Very rare ink signature, “Marie R,” on an off-white 5.5 x 2.5 slip clipped from a larger document dated September 1564. In very good condition, with two vertical folds, one through a single letter of signature, mounting remnants on reverse, and scattered light toning and soiling. Slip retains a few remnants of a red wax seal.
Mary was 21 when she signed this document. A widow of four years in 1564, she was expected to remarry and Elizabeth I feared that if she wed a powerful prince the Queen of Scots could amass enough political and military power to invade England. Wanting to ensure peace in both realms, in 1564 Elizabeth put forward her favorite suitor, Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, as a candidate. Mary took the suggestion as an insult, and to Elizabeth’s fury the following year married Lord Henry Darnley, a Catholic cousin also with a claim to the English crown. Autographs of Mary, Queen of Scots, are virtually nonexistent, and this is a fine example of her incredibly rare signature. Pre-certified John Reznikoff/PSA/DNA and RR Auction COA.
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