Other editions of book Unknown to History a Story of the Captivity of Mary of Scotland

Charlotte M. Yonge's dramatization of the life of Mary Queen of Scots offers a sympathetic treatment of Mary Stuart, who was a controversial and divisive figure in Elizabethan times. Mary Queen of Scots spent her life mired in the politics of Elizabethan times; considered a threat to the reign of Elizabeth I for her potential claim to the throne, she endured many years imprisoned at the behest of her Tudor relative. Eventually, following a scandal involving the murder of Lord Darnley, Mary was forced to abdicate her throne to her one year old son, James VI. Some time after her abdication, she was beheaded. Mary Stuart was a polarizing figure owing to the religious and political atmosphere of the era. For this, she continues to elicit the fascination and study of historians to this day, who remain divided about her nature. In her dramatization of Mary's life, Charlotte Yonge demonstrates her flair for characterization, portraying Mary's personality in line with historical accounts and observations of those who knew her. We see in her a bright, assertive and determined character, who we feel moved to sympathy for as the years of incarceration go by and intrigues begin to ominously mount. A committed researcher of Elizabethan times, Charlotte Yonge's descriptions of the era lend an authenticity to her work. Her portrayal of various historical figures as human beings, rather than caricatures informed only by their most scrutinized actions, adds further merit, making Unknown to History a worthy piece of historical fiction.

According to some accounts, Mary Queen of Scots bore a child to her last husband, the earl of Bothwell, while imprisoned at Loch Leven. The child is christened Bride, and put on a ship bound for France. However, the ship is wrecked. Bride, the sole survivor, is rescued by one Captain Talbot. He and his wife rechristen her Cicely, and rear her as their own. However, they live near the place where Queen Mary, having escaped from Scotland, is living under the charge of the weak Earl of Shrewsbury and his wife, Bess of Hardwick. Captain Talbot, as a gentleman in the service of the earl, has to endure the violent quarrelling of the noble family and the constant intriguing that surrounds Queen Mary.Miss Yonge’s descriptive sketches of the personages who figured in connection with Marys captivity, of the inception and development of the plot, and of the social and domestic manners of the noble and middle classes of the period, are a delightful blending of fact and romance.

This book is an illustrated version of the original Unknown to History, A Story of the Captivity of Mary of Scotland by Charlotte M. Yonge. “Susan Hardwicke was a distant kinswoman of the famous Bess of Hardwicke, and had formed one of the little court of gentlewomen with whom great ladies were wont to surround themselves. There she met Richard Talbot, the second son of a relative of the Earl of Shrewsbury, a young man who, with the indifference of those days to service by land or sea, had been at one time a gentleman pensioner of Queen Mary; at another had sailed under some of the great mariners of the western main. There he had acquired substance enough to make the offer of his hand to the dowerless Susan no great imprudence; and as neither could be a subject for ambitious plans, no obstacle was raised to their wedding.”

Charlotte Mary Yonge (11 August 1823 – 24 May 1901) was an English novelist known for her huge output, now mostly out of print.Charlotte Mary Yonge was born in Otterbourne, Hampshire, England, on 11 August 1823 to William Yonge and Fanny Yonge, née Bargus. She was educated at home by her father, studying Latin, Greek, French, Euclid and algebra. Her father's lessons could be harsh: He required a diligence and accuracy that were utterly alien to me. He thundered at me so that nobody could bear to hear it, and often reduced me to tears, but his approbation was so delightful that it was a delicious stimulus... I believe, in spite of all breezes over my innate slovenliness, it would have broken our hearts to leave off working together. And we went on till I was some years past twenty. Yonge's devotion to her father was lifelong and her relationship with him seems to have been for her the standard for all other relationships, including marriage. His "approbation was throughout life my bliss; his anger my misery for the time." She was born into a religious family background, was devoted to the High Church, and much influenced by John Keble, Vicar of Hursley from 1835, a near neighbour and one of the leaders of the Oxford Movement. Yonge is herself sometimes referred to as "the novelist of the Oxford Movement",as her novels frequently reflect the values and concerns of Anglo-Catholicism. She remained in Otterbourne all her life and for 71 years was a teacher in the village Sunday school.In 1868 a new parish was formed to the south of Yonge's home village of Otterbourne; the parish was to contain the villages of Eastley and Barton. Yonge donated £500 towards the parish church and was asked to choose which of the two villages the parish should be named after. She chose Eastley, but decided that it should be spelt 'Eastleigh' as she perceived this as being more modern. Yonge died in her hometown of Otterbourne on 24 May 1901. Her obituary in The Times said:[9] Her friends, and especially her poorer neighbours, knew both the strength and the winning charm of her character. Thus the late Archbishop Benson noted in his diary her odd majesty and kindliness, which are very strong. But it is of course as a writer that Miss Yonge will be remembered. She had an inventive mind and a ready pen, and a bare list of the books written or edited by her would probably occupy nearly a whole column of The Times. She wrote chiefly for young people, especially young girls, and her books are the result not only of a strong ethical purpose, but also of her firm devotion to the High Church view of Christian doctrine and practice.

A fascinating historical novel which tells the story of the captivity of Mary of Scotland. From the preface: In p. 58 of vol. ii. of the second edition of Miss Strickland's Life of Mary Queen of Scots, or p. 100, vol. v. of Burton's History of Scotland, will be found the report on which this tale is founded. If circumstances regarding the Queen's captivity and Babington's plot have been found to be omitted, as well as many interesting personages in the suite of the captive Queen, it must be remembered that the art of the story-teller makes it needful to curtail some of the incidents which would render the narrative too complicated to be interesting to those who wish more for a view of noted characters in remarkable situations, than for a minute and accurate sifting of facts and evidence.

Shipped from UK, please allow 10 to 21 business days for arrival. Unknown To History, hardcover, New Edition. Very good clean tight sound square with NO bookplate inscriptions or marks of any kind, half-title page cracked to tail of hinge. Hennessy engraved frontispiece illustration with tissue-guard intact, title page vignette and 2 further plates in good order.In very good blind ruled blue cloth with bright gilt stamped vignette decoration of author's initials to upper board and bright gilt title to very gently rubbed spine, blind embossed publishers' stamped decoration to lower board, corners and edges crisp. A good price for a very good copy. Other Charlotte M. Yonge titles available.

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Excerpt from Unknown to History: A Story of the Captivity of Mary of Scotland[n p. 58 of vol. Ii. Of the second edition of Miss Strickland's Life of filam/ Queen of Scots, or p. 100, vol. V. Of Burton's History of Scotland, will be found the report on which this tale is founded.About the PublisherForgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.comThis book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.