Mary of Guise in Scotland, 1548–1560

A Political Career

Pamela E. Ritchie

• Editorial: John Donald
• Año: 2022
• ISBN:
  9781788854870
• Categoría: Politics & International Relations
• Categoría: Political Biographies

Challenging the conventional interpretation of Mary of Guise as the defender of Catholicism whose regime climaxed with the Reformation Rebellion, Pamela Ritchie shows that Mary was, on the contrary, a shrewd and effective politique, whose own dynastic interests and those of her daughter took precedence over her personal and religious convictions. Dynasticism, not Catholicism, was the prime motive force behind her policy. Mary of Guise's dynasticism, and political career as a whole, were inextricably associated with those of Mary Queen of Scots, whose Scottish sovereignty, Catholic claim to the English throne and betrothal to the Dauphin of France carried with them notions of Franco-British Imperialism. Mary of Guise's policy in Scotland was dictated by European dynastic politics and, specifically, by the Franco-Scottish alliance of 1548–1560. Significantly more than a betrothal contract, the Treaty of Haddington established a 'protectoral' relationship between the 'auld allies' whereby Henri II was able to assume control over Scottish military affairs, diplomacy and foreign policy as the 'protector' of Scotland. Mary of Guise's assumption of the regency in 1554 completed the process of establishing French power in Scotland, which was later consolidated, albeit briefly, by the marriage of Mary Stewart to Francois Valois in 1558. International considerations undermined her policies and weakened her administration, but only with her death did Mary of Guise's regime and French power in Scotland truly collapse.

1

Something about Mary: the Treaty of Haddington and the Founding of a Franco-British Empire

Like her daughter, Mary of Guise’s importance in sixteenth-century Europe lay not so much in what she did as in who she was. In her forty-five years, she was no less than a Duchess, a Queen Consort, a Regent and, most famously of all perhaps, a Queen Mother. Yet none of these public personae accurately captures the essence of Mary of Guise or, for that matter, identifies the driving force behind her actions. In a life of ever-changing roles and circumstances, the only constant in Mary’s life was the fact that, above all else, she was a Guise. Born on 20 November 1515 to Claude de Guise and Antoinette de Bourbon, Mary was the eldest child of the first generation of the House of Guise, a scion of the princely House of Lorraine and, arguably, the most powerful dynasty in sixteenth-century France.¹ This prestigious lineage not only served as the foundation for Mary of Guise’s own dynastic importance, but also as the motive for her family’s overriding dynastic ambition and for her career in Scotland as a dynastic politique.

Dynasticism was central to the prestige of Les Guise in France and throughout Europe as a whole. The Princes of Lorraine, an independent duchy on the Franco-Imperial border, boasted Charlemagne and the Carolingian Kings of France as ancestors. The arms of a host of royal houses also bore the heraldic insignia of Lorraine. Those of Hungary, Naples, Jerusalem, Aragon, Anjou, Gueldres, Flanders and Bar were all represented, while the Princes themselves preferred to be styled as the ‘Kings of Sicily’. When Mary’s grandfather, René II of Lorraine, stipulated that his second son, Claude, become a naturalised Frenchman in 1506, the prestige of the newly created House of Guise was virtually instantaneous.² Claude took possession of Lorraine’s extensive landholdings in France, including Guise, Aumale, Mayenne, Joinville, Elboeuf and Harcourt and, aided by his family’s notoriety on the battlefield and reputation as exceptional ecclesiastics and statesmen, soon became a prestigious and powerful member of the French Court – despite the status of Les Guise as foreigners.³ For Mary of Guise, this prestige secured her a marriage, firstly, to Louis d’Orléans, duc de Longueville, and, secondly, to James V of Scotland. The significance of these marriages lay not only in their obvious stature, but also in the fact that, having been originally destined for a cloistered life, Mary’s religious convictions were to take a back seat to Guise dynastic ambition.

Up until the age of fourteen, Mary received an intense Christian education from her exceptionally devout paternal grandmother, Philippa de Gueldres.⁴ Following the death of her husband René II in 1508, Philippa was drawn into a life of holy simplicity. She entered the Convent of Pont-au-Mousson on 15 December 1519 and, despite objections from her family and a papal dispensation excusing her from all forms of austerity on account of her noble standing, lived as a Poor Clare for twenty-seven years.⁵ Under the tutelage of her grandmother, Mary became fully immersed in the ascetic life of a Poor Clare. She was expected to attend all religious ceremonies and partake in more menial tasks such as cooking, cleaning and gardening. Although it is not known when Mary entered the Convent to begin her education, her experience at Pont-au-Mousson during her formative years must have had a profound influence on her personal faith. But it is impossible to determine the extent of these convictions based solely on her religious policy in Scotland. Throughout her regency, Mary would display extraordinary tolerance towards the reform movement and her Protestant subjects.

Mary’s life as a Poor Clare, however, was brought to an abrupt end when her uncle, Antoine I, decided that she was better suited to a life at Court The Duc de Lorraine’s decision to withdraw his niece from the Convent at Pont-au-Mousson set an important precedent for Mary’s future political career in Scotland. Although their father had established Les Guise as the protectors of Catholicism by suppressing the Lutheran-inspired peasant revolts in Lorraine,⁶ this was a role that Mary and her brothers, François (the future Duc de Guise) and Charles (the future Cardinal de Lorraine), were ultimately willing to forego when it came to the defence and advancement of their dynastic interests.⁷

Mary made the transition from cloister to court with great ease. She had been graced with intelligence, wit and an abundance of natural charm which, together with her prestigious lineage, made her an extremely popular figure at the French Court. François I was so taken with her that he took a direct hand in instigating and arranging Mary’s first marriage to the hereditary Grand Chamberlain of France, Louis, duc de Longueville.⁸ The marriage was the event of the season, and the entire French Court flocked to the Royal Palace of the Louvre to witness the ceremony on 4 August 1534. Although shortlived, the marriage was happy and fruitful. Louis and Mary had two sons together: François, born at Amiens on 30 October 1535, and Louis, at Châteaudun on 4 August 1537.⁹ While pregnant with her second son, though, Mary would suffer the first of many tragic deaths that marred her personal happiness – that of her husband on 9 June 1537.¹⁰ Mary’s sorrow was compounded shortly thereafter by the death of her son, Louis, who died within his first year of infancy.

François I wasted no time in playing matchmaker again with Mary. Even in widowhood Mary was a young, wealthy and extremely attractive marital prospect.¹¹ This time the proposed match was with the French King’s also recently widowed son-in-law, James V, who was in the market for a new French bride following the death of François’ eldest daughter, Madeleine.¹² Needless to say, the Dowager Duchess of Longueville found the Queenship of Scotland a less than appealing prospect Marriage to the King of Scots would mean separation from her family and son, François, who would be obliged to remain behind as the new Duc de Longueville and Grand Chamberlain, as well as abandoning a life of luxury in her beloved France. The only other prospect in the offing, however, was even less appealing. Mary had no intention of becoming Henry VIII’s next ‘victim’, rebuffing his marital overtures by claiming that her neck was far too small.¹³ Even so, it took a considerable amount of persuasion from both François and James, who wrote a personal letter pleading for her hand, for Mary to relent and agree to marry the Stewart King.¹⁴

The royal marriage was officially contracted and signed before the French Court at Lyon in January 1538, having been negotiated by David Beaton (the future Cardinal and Archbishop of St. Andrews), François I and Mary’s father, Claude.¹⁵ The terms of the contract were extremely favourable to both James and Mary. The King of Scots would receive a dowry of 150,000 livres, 70,000 livres of which was generously gifted by François himself.¹⁶ For her part, Mary’s portion was equally lucrative. She was gifted Falkland Palace, the castles at Stirling, Dingwall and Threave, the earldoms of Strathearn, Ross, Orkney and Fife, and the lordships of Galloway, Ardmeanach and the Isles. In the event of James’ death with issue, Mary was entitled to a third of her dowry and one half if there was no surviving heir. She was also granted financial immunity for all James’ debts and, in return for waiving any claim to her husband’s possessions, she was allowed to keep all of her own. More importantly, these terms also applied if Mary wished to return to France. She was entitled to take the allocated portion of her dowry, her possessions, and to retain the revenues from her jointures in Scotland.¹⁷ Clearly, this treaty was designed to satisfy two main objectives – to augment James’ revenue and to protect the interests of Mary and her family in Scotland.

These terms having been agreed, James V and Mary of Guise were married at the Castle of Châteaudun on 9 May 1538 with Robert, lord Maxwell acting as proxy for the absent Scottish monarch.¹⁸ Scotland’s new Queen arrived at St. Andrews in June 1538 and was formally crowned at Holyrood on 22 February 1539.¹⁹ The marriage produced three children in quick succession: James, born at St. Andrews on 22 May 1540, Robert, at Stirling on 24 April 1541, and Mary, at Linlithgow on 8 December 1542. One week after their second son was born, however, tragedy dealt the King and Queen a double blow – the deaths of Prince James and Prince Robert within hours of each other. The premature death of James V on 14 December 1542 meant that the only surviving heir to the Scottish throne was his infant daughter, Mary, who became the Queen of Scotland at the tender age of six days old.²⁰

Mary Stewart’s accession to the Scottish throne rendered her a figure of extraordinary dynastic importance in sixteenth-century Europe, leading one historian to describe her aptly as not so much a person as a ‘dynastic entity’.²¹ But this importance lay not entirely in her Scottish sovereignty and Guisean lineage. Of even greater significance was Mary Stewart’s Catholic claim to the English throne. The dynastic problems caused by Henry VIII’s break from Rome, coupled with the repeated failure of successive Tudor monarchs to secure the line of succession by producing heirs to the throne, meant that Mary Stewart was uniquely placed to unite the kingdoms of Scotland, England and Ireland under one Catholic crown.

In 1503 the marriage of James IV to Margaret Tudor, eldest daughter of Henry VII, established the Stewarts...