Crowned Queen of Scotland at only seven days old, Mary Queen of Scots acceded to the French throne as queen consort at the tender age of sixteen. Widowed a year later she was also the rightful heir to the English throne, and her turbulent and troubled life makes her one of the most romantic and tragic figures in British history. This sampler reflects one of the happier periods in her life – her many years in the luxurious French court. The upper part of the sampler shows a beautiful renaissance-style French alphabet. In the lower section, Mary is depicted against a mille-fleur background facing the unicorn of Scotland . Both are surrounded by many of the symbols and emblems that were to mark her life -- the two crowns she held, and the third that was never hers, the emblems of Scotland, France and England, the chateaux and castles where she lived during her two reigns, and the ship which carried her between them. At the base of the sampler is the poignant motto which she loved so much that she had it embroidered on her cloth of state.

Worked in one colour of your choice in full cross stitches, this design can be stitched on Aida cloth, linen or other evenweave fabric.