countless weeks in the year at
court. Later, in 1617, it became home to
Marie de Medici’s court in exile. Along with her came her very loyal chief
advisor, Armand-Jean du Plessis, better known as Cardinal Richelieu (see “His Red Eminence, Armand-Jean du Plessis de Richelieu”).
Open year-round, tickets start at €12. Go to
en.chateaudeblois.fr for details and tourism package options.
Favoured by Queen Mary’s father-in-law Henri
II and designed in part by Leonardo da Vinci, Chambord is an architectural
masterpiece that takes you into the mind of its creator. Features a unique double-helix staircase
designed by da Vinci so that no one going up can meet anyone going down on it.
Open year-round except on 25 December and 1
January, you can stroll the outside grounds for free. Tickets to visit the
castle and private gardens start at €14,50.
Go to chambord.org for more information.
At the heart of Queen Mary’s reign stands
Edinburgh Castle which, appropriately, dominates the Edinburgh skyline. Situated on a cliff high above the rest of
the city, it is easy to see why King David I (son of Margaret of Wessex and
brother to Empress Matilda of England)
chose the site for his castle. Queen Mary and her parliament ruled from here
and on 19 June 1566 she gave birth to King James VI in the same bedroom you can
visit today. Queen Mary herself made several improvements to the castle which
intially she found dark and cold compared to the airy grandeur of the French
court, adding wall-coverings and art to warm both body and soul, especially in
winter.
Open year-round except on 25th
and 26th December. Tickets start at £17.50 if you purchase your
tickets online or £19.50 if you purchase at the gate.
Built in 1107, Stirling Castle is one of the historically most
significant landmarks in Scotland’s long pursuit of freedom and independence
from English conquest. William Wallace and Andrew Moray famously fought the
Battle of Stirling Bridge near here in 1297 to retake the castle from England.
Robert the Bruce’s 1304 victory at Bannockburn likewise returned it to
Scotland. In 1503, King James IV built its Great Hall. Queen Mary held her
baptism service for her son James (VI) here in 1566. When it was James VI’s
turn to baptise his son Henry in 1594, he also held the baptism and its
celebrations at Stirling Castle.
Open year-round except on 25th and 26th
December. Tickets start at £15 if you purchase online or £16 at the gate.
Built in the 14th Century, Queen
Mary guested at Lochleven before its tower turned into her prison in 1567. This is where she miscarried or aborted James
Hepburn’s baby, and where she abdicated her throne in favour of her son James.
Open 1 April to 31 October. Closed from 1
November to 31 March. Access by boat only. Tickets start at £9.00 which
includes boat fare. Go to to purchase advance tickets
Wherever your summer takes you, I hope you
will spend part of it with Queen Mary Stuart and will make “Mary Queen of the Scots: the Forgotten Reign”
your first and best introduction to Scotland’s most tragic and famous queen.
Available at your favourite bookstore world-wide in English, Chinese, French,
Spanish, German, and Italian. See laurelarockefeller.com for complete links to all editions.
Queen
Mary Stuart was one of the most beloved and controversial women in
Scottish history. The granddaughter of King James IV and his wife
Margaret Tudor, Queen Mary's status as heiress-apparent to Queen
Elizabeth's throne in England paired with the violence of the
Scottish Reformation set the stage for one of the most dramatic and
poorly understood lives of the 16th century.
Mary
Queen of the Scots tells Mary's true story, focusing primarily on her
reign as queen of Scotland, celebrating her life more than her death
and showing us all why she was truly a woman ahead of her
time.
Features
a detailed timeline, a list of Latin prayers with their English
translations, and the lyrics to all four featured period songs
performed in the book.
**Available
in 6 languages!**
Born,
raised, and educated in Lincoln, Nebraska USA Laurel A. Rockefeller
is author of over twenty-five books published and self-published
since August, 2012 with editions spanning across ten languages and
counting. A dedicated scholar and biographical historian, Ms.
Rockefeller is passionate about education and improving history
literacy worldwide.
With her lyrical writing style, Laurel's
books are as beautiful to read as they are informative.
In her
spare time, Laurel enjoys spending time with her cockatiels,
travelling to historic places, and watching classic motion pictures
and classic television series. Favorites: Star
Trek, Doctor
Who, and Babylon
5.
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