Mary Queen of Scots has been the subject of innumerable plays, poems, songs, operas, films, novels and biographies. It is not difficult to see why. The first 21 years of her life were packed with dramatic incident, including her flight to France, widowhood at an early age, the murder of her secretary and second husband, abduction and rape by a third, and finally captivity and escape from a remote castle in the Highlands of Scotland. Her last 18 years as a prisoner in England, while certainly quieter, were nonetheless marked by conspiracy and intrigue; and her execution in February 1587 provided a fitting final scene to a drama which had seen her fall tragically from power and splendour into confinement and despair. This book tells the dramatic story of her life, but unlike other biographies the narrative is illustrated with many of the documents upon which our knowledge is based, as well as pictures of the leading characters in the story. Contemporary records are either transcribed or fully explained with extended captions, bringing the biography to life.