Mary, Queen of Scots (1542-1587), was the only surviving child of King James V of Scotland and his wife, Mary of Guise. She was only a week old when James V died. However, she was immediately proclaimed queen of Scotland.
Mary was born on Dec. 8, 1542, at Linlithgow Palace in Scotland. She was sent to France at the age of 5 to be educated. She married the French dauphin (crown prince) at the age of 15. The dauphin became King Francis II of France soon after their marriage, but he died in 1560.
Her reign.
Mary returned to Scotland in 1561, soon after it had officially become a Protestant country. Before the 1560’s, the Roman Catholic Church had been Scotland’s official church. Although Mary was a Catholic, she did not oppose the spread of the Protestant faith at first. In 1565, she married her cousin Henry Stuart, who was also known as Lord Darnley. This young Catholic nobleman’s rise to power caused leading Protestant lords to revolt. The rebellion was quickly put down. However, the queen soon discovered that she had married an ineffective and overly ambitious husband, and she came to hate him.
A rumor began that Mary was having an affair with her private secretary and confidant, an Italian musician named David Riccio (also spelled Rizzio). A band of Protestant nobles dragged Riccio from Mary’s presence and stabbed him to death in March 1566. Darnley was one of the leaders in the murder, but Mary convinced him to flee with her to Dunbar and thus preserved her power. Mary gave birth to a son three months later. This son eventually became King James VI of Scotland, as well as King James I of England (see James I).
Mary still hated her husband. Before long she began to show marked attention to James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell (see Bothwell, Earl of). Early in 1567, Darnley was murdered. Bothwell and Mary were suspected of involvement. Intent on marrying the queen, Bothwell abducted Mary, after which she reluctantly agreed to marry him.
Her death.
The marriage to Bothwell was deeply unpopular. Scottish leaders forced Mary to abdicate in favor of her son in June 1567, and they imprisoned her. She escaped in 1568 and raised a small army, but most Scots opposed her. Her forces were defeated, and she fled to England.
Mary was next in line for the English throne after her cousin Elizabeth I. However, she refused to recognize Elizabeth as queen. Beginning in 1569, Mary supported a series of plots to overthrow Elizabeth (see Elizabeth I).
Elizabeth kept Mary confined and for years refused demands for her execution. Eventually, however, Elizabeth had her tried for high treason. Mary was found guilty, and Elizabeth reluctantly signed Mary’s death warrant. Mary was beheaded on Feb. 8, 1587.
