Not Just the Tudors – “Tudor True Crime: Who Murdered Lord Darnley?”

Podcast: Not Just the Tudors
Host: Prof. Suzannah Lipscomb
Guest: Denise Mina (author and historian)
Date: November 17, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode delves into the infamous and unresolved murder of Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, husband to Mary, Queen of Scots, in 1567. Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by historian and novelist Denise Mina to unravel the tangled web of court intrigue, betrayal, jealousy, and political maneuvering surrounding Darnley's death—a crime that profoundly altered Scotland’s monarchy and haunted its history for centuries. Together, they assess contemporary evidence, reevaluate suspects, and challenge centuries-old accusations against Mary, Queen of Scots.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Who Was Lord Darnley?

• Bloodline and Character
  • Darnley was both a claimant to the English and Scottish thrones.
  • Noted for his handsomeness and royal blood, he was nonetheless “incredibly damaged” due to familial dysfunction and possible syphilis (03:00).
  • Portrayed as vain, petulant, reckless, and sexually promiscuous, causing trouble soon after marrying Mary (02:53).

“Apart from his bloodline, which is important, he is an heir to the English and Scottish throne, and Mary, Queen of Scots, fancies him to bits... But beyond the beautiful exterior, Lord Darnley has a lot going on. He's incredibly damaged.” — Denise Mina [03:00]

2. The Rizzio Murder and Its Fallout

• Motivations for Murder
  • Darnley conspired with nobles to murder Mary's secretary, David Rizzio, in front of the pregnant Mary—motivated by jealousy, political strategy, and a desire for control (05:39).
  • The murder was notably brutal; each conspirator stabbed Rizzio, following an ancient “everyone’s hands are dirty” idea (09:56).
  • Denise proposes the violence was intended to shock Mary into miscarriage, weakening her politically (10:00).

“Every single one of the nobles that were there had to stab him so that nobody could get done for it... they wanted her to miscarry that baby.” — Denise Mina [09:56]

• Aftermath and Shifting Loyalties
  • Darnley turned against the conspirators, joining Mary, which created new enmities, notably with the Earl of Morton (11:09).
  • The murder left Mary vulnerable and Darnley increasingly isolated, even among former allies (12:26).

3. Context Before Darnley’s Murder

• Darnley as a Growing Liability
  • His reckless behavior, threats to leave Scotland, and erratic actions (including possible plans for a military coup) united former enemies against him. He was also abusive and publicly humiliated Mary (16:38).

“He's just like a rocket about to go off and no one knows which direction it's going off in.” — Denise Mina [15:57]

• Consideration of Divorce
  • Mary and her council discussed divorce (“in inverted commas,” potentially a euphemism for assassination), but political realities made this almost impossible (15:57).
  • Darnley’s survival threatened the monarchy’s stability; many had motivating factors to see him removed.

4. The Night of the Murder: 9–10 February 1567

• Sequence of Events
  • Darnley, ill with syphilis, was staying at Kirk o’ Field in Edinburgh. Mary visited him and then left for a wedding, while Darnley awaited her return (16:38).
  • Hours later, a deafening explosion destroyed his lodging. Darnley and his servant were found dead in a nearby orchard, not burnt but likely strangled—suggesting the explosion was staged (20:00).

“He's found in an orchard, laid out like a dead body with his nightie pulled right up in a very disrespectful way. Next to him is his dead valet... There's a chair, there's a rope, there's a fur cloak.” — Denise Mina [20:00]

• Alibis and Red Herrings
  • Mary was absent, attending a wedding—later a focus of suspicion. Notable detail: she was dressed in men’s clothing, a possible red herring or simply practical for riding, inherited from Catherine de Medici’s customs (18:33).

5. Investigations and Conspiracies

• Conflicting Inquiries

  • Those responsible for investigating Darnley’s murder were likely themselves conspirators, muddying facts and deflecting blame from themselves (20:00).
  • The order of events strongly suggests Darnley was murdered first, the house then blown up to cover the crime (22:39).

• English Interest

  • English agents, notably William Cecil, pressed for clarity—partly due to suspicions of Mary’s involvement (22:24).

6. The Main Suspects

• James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell:

  • Mary’s close ally and, subsequently, husband. Had the means (gunpowder, as Edinburgh sheriff) and motive (growing favor with Mary).
  • Close relationship with Mary and consequent access raised suspicions (25:42).

• Earl of Morton:

  • Formerly implicated in the Rizzio affair; worked with Bothwell against Darnley, despite being former enemies (26:44).
  • Political necessity united rivals in the plot against Darnley.

• Why So Incompetently Done?

  • The murder was “an omnishambles” (29:32): too many agendas, poor understanding of gunpowder, lack of coordination and, perhaps, Bothwell’s recklessness.

“Some of them are there because they want power. Some of them are there because they like big bangs. Some of them love Mary... It is an omnishambles with death.” — Denise Mina [29:13]

7. Was Mary, Queen of Scots, Involved?

• Modern Reassessment
  • A panel of experts recently exonerated Mary, noting her stunned reaction and ongoing frantic correspondence after the murder (29:50).
  • Denise argues that Mary, traumatized and fixated on her child’s safety, was unlikely to have risked everything by murdering Darnley.

“For me, what's really convincing that she didn't have anything to do with it is the fact that she seems quite stunned after. And she is writing to people and trying to make sense of it in a way that seems very, very innocent.” — Denise Mina [35:34]

• The Casket Letters
  • Alleged letters implicating Mary are deeply flawed—the originals are lost, and the copies are inconsistent and possibly forged. Both guests agree these suit misogynistic narratives and shifted blame conveniently away from the actual killers (31:09–32:44).

8. Aftermath: Mary and Bothwell

• Downfall and Public Reaction
  • Mary, instead of pinning the crime on Bothwell as advised by Elizabeth and Catherine de Medici, relied on him for protection. Bothwell possibly kidnapped and raped Mary before their controversial marriage (41:14).
  • Public suspicion and propaganda turned the people against Mary; graffiti and rumors painted her as the orchestrator (42:37).

“The people have always loved her. The nobles haven't loved her, but the people have always loved her... and she begins to realize she has lost the people.” — Denise Mina [41:59]

• Loss of Public Support
  • The drama and spectacle surrounding Darnley’s death—rather than a quiet, plausible “natural death”—magnified suspicions and led directly to Mary’s political collapse and eventual abdication (46:07).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Darnley's Character:
  “He's just like a rocket about to go off and no one knows which direction it's going off in.”
  — Denise Mina [15:57]

• On the Power of Gendered Rumor:
  “As soon as you hear a sexual slur or slut-shaming of Mary, Queen of Scots, you have to ask yourself, would someone in that situation take that chance?”
  — Denise Mina [07:44]

• On the Murder Investigation:
  “The people who were conducting those extensive inquiries are the people who had conspired to kill Darnley. So they kind of muddy the way the information comes out.”
  — Denise Mina [20:12]

• On the Legacy of the Crime:
  “It is just a shambles. It is an omnishambles with death.”
  — Denise Mina [29:13]

• On Mary’s Innocence:
  “She is frantically thrashing around trying to work out what's going on, and she cannot believe it wasn't aimed at her... I think that seems very, very honest.”
  — Denise Mina [35:34]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Introduction & Context: 00:02
• Who Was Darnley? 02:53
• Rizzio’s Murder: 05:18 – 11:04
• Conspiracies Form Against Darnley: 12:26 – 16:21
• Events on the Night of the Murder: 16:38 – 20:00
• Scene of the Crime and Aftermath: 20:00 – 22:24
• The Main Suspects: 25:18 – 29:32
• Was Mary Involved/Casket Letters: 29:50 – 33:29
• Impact on Mary’s Rule: 41:14 – 46:07
• Reflections on the Aftermath: 47:01 – 48:10

Conclusion

Suzannah Lipscomb and Denise Mina provided a riveting, insightful journey into one of the Tudor era’s great true crime mysteries, untangling myth from historical fact and exposing the misogyny and politics that fed centuries of suspicion against Mary, Queen of Scots. Their verdict: the murder was less a cunning plot than a catastrophically mishandled conspiracy—one with consequences that doomed both victim and queen.