Tea at Trianon: Last Letter of Mary Stuart

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Saturday, October 3, 2009

Last Letter of Mary Stuart

The letter written by Mary Queen of Scots a few hours before her execution is now on display. (Via Alexandra)

Written in French, the letter is addressed to Henri III, King of France, and shows Mary’s belief that she died a religious martyr and not for purely political reasons, as the English government alleged.

Despite being moments from death, she even thinks of her servants and asks Henri to ensure their wages are paid.

It was last seen in public 30 years ago and since then the library’s visitors have only been able to view a digitally enhanced reproduction of the manuscript as it is stored under tightly-controlled conditions to ensure its preservation and prevent damage from heat, light and humidity.

The letter will be on display within a glass case for seven days only and it is unknown whether the original will ever go on display again for conservation reasons.

Scott Driza said...: That's amazing that she thanked her servants - especially in those days. I'd love a chance to look at the original, but the geographic problem is too great. I wonder if she left a Last Wil and Testament we may be able to view some day?; October 3, 2009 at 5:40:00 PM EDT