Mary Queen of Scots

Mary of Scots was one of the most fascinating and controversial monarchs of
16th century Europe. At one time, she claimed the crowns of four nations
(Scotland, France, England and Ireland. Her physical beauty and kind heart
were acknowledged even by her enemies.

Mary was Queen of Scotland and reigned about 460 years ago. She was one of
the most tragic queens in British history. Born in Linlithgow Palace in the year
1542, Mary was the third child (two young brothers had previously died) and the
only daughter of James V of Scotland and his second wife Mary of Guise, a
French noblewoman. Her father James V died six days after her birth and with
his death Mary became the infant queen. On 23 July 1543, she and her
mother were moved to the safety of Stirling Castle where she was crowned
Queen on the 9th of September. The young queen was then entrusted to the
care and protection of Lords Erskine and Livingstone.

- In my end is my beginning..: This is the saying which Mary embroidered

on her cloth of estate whilst in prision in England. This mean the eternity
of life after death.

A Proposed Marriage: Mary Queen of Scots with Prince Edward of

England

In an effort to create an alliance with Scotland, King Henry VIII proposed a

marriage between his young son Edward and the infant Mary. When his efforts
failed, he launched a war on Scotland. This war was known as “The Rough
Wooing.” (1544-1551) After Henry VIII died in 1547, young Edward’s uncle the
Duke of Somerset continued on with the attempt to forcibly create an alliance
between the two countries. This phase saw several invasions into Scotland.
Shortly after the last invasion, the battle of Pinkie Cleugh, where the Scots
suffered a bitter defeat, Mary’s mother sent her for security to the priory of
Inchmahome, situated on an island in the Lake of Menteith. She was eventually
transferred to Dumbarton Castle the stronghold most accessible to France. On
August, 1548 she sailed for France accompanied by her guardians and young
companions who were children of the Scottish nobility.

First Marriage: Mary Queen of Scots to the Dauphin (which was a title given
to the heir apparent to the throne of France )

Ten years later she married Francis, son of Henry II, king of France, and his
wife, Catherine de Medici. In 1559, Mary's husband was crowned Francis II,
making Mary his queen consort. Unfortunately, Francis died from an ear
infection the year after he ascended to the throne, leaving Mary a widow at 18.

Following her husband's death, Mary returned to Scotland. When she arrived
Scotland, Mary had a little direct experience of the dangerous and complex
political situation in Scotland. Scotland was torn between Catholic and
Protestant factions. The protestant reformer John Knox influenced her to
change Scotland's official religion from Catholicism to Protestantism. As a
Roman Catholic raised in France, Mary found herself an outsider.

Second Marriage: Mary Queen of Scots to Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley

Scotland at this time was in the throes of the Reformation and a widening
Protestant – Catholic split. A Protestant husband for Mary seemed the best
chance for stability. In 1565 Mary married her cousin Henry Stuart, Lord
Darnley, an English nobleman. Mary fell passionately in love with Henry, but it
was not a success. Darnley was a weak man and soon became a drunkard as
Mary ruled entirely alone and gave him no real authority in the country.

Her son, the future King James VI of Scotland and I of England, was baptised in
the Catholic faith in Stirling Castle. This caused alarm amongst the Protestants.
Lord Darnley, Mary’s husband, later died in mysterious circumstances in
Edinburgh, when the house he was lodging in was blown up one night in
February 1567. His body was found in the garden of the house after the
explosion, but he had been strangled!

Third Marriage: Mary Queen of Scots to James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell

The rift between Mary and her husband became public knowledge. She turned
to a Scottish nobleman, a very powerful man, James Hepburn, the Earl of
Bothwell, for support. He and other Scottish noblemen proposed to do
whatever they could to help the queen in her dilemma. This decision led to a
failed explosion plot and to the strangulation death of Darnley. A few months
later, Mary and the Earl married. This angered the populace who suspected
Bothwell’s participation in the murder of their King. Mary’s subjects were
outraged and turned against her. Bothwell was sent into exile where he was
ultimately arrested and held captive until his death, while Mary was imprisoned
in Lochleven Castle. In July 1567, Mary was compelled to abdicate the throne in
favor of her infant son.

Against Elizabeth

Before Mary’s abdication, in November 1558, Henry VIII's daughter, Elizabeth

Tudor, became Queen Elizabeth I of England. However, many Roman Catholics
considered Elizabeth's rule to be illegitimate, as they did not recognize the
validity of Henry VIII's marriage to Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth's mother.

Mary's great-grandfather had been Henry VII (the father of Henry VIII); as a
legitimate descendant of the Tudor line, she had a strong claim to the English
throne. Mary's French father-in-law, Henry II, made this claim on her behalf.

In 1568, Mary escaped from Lochleven. She raised an army, but was soon
defeated. Mary then fled to England, where she sought Elizabeth's protection.
Instead of helping her cousin, Elizabeth imprisoned Mary. Mary's captivity would
last for the next 18 years.

Mary's death

Given Mary's lineage and religion, she became the focus of Catholic plots to
assassinate Elizabeth so that Mary could take the throne. Mary corresponded
with Anthony Babington, one such plotter. When Elizabeth's spymaster
uncovered the letters in 1586, Mary was brought to trial and found guilty of
treason.

After Elizabeth signed her cousin's death warrant, Mary was executed in
Fotheringhay Castle, Northamptonshire, on February 8, 1587. She was 44
years old. Elizabeth had Mary buried in Peterborough Cathedral. After Mary's
son became king of England, he moved his mother's body to Westminster
Abbey in 1612.

Conclusion

Mary, Queen of Scots is perhaps the best known figure in Scotland’s history.
Her life provided tragedy and romance, more dramatic than any legend.
Centuries after her death, Mary continues to be an object of cultural fascination.
Her life inspired the 1971 film Mary, Queen of Scots, the television
show Reign and a popular 2013 exhibition at National Museums Scotland.