Hey, this is Heather from the Renaissance English History Podcast, and this is your Tudor Minute for February 9.
Overnight tonight, into the 10th, Henry Stuart Lord Darnley was killed in Kirk-o-Field, Scotland. He was just a few hundred yards from where Mary and her infant son James were staying, and he had been staying in the house recovering from an illness. His enemies were filling the basement of the house with gunpowder, and at 2am the house exploded. The explosion was heard throughout Edinburgh, and Henry was found in the garden next to a pear tree, with a knife next to him. Historians say that it appears that Henry actually may have actually been strangled, possibly being awoken by something before the blast, and escaping.
Mary observed 40 days of mourning, but many questioned how sincere she was, and it wouldn’t be long before she was implicated in the murder itself.
That’s your Tudor Minute for today. Remember you can dive deeper into life in 16th century England through the Renaissance English History Podcast at englandcast.com.