Mary Su Stuart

Whether it is the protector of the country or the assistant minister... the queen is dying and wants to be orphaned, who is that "orphan"?

The female monarch felt faintly in her heart that the "orphan" should be her motherland, England.But according to the usual situation, the dignitaries think of the "new king".

Alas, it's all to blame for Elizabeth, who has neither offspring nor a crown prince.This, everyone thinks, the candidate for the future monarch is actually the top priority in England at the moment.

The ministers of the Privy Council were even more embarrassed.

Although the hostess has always avoided this question, the Privy Council is not without ideas.In the past, on the surface, everyone was more willing to obey Henry VIII's will, according to the sequence, Elizabeth's niece and Protestant Catherine Gray.But recently, this girl was deeply hated by the monarch, because she married privately without reporting and gave birth to a son.Her "recklessness" angered the Queen and she is currently being held in the Tower of London with her "illegal husband".

Usually they would not dare to mention her directly to Elizabeth, and now, it is even more difficult to talk about it.

Or the Earl of Huntington?However, this distant descendant of Edward III made it clear early on that he had no intention of taking the English throne.

The Privy Council, which claims to be high and powerful, has no habit of putting hot faces on cold butts.

Nostalgic for the traditional Archbishop of York, he finally spoke of his beloved Catholic, Mary Stuart.

Although Elizabeth does not seem to like the Queen of Scots at present, they once exchanged letters and exchanged gifts, as if they were very close.

"She is a descendant of Henry VII's eldest daughter, and she also has Tudor blood in her veins."

"But the late King Henry VIII clearly skipped her inheritance." Elizabeth's cousin, Lord Norris, shook his head.

Oh, in fact, Mary is not the only descendant of her sister who was excluded from succession by Henry VIII.Henry VII's eldest daughter, Mary's grandmother Margaret Tudor, after the death of James V's father, remarried to Stuart's rival Douglas family and gave birth to another daughter.This daughter, who later became the Countess of Lennox in England, believed that her eldest son Henry also had the right to inherit the English throne, and she continued to engage in private activities.It is a pity that Elizabeth not only did not admit him, but also imprisoned the mother and son in the Tower of London in the name of "conspiracy and treason".

——It shows that Elizabeth has the highest vigilance against the separation of powers and seizing the throne.

"But the recent Treaty of Edinburgh re-given her this power, didn't it?" Archbishop of York retorted. "This proves that our Majesty is willing to consider this possibility."

The officials were silent for a while, and then, a voice sounded.

"Hey, it's still a woman in power... is it really reliable?"

It was the Earl of Derby who was speaking. He and Cecil had always had similar concerns.

"Compared to Lord Henry Darnley, the grandson of Princess Margaret and the follower behind her mother; she is obviously more mature and knows how to govern a country." The Earl of Pembroke replied.

The more he talked, the more he felt that he was very fair. "She has been in Scotland for more than four years and has done a lot. Now it seems that that barren land has become thriving."

"She's not from England," Cecil muffled.

"But what she is doing now is indeed protecting the interests of England." The Earl of Pembroke had long wanted to suppress this more favored upstart, so he spoke for Mary more clearly. "Spain is aggressive now, pointing at London. She sent troops to help us, to defend the country, to defend the territory."

The Archbishop of York crossed himself. "She brought Swiss mercenaries, the most loyal and pious soldiers certified by the Holy See. They fought for their beliefs, never backed down, never rebelled..."

"Therefore, when necessary, we should let go of some so-called national sentiments." The Duke of Norfolk, who believed in the old religion, said.

"That's right, the national interest comes first." The Earl of Pembroke added proudly.

The Archbishop of London also spoke. "Our queen has not yet appointed a clear successor. But as you can see, Her Majesty's situation is quite bad. Since Mary Stuart is on the legal list, it is not an exaggeration for us to recommend her."

He had already planned to ignore Elizabeth's vague rejection of "persuading her to go back".

"My God," exclaimed Thurro Morton, Chancellor of the Exchequer, a devout Protestant, "how have you been deluded into supporting a Scotch woman like that."

The Minister of the Great Seal, Nicholas Bacon, who was single-handedly promoted by Elizabeth, seemed very hesitant. "But after all, there is no one more suitable than her..."

"Don't forget, she is still the Crown Princess of France." The Minister of Finance reminded his colleagues.

"It is very difficult for us to fight against the powerful Spain at present." The Duke of Norfolk pointed out the facts. "You cannot abandon all allies because of narrow emotions."

Mary's "good ally", the Earl of Arundel responded, "Yes, at this moment, an alliance can tide over the difficulties."

Cecil, who was extremely tangled in his heart and remained silent for a long time, finally spoke again:

"I think, leaving aside the question of Robert Dudley... we should directly ask Her Majesty the Queen's will."

Having said that, the chief minister of the Elizabethan period was almost desperate: when will the queen wake up again?Moreover, can her last words really take effect...or should they really take effect?

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While England's Privy Council was arguing, the Queen of Scots was "marching" towards London.

Along the way, Mary was welcomed by many local people.The common people may not be fools, but the worship of the strong is engraved in their bones; especially she is well-dressed and her tall horse is full of heroism.Those believers who missed the old religion believed that she was here to support them, so they were the most excited.They kept exclaiming: "My God, what a mighty and loyal guard!"

That's right, four thousand neat and dignified Swiss soldiers can arouse the goodwill of Catholic believers.Some people even speculated that the Pope's tour might be nothing more than this.

Mary is aware of the difference - the number may exceed, but the guard of honor is far inferior.But she encouraged this kind of propaganda, so that it could well disguise the fact that she was trying to interfere with the English government by force.

Because of various concerns, Elizabeth's court has always kept her majesty's condition secret.And because the queen was suddenly unable to manage the council, the attitude of the ministers towards the heir to the throne was quite ambiguous.Therefore, so far, the official has not made any clear statement of "to stop the Queen of Scots".

And Mary's team, which claims to come to "calm the situation in England" and "meet the Queen of England", also has a bit of a "teacher of justice".

The Spaniards occupying Plymouth, and the fanatical Protestants who are restless everywhere, seem to have become clowns to set off her.

Boswell, who is in charge of Mary's personal safety, smiles all day long.

Although he failed to bring the Scottish mercenaries south, the quality of these Swiss mercenaries was also very high; the most wonderful thing is that the French crown prince has "helped" to pay the military salaries.On this journey, he hadn't encountered any decent resistance. He only had to follow Mary's instructions and deal with a few rude and stupid country bumpkins with restraint. It was really easy.

But the closer he got to the capital, the more cautious and hesitant his mistress became.Mary told Boswell repeatedly: "Be careful, we are in a 'foreign' land after all."

Boswell laughed a little wildly. "My respected majesty, you can rest assured. Not to mention that our army is strong, loyal and reliable, the English don't even have a standing army, and the country militias are scattered... Those knights and lords, seeing you so radiant, from head to toe It's time to be soft, how can there be any fighting power!"

In the end it was his sincere compliment, but a little frivolous.Mary gave him a very gentlemanly look, and Boswell somehow tasted "coquettish".He giggled and said, "I swear, I'm absolutely telling the truth."

This guy is really... Mary is a little helpless.Fortunately, Boswell's appearance is arrogant and dissolute, but when he really does things, he is rough and fine; therefore, she is not too annoying.

Alas, I am so tolerant towards him, is it because of the attraction of personalities, or is it a hint of fate in the dark—the Mary Stuart in history will be fascinated by him desperately.

Recalling the intense written records she had read, Mary thought of another "dead ghost husband" who was also deeply entangled.Well, her father's half-sister, Lady Lennox's son, her cousin Henry, Lord Darnley, is still in the Tower of London.I heard that the libertine and weak man was also considered by some people as one of the candidates for the monarch of England.

Well done Elizabeth!Yet another competitor with restricted freedom, fine, fine.

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Tonight's Mary was finally stationed outside London, but she was still a little nervous.The Archbishops of Canterbury, York and London, the three major theocratic representatives of the Privy Council, have previously expressed their expectations of her.Yesterday, the Earls of Pembroke and Derby also took turns to show their favor to her.Mary heard that Elizabeth was dying and seemed to die at any moment.However, before receiving the news of the cousin's death, she couldn't rest assured.

Feminine intuition made her know that when the Duke of Norfolk - her most powerful ally - came to see her in person, she was keenly aware that things had changed.

This experienced man, after saluting, described Elizabeth's condition to the Queen of Scots in detail: "...Your Majesty has a rash, and the fever is also fading. The imperial doctor said that the worst is over..."

Despite her disappointment, Mary held on.Anyway, it's all here, at least... She managed to get the title of "Crown Prince"?

But the Duke of Norfolk, who had sincerely surrendered to her in front of him, hadn't finished speaking. "After His Majesty became sober, he still sternly rejected the request to establish a crown prince. However, the main members of the Privy Council have all made a decision: England needs a suitable leader; instead of appointing a Lord Protector, they would rather recommend you to lead the political situation."

At the same time, Elizabeth, who had just woken up, lay weak on the hospital bed, crying and screaming.

But her most trusted maid-in-waiting, Mrs. Sidney, Dudley's sister, had been invited out long ago - because she was also infected with smallpox.Although not as serious as the queen, Mrs. Sidney also had to be isolated for treatment.The remaining maids are all worried, both for themselves and for their Majesty.

Elizabeth's throat was sore that she hadn't even regained the hysterical strength.Her mind was in a mess, as if trapped in a nightmare.

—I'm well, I'm recovering, why, why even think about what regent to appoint!

Yes, when she was in a daze, she clearly heard that someone shouted God in her ear——this is a miracle, a miracle!The queen is on the mend and she'll get through it!

Yes, she saved her life.

But what's the use, Queen of England, seeing nothing!

The doctor said that she was probably blind because of the attack of smallpox toxin...

She was considered incapable of governing!

She was abandoned by the dignitaries of the Privy Council!

The author has something to say: It is said that Elizabeth fell so quickly... But looking at her ruling career, the fact that she was dying of smallpox in the winter of 1562 was Mary's best chance?