Overview

In Captive Queen: The Decrypted History of Mary, Queen of Scots, Jade Scott, a historian and expert on Mary’s correspondence, draws on hundreds of her encrypted letters to paint a vivid portrait of her years in captivity.   A fascinating and revealing new biography of Mary Queen of Scots in captivity. For almost two decades before her execution at Fotheringhay Castle in 1587, Mary, Queen of Scots was a prisoner. From her chambers, she wrote countless letters, many encrypted using complex ciphers to prevent her communications from being intercepted. In this way, she used language to exert her will and her influence, even while incarcerated. More than 400 years after Mary’s death, the discovery of further encoded letters has led to renewed interest in the breadth of her encrypted correspondence in captivity.  In Captive Queen: The Decrypted History of Mary, Queen of Scots historian and expert on Mary’s correspondence Dr Jade Scott draws on hundreds of Mary’s letters and those sent to her, to paint a vivid portrait of one of history’s most compelling figures. She interrogates Mary’s complex relationships with friends and enemies throughout her imprisonment, illuminating her strategic expertise and bringing Mary’s captivity to life as never before.

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9781789296464

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A triumph ... a compelling narrative ... A true marriage of scholarly expertise and literary flair, this is a stunning debut. -- Nicola Clark, author of The Waiting Game: The Untold Story of the Women Who Served the Tudor Queens ‘I devoured the book in one sitting! ... a must-read for anyone interested in her fascinating correspondence. -- Natalie Grueninger, editor of On the Tudor Trail

Author Information

Dr Jade Scott is a historian specializing in Mary Queen of Scots and an expert on her letters. She is a lecturer in historical linguistics at the University of Glasgow and an associate fellow of the Royal Historical Society, researching early modern Scottish women and their correspondence. Fascinated by Mary her entire life, Jade was reached out to by George Lasry of the DECRYPT Project to consult on the translations of Mary’s newly decoded letters, providing key contextual details and context on linguistic features. She lives in Glasgow.

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