Mary Queen of Scots

Mary Stuart was born in Linlithgow Palace on December 8, 1542, and assumed the throne of Scotland only eight days later upon the death of her father King James V.

She was crowned in September 1543. As Mary was too young to assume royal duties, Scotland was ruled by regents from opposing Catholic and Protestant factions who sought to make their religion dominant in Scotland. Mary was also the great niece of Henry VIII who saw the regency rule as an opportunity to unite Scotland and England under one monarch. Otherwise, to impose English rule on Scotland. Henry proposed that when Mary reached age 10, she would be married to Henry’s son. Albeit the agreement was signed, it was also quickly broken by the aforementioned competing factions. Due to Mary’s potential claim to the English throne her life was in danger, and while she was a baby, she was moved around Scotland often escorted by troops of guards. On one occasion there were 3,500 troops on duty.

For the reasons of safety and education Mary was moved to France when she was sixteen. She married Francis, the Dauphin of France, who became King of France in 1559. Sadly Mary’s life was shattered when he died in December 1560. Mary returned to Scotland in 1561 and in 1565 she married a first cousin, Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley at Holyrood Palace having obtained papal dispensation for an inter-cousin marriage.

Mary ruled Scotland with Darnley as the king consort. Darnley however wanted to be crown-matrimonial giving him joint rulership and the right to keep the Scottish throne should he outlive Mary. Mary denied him this and their marriage became strained. In October 1565 Mary became pregnant which in March prompted a group of conspirators, accompanied by Darnley, to break into Mary’s quarters at Holyrood. The result being the murder of Mary’s private secretary, Rizzio, who was rumored to be the child’s father.

Mary was allegedly an unfaithful wife to her cruel and murderous husband. Mary’s crimes may have gone further for in October 1566 she met with her nobles to discuss the “problem of Darnley,” and while divorce was considered, it is suggested that the nobles said something like “leave it with us.”

In January 1567 Darnley was afflicted by a fever, possibly smallpox, syphilis, or the result of poisoning. Mary encouraged him to return to Edinburgh, but she visited him regularly to the evening of February 9, 1567. In the morning of the following day Darnley’s body was discovered in the garden of James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell and a close friend of Mary’s. There were no marks on the body, but there was evidence that he was smothered. The family of the deceased accused Bothwell and insisted he stand trial. Mary consented but refused to permit the delivery of crucial evidence with the result being that Bothwell was acquitted after the trial. Mary was not overly lucky with men and in April 1567 Bothwell abducted and married her. The Scottish nobles didn’t support the marriage and by mid-year Mary was forced to abdicate and was imprisoned in Loch Leven Castle.