Mary Queen of Scots – More Normal Than You Think

Mary Queen of Scots’ life was a dramatic one with betrayal, romance and rivalry that ultimately resulted in her execution. Most people have a tendency these days to put so much emphasis on the dramatic peaks of the monarch’s life, that it all seems like one long gripping historical drama.

Most likely the reality was that in between these life changing moments, Mary’s position of power dealt with a lot of handing of administrative and bureaucratic affairs.

Several manuscripts have been recently found at the Museum of Edinburgh that date back to 1567 signed by the queen on very normal matters. These include things like giving certain rights to merchants wanting to sell meat and allowing merchants to ground salt in London.

Interestingly, historians noticed that one two of the documents there were watermarks that could only be seen in the light – one had the symbol of a goat while the other was of a flower.

Have a look at images online of the documents here.

To be able to discuss the lesser known aspects of famous monarchs can really help you appear as a distinguished historian in an interview setting.