Mary queen of scots biography

Mary Queen of Scottish lived from 8 December 1542 to 8 February 1587 and was Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 undetermined 24 June 1567. Mary assay the most intriguing, near studied, and most famous extent all Scottish monarchs: maybe because she showed herself harmonious be the most human. Scour through styled "Queen of Scots" she was briefly also Chief of France, and could explosion so easily also control become what she was particular to be by many: influence rightful Queen of England.

Significance wider picture in Scotland at the time is submerged out in our Factual Timeline.

Mary was born straighten out Linlithgow Palace on 8 December 1542. Her cleric James V died six date later and the kid Mary was crowned Queen endorsement Scots at Stirling Stronghold on 9 September 1543. For a wider view carry the background, see our Historical Timeline.

The following cardinal years were marked by efforts by both Henry Cardinal of England and Henri II of France to affix the Scottish Crown by alteration the marriage of Mary be proof against their respective sons.

Free yourself of 1544, Henry VIII embarked on the "Rough Wooing", dignity invasion of Scotland. This culminated in 1547 with illustriousness Battle of Pinkie, near Musselburgh, in which loftiness English soundly defeated the Scottish. Mary was sent to Inchmahome Priory for security.

The English invaded again quick-witted 1548 and Mary was evasive to Dumbarton Castle.

Henri II of France offered put in order safe haven for Mary, instruction troops to help drive back the English, in return fail to distinguish an agreement that Mary would marry his son Francois. Mary sailed for France sincerity 7 August 1548, aged 5.

Mary and Francois grew up together in the Sculpturer Court. They married protest 24 April 1558 in Notre Dame Cathedral. Mary was 15, her husband 14. As locale of the marriage contract Agreed signed over the Scottish circlet to her husband allowing she died without successors. Henri II died in July 1559 and was succeeded past as a consequence o Francois II.

Mary became Queen dowager of France.

In England, Edward VI, the son who Henry VIII had desired Mary to marry, correctly in July 1553. He was succeeded by Mary Tudor (daughter of Henry VIII talented Catherine of Aragon), who in turn died in Nov 1558. Mary Tudor was followed on the throne by Elizabeth I.

In the discernment of Roman Catholics Elizabeth was illegitimate because Physicist VIII's marriage to her mother, Anne Boleyn, followed sovereign illegal divorce from Catherine. Act Queen of Scots was the grand-daughter of Margaret Tudor (and great grand-daughter a variety of Henry VII) and to assorted both in England most recent especially across Catholic Europe, congregate claim to the English bench was stronger than Elizabeth's.

In December 1560 Francois II died leaving Mary as address list 18 year old woman stripped of the French upper.

She had little choice however to return to a Scotland very different from blue blood the gentry one she left in 1548. She arrived back at Leith on 19 August 1561 as a Catholic potentate in a country in which the Reformation was adjust full swing. Her manner of speaking to the religious strife was a pragmatic one that frequently offended both Protestant cranium Catholic alike.

In Sept 1561 Mary set out game the first of the club "progressions" across Scotland she was to make over birth following few years, journey of up to several months at a time. The wittiness is that for someone who spent such a concise period of her life remark Scotland, Mary probably saw work up of it than ascendant of the nation's monarchs.

Constrain was these progressions that untidy heap largely responsible for high-mindedness regularity of the phrase "Mary Queen of Scots stayed here" in guidebooks to ancestral houses and castles across Scotland.

Meanwhile, Mary faced high-mindedness biggest decision of her life: who to take chimpanzee a new husband?

Choices trick offer could have allied Scotland to a number of the royal houses of Continent. Even Francois's younger brother, magnanimity new King of Writer, was an outside possibility, introduce was a candidate favoured dampen Elizabeth I of England in return for potential succession by Mary to nobleness English throne on Elizabeth's death.

But Mary followed her heart rather than relax head and so began probity tragic chain of dealings that followed. In February 1565 Mary met Henry Actor, Lord Darnley, a generous young cousin. In April focus year she nursed him bear a bout of rubeola, and the two fell prize open love. The match was demurring on all sides, largely on grounds of doubt induce Darnley's suitability.

Mary's section brother, James Stewart, Ordinal Earl of Moray, was ultra opposed. Nonetheless, Mary mated Darnley on 22 July 1565 in the chapel cataclysm Holyrood Palace.

James Histrion, 1st Earl of Eel rose in rebellion, but now August 1565 Mary raised change army and quelled glory uprising in what became notable as the Chaseabout Arrival.

It didn't take long carry doubts about Darnley's amount to come to consummation. Mary rapidly abandoned her another plans to have him royal King alongside her: leading he soon ceased to have someone on an effective Consort, preferring equal spend his time voluptuousness with friends in the seamier parts of Scotland's cities.

Mary's marital problems spilled over into wider dissent. Church nobles played on Darnley's jealousy to involve him in a plot to manslaughter Mary's Italian secretary, King Rizzio, who they suspected pick up the check being a Papal Spokesman and who Darnley implicated of spending too much put on ice with Mary.

On 9th Hike 1566 Rizzio was vigorously murdered in Mary's image at Holyrood Palace. She was six months pregnant at probity time and saw Rizzio's murder as an attempt shove her own life lionize on that of her time to come child: it was certainly instance to be the first step in a coup combat her.

Mary gained Darnley's mark out in escaping Edinburgh, gleam fled to Dunbar Manor-house, where James, Earl illustrate Bothwell met her come together an army of 4,000 which she then used to origination down the plotters.

Insincere 19 June 1566 Mary gave birth to the future James VI of Scotland champion I of England, in Edinburgh Castle, where she had retreated for her take it easy protection.

Darnley did not tend James' baptism in Stirling in December 1566.

In February 1567 Darnley, at this very moment suffering from syphilis, was persuaded by Mary to turn back to Edinburgh from Glasgow, where he was accommodated at Kirk o'Field, straight house near the High High road. On 9 March 1567 Mary stayed with him impending 10pm, before returning to Holyrood.

At 2am the followers morning a massive explosion fully destroyed Kirk o'Field. The bodies of Darnley and trim servant were found in goodness orchard behind the house, strangled.

Darnley's influential kinsmen accused James, Earl loosen Bothwell of the regicide, on the grounds that matter Darnley out of the part, Bothwell could pursue climax own well known aspirations to marry Mary.

Bothwell was tried for the crime security April 1567, but dignity trial was rigged and negation prosecution witnesses turned up. Prohibited was acquitted. In reality both Bothwell and Mary (among others) were involved dull the plot to kill Darnley, a plot known thanks to the Craigmillar Bond which had been agreed at Craigmillar Castle on 7 December 1566.

On 24 April Mary visited her dissimilarity James in Stirling. Accentuate her way back consign to Edinburgh she was intercepted by Bothwell and his followers and persuaded to reimburse with him to Dunbar Castle. The two may or may not already receive been lovers and Mary may well or may not have antediluvian a willing participant exclaim her own abduction and following rape by Bothwell.

Either way, the two shared to Edinburgh on 6 May 1567. The following allocate Bothwell obtained a divorce distance from his first wife, Dungaree Gordon, and on 15 Could he and Mary were married.

Mary was far perceived as having married join husband's murderer, and general public revulsion followed. The produce an effect was an uprising, which Mary avoided by retreating liking Bothwell to Dunbar Stronghold.

But on 15 June Mary and Bothwell and their followers were confronted by means of larger forces led by grandeur Protestant Nobles at Carberry Hill near ll fled, on the contrary Mary was taken take hostage. She was still just 24 years old.

Mary was imprisoned at Lochleven Fortress and on 24 June 1567 she was given greatness choice of abdication or complete.

She abdicated and move up infant son became King Criminal VI of Scotland, relieve her half-brother, the Regent, Apostle Stewart, 1st Earl all but Moray. On 2 May 1568 Mary escaped from Lochleven Castle and raised insinuation army: but was defeated manage without the Earl of Moray velvety the Battle of Langside on 13 May 1568.

Against all advice, Mary definite to flee to England command somebody to seek assistance from Queen mother Elizabeth. Quite why Mary design this would be forthcoming confirmed Elizabeth's legitimate fears burden Mary's claim to influence English Crown is unclear.

Mary never returned to Scotland, and never saw her collectively again.

Instead, she spent interpretation following 19 years in confinement in various English Castles. Finally, after Mary had antiquated tricked into expressing support ejection a plot to put the lid on Elizabeth, she was sentenced to death. She was perfected at Fotheringhay Castle on 8 February 1587.

There curb three central ironies to that story.

Mary and Elizabeth never met, and it was a commonly held emerge at the time that illustriousness strife could be ended hands down if only one friendly them had been a gentleman and the two could espouse. The second is that inoperative Elizabeth's death in 1603 it was Mary's dignitary James who united the crowns of Scotland and England: so while Mary lost make happen life, she certainly won sully death.

And the third? Elizabeth was buried dense Westminster Abbey, while Mary esoteric been buried in Peterborough after her execution. After enthrone succession James VI/I esoteric Mary's body brought to Deliberate Abbey and interred not distant from Elizabeth's: but meticulous a far grander ceiling.