Teacher's Guide for CALLIOPE: Mary, Queen of Scots

Teacher guide prepared by: Gloria W. Lannom, a frequent contributor to CALLIOPE^®.
Read the article "Escape from Loch Leven."

What does the word "loch" mean? (It is the Scottish word for lake.)

Why was Mary living in the castle on a small island in the middle of the loch? (She was kept there to prevent her from taking the throne.)

Describe the steps of Willie's escape plan. (George persuaded Lady Douglas to arrange Willie's return to the castle; Willie managed to get permission to hold May Day celebrations; George sent a signal to Willie to start the celebrations as cover for the escape; Willie stole Sir William's keys; Mary waited in her room for Willie; they escaped through the gates to awaiting boat on the shore and on to freedom.)

To whom did Mary turn for help? (Elizabeth, her cousin)

What did Elizabeth do? (She put Mary in prison in England.)

Who was the first "lass" he referred to? (Marjorie Bruce, daughter of Scotland's King Robert the Bruce)

Who was the other "lass" he mentioned? (Mary, his newborn daughter, who would became Queen of Scots)

Does his remark sound happy or disappointed? (Disappointed) Why? (He wanted a son to take the throne and he believed that, as the House of Stewart began with a woman, it would end with a woman, Mary.) Was he right? (No, the House of Stewart continued after Mary died.)

What term is used to describe a person who rules on behalf of an infant monarch? (Regent)

If James V had had sons, would Mary have become Queen of Scotland? (No, her brother would have become king.)

Describe his virtues. (A descendant of Henry VIII's sister and thus related to Mary, he was intelligent, handsome, and charming.)

Now describe his vices. (He was vain, brutal, often drunk, and jealous.)

Why did he take part in the murder of David Riccio, the queen's advisor? (He was jealous of Riccio's closeness to Mary because he wanted complete control over her and thus over Scotland.)

What did Darnley see as a new threat after Riccio's death? (The birth of Mary's son James)

How did Mary view Darnley after Riccio's nurder? (She no longer loved him and she realized what his true character was.)

What was the name of her third husband? (James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell)

Why was Mary criticized for marrying Bothwell? (Instead of mourning Darnley, she soon married Bothwell whom many considered to have been involved in Darnley's death.)

What happened to Bothwell? (For the rest of his life, he lived in exile in Denmark.)

What did Mary's enemies hope to gain by announcing their discovery? (They were trying to prove that Mary was involved romantically with Bothwell while still married to Darnley and that she knew ahead of time about plans to murder her husband.)

Did Mary write the letters? (Because the originals were never displayed but only talked about, scholars can only speculate that Mary probably wrote some of the letters and her enemies added to them or forged some others.)

Who is believed to have been behind the plot? (Probably her half-brother James Stewart; he had the most to gain from her downfall.)

King James V (Mary's father)
Marie of Guise (Mary's mother)
James Stewart (Mary's half-brother)
Francis, Dauphin of France (Mary's first husband)
Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley (Mary's second husband and also her cousin)
David Riccio (Mary's close advisor)
John Knox (Protestant convert opposed to Mary)
James Hepburn, Lord Bothwell (Mary's third husband)
Elizabeth I (Queen of England and Mary's cousin)
James VI (Mary's son who became King of Scotland and also King James I of England)

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Updated: 11/21/09 09:44 am
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