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This article is about the Reign character Mary Stuart. You may be looking for the Historical figure Mary, Queen of Scots.

Scotland has one true ruler, Mary, Queen of Scots, daughter of James V, crowned on her sixth day and not appointed by the Pope, but the Almighty himself. It is my duty, my God-given birthright and my crown! And I defend it from anyone who attempts to take it!
Mary in Pulling Strings


Mary Stuart is the female lead and protagonist of Reign. She is portrayed by Adelaide Kane.

Mary is the Queen of Scotland in her own right, as well as the Dowager Queen of France by her marriage to the late Francis II. Following an attempt on her life in 1557, the 15-year-old Mary was whisked away to French Court to wed Francis, the Dauphin of France. But she always found more than she bargained for as love, lust, adultery, lies and betrayal followed the fiery Scot around. She is a member of the House of Stuart by birth and the House of Valois by marriage.

Biography

Early Life

Mary was born in Linlithgow, Scotland to Marie de Guise and her husband, James V. On her sixth day, Mary became Queen of Scotland when her father died. She was betrothed to the Dauphin of France, Francis, and sent to French Court, where she and Francis quickly became friends and playmates. They would chase each other and she'd hate that his legs were longer than hers. In the Pilot, we see flashbacks of her and Francis playing with feathers and running up the stairs. Mary also points out how they used to climb a specific tree.

In The Lamb and the Slaughter, a new memory of the castle when Mary and Francis were children is unveiled. It was in the June of 1551, when Mary was eight, when she and Francis escaped the castle at night to see the fireflies. They would try to catch them every year and while Mary was always worried they wouldn't show up, Francis wasn't, because, for him, the thrill was in waiting for the fireflies with her.

Later, nine-year-old Mary was sent to live with the nuns at a Convent for her safety. There, she and the nuns visited the sick and she was taught to cut peas for the fire and milk a goat. She likely also saw the nuns help during childbirth, hence her helpfulness when Isobel Derant gave birth in Sacrifice.

In the Series


Personality

"She was really a remarkable woman. There is a little bit of literature out there about her personality. she was very witty, charming - a very intelligent woman. She spoke six languages, she played two different instruments, she rode, she hunted. she danced, she played golf."

Adelaide Kane about Queen Mary

Mary and the feathers

Mary

Passionate and poised at the very beginning of her tumultuous rise to power, Mary is already a headstrong monarch. She will prove to be a formidable foe for anyone that stands in her way. She is also a great ally, as she wants to put people before herself. In For King and Country, Francis describes Mary as being headstrong, and strong in general. In Higher GroundHortenza de' Medici described Mary as being so talkitive and free with words as a child. As the series progresses, Mary becomes stronger to stand for what she believes in. She has grown into an independent woman who will go to any length to protect the ones she loves and her country. However, she will go against her husband and his family if necessary as she will always choose Scotland over France since they only have her. By the end of the first season, she tells Francis that she can feel herself become harder.

I may live in France but I have the heart of a Scot.

Mary in Liege Lord

The Stare

During the second season, Mary attempts to be a Queen that Francis will be proud of. She refused to listen to Catherine and bow down to the nobles. She has been acknowledged as a strong and kind queen but lacks the political skills to rule successfully in Scotland. Catherine and Narcisse believed that she would cause France it's destruction. After her rape, Mary began to change, becoming cold and distant towards Francis. She begins to think only of herself and becomes more selfish. She believes, as a woman, she does not get to live as freely as men. This leads her to have a short-lived affair with Condé and plan to run away to Scotland with him. When Francis fell ill, Catherine blamed Mary for her son's condition and everything that has happened. During this, she almost betrays Francis again when she plans to send in French troops to defend her country from the Protestants. However, Francis woke up before she could give the order. Francis allowed for French troops to head over to Scotland as France and Scotland are allies and are stronger when they honor their promises to each other even though she turned her back on the country who took her in and cared for her when she was a child. When he tells her he will use his second chance at life more wisely, she wonders if he regrets marrying her. Due to Francis deciding to never trust her again after everything that has happened, Mary begins to rethink the decisions she has made. She abandons Condé and her plans to go to Scotland with him in order to fix everything that she has done and regain Francis' trust. After Condé's threats and trying to claim the French throne, she took things into her own hands to take Condé down and redeclare her love for Francis as she has never stopped loving him. She also once again stood up to Catherine, willing to do whatever it took to punish Catherine for her cruel intentions towards Francis. Mary soon began a path of redemption due to her wrong choices and actions she had made.

Mary returned to her original self shortly before the events of the third season.

Physical Appearance

"You're beautiful and clever and unpredictable."
Francis to Mary
Main article: Mary Stuart/Appearance
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Mary Stuart

Mary is a beautiful young woman: tall and slender, with an oval-shaped face, long black hair, hazel eyes, and a creamy fair complexion.

When she was at the convent, Mary wore clothes of a lower class. However, when she is at court, she is dressed as befits her royal status: fancy attire and intricate gowns. Despite her tendency to wear many different colors, Mary's most prominent ones were white and black, with gold embellishments. She also has a particular fondness for lace and wears flowing tops when she dons skirts. For accessories, she wears crowns, necklaces, belts, bracelets, and rings.

In Chosen, Mary awoke with a necklace. When she took it outside to show to Bash, she noticed it had burnt her hand, leaving a scar shaped like stag antlers. Since the scar was not seen again after that episode, it could mean that it has probably healed.

"From the beginning, I had this vision of her as two women: she's the warrior queen and she's the romantic. And I always feel like usually, we embody both of those elements in her wardrobe, so if there's a harsh or strong detail, it will be accompanied by something light and feminine. Sometimes it's even just her hair which works into that. Something that pops to mind is this Alexander McQueen gown that we put her in in the second episode, that she wears when she meets Simon, the British lord… It's this insane, beaded almost kind of armored gown, and with her hair down and soft, it kind of softened it up and made it a little more romantic and mysterious rather than just harsh. So I feel like that's the balance usually with Mary." - Meredith Markworth-Pollack about Mary.

Relationships

Francis II

"You know what my heart says now? It says that I should forget about politics and be with you. No matter what. You're a true Queen, a Queen that any King would kill for."
—Francis to Mary in Hearts and Minds
Maryr1

Francis was Mary's husband. They were childhood friends who had been engaged since they were kids. Mary was then sent to a convent and hadn't seen Francis for years until they were reunited in Pilot. They kick off with a rocky start after Mary's arrival due to Francis being entwined with another woman. When someone starts to plot against Mary, Francis suspects it is his mother's doing and he decides to protect Mary by whatever means necessary. He also promises to be her friend and stand by her side. As they spend time together and get to know one another, Francis' ways begin to change as Mary is a good influence on him. However, obstacles such as Olivia, Bash, and Catherine get in the way. When Francis is stripped of his crown and of Mary due to Nostradamus' prophecy, he leaves French Court and their relationship is deeply strained. They are later reunited when Francis returns to French Court to save his mother. The prophecy is later changed after the death of Catherine's firstborn, Clarissa, allowing Mary and Francis to be together. The two lived in happiness for a short period of time and later they learned that Mary was pregnant. However, Mary miscarried the child not long after announcing her pregnancy to Francis. Soon after, she and Francis began to disagree over political decisions, causing tension between the two. Francis' poor political decisions prompted the Protestants to storm the castle and kill the King. They ended up raping Mary instead. After that, Mary pulled away from Francis and grew closer to Condé. The two have a short-lived affair. In the end, however, Mary chose Francis and the two rekindled their romance. They showed their love for each other and the strength of their alliance before the world, until Francis was murdered, giving a powerful and emotional spin on the end of the relationship. (See Mary and Francis.)

Sebastian

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Sebastian is Mary's ex-fiancé and half-brother-in-law. They first met in Pilot when Mary returned to court engaged to Bash's half brother, Francis. Bash and Mary started as close friends but when Mary and Francis began having problems, Bash stepped in to comfort her and they shared their first kiss. When Mary began to believe in a prophecy that predicted Francis' death if she married him. To protect Francis she initially runs away from court with Bash. They are however captured and brought back to court. She then decides to marry Bash and have him declared legitimate. They become engaged. When engaged Mary opened her heart to Sebastian and they grew to love and care for each other. When they were going to get married in secret because the pope had still not legitimized Bash and they wanted to force his hand. Francis learns of the wedding, shows up and starts fighting with his brother. Because he learned that the prophecy was really about Clarissa, Catherine's firstborn. Bash tries to convince Mary that they can still get married. However, when Catherine tells her she has a choice, Mary chose Francis. After Mary made her choice, Bash was exiled from court and when he returned Bash was married off to one of Mary's ladies-in-waiting. Since his return to court, Bash and Mary have retained a friendly relationship. (See Mary and Sebastian)

Louis of Condé

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Mary and Louis first meet after Louis arrives at court with Francis. They quickly forge both a friendship and a mutual alliance. As Louis has helped Mary with a few of her plans. He was the first person to know she miscarried after seeing her in pain. She begged him not to tell anyone if he considered himself a friend, as a good friend he didn't. But alerted Francis after that he should check on her. Over time Mary kept going to Louis for help and comfort when dealing with problems when Francis wouldn't help. After Mary was assaulted by a group of men, she began pulling away from Francis and growing closer to Condé. Sometime after Mary began having an affair with Condé, putting France and her husband's crown at risk. When found out, Mary took it upon herself to personally kill Condé so he could no longer vie for the throne. She stabbed him and he was taken back to the castle. However, Condé survived and even managed to escape. (See Mary and Condé)

Lord Darnley

Lord Darnley was Mary's husband and the father of her child. The two met on a flower field while Mary was on holiday. Darnley won Mary's respect and admiration when he rescued a little boy from a building on fire, but it was later revealed that Darnley started the fire to save the boy and appear a hero. Mary was bothered by the fact that Darnley was willing to use shortcuts to win and get ahead, but they eventually found a way to compromise. Their relationship started getting stronger and they were growing more fond of each other, until Mary found out that Darnley cheated on her and their relationship was ruined. Later on, Mary discovered that she was carrying Darnley's child and they started repairing their relationship. However, Darnley kept pressing her for the Crown Matrimonial and when his request was denied, he attempted to blackmail Mary. His attempt failed, but he continued to plot against Mary and grasp for power which ultimately led to his downfall. In the end, he went mad and was murdered by Bothwell. (See Mary and Lord Darnley)

Lord Bothwell

When Mary met Lord Bothwell, they didn't get along. Mary was trying to purchase a port from him, but he kept refusing her, until he tried to use it to his advantage. He promised her his port if she spent time with him, so she did. He also turned out to be her loyal watchman. Mary later summoned him to court as her bodyguard and they developed feelings for each other. (See Mary and Lord Bothwell)

Catherine de' Medici

"Such glory you promise, and so cunning you've become... how you've changed since you came back to us from the convent. I miss the girl you were."
—Catherine to Mary in Slaughter of Innocence
Catherine and Mary

Mary's relationship with Catherine started off antagonistic at the beginning of the series. Mary had always believed that ever since her arrival at French Court, Catherine has been plotting against her, not knowing why. She had the protection of Francis and the help of her Ladies-in-Waiting to go up against Catherine. Later on, Catherine reveals the prophecy to Mary, the reason why she was so eager to ruin Mary and Francis' relationship. Mary believed the prohecy, and changed the line of succession; Francis and his brothers losing the throne and Catherine losing her status as Queen. Catherine starts a series of attempts to have Bash killed but fails, and is later accused of adultery. Mary apologized to Catherine about everything that has happened, and promised to take care of Charles and Henry Jr.. When the prophecy had changed, Mary chose to be with Francis and started to bond with Catherine. Catherine has grown to care about Mary. She helped Mary when she was raped, and helped Mary find a suitor after Francis' death. (See Mary and Catherine)

Marie de Guise

Mary and Marie

Marie was Mary's mother. As a child, Mary became engaged to Francis and Marie sent her to live with them in France. Mary and her mother hadn't seen each other or communicated much apart from a few letters, until Marie showed up to French Court to get Mary to marry Francis. Marie wasn't a very warm and caring mother, one that would always choose power over her own daughter. They had a very strained relationship, but when Marie was in danger in Scotland, Mary went to great lengths to get her mother to safety. When her mother returned to France once again, tension ensued between the two as Marie scorned Mary for not providing an heir yet. Mary let go of her rage when she found out her mother was dying from an illness, wanting her to stay in France with her. They parted ways, however, as Marie had to return to Scotland to help secure her daughter's rule.

James Stuart

Maryr4
James was Mary's illegitimate older paternal half-brother. Although they didn't see each other due to having lived in different countries, they had always cared about each other. Even though protestants were trying to put her brother on the throne instead of her, there was no worry. Mary trusted him and he didn't covet his sister's crown. He used to help Marie secure her reign in Scotland, until she died and he was named regent. When Mary came back to Scotland, their relationship endured many trials, as Mary struggled to trust James, and he felt like Mary was backing him into a corner. But they always worked every issue out.

Ladies-in-Waiting

Mary and her Ladies

Mary has a different bond of friendship with each of her ladies. With Greer, they share a loyal bond of friendship. Mary can always depend on Greer whenever she needs something or if she is in a troubled situation. Mary is closest to Aylee. Aylee is someone that Mary can trust the most; Aylee even spied on Catherine for her. Kenna is one of the harder friendships for Mary. Kenna is out for her own personal gain and Mary is trying to protect her from that. Mary does not have the easiest friendship with Lola. Mary and Lola have had difficulties in their friendship; such as, Lola blaming Mary for Colin's death and Lola sleeping with Francis. All of their friendships and their duties are strengthened by being thrust into this foreign court and, at points, under duress. It is brutal and they don't have their families and all they have is each other. (See Mary and Greer, Mary and Kenna, Mary and Lola, Mary and Aylee)

Clarissa

Maryr6
Clarissa was Mary's ally from the very beginning. Clarissa had a protecting nature over Mary, always letting her know of eminent danger or threats, even saving Mary's life after Catherine had poisoned her in her bathtub. Mary vowed to protect Clarissa in return. But when Charles and Prince Henry's lives were threatened by Clarissa due to her jealousy of Catherine's affection for them, Mary hit Clarissa in the head with a rock. After her death, Mary and the others still believed she deserved a proper burial ordering the soldiers to do so, but they ignored the orders. Clarissa was thought to be dead, but was later revealed to be alive. She was later killed by Bash in favour of saving Francis' life.

Tomás of Pamela

Maryr8

In the beginning when Tomás arrived at court, Mary believed his attentions were on Greer. However, he later proposed to Mary soon after they met. He told her he was to be legitimized and could give her what France could not. Mary considers his offer and ends up accepting the proposal. Prior to their engagement, Tomás was very sweet and charming, but as it started to get more official, he revealed his true nature as a controlling tyrant. After experiencing Tomás' cruelty, Mary wanted out of the engagement. Tomás was after killed by Francis and Mary's engagement with Francis was reinstated. (See Mary and Tomas)

Olivia D'Amencourt

Maryr9

Although Mary knew that Olivia was Francis' lover before she returned to court, she was warm and friendly to Olivia after she had been trough trauma in the Blood Wood. Little did she know that Olivia had returned at the request of Catherine to win Francis over from Mary. Not long after Olivia's return, Mary becomes jealous of Francis' affection towards Olivia since he had kissed her. She later sought comfort in Sebastian, they kissed and Francis witnessed it from afar. He and Mary then drifted apart and he drifted towards Olivia. However, in the end, Francis chose Mary over Olivia. (See Mary and Olivia)

Stéphane Narcisse

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Mary and Narcisse never got along. Mary started their rivalry by killing his son after he threatened to murder an entire household. To flame the fires of hate, Narcisse blackmailed Francis into bending to his will, persecuting the Protestants and in turn, putting a strain on his relationship with Mary. This prompted the Protestants to storm the castle, resulting in Mary's rape. After being stripped of all his possessions, Narcisse continued to serve Mary and Francis. When Francis died, and Narcisse became regent, he wanted Mary out of France. When Mary suspected Narcisse of cheating, she told Lola, who left Narcisse as a result. The only time the two ever worked in tandem was when they crashed on a coast in Scotland, and they had to cooperate to ensure their survival.

Appearances


Name

  • Mary is a feminine given name which is the usual English form of Maria, which was the Latin form of the New Testament Greek names Μαριαμ (Mariam) and Μαρια (Maria) - the spellings are interchangeable - which were from the Hebrew name מִרְיָם (Miryam). The meaning is not known for certain, but there are several theories, including "sea of bitterness", "rebelliousness", and "wished for child". However, it was most likely originally an Egyptian name, perhaps derived in part from mry "beloved" or mr "love".
  • Stuart is a surname of Scottish origin, as well as an occupational name for an administrative official of an estate or steward, from Old English stig "house" and weard "guard". The Stewart family (Stuart in the French spelling) held the Scottish crown for several centuries; one of the most famous members of the Stewart family was Mary, Queen of Scots.

Quotes

I always knew Francis had a past. Men are allowed to have them, whereas we have our reputations ruined. Hardly seems fair.
— Mary to Olivia in A Chill in the Air


Safe choices don't always make us safe.
— Mary to Bash in Royal Blood


I will take my life in my own hands. And I will not be bullied by you!
— Mary to Henry in The Consummation


I may live in France, but I have the heart of a Scot.
— Mary to Lord McKenzie in Liege Lord


I would defy the devil himself if he tried to buy and sell my country!
— Mary to Lord McKenzie in Liege Lord


You love a girl, not a queen, or you would allow me to be one!
— Mary to Francis in No Exit


Trivia

  • Adelaide Kane, the actress playing Mary, is a descendant of Mary, Queen of Scots and the House of Stuart through her mother's side.
  • Mary Stuart became queen of Scotland when she was only six days old.
  • She has a dog named Stirling.
    • Probably named after the city and castle of Stirling where Mary was crowned queen.
  • She knows how to milk a goat and cut peas for a fire, as we learned in Pilot.
  • Her first kiss was from Francis in Kissed.
  • Mary was officially engaged to Tomás of Pamela for less than an episode (Hearts and Minds).
  • She went as Greek Goddess Artemis, the Goddess of the Hunt and Moon, to the Michaelmas Banquet in Hearts and Minds.
  • Her first kill was Count Vincent in Left Behind.
  • In The Consummation, she signs her name Marie R because she was signing her title: Marie R. stands for Marie Regina, which is Latin for "Mary the Queen". Queen Mary I of England signed her name in the same fashion.
  • She carries a dagger on her at all times, as shown in Three Queens.
  • She is a fantastic archeress, as pointed out by Robert Dudley in Strange Bedfellows.
  • She is the paternal second cousin-once-removed of Elizabeth I via Henry VIII of England, Queen Elizabeth's father from his second marriage to Anne Boleyn.
  • A portrait of Queen Claude of France, the mother of King Henry II, hangs in Mary's chamber.
  • She is right handed.

Gallery

Mary Stuart has a photo gallery.

See Also

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