Lord Bothwell

“	With or without your crown, I would do anything for you.	”
	— Bothwell to Mary in Dead of Night

Lord Bothwell is a recurring character in the fourth season of Reign. He is portrayed by Adam Croasdell.

Biography[]

Early Life[]

Lord Bothwell was familiar with Mary and seemed to know her mother, Marie de Guise, very well. As a youth he was educated in France and spoke several languages. A bright and intelligent youth, he was fortunate to have a relatively good education. He had a bit of a checkered past with women and marriage, some said he had mastered sorcery to seduce women. He was one of the most faithful & unwavering supporters of Mary's mother, who suffered being a widow in chaotic, sexist times.

In the Series[]

Season Four[]

Lord Bothwell makes his first appearance in Hanging Swords when Mary goes to visit him in a pub. He acts as Mary's Loyal Watchman.

Personality[]

Bothwell was the kind of guy who said exactly what he thought, which caused him to come off as a bit brash and off the cuff at times. On the other hand, his honesty was appreciated as one would rarely need to guess where he stood on an issue, unlike most in the duplicitous and two faced nobility.

Similarly to Mary, Bothwell proved himself to be a resourceful ally and passionate lover, as well as a ruthless enemy - depending on who he interacted with. He was both the bark and the bite, with the bite applying especially to Darnley. But arguably, his most admirable trait was his loyalty. Bothwell stood by Mary's side, literally and figuratively, for as long as he knew her.

According to some historical accounts, Bothwell was a well-liked lord in his district - an accessible, approachable man of the people, and not there to suck them dry to be wealthy himself, which was not all that common for the lords of that time. He was not impressed by names or titles, which made him unpopular among his fellow blue-bloods. It would seem he had that in common with Mary.

Physical Appearance[]

It is said that he inherited his good looks and charm from his dad, who was referred to as the "Fair Lord". Portraits available show a fairly rough looking fellow, but he was apparently very attractive to the opposite sex. His charm was so potent that some accused him of being a wizard - using sorcery to make women fall under his spell.

Relationships[]

Mary Stuart: Bothwell was present when a Druid sends a message to Mary. The messenger told her that she could have love or an heir, but she could not have both in Uncharted Waters. Later , he tells Mary that he believes the 'love' the druid spoke of was referring to them in Pulling Strings. While most historical accounts accuse him of kidnapping and raping Mary, it's probably more likely that the whole thing was done to attempt a legal marriage, under correct form based on Scottish law, and with signed agreement from many of the ruling Lords at the time. Also shedding light on whether or not Bothwell, Mary and other advisors decided to take this course of action together, not against her wishes, is the fact that there are references to Mary bursting into tears every time she heard his name after they were both incarcerated in different nations, and also that she handed herself over; in an attempt to let him go free. One would have to guess that she would not hold that affection for a kidnapping rapist creep. He was not keen on Elizabeth - at one point, he was the only Scottish Lord who was not in some way on Liz's payroll.

Appearances[]

Season Four
Episode	Appearance Status
With Friends Like These	Absent
A Grain of Deception	Absent
Leaps of Faith	Absent
Playing with Fire	Mentioned
Highland Games	Absent
Love & Death	Mentioned
Hanging Swords	Appears
Uncharted Waters	Appears
Pulling Strings	Appears
A Better Man	Mentioned
Dead of Night	Appears
The Shakedown	Appears
Coup de Grace	Appears
A Bride. A Box. A Body.	Appears
Blood in the Water	Appears
All It Cost Her	Appears