Wild Queen: Mary, Queen of Scots {Young Royals Lit-Based Unit Study}

Mary was six days old when her father died and she inherited the throne.  She moved to France, returning to Scotland several years later, after a brief marriage.  The tense climate that Mary encountered on her return to Scotland was worsened by public officially who openly defied her...

Mary's life is one of drama, romance, and most of all - tragedy.  She was brought up at the French court of King Henry II and his queen Catherine de Médici.  With her tall, slender figure, her red-gold hair and amber-colored eyes, and her taste for music and poetry, Mary epitomized the ideal of the Renaissance princess at the time of her marriage to Francis, eldest son of Henry and Catherine.  She became a widow for the first time at the age of 18, and her tragic legacy was colored by the Reformation.

Did you know?

The current King, Charles III, is actually a direct descendant of Mary Queen of Scots!

• James's daughter, Princess Elizabeth, married Frederick V of the Palatinate.
• Their daughter Sophia married Ernest August of Hanover.
• Sophia gave birth to George I who became King of Great Britain in 1714 as he had the strongest Protestant claim to the throne.
• The monarchy continued down this line, eventually to Queen Elizabeth II and Charles III.

Historic References from the Book

• John Knox was a leader of the Scottish Protestant Reformation.  The movement was a revolution that it led to the ousting of Mary of Guise, who governed the country in the name of her young daughter Mary, Queen of Scots. 
• James Hepburn, better known simply as Lord Bothwell, was known for his marriage to Mary, Queen of Scots, as her third and final husband.  He was accused of the murder of Mary's second husband, a charge of which he was acquitted.  His marriage to Mary was controversial and divided the country; when he fled the growing rebellion to Norway, he was arrested and lived the rest of his life imprisoned in Denmark.
• Mary claimed Elizabeth's throne as her own and was considered the legitimate sovereign of England by many English Catholics.  Elizabeth felt threatened and had Mary confined in various castles and manor houses in the interior of England.  After eighteen and a half years in captivity, Mary was found guilty of plotting to assassinate Elizabeth in 1586 and was beheaded the following year.
• Built around 1300, Lochleven Castle was the site of military action during the Wars of Scottish Independence (1296–1357).   Mary was imprisoned there in 1567–68, and forced to abdicate as queen, before escaping with the help of her jailer.  
• James VI and I was King of Scotland as James VI and King of England and Ireland as James I.  He was the son of Mary, Queen of Scots, and a great-great-grandson of Henry VII, King of England and Lord of Ireland, and thus a potential successor to all three thrones.  Under James, the "Golden Age" of Elizabethan literature and drama continued.  James himself sponsored the translation of the Bible into English later named after him, the Authorized King James Version.

Our spine novel for this unit is The Wild Queen: The Days and Nights of Mary, Queen of Scots

Get the entire unit in the Young Royals bundle!

Includes seven unit studies covering the entire series. Each unit addresses a historic era from the eyes of a young royal, and these are told in living history format.  Each unit has introductory text, which will give the student basic background information about the topic at hand.

• There are photographs and illustrations, and we have also included primary documents when available.
• After this text, there are featured videos, which augment the background information and help make the topic more accessible for more visual students.
• You will also find a short list of reading books, including a featured novel that the unit builds upon.
• There are vocabulary words, places, and people to identify.
• Reading comprehension, critical thinking questions, and writing assignments are included.
• We add fun with hands-on activities and extra videos to watch that will bring the era to life.

These studies are directed toward upper grades students, but some have resources for younger students so that the whole family can work together. Our family has used unit studies as curriculum for many years, and we hope that your family will enjoy these, too!

Product samples:   Mary, Bloody Mary

Includes:

• Mary, Bloody Mary
• Beware, Princess Elizabeth
• Doomed Queen Anne
• Patience, Princess Catherine
• Duchessina: Catherine De'Medici
• Wild Queen: Mary, Queen of Scots
• Bad Queen: Marie Antoinette

Duchessina: A Novel of Catherine de' Medici {Young Royals Lit-Based Unit Study}

Catherine de' Medici was orphaned at a young age, raised in a convent, and became a French rule of Italian blood, yet she overcame her obstacles and was one of the longest-reigning queens of the era...

Catherine de' Medici was born to the Medici family of Florence, but both of her parents died shortly after her birth, leaving her as the sole heiress to all of the holdings of the Medici family. When she was only eight years old, the Medici palace in Florence was attacked by an angry mob of Florentines.   Her relatives fled, but left her behind as a hostage.  After the palace was ransacked, she was sent to a convent.

Once the rebellion was ended by Pope Clement VII, a Medici family member, Catherine went to Rome to live with him.  She was betrothed to Henry of Orleans at this time.  He was a second son, and was not intended for the throne, but the dauphin died, leaving him as heir and Catherine destined to be the queen.  The French did not want an Italian queen.

Catherine's husband died in a tournament accident and her eldest son Francis II came to the throne.  In the years that followed, three of her sons served as French kings - Francis, Charles, and Henry.  She served as queen consort alongside them.

Historic References

• Lorenzo de' Medici, also known as Lorenzo the Magnificent, or Il Magnifico, was a magnate, diplomat, politician, the most brilliant of the Medicis, and patron of scholars, artists, and poets. As a patron, he is best known for sponsoring artists such as Botticelli and Michelangelo.
• Michelangelo Buonarroti was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet of the High Renaissance.  He is best known for his frescoes on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican, which include the iconic depiction of the creation of Adam interpreted from Genesis, and for his sculpture of David.
• The Feast of Corpus Christi is a Roman Catholic holiday that celebrates the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ.  The day also commemorates Christ's washing of the disciples' feet, the institution of the priesthood, and the agony in the Garden of Gethsemane.  Two months before the feast, the institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper is observed on Maundy Thursday before Good Friday. 
• Niccolò Machiavelli was an Italian diplomat, author, philosopher and historian, known primarily for his political ideas.  His two most famous philosophical books, The Prince and the Discourses on Livy, were published after his death.  Machiavelli believed that a ruler must be concerned not only with reputation, but also must be positively willing to act unscrupulously at the right times. 
• The House of Medici was an Italian banking family and political dynasty that came to power during the first half of the 15th century.  This bank was the largest in Europe during the 15th century and facilitated the Medicis' rise to political power in Florence, although they officially remained citizens rather than monarchs until the 16th century.  From the Medici family, there were four Catholic popes, two French queens, and the title of Duke of Florence.  Due to their power and interests, the family created an environment in which art flourished, helping to inspire the Italian Renaissance.
• Some historians assert that, "Although presented as generous benefactors of the arts and models of Renaissance virtue and ideals, the Medici family were, in actuality, proponents of corruption and absolute authority over Florence through their manipulation of Renaissance culture by using art as political propaganda, establishing literal and symbolic religious overtones to their rule, and their undoing of humanist and republican ideals."  (The Malevolently Benign Medici)

Our spine novel for this unit study is Duchessina: A Novel of Catherine de' Medici

Get the entire unit in the Young Royals bundle!

Includes seven unit studies covering the entire series. Each unit addresses a historic era from the eyes of a young royal, and these are told in living history format.  Each unit has introductory text, which will give the student basic background information about the topic at hand.

• There are photographs and illustrations, and we have also included primary documents when available.
• After this text, there are featured videos, which augment the background information and help make the topic more accessible for more visual students.
• You will also find a short list of reading books, including a featured novel that the unit builds upon.
• There are vocabulary words, places, and people to identify.
• Reading comprehension, critical thinking questions, and writing assignments are included.
• We add fun with hands-on activities and extra videos to watch that will bring the era to life.

These studies are directed toward upper grades students, but some have resources for younger students so that the whole family can work together. Our family has used unit studies as curriculum for many years, and we hope that your family will enjoy these, too!

Product samples:   Mary, Bloody Mary

Includes:

• Mary, Bloody Mary
• Beware, Princess Elizabeth
• Doomed Queen Anne
• Patience, Princess Catherine
• Duchessina: Catherine De'Medici
• Wild Queen: Mary, Queen of Scots
• Bad Queen: Marie Antoinette

Doomed Queen Anne {Young Royals Lit-Based Unit Study}

One of the most intriguing figures in English history, Anne Boleyn was Queen of England as the second wife of King Henry VIII. She is remembered for her execution by beheading for treason at the start of the English Reformation...but does history get it right?

Historic References from our Novel

• Thomas Cromwell was an English lawyer and statesman who served as chief minister to King Henry VIII.  He helped to engineer an annulment of the king's marriage to Catherine of Aragon so that Henry could lawfully marry Anne Boleyn, and he helped create the Church of England.  He arranged the king's fourth marriage, to Anne of Cleves, which ended poorly.  Cromwell was beheaded on orders of the king, who later decided Cromwell was innocent and blamed false charges for the execution.
• Thomas Wolsey was a Catholic bishop who became the controlling figure in virtually all matters of state during Henry VIII's rule.  The highest political position Wolsey attained was Lord Chancellor, the king's chief adviser.  During this time, he enjoyed great freedom and was often depicted as an "alter rex," "another king."  As with most of the king's closest, he eventually fell out of favor and was stripped of his power.  He was called up on charges of treason, but died of natural causes before he could be executed.
• Jane Seymour was the third wife of King Henry VIII.  She became queen following the execution of Anne Boleyn, but died of postnatal complications less than two weeks after the birth of her only child, the future King Edward VI.  She was the only wife of Henry to receive a queen's funeral or to be buried beside him in St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle.
• Here's a helpful mnemonic:  King Henry VIII had SIX wives.  In order, they were: divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived.

The Medieval Church

Central to the medieval church was Monasticism, an institutionalized religious practice that required a life of service under specific laws and regulations, such as celibacy.  The role of the clergy, including priests, monks, and bishops, were recruited or filled voluntarily by those wanting to dedicate their lives to God.  Many families, particularly wealthy families, often groomed one of their children to join the church.  It was an honor to have a family member become a servant of God, especially if they were well-educated and climbed the church hierarchy.  The higher they climbed, the more powerful they and their families became.  

The medieval church regulated and defined every individual's life from birth until death, going as far as to dictate the afterlife.  The church held immense power over the people.  It had the power to tax, and its laws had to be obeyed.  Those who held contrary ideas were considered heretics and could be subject to various forms of punishment, including execution.  The Church in the Middle Ages was to be feared and obeyed, and its influence spread into every area of society.

Anne's Mysterious Ways

Anne talks about using her feminine wiles at court. If you look up the definition of wile, you'll see it defined as a trick or stratagem intended to ensnare or deceive, a beguiling or playful trick. In a more modern-day context, the 1934 film, It Happened One Night shows Claudette Colbert using ‘feminine wiles’ to call out Clark Gable’s cocksure chauvinism, and we can imagine this is what Anne was doing in her day.

Check out the royalty videos in this Renaissance post!

Our spine novel for this unit is Doomed Queen Anne

Get the entire unit in the Young Royals bundle!

Includes seven unit studies covering the entire series. Each unit addresses a historic era from the eyes of a young royal, and these are told in living history format.  Each unit has introductory text, which will give the student basic background information about the topic at hand.

• There are photographs and illustrations, and we have also included primary documents when available.
• After this text, there are featured videos, which augment the background information and help make the topic more accessible for more visual students.
• You will also find a short list of reading books, including a featured novel that the unit builds upon.
• There are vocabulary words, places, and people to identify.
• Reading comprehension, critical thinking questions, and writing assignments are included.
• We add fun with hands-on activities and extra videos to watch that will bring the era to life.

These studies are directed toward upper grades students, but some have resources for younger students so that the whole family can work together. Our family has used unit studies as curriculum for many years, and we hope that your family will enjoy these, too!

Product samples:   Mary, Bloody Mary

Includes:

• Mary, Bloody Mary
• Beware, Princess Elizabeth
• Doomed Queen Anne
• Patience, Princess Catherine
• Duchessina: Catherine De'Medici
• Wild Queen: Mary, Queen of Scots
• Bad Queen: Marie Antoinette