- "She did not even greet me at all. So I drew myself up and said exactly who I was, "Madame Queen, do you know that you are in the presence of a queen? I am the Queen of Scots." Catherine countered by asking whether I realized that I was in the presence of the Queen of France. The fact is, there is simply is not room for two queens in one country, let alone in one palace."
- —Mary, Queen of Scots recalls her first encounter with Catherine de Medici.[2]
Mary, Queen of Scots: Queen Without a Country is the tenth book in The Royal Diaries. It was written by Kathryn Lasky and published in April 2002 by Scholastic. The book was republished in My Royal Story, a spin-off of My Story, and translated into French for Mon Histoire.
The story follows a year in the life of Mary, Queen of Scots during her childhood at the French court.
Book description
- "July 12, 1554
I think hawking is one of things that Francis and I do so well together. Our instincts combined with those of the birds seem to fit perfectly when we are in the field. We speak very little to one another but silently give the calls to the birds and perform our hand signals. This afternoon the two of us went out with only Robin McClean as our guard. And I thought as I took a rest on the ridge of a hill that there was something of perfect harmony amongst the three of us and the birds we had brought to fly. If only all of life could be kept in the company of such good souls."
⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻
Janvier 1554. Catherine de Médicis a beau etre la mère de mon futur epoux elle me montre bien peu de considération. Quand je suis arrivée ici, à la cour de France, elle ne m'a mème pas saluée. Alors je me suis levee et, en français, je me suis présentée: "Madame, savez-vous que vous êtes en présence d'une reine? Je suis la reine d'Écosse." Catherine de Médicis m'a traitée de petite insolente avant de me demander si j'avais conscience de me trouver en présence de la souveraine des Français. Le fait est qu'il n'y a pas assez de place pour deux reines dans un mem pays, sans parler d'un palais."
Plot
Mary, Queen of Scots was declared Scotland's ruler as a baby, shortly after the death of her father, King James V. Now eleven-years-old, Mary lives in France with the French royal family, King Henry, Queen Catherine de Medici, and her fiancée, Francis. Her match with Francis is an alliance between Scotland and France against England, currently ruled by Mary's Tudor cousins. Mary longs for her homeland and mother, the latter she has not seen for three years.
Nonetheless, Mary lives a comfortable life surrounded by friends, including the Four Marys, Mary Beaton, Mary Fleming, Mary Seton, and Mary Livingston, the Princesses Elizabeth and Claude, as well as Francis. Meanwhile, Nostradamus, the Queen's latest astrologer, makes a troubling prediction about Mary. Mary disguises herself as a chambermaid to talk with Nostradamus. After talking with him, Mary learns that the prediction has "no precise meaning."
Later, Mary and her ladies-in-waiting attend a ball, which is cut short when Mary becomes ill. She becomes well enough to go skating. However, Mary Beaton nearly drowns and takes two weeks to recover. In March, Mary goes to visit her grandmother, Antoinette de Bourbon in Meudon, France. The King's mistress and Mary's beloved mother figure, Diane de Poitiers, accompanies her on the journey. At Meudon, Mary dismisses Lord Arran as her Regent, appointing her mother in his place.
A new music teacher named Lorenzo Marcellini arrives at court. Soon after, Mary Fleming begins acting withdrawn. On Midsummer Night, Signore Marcellini mistakes Mary Beaton for Fleming. The Marys surmise that Marcellini has been harassing her, which she confirms. Before they plan their revenge, Mary suspects that someone is snooping in her room. She sets a trap and discovers the culprit is Marcellini, who was acting on Queen Catherine's orders. Mary, preparing for her First Communion, decides to forgive Catherine.
Characters
- Mary, Queen of Scots, the fiancée of the future King of France, Francis. She currently lives at the French court. Mary became the Queen of Scotland as a baby.
- Catherine de Medici is the Queen of France and wife of King Henry II. She has six children with her husband. Catherine and Mary dislike each other, despite Mary trying her best to be cordial.
- Diane de Poitiers, King Henry's mistress and mother figure to Mary. Catherine is jealous of her, but listens to her opinions, because Diane genuinely loves Henry and his children.
Author
- Main article: Kathryn Lasky
Kathryn Lasky (born June 24, 1944 in Indianapolis, Indiana) is an American children's author. She is best known for her Guardians of Ga'Hoole. Lasky has written five books in The Royal Diaries, including Elizabeth I, Marie Antoinette, Jahanara, and Kazunomiya. She is also the author of four books in Dear America, three in My America, and one in My Name Is America.
Lasky remembers the first time she saw a picture of Mary, Queen of Scots, "There was something incredibly arresting about her appearance — tall, narrow face, tilted eyes, and from beneath her headpiece the hint of fiery red hair. She was beautiful. She was my ideal of a perfect princess."
Editions
![Marie Stuart Mon Histoire (April 5, 2007)[3]](/wiki/File:Mary-Fr.jpg "Mary-Fr.jpg (874 KB)")
![Mary, Queen of Scots My Royal Story (May 3, 2010)[4]](/wiki/File:Mary-UK.jpg "Mary-UK.jpg (95 KB)")
References
- ↑ https://www.amazon.com/Mary-Queen-Scots-Without-Country/dp/0439194040/
- ↑ Mary, Queen of Scots: Queen Without a Country, Kathryn Lasky, page 35
- ↑ https://www.amazon.fr/Marie-Stuart-dÉcosse-France-1553-1554/dp/2070612031/ (French)
- ↑ https://shop.scholastic.co.uk/products/74465
External links
- Interview with Kathryn Lasky about Mary, Queen of Scots: Queen Without a Country at Scholastic
- Mary, Queen of Scots: Queen Without a Country Discussion Guide at Scholastic
See also
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