Rizzio: Darkland Tales

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It’s a sort of Horrible Histories for adults. For those, like me, whose knowledge of the history of the day may have fallen away somewhat since schooldays, it is a thoroughly entertaining couple of hours of reading.

Mary remains one of the most intriguing & divisive characters in royal history. There was no shortage of drama in her short life but one of the most compelling incidents was the murder of her private secretary David Rizzio. Maybe because one of the ringleaders behind the plot was her snivelling weasel of a husband, Henry Stuart (Lord Darnley). Mina's first Paddy Meehan novel, The Field of Blood (2005), was filmed for broadcast in 2011 by the BBC, starring Jayd Johnson, Peter Capaldi and David Morrissey. [2] The second, The Dead Hour, was filmed and broadcast in 2013. [3] Biography [ edit ] Rizzio is the first in a series called Darkland Tales, “dramatic fictional retellings of stories from history” - but with a 21st century attitude. In 1566 David Rizzio, the private secretary of Mary, Queen of Scots, was murdered in her presence by a cabal of Scottish nobles hoping to overturn her rule. It’s a famous (or more rightly, infamous) story, the subject of another book I’ve read, The Italian Secretary. HMC Calendar of the manuscripts of the Most Honourable the Marquess of Salisbury preserved at Hatfield House, Hertfordshire, vol. 1 (London, 1883), p. 333, and in Thomas Wright, Queen Elizabeth and her Times, vol. 1 (London, 1838), pp. 226-235.Rizzio thinks that, if Darnley wanted him dead, he could run him through right here. Rizzio knows something is going on, but something is always going on – that’s how it is in the orbit of regal power. Underneath that sloping roof is a man called Henry Yair. He’s watching the game, sitting on a bench built into the wall of the indoor court. He’s Lord Ruthven’s retainer, here to keep an eye on Darnley for the boss. What fictionalised true crime can do … David Oluwale, who was found dead in the River Aire near Leeds in April 1969. Photograph: PA Rizzio was played by John Carradine in the 1936 RKO picture Mary of Scotland; by Ian Holm in the 1971 movie Mary, Queen of Scots; by Tadeusz Pasternak in the BBC mini-series Gunpowder, Treason, and Plot; by Andrew Shaver in The CW network television show Reign; and by Ismael Cruz Córdova in the 2018 film Mary Queen of Scots.

Diehard history enthusiasts (such as myself) may understandably meet “Rizzio” with a fair share of trepidation and reluctance; as “Rizzio” is not a typical, fleshed-out historical-fiction novel re-telling history. Instead, Mina presents a unique take on the murder of David Rizzio that combines elements of a modern-day satire, psychological thriller and historical character study that reads like the premise synopsis of a stage play. Yet, “Rizzio” is successful and impactful achieving a level of emotion that many historical fiction novels fail at even in longer lengths. It's Saturday evening, 9 March 1566, and Mary, Queen of Scots, is six months pregnant. She's hosting a supper party, secure in her private chambers. She doesn't know that her Palace is surrounded – that, right now, an army of men is creeping upstairs to her chamber. They're coming to murder David Rizzio, her friend and secretary, the handsome Italian man who is smiling across the table at her. Mary's husband, Lord Darnley, wants it done in front of her and he wants her to watch it done ...The result, is a fascinating glimpse into the human psyche, Mary trying to outwit the Protestant nobles guilty of the killing, as she imagines their plans for her are not dissimilar. Gordon Donaldson, Thirds of Benefices (Edinburgh, 1949), p. 155: William Barclay Turnbull, Letters of Mary Stuart (London, 1845), p. xxxvi.

Overall, I absolutely loved Rizzio - much more than I was expecting to - and I would have happily kept reading forever if it had continued into the next part of Mary's life. Thomas Finlayson Henderson, Mary, Queen of Scots: Her Environment and Tragedy, 2 (New York, 1905), p. 654It is pleasantly cool in the tennis court but Rizzio is sweating. His clothes are damp and his heart is hitting a steady fast rhythm. He’s still fit and able and gives thanks to God for it. Good health is a rare gift at the age of thirty-two. McDonald, Alan (12 October 2017). "The winner of the Gordon Burn Prize 2017 is announced". New Writing North . Retrieved 16 March 2018. Gordon Donaldson, Scotland's History: Approaches and Reflections (Scottish Academic Press, 1995), p. 63: Charles Rogers, History of the Chapel Royal of Scotland (London, 1882), p. lxiv: Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, vol. 19 (Edinburgh, 1898), p. 338. Arthur Conan Doyle used the death of Rizzio as a plot point in his 1908 story, “The Silver Mirror”. It’s the story of the assassination of David Rizzio, the secretary to Mary, Queen of Scots. One night, on a whim, he was murdered - not just by one person, but by a group who came together for this purpose. The story is tense, gritty, and dark. It feels like an historical crime thriller because this really happened even though all the details aren’t known. Also, Mary, Queen of Scots? She’s one of the most fascinating historical figures of which I’ve read, and I never tire of stories surrounding her life.