Mary (or “Marie”, as she always signed herself) Stewart's reign of Scotland lasted only seven years but its influence was profound. In the period between 1561, the year in which she returned from France to assume the Scottish crown, and 1567, the year in which she was deposed after successive crises made her rulership untenable, she had altered both the political and literary landscapes of Renaissance Scotland. In Mary, Queen of Scots, was first embodied the hope of cultural renewal but the initial, French-inspired artistic revival was shattered by the growing incursions of realpolitik. Mary was transformed into a queen who, unlike her English cousin, Elizabeth, did not inspire chastely erotic verse but provoked poetry …
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Citation: Dunnigan, Sarah. "Mary Stewart, Queen of Scots". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 04 January 2005 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=5804, accessed 23 November 2024.]
