This international bestseller from a prominent 20th-century writer inspired Antonia Fraser?s Mary Queen of Scots.A classic royal biography that offers an in-depth look at one of one of the most fascinating?and misunderstood?figures in British history. From the moment of her birth to her death on the scaffold, Mary Stuart spent her life embroiled in power struggles that shook the foundations of Renaissance Europe. Revered by some as the rightful Queen of England, reviled by others as a murderous adulteress, her long and fascinating rivalry with her cousin Elizabeth I led ultimately to her downfall. Zweig, one of the most popular writers of the twentieth century, brings Mary to life and turns her tale into a story of passion and plotting as gripping as any novel.