Intrigue in Elizabethan England

The Other Queen by Philippa Gregory is the author’s take on what happened while Mary, Queen of Scots was a “guest” in England from 1568-1587. After a failed uprising in May 1568, Mary fled to England seeking protection from her cousin Queen Elizabeth I. Instead, Elizabeth had her arrested and imprisoned.

The book begins when George Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury, and his wife, Bess of Hardwick, agree to take on Queen Mary as a “guest” in their home at Tutbury Castle during her stay in England. They believe this privilege will gain them favor at Elizabeth’s court. However, Elizabeth and her advisors cannot decide quite what to do with Mary, and the “visit” goes on longer than George or Bess ever thought it would.

Queen Elizabeth’s advisors know England cannot support Mary retaking the Scottish throne; if she succeeds, Scottish lords - and some English ones - will support her claim to the throne of England. She remains a “guest,” moving with the family to their different homes.

Early on, Bess is assured that she and her husband will be reimbursed for the cost of keeping Mary with them. As time goes on and there’s no repayment, she begins to wonder if she will ever see the money again. Mary still insists on being treated as a queen and having her entourage with her at all times, which causes a strain on Bess and George’s finances. Will housing all these people bankrupt Bess and George?

The financial strain is unbearable for Bess, who is a self-made woman. She grew up with next to nothing and, through her first three marriages, amassed a small fortune of her own. Bess is the one who keeps the books for all of the property she and her husband own, so she knows better than he how Mary’s stay is hurting them. George becomes so smitten with Mary that he does not care about the finances; he thinks she should have whatever she desires and whatever will make her the happiest.

Queen Elizabeth’s chief advisor William Cecil and his large group of spies are concerned with gathering information about Mary: whom she sees, what she does, who writes to her, whom she writes to, and more. They hope that her activities and whom she socializes with will show that, even from within the borders of England, Mary is plotting with the Scots to overthrow Elizabeth and take the throne. Bess is Cecil’s informant in her household, which upsets the besotted George when he finds out.

Even though I knew how Mary’s part of the story would end, I read to see how she’d react to being imprisoned while being referred to as a guest. I read to learn how hosting Mary would affect Bess and George, personally, financially, as well as how it would affect their relationship with each other. For me, this is proof of Gregory’s abilities as a storyteller.

Gregory’s knowledge about the Tudors in general, and the research she conducts for on each story’s specific subject, make all of her novels historically accurate, as well as good reads. Of course she takes liberties with some parts of her novels, such as conversations between characters; it’s not possible to know exactly what was said between Mary and Bess during Mary’s stay. Gregory’s knowledge of the Tudors also earned her a spot as the Tudor expert on a show called Time Team, a British show about archeological digs in England.

I recommend this book for anyone looking to enjoy a good historical novel about Mary, Queen of Scots and Tudor England.

--Erika E.