The Book of Articles is a list of allegations against

Mary, Queen of Scots Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was List of Scottish monarchs, Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567. The only surviving legit ...

and

James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell James Hepburn, 1st Duke of Orkney and 4th Earl of Bothwell ( – 14 April 1578), better known simply as Lord Bothwell, was the third husband of Mary, Queen of Scots. He was accused of the murder of Mary's second husband, Henry Stuart, Lord ...

. The document was produced for the Westminster Conference in December 1568. The manuscript, held by the

British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom. Based in London, it is one of the largest libraries in the world, with an estimated collection of between 170 and 200 million items from multiple countries. As a legal deposit li ...

, was written by Alexander Hay of Easter Kennett, and is sometimes known as Hay's Articles. The material resembles

George Buchanan George Buchanan (; February 1506 – 28 September 1582) was a Scottish historian and humanist scholar. According to historian Keith Brown, Buchanan was "the most profound intellectual sixteenth-century Scotland produced." His ideology of re ...

's published ''Detection'' and his ''Indictment'' of Mary. The text was published by

John Hosack John Hosack (baptised 1813 – 1887) was a Scottish lawyer and historical writer. Life He was the third son of John R. Hosack of Glenaher, Dumfriesshire. He became a student of the Middle Temple in 1838, was called to the bar in 1841, and practis ...

in 1869. A comparable document, held by

Cambridge University Library Cambridge University Library is the main research library of the University of Cambridge. It is the largest of over 100 libraries Libraries of the University of Cambridge, within the university. The library is a major scholarly resource for me ...

, is known as Buchanan's "Indictment". The material may have been first composed in Latin and sent by

Regent Moray James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray (c. 1531 – 23 January 1570) was a member of the House of Stewart as the illegitimate son of King James V of Scotland. At times a supporter of his half-sister Mary, Queen of Scots, he was the regent of Scot ...

William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley (13 September 15204 August 1598), was an English statesman, the chief adviser of Elizabeth I, Queen Elizabeth I for most of her reign, twice Secretary of State (England), Secretary of State (1550–1553 and ...

. The historian John Guy calls this body of evidence against Mary "Buchanan's dossier".

Allegations

The Book of Articles has five sections. The first section describes the deterioration of Mary's relationship with

Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley (1546 – 10 February 1567) was King of Scotland as the second husband of Mary, Queen of Scots, from 29 July 1565 until his murder in 1567. Lord Darnley had one child with Mary, the future James VI of Scotland and I ...

to "extremme disdain" after three months of marriage. Mary had a stamp or "printing iron" made for Danley's signature which was used without his involvement. After the birth of

James VI and I James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and King of Ireland, Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 M ...

, Mary travelled to

Alloa Tower Alloa Tower in Alloa, Clackmannanshire, in central Scotland, is an early 14th-century tower house that served as the medieval residence of the Erskine family, later Earls of Mar. Retaining its original timber roof and battlements, the tower is ...

without Darnley. In October 1566, Mary was ill at

Jedburgh Jedburgh ( ; ; or ) is a town and former royal burgh in the Scottish Borders and the traditional county town of the Shires of Scotland, historic county of Roxburghshire. History Jedburgh began as ''Jedworð'', the "worth" or enclosed settlem ...

, and the Book of Articles claims that she made

Agnes Keith, Countess of Moray Agnes Keith, Countess of Moray (c. 1540 – 16 July 1588) was a Scottish noblewoman. She was the wife of James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray, regent of Scotland and the illegitimate half-brother of Mary, Queen of Scots, making her a sister-in-law o ...

pretend to be unwell so that Darnley would not come to the lodging. The second section outlines Mary's "inordinate affection" for Bothwell. She gave him lands, and then spent time with him in 1566 when she stayed in Exchequer House in Edinburgh's

Cowgate The Cowgate (Scots language, Scots: The Cougait) is a street in Edinburgh, Scotland, located about southeast of Edinburgh Castle, within the city's World Heritage Site. The street is part of the lower level of Edinburgh's Old Town, Edinburgh, ...

and at John Balfour's house in the

Canongate The Canongate is a street and associated district in central Edinburgh, the capital city of Scotland. The street forms the main eastern length of the Royal Mile while the district is the main eastern section of Edinburgh's Old Town. David ...

. Lady Rires brought Bothwell to her. Mary and Margaret Carwood helped Lady Rires scale a wall. Mary rode see Bothwell at

Hermitage Castle Hermitage Castle is a semi-ruined castle in the border region of Scotland. It stands in the remote valley of the Hermitage Water, part of Liddesdale in Roxburghshire. It is under the care of Historic Scotland. The castle has a reputation, both ...

when he was ill. For the

baptism of James VI The baptism of James VI of Scotland was celebrated at Stirling Castle in December 1566 with a masque, fireworks, and a staged assault on a mock fortress. The entertainment was devised by George Buchanan and Bastian Pagez. Prince James James VI an ...

, she started to build a passage between her lodgings at

Stirling Castle Stirling Castle, located in Stirling, is one of the largest and most historically and architecturally important castles in Scotland. The castle sits atop an Intrusive rock, intrusive Crag and tail, crag, which forms part of the Stirling Sill ge ...

and Bothwell's. The third section alleges a conspiracy for the "horrible murder" of Lord Darnley. Mary was said to have first considered a divorce. Darnley's illness while travelling to Glasgow is said to be the result of poisoning. When Darnley came to the lodging at the

Kirk o' Field The Collegiate Church of St Mary in the Fields (commonly known as Kirk o' Field) was a pre-Scottish Reformation, Reformation collegiate church in Edinburgh, Scotland. Likely founded in the 13th century and secularised at the Reformation, the chur ...

in Edinburgh, she dined with Bothwell at Balfour's house. Her servant French Paris ''alias'' Nicolas Hubert brought gunpowder to Darnley's lodging. The fourth section describes the aftermath of the explosion that killed Darnley. Bothwell brought the news to the queen. An enquiring questioned Thomas Nelson, one of Darnley's servants. There were celebrations for the wedding of Margaret Carwood instead of mourning. Darnley was buried without ceremony. Mary played golf and pall-mall at Seton Palace with Bothwell. She married Bothwell on 15 May 1567 at

Holyrood Palace The Palace of Holyroodhouse ( or ), commonly known as Holyrood Palace, is the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland. Located at the bottom of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, at the opposite end to Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood has s ...

. The French ambassador Philibert du Croc refused to attend the banquet. The fifth section discusses the actions taken against Bothwell and Mary, the

battle of Carberry Hill The Battle of Carberry Hill took place on 15 June 1567, near Musselburgh, East Lothian, a few miles east of Edinburgh, Scotland. A number of Scottish lords objected to the rule of Mary, Queen of Scots, after she had married the Earl of Bothwel ...

, the recovery of the casket letters, and Mary's abdication.Joseph Bain, ''Calendar State Papers Scotland'', vol. 2 (Edinburgh, 1900), pp. 557–58.

References

{{Mary, Queen of Scots Mary, Queen of Scots 16th-century documents British Library additional manuscripts