A Too Free Conduit? When the Flow of Men and Ideas Turned against Marie de Guise

The purpose of this essay is to describe the way in which the substantial circulation of men and ideas between France and Scotland ultimately turned against Marie de Guise and the kingdom of France in the years 1559 and 1560. In order to build a Franco-Scottish kingdom, an initial step towards a Franco-British Empire, the King of France, Henri II, helped increase this trans-Channel circulation of men and ideas. Henri II’s goal was to forge an alliance with both Scottish and English opponents of the Catholic Mary Tudor, particularly by supporting and employing notable Scottish Protestant figures. This policy failed after the Scots’ growing concerns about the “Frenchification” of their government encountered a new English political context in which a Protestant queen, Elizabeth Tudor, took the throne. The open conduit backfired against French ambitions and against the Regent of Scotland, Marie de Guise. The rebellion in Scotland that began in 1559 proved successful by 1560. It was a swift victory by the Protestant Lords that was partly due to the fact that they allied themselves with England after long benefiting from a highly tolerant French attitude. The English takeover of cross-Channel communications led to the isolation of the French army in Scotland and, with the Amboise conspiracy in 1560, to the opening of a second front in France. Significantly, a number of Protestant Scots officially serving the King of France were also double agents for the benefit of England. ; Cet article souhaite montrer comment l’importante circulation des hommes et des idées entre la France et l’Écosse se retourna finalement contre Marie de Guise et le royaume de France en 1559-1560. Afin de construire un royaume franco-écossais, étape vers l’Empire franco-britannique, le roi de France Henri II encourageait la circulation des hommes et des idées de part et d’autre de la Manche. Son but était de s’allier avec les opposants écossais et anglais à la reine d’Angleterre catholique, Marie Tudor. Il soutenait et employait tout ...