Mary Queen of Scots’ political scheming revealed in decoded missing letters

Hidden in the French national library, the 57 letters mistakenly labelled as Italian

While in captivity for 19 years in various castles in England, Mary communicated with her associates and allies, making extensive efforts to recruit messengers and to maintain secrecy (PA)

Historians have revealed the cunning schemes Mary Queen of Scots orchestrated while she was imprisoned in England by her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I.

In 2023, codebreakers decoded secret and previously feared lost letters written by the 16th-century monarch.

Hidden in the French national library, the 57 letters were mistakenly labelled as Italian – until Israeli computer scientist George Lasry, Japanese astrophysicist Satoshi Tomokiyo, and German music professor Norbert Biermann found them.

The trio solved the cipher system used by Mary, Queen of Scots, during her imprisonment to encrypt the messages.

Since the discovery in the Bibliothèque Nationale de France, historians Alex Courtney and Estelle Paranque joined the project, unveiling fascinating insights into the letters’ contents, which are due to be published in a book in 2027.

The letters date from 1578 to 1584 (Lyon & Turnbull)

They say the letters show Mary orchestrated a number of political schemes, including trying to manipulate Elizabeth’s spymaster, Francis Walsingham, according to The Times.

Most of the letters, which date from 1578 to 1584, are addressed to Michel de Castelnau de Mauvissiere, the French ambassador to England, who was a supporter of Catholic Mary.

She asks him to feed information about her, including direct instructions on what to say.

“Honestly, if you read the letters that are not ciphered, I thought she was a moron,” Ms Paranque said at the Chalke History Festival in Wiltshire, The Times reported.

“But our ciphers – if you really try to put yourself back in 1581, as if you don’t know who is going to win … I was reading them and thinking, she’s going to win. They’re that clever.”

She also mentions her son, the future King James I of England, repeatedly, calling him “my poor infant” at one point.

Mary was executed on 8 February 1587 (Getty)

“She’s very good at turning on the waterworks when, rhetorically, it might be the best strategy,” Mr Courtney said. “She is a particularly adept player of the very weak hand that she has.”

While in captivity for 19 years in various castles in England, Mary communicated with her associates and allies, making extensive efforts to recruit messengers and to maintain secrecy.

After being found to be plotting against Elizabeth, letters in code written by Mary were found; she was deemed guilty of treason and beheaded on 8 February 1587.

Speaking at the time of the letters’ discovery, Mr Lasry said: “Upon deciphering the letters, I was very, very puzzled and it kind of felt surreal.

“We have broken secret codes from kings and queens previously, and they’re very interesting, but with Mary Queen of Scots, it was remarkable as we had so many unpublished letters deciphered and because she is so famous.

“This is a truly exciting discovery.”