Books About Mary, Queen of Scots

The Best Books on Mary, Queen of Scots

As my favorite historical figure, I have read a number of great books about Mary, Queen of Scots. Mary Stuart has long been a romanticized figure in Scottish and British history, a doomed queen set up for failure against her formidable cousin, Queen Elizabeth I. Mary’s story is so much more than her downfall, though. Crowned as an infant, forced to flee Scotland for France as a child, and thrown into the crosshairs of the Protestant Reformation in the 1560s, Mary, Queen of Scots, is an enduring example of the struggles queens regnant faced during the Renaissance. Here, I’ll be sharing some of the best books I’ve read on Mary Stuart, in the hopes that you might enjoy learning more about this important, and often-misunderstood historical queen! The first section features non-fiction books, while the second section offers a selection of the best historical fiction about Mary, Queen of Scots:

Books Featured in this Reading Guide:

This post is a part of my What to Read series, where I share themed reading lists and book guides based on genre, time period, theme, or author.
You can peruse more of my What to Read reading guides here!

Best Books on Mary, Queen of Scots

Non-Fiction Books About Mary Stuart

The Betrayal of Mary, Queen of Scots: Elizabeth I and her Greatest Rival by Kate Williams

Mary Stuart is my all time favorite historical figure. When I came across this book while browsing Amazon, I bought it without hesitation. I hadn’t read anything by Kate Williams prior to this. So, I was eager to see how she portrayed my favorite queen. The book did not disappoint. In all, I think it may be one of the best books on Mary, Queen of Scots, especially in its analysis of her relationship and tension with Queen Elizabeth I.

Read my full review of The Betrayal of Mary, Queen of Scots: Elizabeth I and Her Greatest Rival by Kate Williams here!

Available on Amazon and from Bookshop.org

Mary Queen of Scots by Antonia Fraser

Antonia Fraser is a powerhouse in historical biographies for a reason. Her coverage of female players throughout British history is prolific, to say the least. In her 1993 biography on Mary Stuart, Fraser crafts an opulent-yet-honest portrayal of the queen. The author delves into the complexity of her character and the changing world around her.

A tagline for the book sums it up well: Here is her story, a queen who lost a throne for love, a monarch pampered and adored even as she was led to her beheading, the unforgettable woman who became a legend for all time. 

Available on Amazon and from Bookshop.org

Mary, Queen of Scots, and the Murder of Lord Darnley by Alison Weir

Like Antonia Fraser, Alison Weir’s name is often synonymous with quality history writing. Most of what I’ve read from Weir is non-fiction. However, that being said, she also has some great Tudor fiction novels, which I shared about here. In her 2004 non-fiction publication, Mary, Queen of Scots, and the Murder of Lord Darnley, Weir focuses on a pivotal period of Mary Stuart’s life and reign: her marriage, and the breakdown thereof, to Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley. This book narrows the focus to the queen’s second marriage, the child it produced, and the murders that resulted from it. It also reaches into Mary’s third, even more disastrous marriage, distinctly tracing the downfall of the doomed queen.

Available on Amazon and from Bookshop.org

Game of Queens: The Women Who Made Sixteenth-Century Europe by Sarah Gristwood

While Game of Queens is not specifically a book about Mary, Queen of Scots, it does cover much of her reign and her contemporaries. As such, I thought it was well worth adding to this list. Sarah Gristwood paints a moving image of the explosion of female rule during the sixteenth century, covering the powerhouse figures of Catherine de Medici (Mary’s mother-in-law) and the Tudor queens regnant, among others. This book really gives you an idea of the world Mary Stuart was living in, and the politics she was navigating, both in and outside of Scotland.

Available on Amazon and from Bookshop.org

Tudors Versus Stewarts: The Fatal Inheritance of Mary, Queen of Scots by Linda Porter

Also published under the title Crown of Thistles: The Fatal Inheritance of Mary Queen of Scots, Linda Porter’s history of Mary’s tumultuous reign is a must-read for any Scottish history lover. Porter delves into the weeds of the Tudor and Stewart (Stuart) rivalry, laying out the basis of Mary’s belief in her claim to the English throne. In all, this book helps readers get into the head of the Stewarts and Mary, herself, in the face of King Henry VIII’s marital dramas, the role of the Catholic Church in Europe, and the intertwined family trees she shared with her greatest rival, Elizabeth I.

Available on Amazon

My Heart Is My Own : The Life of Mary Queen of Scots by John Guy

John Guy is another big name in histories of Mary Stuart. His work served as the basis for the 2018 film, Mary Queen of Scots, with Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie, for example. (I am 95% sure that My Heart is My Own has since been re-published as the tie-in book for the movie, but I cannot find confirmation.) In My Heart is My Own, Guy picks apart Mary’s complicated reputation as a murderer and adulteress to some and as a heroine and martyr to others. This is a…dense book, to say the least. However, it does what it sets out to do in incredible detail: it “[explodes] the myths and [corrects] the inaccuracies in the dramatic life…of the most charismatic but unlucky monarch in British history.”

Available on Amazon

Historical Fiction Books about Mary, Queen of Scots

The Captive Queen of Scots: Mary, Queen of Scots by Jean Plaidy

Jean Plaidy crafts a well-researched work of historical fiction in her novel The Captive Queen of Scots. This book is not widely available, but I listened to it on Audible from Amazon a while back. It was enjoyable, a rather quick listen for anyone who loves Mary’s story as much as I do. It is also available as an ebook for Kindle.

Available on Amazon

Royal Road to Fotheringhay by Jean Plaidy

Another Mary Stuart novel from Jean Plaidy, Royal Road to Fotheringhay is the first in her series on the Stuarts. I have not yet read this novel. However, it seems to be distinct from Plaidy’s The Captive Queen of Scots listed above. This novel covers more of Mary’s life, it seems, from her birth through her time in France and onward. Plus, it’s part of a seven book series, and I do love a historical fiction series!

Available on Amazon

The Other Queen by Philippa Gregory

Part of the Plantagenet and Tudor Novels series, Philippa Gregory has a historical fiction novel about Mary Stuart that you may enjoy. It is a rather dramatic read, as is to be expected with Gregory’s work. One might take issue with a handful of portrayals throughout the book. However, it is an entertaining read nonetheless, and overall strong historical fiction about Mary, Queen of Scots. The novel provides some interesting insights into the characters surrounding Mary in captivity, particularly Bess of Hardwick.

You can read more of my thoughts about this novel in my historical fiction guide, which includes this work by Gregory amongst other engaging historical fiction reads!

Available on Amazon and from Bookshop.org

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Have I missed your favorite book on Mary Stuart?
Let me know in the comments, as I am always looking to expand my library
on the Queen of Scots!

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Explore more of my favorite history books in my full historical fiction guide here!

 *This post was originally published on February 16, 2023. It was most recently updated on October 9, 2023.