An Unofficial 'The MeatEater Podcast' Reading List

588. Mary, Queen of Scots: The Mystery of the Exploding Mansion (Part 5)

August 03, 2025

Description

How and why was Mary Queen of Scots’ traitorous husband, Lord Darnley, murdered, and by whom…? Was Mary complicit? Why was his death one of the greatest mysteries in all British history? And, with...
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Books Referenced

Mary Queen of Scots

Author: Antonia Fraser

Context:

Referenced as 'her wonderful book about Mary, Queen of Scots' when discussing how Fraser described the murder of Lord Darnley as 'the most debatable, as well as surely the most worked over murder in history.' Later mentioned again regarding Fraser's view of Mary's 'tender heart' and belief that Mary would never have committed murder.

Mary Queen of Scots: A Study in Failure

Author: Jenny Wormald

Context:

Referenced as one of 'the great books about Mary Queen of Scots' by a 'great historian of early modern Scotland.' Wormald's work is contrasted with Antonia Fraser's, noting that Wormald 'absolutely despises Mary Queen of Scots' and argues that if Mary didn't murder Darnley, she was 'almost the only member of Edinburgh's political society who knew nothing about it.'

My Heart is My Own

Author: John Guy

Context:

Explicitly identified as a biography of Mary published in 2004 that 'was the inspiration for the Saoirse Ronan film.' Described as providing 'a solution to the crime' of Darnley's murder through careful examination of original documents, particularly English reports to Cecil that had been miscatalogued in Victorian times. The hosts note they 'will be drawing very heavily on Guy's work' for their account.