It was a real murder that gave rise to more than 450 years of mutual accusations.
Was Lord Darnley, husband of Mary, Queen of Scots, murdered by English spies, conspiring Scottish lords, or… his wife?
Now, a new one Daily Mail Podcast Presented by columnist and royal biographer Robert Hardman and historian Professor Kate Williams, it has delved deeper into the mystery.
In the early hours of 10 February 1567, a huge explosion rocked the Edinburgh building where Lord Darnley (who was ill and possibly suffering from syphilis) was staying with his valet, William Taylor.
Curiously, the bodies of the two men, believed to have been strangled, were found outside alongside a rope, a dagger, a chair and two robes.
The son of Mary and Lord Darnley, the future King James I of England (James VI of Scotland), was then only eight months old.
In the first episode of Queens, Kings and Cowardly ThingsIn this book, published today, Professor Williams, Mary’s biographer, explores the theory that the Queen herself may have been involved in her husband’s murder.
Did Mary, Queen of Scots, murder her husband? Find out by listening to the full episode here
It was a royal murder that gave rise to more than 450 years of back-and-forth accusations. Was Lord Darnley, husband of Mary Queen of Scots, murdered by English spies, conspiring Scottish lords, or… his wife?
Mary and Lord Darnley were portrayed in the 2018 film Mary Queen of Scots by Saoirse Ronan and Jack Lowden.
They also examine how English spies arrived at the scene “with suspicious speed” and even drew up a police-style map showing the locations of the bodies.
And the two experts delve into the nefarious activities of James Stewart (the Queen’s half-brother) and the Earl of Bothwell, who later forced Mary to marry him after allegedly raping her following her husband’s death.
“Lord Darnley’s murder is one of the most notorious unsolved crimes in history and changed the course of history,” said Professor Williams.
And as she and Mr Hardman explain, Mary’s life was marked by turmoil, betrayal and trauma.
Following her husband’s assassination, Mary was forced to abdicate the throne and spent the next 20 years under house arrest.
She was then beheaded in 1587 by order of Queen Elizabeth I of England, after being implicated in a plot to assassinate her.
Queens, Kings and Cowardly Things It consists of ten episodes that are released weekly starting today.
Did Queen Victoria secretly marry her beloved servant John Brown? Was the famous Russian mystic Grigori Rasputin really the cause of the Russian Revolution?
And how much power did the three key mistresses of the sex-mad King Charles II really wield? All those questions and more are examined in upcoming episodes.
Mary had become Queen of Scots in December 1542, when she was just a few days old, following the death of her father, King James V.
In December 1542, Mary, then just a few days old, became Queen of Scotland following the death of her father, King James V.
He podcast It is introduced by Mail columnist and royal biographer Robert Hardman and historian Professor Kate Williams.
Mary, Queen of Scots, with her second husband, Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley
Drawing made for William Cecil, Queen Elizabeth I’s chief adviser, following the murder of Lord Darnley. It depicts the bodies of Lord Darnley and his valet and shows how they were found together with a piece of rope, a dagger, a chair and two dressing gowns.
As her country needed an ally amidst the raids of King Henry VIII’s forces, she was sent to marry the future King Francis II of France while still a teenager.
But she died in 1560, just two years after she married and less than 12 months after becoming monarch.
Thus, Mary, now 18, returned to Scotland (where her mother had ruled in her place until her death in June 1560) to reclaim her throne.
She chose to marry the handsome Lord Darnley as part of her strategy to overcome the opposition of the Scottish lords upon her return.
In June 1566, seven months before Lord Darnley’s murder, Mary gave birth to her only son, the future King James I of England (James VI of Scotland).
But becoming the mother of a male heir put her at risk of being deposed.
Professor Williams says: ‘We see Mary surrounded by these plots to try to depose her the moment she has a baby.
“It seems incredible to us, doesn’t it? That a grown woman can be deposed by a baby who can’t even sit up. But that’s the way things are.”
One of the main conspirators was his half-brother, James Stewart.
“He’s the one who orchestrates the play. He’s the puppeteer,” Professor Williams adds.
“He was controlling things until she came back and he really doesn’t like being kicked out.”
A ‘huge’ plot that occurred when Mary was six months pregnant with her son.
She was dining with friends and her secretary, David Rizzio, when about 50 lords, including her husband, burst into the house.
Rizzio was stabbed and Maria taken prisoner, but Lord Darnley had second thoughts and helped his wife regain power.
He left it as the ‘big block’ in another boat to depose Maria.
He was in the Kirk o’Field area of Edinburgh when he was attacked.
James Stewart, Mary’s half-brother, was one of the suspects in Lord Darnley’s murder, as was the Earl of Bothwell (right).
Mary, Queen of Scots, with her son, the future King James I of England (James VI of Scotland)
The barrels of gunpowder that had been placed under his bedroom were detonated at 2 a.m. on February 10.
But the bodies of Lord Darnley and his valet, which were found in the nearby orchard, showed no visible signs of injury.
Darnley was dressed only in his nightgown, suggesting he had fled his bedroom.
As the father of the future king of England and Scotland and with a claim to the English throne, Lord Darnley was a very powerful man.
Mary was distraught by her husband’s murder, but her initial indecision about what to do led some to suspect that she had killed him.
He eventually brought Lord Bothwell to trial, but he was found not guilty of murder.
He then hatched a plot to marry Mary and then share power with other lords.
Lord Bothwell persuaded Mary to join him at his castle, where he took her prisoner and sexually assaulted her before forcing the queen into a legal union.
The traitor Bothwell then reneged on his agreement to share power with his fellow lords.
That anger led to the Battle of Carberry Hill, where Mary and Bothwell were defeated by James Stewart and his allies.
After surrendering, Mary, who was then pregnant with Bothwell’s child, was taken prisoner again.
Lord Darnley, husband of Mary, Queen of Scots. He was murdered on 10 February 1567.
She suffered a miscarriage while being held at Lochleven Castle, where she was forced to abdicate.
Surprisingly, he managed to escape by disguising himself and then made his way to England in the hope of gaining the support of Queen Elizabeth I.
Instead, she was placed under house arrest and subjected to a private trial for the murder of her husband.
“The verdict is that maybe she did it, maybe she didn’t. So they don’t have to execute her or release her,” Professor Williams says in the first episode of The Mail’s new podcast.
Mary would spend the next 20 years held in various castles across Britain.
After being implicated in what became known as the Babington Plot against Elizabeth, Mary was convicted of treason and later beheaded.
But as to who killed her husband, that question has always been controversial.
DON’T MISS Queens, Kings and Cowardly Things: Listen to the new podcast to hear Professor Williams’ final verdict here.
Robert Hardman is the author of books such as Queen of Our Times: The Life of Elizabeth II and Charles III: New King. New Court. The Inside Story.
Professor Kate Williams is the author of the 2018 book Rival Queens: The Betrayal of Mary, Queen of Scots, along with many other works.