Today Donizetti's Maria Stuarda was simulcast in HD from the
Metropolitan Opera. File under I didn't know that: The role of
Maria Stuarda was written for Maria Malibran, and premiered at
La Scala Milan on Dec 30, 1835. There was heavy censorship which
Maria defied. A very short history of Mary's life: she was born
on 8 December 1542 as the only legitimate child of James V of
Scotland; became the reigning Queen of Scotland at 6 days old;
married the dauphin of France at 5; became Queen consort of
France at 16; widowed at 18; returned to Scotland to begin to
reign as queen at 19; married her second husband, Henry Stuart,
Lord Darnley, at 23; had a child who became James VI of Scotland
and later James I of England; became a widow a second time at
24, then quickly married for a third time, and was imprisoned in
Scotland that same year; at 25 she was imprisoned in England,
where she remained for 18 years until her death. Mary was
Catholic, England and Elizabeth were Church of England, in fact
established it, while