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"Mary, Queen of Scots" redirects here. For other uses, see Mary, Queen of Scots (disambiguation).
Mary I
Queen of Scots; Queen consort of France (more...)
Portrait by unknown artist, c. 1560-1592
Portrait by unknown artist, c. 1560-1592
Reign 14 December 1542 – 24 July 1567
Coronation 9 September 1543
Predecessor James V
Successor James VI
Consort Francis II of France (1558-1560)
Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley (1565-1567)
James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell (1567-1578)
Issue
James VI of Scotland & I of England
Royal house House of Stuart
Father James V
Mother Mary of Guise
Born 8 December 1542
Linlithgow Palace, West Lothian
Died 8 February 1587 (aged 44)
Fotheringhay Castle, Northamptonshire
Burial Peterborough Cathedral; Westminster Abbey

Mary I (popularly known as Mary, Queen of Scots) (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587) was Queen of Scots (the monarch of the Kingdom of Scotland) from 14 December 1542 to 24 July 1567. The precise style of British Sovereigns has varied over the years Circa (often abbreviated c, ca, ca or cca and sometimes Italicized to show it is Latin) means "about" Events 1287 - St Lucia's flood: The Zuider Zee sea wall in the Netherlands collapses killing over 50000 people Events 1132 - Battle of Nocera between Ranulf II of Alife and Roger II of Sicily. Events 1000 - Battle of Svolder, Viking Age. 1379 - Treaty of Neuberg, splitting the Austrian James V (10 April 1512 &ndash 14 December 1542 was King of Scots from 9 September 1513 until his death James VI and I (19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625 was King of Scotland as James VI, and King of England and King of Ireland as James Francis II (François II (19 January 1544 &ndash 5 December 1560 King-consort of Scotland (1558&ndash1560 and King of France (1559 &ndash 1560 was born Henry Stuart 1st Duke of Albany ( 7 December 1545 – 10 February 1567) commonly known as Lord Darnley, was a King Consort James Hepburn 1st Duke of Orkney (c 1534 – 14 April 1578) better known by his inherited title as 4th Earl of Bothwell, was Hereditary Lord High James VI and I (19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625 was King of Scotland as James VI, and King of England and King of Ireland as James A royal house or royal dynasty is a familial designation or Family name of sorts used by Royalty. The House of Stuart or Stewart was a Royal house of the Kingdom of Scotland, later also of the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of James V (10 April 1512 &ndash 14 December 1542 was King of Scots from 9 September 1513 until his death Mary of Guise (Marie de Guise November 22, 1515 &ndash June 11 1560) was the Queen Consort of James V of Scotland Events 1609 - Biblioteca Ambrosiana opens its reading room the second public library of Europe. The ruins of Linlithgow Palace are situated in the town of Linlithgow, West Lothian, Scotland, 15 miles west of Edinburgh. West Lothian ( Lodainn an Iar in Gaelic) is one of the 32 unitary Council areas in Scotland, and a Lieutenancy area. Events 421 - Constantius III becomes co- Emperor of the Western Roman Empire. Fotheringhay Castle was in the Village of Fotheringhay some 3½ miles (6 km to the north of the Market town of Oundle, Northamptonshire Northamptonshire (or archaically the County of Northampton; abbreviated Northants Peterborough Cathedral, or the Cathedral Church of St Peter St Paul and St Andrew, is the seat of the Bishop of Peterborough, is dedicated to Saint Peter The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, which is almost always referred to by its original name of Westminster Abbey, is a large mainly Gothic church Events 1609 - Biblioteca Ambrosiana opens its reading room the second public library of Europe. Events 421 - Constantius III becomes co- Emperor of the Western Roman Empire. The monarch of Scotland was the Head of state of the Kingdom of Scotland. The Kingdom of Scotland ( Gaelic: Rìoghachd na h-Alba, Scots: Kinrick o Scotland) was a State in northwest Europe Events 1287 - St Lucia's flood: The Zuider Zee sea wall in the Netherlands collapses killing over 50000 people Events 1132 - Battle of Nocera between Ranulf II of Alife and Roger II of Sicily. She was also the queen consort of France from 10 July 1559 to 5 December 1560. A queen consort is the title given to the wife of a reigning king. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Events 48 BC - Battle of Dyrrhachium, Julius Caesar barely avoids a catastrophic defeat to Pompey in Macedonia. Events 63 BC - Cicero reads the last of his Catiline Orations. After a long period of protective custody in England, she was tried and executed for treason following her involvement in three plots to assassinate Elizabeth I of England and place herself on the throne.

Contents

Heritage, birth, and coronation

During the 14th century reign of Robert II of Scotland, it had been confirmed that the Scottish Crown would only be inherited by males in the line of Robert's children—all sons—who were listed in that parliamentary Act. Marriages and issue His first wife was Elizabeth Mure, by her he had at least ten children King Robert III of Scotland An order of succession is a formula or algorithm that determines who inherits an office upon the death resignation or removal of its current occupant This article is about the pre-1707 parliament The article on the devolved legislative body established in 1999 is at Scottish Parliament. Females and female lines could inherit only after extinction of male lines.

Mary ascended to the throne because, with the demise of her father, James V, Robert II had no remaining direct male descendants of unquestionably legitimate origins. James V (10 April 1512 &ndash 14 December 1542 was King of Scots from 9 September 1513 until his death John Stewart, Duke of Albany, a direct descendant of Robert II, would probably have succeeded James V had he not died in 1536. John Stewart Duke of Albany (1481 or 1484 &ndash 2 July 1536 in Mirfleur France was Regent of the Kingdom of Scotland, Duke of Albany

Mary Stuart was the first member of the royal House of Stuart to use the Gallicised spelling Stuart, rather than the earlier Stewart. The House of Stuart or Stewart was a Royal house of the Kingdom of Scotland, later also of the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Francization or Gallicization (and informally Frenchification) is a process of Cultural assimilation that gives a French character to a Mary had adopted the French spelling Stuart during her time in France, and she and her descendants continued to use it. [1]

Princess Mary Stuart was born at Linlithgow Palace, Linlithgow, West Lothian, on 7 December or 8 December 1542 to King James V of Scotland and his French wife, Mary of Guise. The ruins of Linlithgow Palace are situated in the town of Linlithgow, West Lothian, Scotland, 15 miles west of Edinburgh. Linlithgow ( pronounced) ( Scottish Gaelic: Gleann Iucha, Scots Lithgae) is a town and former Royal Burgh in West Lothian ( Lodainn an Iar in Gaelic) is one of the 32 unitary Council areas in Scotland, and a Lieutenancy area. Events 43 BC - Marcus Tullius Cicero assassinated 1696 - Connecticut Route 108, one of the oldest highways Events 1609 - Biblioteca Ambrosiana opens its reading room the second public library of Europe. James V (10 April 1512 &ndash 14 December 1542 was King of Scots from 9 September 1513 until his death Mary of Guise (Marie de Guise November 22, 1515 &ndash June 11 1560) was the Queen Consort of James V of Scotland In Falkland Palace, Fife, her father heard of the birth and prophesied: "The devil go with it! It came with a lass, it will pass with a lass!" James truly believed that Mary's birth marked the end of the Stewarts' reign over Scotland. Falkland Palace in Fife, Scotland is a former royal palace of the Scottish Kings. Fife ( Gaelic: Fìobha) is a Council area of Scotland, situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. Instead, through Mary's son, it was the beginning of their reign over both the Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England. The Kingdom of England was a State (927-1707 located in Western Europe dating from the ninth or tenth century to the early eighteenth century when it was legally

The six- or seven-day-old Mary became Queen of Scotland when her father died at the age of 30, probably from cholera, although his contemporaries believed his death to have been caused by grief over the Scots' loss to the English at the Battle of Solway Moss. Cholera, sometimes known as Asiatic cholera or epidemic cholera, is an infectious Gastroenteritis caused by the Bacterium The Battle of Solway Moss took place on Solway Moss near the River Esk in the Scottish Borders in November 1542 between forces from England and James Hamilton, 2nd Earl of Arran was the next in line for the throne after Mary; he acted as regent for Mary until 1554, when he was succeeded by the Queen's mother, who continued as regent until her death in 1560. James Hamilton Duke of Châtellerault and 2nd Earl of Arran (c A regent, from the Latin regens "who reigns" is a person selected to act as Head of state (ruling or not because the ruler is a minor A dowager is a widow who holds a title or property or Dower, derived from her deceased husband

In July 1543, when Mary was six months old, the Treaties of Greenwich [1] promised Mary to be married to Edward, son of King Henry VIII of England in 1552, and for their heirs to inherit the Kingdoms of Scotland and England. Events in July The traditional period known as "fence month" (the closed season for deer in England ended July 9 (date varied The Treaty of Greenwich (also known as the Treaties of Greenwich) contained two agreements both signed on 1 July, 1543 in Greenwich between representatives Edward VI (12 October 1537 &ndash 6 July 1553 became King of England and Ireland on 28 January 1547 and was crowned on 20 February at the age of nine Henry VIII (28 June 1491 &ndash 28 January 1547 was King of England and Lord of Ireland, later King of Ireland and claimant to the Kingdom of "Heir" and "Heiress" redirect here For the men and women fragrances endorsed by Paris Hilton see Heiress (fragrance. Mary's mother was strongly opposed to the proposition, and she hid with Mary two months later in Stirling Castle, where preparations were made for Mary's coronation. For ships named after the castle see Stirling Castle (disambiguation Stirling Castle, located in Stirling, is one of the largest A coronation is a ceremony marking the investiture of a Monarch with regal power specifically involving the placement of a crown upon his or her head and the At the age of nine months Mary was crowned Queen of Scots in the Chapel Royal at Stirling Castle on 9 September 1543. A chapel is a holy place or area of Worship for Christians, which may be attached to an institution such as a large church, a College, a Events 1000 - Battle of Svolder, Viking Age. 1379 - Treaty of Neuberg, splitting the Austrian

The "Rough Wooing"

Mary, around the time of her wedding to Francis
Mary, around the time of her wedding to Francis

The Treaties of Greenwich fell apart soon after Mary's coronation. The betrothal did not sit well with the Scots, especially since Henry VIII suspiciously tried to change the agreement so that he could possess Mary years before the marriage was to take place. Henry VIII (28 June 1491 &ndash 28 January 1547 was King of England and Lord of Ireland, later King of Ireland and claimant to the Kingdom of He also wanted them to break their traditional alliance with France. Fearing an uprising among the people, the Scottish Parliament broke off the treaty and the engagement at the end of the year. Henry then began his "rough wooing"[2] designed to impose the marriage to his son on Mary. The Rough Wooing was a term coined by Sir Walter Scott and H E This consisted of a series of raids on Scottish territory and other military actions. It lasted until June 1551, costing over half a million pounds and many lives. The Pound Sterling ( symbol £; ISO code: GBP) subdivided into 100 pence (singular penny) is the Currency In May 1544, the English Earl of Hertford (later created Duke of Somerset by Edward VI) arrived in the Firth of Forth hoping to capture the city of Edinburgh and kidnap Mary, but Mary of Guise hid her in the secret chambers of Stirling Castle. The titles of Earl of Hertford and Marquess of Hertford have been created several times in the Peerages of England and Great Britain. The Duke of Somerset is a title in the peerage of England that has been created several times Edward VI (12 October 1537 &ndash 6 July 1553 became King of England and Ireland on 28 January 1547 and was crowned on 20 February at the age of nine The Firth of Forth ( Scottish Gaelic: Linne Foirthe) is the Estuary or Firth of Scotland's River Forth, where it flows Edinburgh ( ˈɛdɪnb(ərə Dùn Èideann) is the Capital of Scotland and is its second largest city after Glasgow.

On September 10, 1547, known as "Black Saturday", the Scots suffered a bitter defeat at the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh. Events 506 - The Bishops of Visigothic Gaul meet in the Council of Agde. The Battle of Pinkie Cleugh, along the banks of the River Esk near Musselburgh, Scotland on 10 September 1547, was part of the Mary of Guise, fearful for her daughter, sent her temporarily to Inchmahome Priory, and turned to the French ambassador Monsieur D'Oysel. Inchmahome Priory is situated on Inchmahome ("Inch" meaning an Island) the largest of three islands in the centre of Lake of Menteith, close

The French, remaining true to the Auld Alliance, came to the aid of the Scots. The Auld Alliance (Vieille Alliance auld-alliansen refers to a series of treaties offensive and defensive in nature between Scotland and France aimed specifically The new French King, Henri II, was now proposing to unite France and Scotland by marrying the little Queen to his three-year old son, the Dauphin François. Henry II (Henri II (31 March 1519 &ndash 10 July 1559 of the House of Valois and the son and successor of Francis I, was King of France from 31 The Dauphin of France (Dauphin de France—strictly Dauphin of Viennois ( Dauphin de Viennois)—was the title given to the Heir apparent of the This seemed to Mary of Guise to be the only sensible solution to her troubles. In February 1548, hearing that the English were on their way back, Mary of Guise moved Mary to Dumbarton Castle. Dumbarton Castle ( Gaelic Dùn Breatainn d̪̊unˈb̊ɾʲɛhd̪̊ɪɲ ( has the longest recorded history of any stronghold in Great Britain. The English left a trail of devastation behind once more and seized the strategically located town of Haddington. Haddington is a town and former Royal Burgh in East Lothian, Scotland By June, the much awaited French help had arrived. On 7 July with it the French Marriage Treaty was signed at a nunnery near Haddington. Events 1456 - A retrial verdict acquits Joan of Arc of heresy 25 years after her death

Childhood in France

Mary and Francis soon after their wedding
Mary and Francis soon after their wedding
Mary's Arms as Queen of Scots and Queen consort of France.
Mary's Arms as Queen of Scots and Queen consort of France. A coat of arms or armorial bearings (often just arms for short in European tradition is a design belonging to a particular person (or group of people A queen consort is the title given to the wife of a reigning king.

With her marriage agreement in place, five-year-old Mary was sent to France in 1548 to spend the next thirteen years at the French court. Henry II had offered to guard and raise her. Henry II (Henri II (31 March 1519 &ndash 10 July 1559 of the House of Valois and the son and successor of Francis I, was King of France from 31 On August 7, 1548, the French fleet sent by Henry II sailed back to France from Dumbarton carrying the five-year-old Queen of Scots on board. Events 322 BC - Battle of Crannon between Athens and Macedon following the death of Alexander the Great. Henry II (Henri II (31 March 1519 &ndash 10 July 1559 of the House of Valois and the son and successor of Francis I, was King of France from 31 Dumbarton ( Gaelic Dùn Breatainn d̪̊unˈb̊ɾʲɛhd̪̊ɪɲ is a Burgh in Scotland, lying on the north bank of the River Clyde She was accompanied by her own little court consisting of two lords, two half-brothers, and the "four Marys", four little girls her own age, all named Mary, and the daughters of some of the noblest families in Scotland: Beaton, Seton, Fleming, and Livingston. Mary Beaton (1543&ndash1598 was an attendant of Mary I of Scotland. Mary Seton (1549-1615 was the daughter of George Seton 6th Lord Seton, and Marie Pieris Lady in waiting to Marie de Guise, consort of King James Mary Fleming was one of the " Four Marys," ladies-in-waiting to Mary I of Scotland. Mary Livingston (c1541 - 1579 was the daughter of Alexander Livingston 5th Lord Livingston, guardian of Queen Mary I of Scotland.

Vivacious, pretty, and clever (according to contemporary accounts), Mary had a promising childhood. While in the French court, she was a favourite. She received the best available education, and at the end of her studies, she had mastered French, Latin, Greek, Spanish, and Italian in addition to her native Scots. French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly Italian ( or lingua italiana) is a Romance language spoken by about 63 million people as a First language, primarily in Italy. Scots ( The Scots leid) refers to Anglic varieties derived from early northern Middle English spoken in parts of Scotland and Northern She also learned how to play two instruments and learned prose, poetry, horsemanship, falconry, and needlework.

Despite the fact that Mary was tall for her age (she attained an adult height of 5'11")[3] and fluent in speech, while Henry II's son and heir François was abnormally short and stuttered, Henry commented that "from the very first day they met, my son and she got on as well together as if they had known each other for a long time"[4] On 24 April 1558 Mary married the Dauphin François at Notre Dame de Paris, François assuming the title King consort of Scots. Events 1479 BC - Thutmose III ascends to the throne of Egypt, although power effectively shifts to Hatshepsut (according to NotreDameFlyingButtressjpg|right|thumb|250px|Notre Dame de Paris Flying Buttress]] Notre Dame de Paris is a Gothic Cathedral on the eastern half of the When Henri II died on 10 July 1559, Mary, Queen of Scots, became Queen consort of France; her husband becoming Francis II of France. Henry II (Henri II (31 March 1519 &ndash 10 July 1559 of the House of Valois and the son and successor of Francis I, was King of France from 31 Events 48 BC - Battle of Dyrrhachium, Julius Caesar barely avoids a catastrophic defeat to Pompey in Macedonia. Francis II (François II (19 January 1544 &ndash 5 December 1560 King-consort of Scotland (1558&ndash1560 and King of France (1559 &ndash 1560 was born

Claim to the English throne

Mary as Queen consort of France
Mary as Queen consort of France

Under the ordinary laws of succession, Mary was next in line to the English throne after her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I, who was childless. In the eyes of many Catholics, Elizabeth was illegitimate, thus making Mary the true heir as Mary II of England. However the Third Succession Act of 1543 provided that Elizabeth would succeed Mary I of England on the throne. The Third Succession Act of Henry VIII's reign was passed by the Parliament of England in mid-1543 and returned both Mary and Elizabeth to the Mary I (18 February 1516 &ndash 17 November 1558 was Queen of England and Queen of Ireland from 19 July 1553 until her death

The anti-Catholic Act of Settlement was not passed until 1701, but the last will and testament of Henry VIII, (given legal force by the Third Succession Act), had excluded the Stewarts from succeeding to the English throne. The Act of Settlement is an act of the Parliament of England, originally filed in 1700 and passed in 1701 to settle the succession to the English throne In Common law, a will or testament is a document by which a person (the Testator) regulates the rights of others over his or her Property The Third Succession Act of Henry VIII's reign was passed by the Parliament of England in mid-1543 and returned both Mary and Elizabeth to the Mary's troubles were still further increased by the Huguenot rising in France, called le tumulte d'Amboise (March 6-March 17, 1560), making it impossible for the French to help Mary's supporters in Scotland. The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France (or French Calvinists) from the sixteenth to the eighteenth The Amboise conspiracy, or Tumult of Amboise ( 1560) was a failed attempt by Huguenots and the House of Bourbon to wrest power over France Events 1079 - Omar Khayyám completes the Iranian calendar. 1454 - Thirteen Years' War: Delegates of Events 45 BC - In his last victory Julius Caesar defeats the Pompeian forces of Titus Labienus and Pompey the Younger The question of the succession was therefore a real one.

François died on December 5, 1560. Events 63 BC - Cicero reads the last of his Catiline Orations. Mary's mother-in-law, Catherine de' Medici, became regent for the late king's brother Charles IX, who inherited the French throne. Catherine de' Medici (April 13 1519 &ndash January 5 1589 was born in Florence, Italy as Caterina Maria Romula di Lorenzo de' Medici. Charles IX (27 June 1550 &ndash 30 May 1574 born Charles-Maximilien, was King of France, ruling from 1560 until his death Under the terms of the Treaty of Edinburgh, signed by Mary's representatives on July 6, 1560 following the death of her mother, France undertook to withdraw troops from Scotland and recognise Elizabeth's right to rule England. The Treaty of Edinburgh was a Treaty drawn up in 1560 by the Parliament of Scotland in an attempt to formally end the Auld Alliance with Events 1044 - The Battle of Ménfő takes place 1189 - Richard the Lionheart is crowned King of England The 17-year-old Mary, still in France, refused to ratify the treaty.

Religious divide

Mary in mourning for Francis
Mary in mourning for Francis

Mary returned to Scotland soon after her husband's death and arrived in Leith on August 19, 1561. Formerly a municipal Burgh, Leith (Lìte is a district in the north of the city of Edinburgh at the mouth of the Water of Leith and is the port Events 43 BC - Octavian, later known as Augustus compels the Roman Senate to elect him Consul. Despite her talents, Mary's upbringing had not given her the judgment to cope with the dangerous and complex political situation in the Scotland of the time.

Mary, being a devout Roman Catholic, was regarded with suspicion by many of her subjects as well as by Elizabeth, who was her father's cousin and the monarch of the neighbouring Protestant country. Protestantism refers to the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated in the 16th century Protestant Reformation. Scotland was torn between Catholic and Protestant factions, and Mary's illegitimate half-brother, James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray, was a leader of the Protestant faction. James Stewart 1st Earl of Moray (c 1531 &ndash January 23, 1570) was Regent of Scotland from 1567 until his Assassination in 1570 The Protestant reformer John Knox also preached against Mary, condemning her for hearing Mass, dancing, dressing too elaborately, and many other real and imagined offences. John Knox (c 1510 – 24 November 1572 was a Scottish clergyman and leader of the Protestant Reformation who is considered the founder of the Presbyterian The Mass is the Eucharistic celebration in the Latin liturgical rites of the Roman Catholic Church. Dance (from French danser, perhaps from Frankish) is an Art form that generally refers to movement of the body usually rhythmic

To the disappointment of the Catholic party, however, Mary tolerated the newly-established Protestant ascendancy, and kept James Stewart as her chief advisor. In this, she was acknowledging her lack of effective military power in the face of the Protestant Lords. She joined with James in the destruction of Scotland's leading Catholic magnate, Lord Huntly, in 1562. George Gordon 4th Earl of Huntly (1514 &ndash 28 October, 1562) was a Scottish nobleman

Mary was also having second thoughts about the wisdom of having crossed Elizabeth, and attempted to make up the breach by inviting Elizabeth to visit Scotland. Elizabeth refused, and the bad blood remained between them. Mary then sent William Maitland of Lethington as an ambassador to the English court to put the case for Mary as a potential heir to the throne. Sir William Maitland of Lethington (1525 &ndash June 9, 1573) was a Scottish politician and reformer and the eldest son of the poet Richard Maitland Elizabeth's response is said to have included the words "As for the title of my crown, for my time I think she will not attain it. " However, Mary, in her own letter to her maternal uncle Francis, Duke of Guise, reports other things that Maitland told her, including Elizabeth's supposed statement that, "I for my part know none better, nor that my self would prefer to her. Francis II Prince of Joinville Duke of Guise Duke of Aumale ( February 17, 1519 &ndash February 24, 1563) called Balafré ("the " Elizabeth was mindful of the role Parliament would have to play in the matter.

In December 1561 arrangements were made for the two queens to meet, this time in England. The meeting had been fixed for York "or another town" in August or September 1562, but Elizabeth sent Sir Henry Sidney to cancel in July because of the Civil War in France. York ( is an historic Walled city sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. Sir Henry Sidney ( 1529 - 5 May 1586) lord deputy of Ireland, was the eldest son of Sir William Sidney of Penshurst a prominent politician In 1563, Elizabeth made another attempt to neutralize Mary by suggesting she marry Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester (Sidney's brother-in-law), whom Elizabeth trusted and thought she could control. Robert Dudley 1st Earl of Leicester ( 24 June 1532 /1533 &ndash 4 September 1588) was the long standing Favourite of Elizabeth Dudley, being a Protestant, would have solved a double problem for Elizabeth. She sent an ambassador to tell Mary that, if she would marry someone (as yet unnamed) of Elizabeth's choosing, Elizabeth would "proceed to the inquisition of her right and title to be our next cousin and heir". This proposal was rejected.

Marriage to Darnley

Mary with her second husband, Darnley
Mary with her second husband, Darnley

At Holyrood Palace on 29 July 1565, Mary married Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, her first cousin (The validity of this marriage has been disputed, as some say she was forced into it by Lord Darnley. The Palace of Holyroodhouse, or informally Holyrood Palace, founded as a monastery by David I of Scotland in 1128, has served as the principal residence Events 1014 - Byzantine-Bulgarian Wars: Battle of Kleidion: Byzantine emperor Basil II inflicts a decisive defeat Henry Stuart 1st Duke of Albany ( 7 December 1545 – 10 February 1567) commonly known as Lord Darnley, was a King Consort However, the issue was not brought up during her lifetime). The union infuriated Elizabeth, who felt she should have been asked permission, as Darnley was an English subject. Elizabeth also felt threatened by the marriage, because both Mary and Darnley were claimants to the English throne, being direct descendants of Margaret Tudor, the elder sister of Henry VIII. Margaret Tudor ( 28 November, 1489 &ndash 18 October 1541) was the elder of the two surviving daughters of Henry VII of England Their children would inherit both parents' claims, and thus, be next in line for the English throne.

This marriage, to a leading Catholic, precipitated Mary's half-brother, the James Stewart, Earl of Moray, to join with other Protestant Lords in open rebellion. James Stewart 1st Earl of Moray (c 1531 &ndash January 23, 1570) was Regent of Scotland from 1567 until his Assassination in 1570 Mary set out for Stirling on 26 August 1565 to confront them, and returned to Edinburgh the following month to raise more troops. Events 1071 - Battle of Manzikert: The Seljuk Turks defeat the Byzantine Army at Manzikert. Moray and the rebellious lords were routed and fled into exile, the decisive military action becoming known as the Chaseabout Raid. The Chaseabout Raid was a rebellion by James Stewart 1st Earl of Moray against his half sister Mary Queen of Scots on 26 August 1565, over

Before long, Mary became pregnant. Darnley became arrogant and demanded power commensurate with his courtesy title of "King". A courtesy title is a form of address in systems of Nobility used by children former wives and other close relatives of a peer. On one occasion he attacked Mary in an unsuccessful attempt to cause her to miscarry their unborn child. Darnley was jealous of Mary's friendship with her private secretary, David Rizzio, and, in March 1566 Darnley allegedly entered into a secret conspiracy with the nobles who had rebelled against Mary in the Chaseabout Raid. David Rizzio, sometimes written as David Riccio or David Rizzo (c On 9 March a group of the lords, accompanied by Darnley, murdered Rizzio in front of Mary while the two were in conference at Holyrood Palace. Events 590 - Bahram Chobin is crowned as king Barham VI of Persia. Darnley changed sides again and betrayed the lords, but the murder was the catalyst for the breakdown of their marriage.

Mary with her only adult son, James VI
Mary with her only adult son, James VI

Following the birth of their son, James, on 19 June 1566, a plot was hatched to remove Darnley, who was already ill (possibly suffering from syphilis). James VI and I (19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625 was King of Scotland as James VI, and King of England and King of Ireland as James Events 1179 - The Norwegian Battle of Kalvskinnet outside Nidaros. Syphilis is a Sexually transmitted disease caused by the spirochetal Bacterium Treponema pallidum pallidum. He was recuperating in a house in Edinburgh where Mary visited him frequently, so that it appeared a reconciliation was in prospect. In February 1567, an explosion occurred in the house at Kirk o'Field, and Darnley was found dead in the garden, apparently of strangulation; historian Alison Weir, however, concludes he died of post-explosion suffocation. Kirk o' Field in Edinburgh, Scotland, is best known as the site of the murder of Lord Darnley, second husband of Mary Queen of Scots in This event, which should have been Mary's salvation, only harmed her reputation. James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell, an adventurer who would become her third husband, was generally believed to be guilty of the assassination, and was brought before a mock trial but acquitted. James Hepburn 1st Duke of Orkney (c 1534 – 14 April 1578) better known by his inherited title as 4th Earl of Bothwell, was Hereditary Lord High Mary attempted to regain support among her Lords while Bothwell got some of them to sign the Ainslie Tavern Bond, in which they agreed to support his claims to marry Mary.

Abdication and imprisonment

Mary in captivity, c. 1578
Mary in captivity, c. 1578

On April 24 1567, Mary visited her son at Stirling for the last time. Circa (often abbreviated c, ca, ca or cca and sometimes Italicized to show it is Latin) means "about" Events 1479 BC - Thutmose III ascends to the throne of Egypt, although power effectively shifts to Hatshepsut (according to Stirling ( Gaelic: Sruighlea, Scots: Stirlin) is a city and former ancient Burgh in Scotland, and is at On her way back to Edinburgh Mary was abducted, willingly or not, by Bothwell and his men and taken to Dunbar Castle, where she was allegedly raped by Bothwell. Dunbar Castle is the remnants of one of the most mighty fortresses in Scotland, situated over the harbour of the town of Dunbar, in East Lothian. She became pregnant with twins, which she later miscarried while imprisoned. On May 6 they returned to Edinburgh and on May 15, at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, Mary and Bothwell were married according to Protestant rites. Events 1527 - Spanish and German troops sack Rome; some consider this the end of the Renaissance. Events 1252 - Pope Innocent IV issues the Papal bull Ad exstirpanda, which authorizes but also limits the The Palace of Holyroodhouse, or informally Holyrood Palace, founded as a monastery by David I of Scotland in 1128, has served as the principal residence Protestantism refers to the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated in the 16th century Protestant Reformation.

The Scottish nobility turned against Mary and Bothwell and raised an army against them. Mary and Bothwell confronted the Lords at Carberry Hill on June 15, but there was no battle as Mary agreed to follow the Lords on condition that they let Bothwell go [5]. The Battle of Carberry Hill took place on the 15th June 1567 near Musselburgh, a few miles east of Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. Events 763 BC - Assyrians record a Solar eclipse that will be used to fix the Chronology of Mesopotamian history However, the Lords broke their promise, and took Mary to Edinburgh and imprisoned her in Loch Leven Castle, situated on an island in the middle of Loch Leven. Loch Leven Castle is a ruined Castle on an island in Loch Leven, in the Perth and Kinross region of Scotland. Loch Leven ( Scottish Gaelic: Loch Lìobhann) is a Fresh water Loch in Perth and Kinross council area central Scotland. Between July 18 and July 24, 1567, Mary miscarried twins. Events 390 BC - Roman - Gaulish Wars Battle of the Allia - a Roman army is defeated by raiding Gauls, Events 1132 - Battle of Nocera between Ranulf II of Alife and Roger II of Sicily. Miscarriage or spontaneous abortion is the natural or spontaneous end of a Pregnancy at a stage where the embryo or fetus is incapable of surviving generally defined On July 24, 1567, she was also forced to abdicate the Scottish throne in favour of her one-year-old son James. Events 1132 - Battle of Nocera between Ranulf II of Alife and Roger II of Sicily.

On 2 May 1568, Mary escaped from Loch Leven and once again managed to raise a small army. Events 1194 - King Richard I of England gives Portsmouth its first Royal Charter. After her army's defeat at the Battle of Langside on May 13, she fled to England. The Battle of Langside, fought on May 13 1568, was one of the more unusual contests in Scottish history bearing a superficial resemblance to a grand family quarrel Events 1497 - Pope Alexander VI excommunicates Girolamo Savonarola. When Mary entered England on May 19, she was imprisoned by Elizabeth's officers at Carlisle. Events 1535 - French explorer Jacques Cartier sets sail on his second voyage to North America with three ships 110 men and Carlisle (pronounced CARLYLE(emphasis on the first syllable is a City in northern England the largest settlement in Cumbria. During her imprisonment, she famously had the phrase En ma Fin gît mon Commencement ("In my end is my beginning") embroidered on her cloth of estate.

Mary was moved to Bolton Castle on 16 July 1568 and remained there under the care of Henry the 9th Lord Scrope. Bolton Castle in North Yorkshire, is located in Wensleydale in the Yorkshire Dales ( She Lived in Bolton Castle, which was outfitted for her stay there, until 26 January 1569, when she was moved to Tutbury Castle. Tutbury is a large Village and Civil parish of about 3000 residents in the English county of Staffordshire.

After some wrangling over the question of whether Mary should be tried for the murder of Darnley, Elizabeth ordered an inquiry instead of a trial, which was held in York between October 1568 and January 1569. York ( is an historic Walled city sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The inquiry was politically influenced, but Elizabeth did not wish to convict Mary of murder.

Mary in captivity, c. 1580
Mary in captivity, c. 1580

Mary refused to acknowledge the power of any court to try her since she was an anointed Queen, and the man ultimately in charge of the prosecution, James Stewart, Earl of Moray, was ruling Scotland in Mary's absence. Circa (often abbreviated c, ca, ca or cca and sometimes Italicized to show it is Latin) means "about" James Stewart 1st Earl of Moray (c 1531 &ndash January 23, 1570) was Regent of Scotland from 1567 until his Assassination in 1570 His chief motive was to keep Mary out of Scotland and her supporters under control. Mary was not permitted to see them or to speak in her own defence at the tribunal. She refused to offer a written defence unless Elizabeth would guarantee a verdict of not guilty, which Elizabeth would not do.

The inquiry hinged on the "Casket letters"— eight letters purportedly from Mary to Bothwell, reported by James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton to have been found in Edinburgh in a silver box engraved with an F (supposedly for Francis II), along with a number of other documents, including the Mary/Bothwell marriage certificate. Casket Letters is the name generally given to a group of eight letters and a sequence of irregular sonnets said to have been addressed by Mary Queen of Scots, to the Earl James Douglas jure uxoris 4th Earl of Morton (c 1525 &ndash June 2, 1581) was the last of the four Regents of Scotland during The authenticity of the Casket Letters has been the source of much controversy among historians. The originals have since been lost, and the copies available in various collections do not form a complete set. Mary argued that her handwriting was not difficult to imitate, and it has frequently been suggested either that the letters are complete forgeries, that incriminating passages were inserted before the inquiry, or that the letters were written to Bothwell by some other person. Comparisons of writing style have often concluded that they were not Mary's work. It would have required a skilled forger to produce this series of delicate poems in French, dedicated to a loved one (presumed to be Bothwell)[6]

However, in 1570, Elizabeth was persuaded by representatives of Charles IX of France to promise to help Mary regain her throne. Charles IX (27 June 1550 &ndash 30 May 1574 born Charles-Maximilien, was King of France, ruling from 1560 until his death As a pre-condition, she demanded the ratification of the Treaty of Edinburgh, something Mary would still not agree to. The Treaty of Edinburgh was a Treaty drawn up in 1560 by the Parliament of Scotland in an attempt to formally end the Auld Alliance with Nevertheless, William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley, continued negotiations with Mary on Elizabeth's behalf. Lord Burghley redirects here For other holders of the title see Baron Burghley William Cecil 1st Baron Burghley (13 September 1520 &ndash

The Ridolfi Plot, which attempted to unite Mary and the Duke of Norfolk in marriage, caused Elizabeth to reconsider. The Ridolfi plot was a Roman Catholic plot in 1570 to assassinate Queen Elizabeth I of England and replace her with Mary I of Scotland. Thomas Howard 4th Duke of Norfolk ( 10 March, 1536 &mdash 2 June 1572) was an English nobleman also the 1st Earl of Southampton With the queen's encouragement, Parliament introduced a bill in 1572 barring Mary from the throne. Elizabeth unexpectedly refused to give it the royal assent. The furthest she ever went was in 1584, when she introduced a document (the "Bond of Association") aimed at preventing any would-be successor from profiting from her murder. It was not legally binding, but was signed by thousands, including Mary herself.

Mary eventually became a liability that Elizabeth could no longer tolerate. Elizabeth did ask Mary's final custodian, Amias Paulet, if he would contrive some accident to remove Mary. Sir Amias Paulet (1532 – September 26, 1588) was the son of Hugh Paulet and Philippa Pollard He refused on the grounds that he would not allow such "a stain on his posterity. " Mary was implicated in several plots to assassinate Elizabeth, raise the Catholic North of England, and put herself on the throne, possibly with French or Spanish help. The major plot for the political takeover was the Babington Plot, but some of Mary's supporters believed it and other plots to be either fictitious or undertaken without Mary's knowledge. The Babington Plot was the event which most directly led to the execution of Mary I of Scotland (Mary Queen of Scots

Elizabeth considered Mary's designs on the English throne to be a serious threat, and so eighteen years of confinement followed, much of it in Sheffield Castle and Sheffield Manor in the custody of George Talbot, 6th Earl of Shrewsbury and his redoubtable wife Bess of Hardwick. Sheffield Castle was a Castle in Sheffield, England, constructed at the confluence of the River Sheaf and the River Don, possibly Sheffield Manor, also known as the Manor Lodge or Manor Castle, is a lodge built about 1510 in what then was a large Deer park east of Sheffield George Talbot 6th Earl of Shrewsbury and Waterford KG, (1528 &ndash 18 November 1590) was an English statesman during the 16th century Elizabeth Talbot Countess of Shrewsbury ( July 27[[ 527]]&ndash February 13, 1608) known as Bess of Hardwick, was the third surviving daughter Bothwell was imprisoned in Denmark, became insane, and died in 1578, still in prison. The Kingdom of Denmark ( ˈd̥ænmɑɡ̊ (archaic ˈd̥anmɑːɡ̊ commonly known as Denmark, is a country in the Scandinavian region of northern Europe In 1580 Mary's confinement was transferred to Sir Amias Paulet, and she was under his care for the rest of her life. Sir Amias Paulet (1532 – September 26, 1588) was the son of Hugh Paulet and Philippa Pollard

Trial and execution

Contemporary sketch of the execution
Contemporary sketch of the execution

Mary was put on trial for treason by a court of about 40 noblemen, including Catholics, after being implicated in the Babington Plot and after having allegedly sanctioned the attempted assassination of Elizabeth. In Law, treason is the Crime that covers some of the more serious acts of disloyalty to one's sovereign or Nation. The Babington Plot was the event which most directly led to the execution of Mary I of Scotland (Mary Queen of Scots Mary denied the accusation and was spirited in her defence. One of her more memorable comments from her trial was "Remember Gentlemen the Theatre of history is wider than the Realm of England". She drew attention to the fact that she was denied the opportunity of reviewing the evidence or her papers that had been removed from her, that she had been denied access to legal counsel and that she had never been an English subject and thus could not be convicted of treason. The extent to which the plot was created by Sir Francis Walsingham and the English Secret Services will always remain open to conjecture. Sir Francis Walsingham (c 1532 – 6 April 1590) is usually remembered as the " Spymaster " of Queen Elizabeth I of England

In a trial presided over by England's Lord Chancellor, Sir Thomas Bromley [7] and Attorney General Sir John Popham, (later Lord Chief Justice), Mary was ultimately convicted of treason, and was sentenced to beheading at Fotheringhay Castle, Northamptonshire on February 8, 1587. Her Majesty's Attorney General for England and Wales, usually known simply as the Attorney General, is the chief legal adviser of the Crown in England and Wales Sir John Popham ( 1531 - June 10 1607)was Speaker of the House of Commons from 1580 to 1583 Attorney General from 1 June The Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales was historically the second-highest judge of the Courts of England and Wales, after the Lord Chancellor. Decapitation (from Latin, caput, capitis, meaning head or beheading, is the cutting off of the head of a person or animal Fotheringhay Castle was in the Village of Fotheringhay some 3½ miles (6 km to the north of the Market town of Oundle, Northamptonshire Events 421 - Constantius III becomes co- Emperor of the Western Roman Empire. She had spent the last hours of her life in prayer and also writing letters and her will. She expressed a request that her servants should be released. She also requested that she should be buried in France. The scaffold that was erected in the great hall was three feet tall and draped in black. It was reached by five steps and the only things on it were a disrobing stool, the block, a cushion for her to kneel on, and a bloody butcher's axe that had been previously used on animals. At her execution the executioners knelt before her and asked forgiveness. According to a contemporary account by Robert Wynkfield, she replied that she forgave them, for "you are about to end my troubles!" [8]. The executioners and her two servants helped remove a black outer gown, two petticoats, and her corset to reveal a deep red chemise—the liturgical colour of martyrdom in the Catholic Church. As she disrobed she smiled faintly to the executioner and said "never have I had such assistants to disrobe me, and never have I put off my clothes before such a company". [8] She was then blindfolded and knelt down on the cushion in front of the block. She positioned her head on the block and stretched her arms out behind her.

A 1895 reproduction of the historic scene, produced by Edison Manufacturing Co.
A 1895 reproduction of the historic scene, produced by Edison Manufacturing Co.

In Lady Antonia Fraser's biography, Mary Queen of Scots, the author writes that it took two strikes to decapitate Mary: the first blow missed her neck and struck the back of her head, at which point the queen's lips moved (her servants reported they thought she had whispered the words "Sweet Jesus"). The second blow severed the neck, all but a small bit of sinew which the executioner severed by using the axe as a saw. One Robert Wynkfield recorded a detailed account of the moments leading up to Mary's execution, also describing that it took two strikes to behead the queen. Afterward, the executioner held her head aloft and declared, "God save the Queen. " At that moment, the auburn tresses in his hand came apart and the head fell to the ground, revealing that Mary had very short, grey hair. [8] The chemise that Mary wore at her execution is displayed at Coughton Court near Alcester in Warwickshire, which was a Catholic household at that time. Coughton Court (pronounced /ˈkəʊˌtən kɔːt/) ( is one of England 's finest Tudor Country houses on the main road between Studley Alcester ( IPA /ˈɒlˌstə(ɹ/ or /ˈɔːlˌstə(ɹ/ is an old Market town of Roman origin at the junction of the River Alne and Geography Warwickshire is bounded to the northwest by the West Midlands Metropolitan county and Staffordshire, by Leicestershire to

It has been suggested that it took three strikes to decapitate Mary instead of two. If so, then Mary would have been executed with the same number of axe strikes as Essex. Robert Devereux 2nd Earl of Essex ( 10 November 1566 &ndash 25 February 1601) a favourite of Queen Elizabeth I of England It has been postulated that said number was part of a ritual devised to protract the suffering of the victim. [9]

One of The London Dungeon's exhibitions is about Mary, Queen of Scots.
One of The London Dungeon's exhibitions is about Mary, Queen of Scots. The London Dungeon is a tourist attraction based in Tooley Street, London, near London Bridge rail station about various tortures from the

There are several (possibly apocryphal) stories told about the execution. One already mentioned and thought to be true is that, when the executioner picked up the severed head to show it to those present, it was discovered that Mary was wearing a wig. The headsman was left holding the wig, while the late queen's head rolled on the floor [8]. It was thought that she had tried to disguise the greying of her hair by wearing an auburn wig, the natural colour of her hair before her years of imprisonment began. She was 24 when first imprisoned by Protestants in Scotland, and she was only 44 years of age at the time of her execution. Another well-known execution story related in Robert Wynkfield's first-hand account concerns a small dog owned by the queen, which is said to have been hiding among her skirts, unseen by the spectators. Because her dress and layers of clothing were so immensely regal, it would have been easy for the tiny pet to have hidden there as she slowly made her way to the scaffold. Following the beheading, the dog refused to be parted from its owner and was covered in blood. It was finally taken away by her ladies-in-waiting and washed. [8]

Not long after Mary's death, the Spanish Armada sailed to England to depose Elizabeth, but it sailed into a North Sea storm, was dispersed and then lost a considerable number of ships in the Battle of Gravelines and retreated without ever touching English soil. The Spanish Armada ( Spanish: Grande y Felicísima Armada, "Great and Most Fortunate Navy" or Armada Invencible, "Invincible The Spanish Armada ( Spanish: Grande y Felicísima Armada, "Great and Most Fortunate Navy" or Armada Invencible, "Invincible (The traditional view that Mary's execution was the trigger for Spain sending the Armada is now disputed. )

Mary's body was embalmed and left unburied at her place of execution for a year after her death. Embalming, in most modern Cultures is the Art and Science of temporarily preserving human remains to forestall Decomposition Her remains were placed in a secure lead coffin (thought to be further signs of fear of relic hunting). She was initially buried at Peterborough Cathedral in 1588, but her body was exhumed in 1612 when her son, King James I of England, ordered she be reinterred in Westminster Abbey. Peterborough Cathedral, or the Cathedral Church of St Peter St Paul and St Andrew, is the seat of the Bishop of Peterborough, is dedicated to Saint Peter James VI and I (19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625 was King of Scotland as James VI, and King of England and King of Ireland as James The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, which is almost always referred to by its original name of Westminster Abbey, is a large mainly Gothic church It remains there, along with at least 40 other descendants, in a chapel on the other side of the Abbey from the grave of her father's cousin Elizabeth I. In the 1800s her tomb and that of Elizabeth were opened to try to ascertain where James I was buried; he was ultimately found buried with Henry VII.

In February 2008, a copy of the warrant for the execution of Mary Queen of Scots was purchased for £72,485 by the Archbishop of Canterbury's library at Lambeth Palace, therefore preserving it for the nation. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the chief bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the Lambeth Palace is the official London residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury. [10]

Historical legacy

A statue of Queen Mary in the Luxembourg Gardens, Paris
A statue of Queen Mary in the Luxembourg Gardens, Paris

Although the Casket Letters were accepted by the inquiry as genuine after a study of the handwriting, and of the information contained therein, and were generally held to be certain proof of guilt if authentic, the inquiry reached the conclusion that nothing was proven. "Handwriting" redirects here For scripts for writing down notes by hand see " Cursive " From the start, this could have been predicted as the only conclusion that would satisfy Elizabeth. James MacKay comments that one of the stranger 'trials' in legal history ended with no finding of guilt with the result that the accusers went home to Scotland and the accused remained detained in 'protective custody'.

It is impossible now to prove the case either way. Without the Casket Letters, there would have been no case against Mary, and with hindsight it is difficult to say that any of the major parties involved considered the truth to be a priority. However, it is notable that Lady Antonia Fraser, James MacKay, and John Guy who have written well-respected biographies of Mary come to the same conclusion that they were forged. Guy has actually examined the Elizabethan transcripts of the letters rather than relying upon later printed copies. [11] He points out that the letters are disjointed. He also draws attention to the fact that the French version of one of the letters is bad in its use of language and grammar. Mary was an educated woman who could read, write, and speak French fluently; the construction of one of the letters in French has mistakes that a woman with her understanding would not make.

Another point made by these commentators is that the Casket Letters did not appear until the Conference of York. Mary had been forced to abdicate in 1567 and held captive for the best part of a year in Scotland. No reference can be found to the letters being used as evidence against Mary during this period. There was every reason for these letters to be made public to support her imprisonment and forced abdication. The originals disappeared after the Conference of York, thus adding to the sense that the letters were probably forged.

Replica of the tomb of Mary Queen of Scots on display at the Museum of Scotland.
Replica of the tomb of Mary Queen of Scots on display at the Museum of Scotland. The Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh, Scotland, is a building which together with the adjacent Royal Museum, comprises the National Museum of Scotland

Though Mary Stuart has not been canonised by the Catholic Church, many consider her a martyr, and there are relics of her. Her prayer book was long shown in France. Her apologist published, in an English journal, a sonnet which Mary was said to have composed, written with her own hand in this book. A celebrated German actress, Frau Hendel-Schutz, who excited admiration by her attitudes, and performed Friedrich Schiller's "Maria" with great applause in several German cities, affirmed that a cross which she wore on her neck was the very same that once belonged to the unfortunate queen. Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller krɪstɔf friːtʁɪç fɔn ʃɪləʁ/ʃɪlɐ (10 November 1759 9 May 1805 was a German Poet, Philosopher

Relics of this description have never yet been subjected to the proof of their authenticity. If there is anything which may be reasonably believed to have once been the property of the queen, it is the veil with which she covered her head on the scaffold, after the executioner had wounded the unfortunate victim in the shoulder by a false blow (whether from awkwardness or confusion is uncertain). This veil came into the possession of Sir J. C. Hippisley, who claimed to be descended from the House of Stuart on his mother's side. The House of Stuart or Stewart was a Royal house of the Kingdom of Scotland, later also of the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of In 1818, he had an engraving made from it by Matteo Diottavi in Rome and gave copies to his friends. Rome ( Roma ˈroma Roma is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city with more than 2 However, the eagerness with which the executioners burned her clothing and the executioners' block may mean that it will never be possible to be certain.

The veil is embroidered with gold spangles by (as is said) the queen's own hand, in regular rows crossing each other, so as to form small squares, and edged with a gold border, to which another border has been subsequently joined, in which the following words are embroidered in letters of gold:

"Velum Serenissimæ Mariæ, Scotiæ et Galliæ Reginæ Martyris, quo induebatur dum ab Heretica ad mortem iniustissimam condemnata fuit. Anno Sal. MDLXXXVI. a nobilissima matrona Anglicana diu conservatum et tandem, donationis ergo Deo, Societati Jesu consecratum. "
Mary's personal breviary, which she took with her to the scaffold, is preserved in the Russian National Library of St. Petersburg.
Mary's personal breviary, which she took with her to the scaffold, is preserved in the Russian National Library of St. Petersburg. A breviary (from Latin brevis, 'short' or 'concise' is a Liturgical book of the Latin liturgical rites of the Catholic Church The National Library of Russia in St Petersburg, known as the State Public Saltykov-Shchedrin Library in 1932-1992 (i Saint Petersburg ( tr: Sankt-Peterburg,) is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River

On the plate there is an inscription, with a double certificate of its authenticity, which states, that this veil, a family treasure of the expelled house of Stuart, was finally in possession of the last branch of that family, Henry Benedict Stuart, the Cardinal of York, who preserved it for many years in his private chapel, among the most precious relics, and at his death bequeathed it to Sir John Hippisley, together with a valuable Plutarch, a Codex with painted (illuminated) letters, and a gold coin struck in Scotland during Mary's reign. Henry Benedict Cardinal Stuart ( 11 March 1725 &ndash 13 July 1807) was the fourth and final Jacobite heir to publicly claim the thrones Lucius Mestrius Plutarchus ( Greek: Μέστριος Πλούταρχος c

The plate was specially consecrated by Pope Pius VII in his palace on the Quirinal, April 29, 1818. Pope Pius VII, OSB (August 14 1740&mdashAugust 20 1823 born Count Barnaba Niccolò Maria Luigi Chiaramonti, was Pope from March 14 1800 to August The Quirinal Hill (Latin Collis Quirinalis) is one of the Seven Hills of Rome, at the north-east of the city center Events 1429 - Joan of Arc arrives to relieve the Siege of Orleans. Year 1818 ( MDCCCXVIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common Hippisley, during a former residence at Rome, had been very intimate with the cardinal of York, and was instrumental in obtaining for him, when he with the other cardinals emigrated to Venice in 1798, a pension of £4,000 a year from King George IV of the United Kingdom, then Prince of Wales. Rome ( Roma ˈroma Roma is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city with more than 2 Venice ( Italian: Venezia, Venetian: Venesia or Venexia) is a city in Northern Italy, the capital of the Prince of Wales (Tywysog Cymru is a title traditionally granted to the Heir Apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom (and formerly the Kingdom But for the pension, the fugitive cardinal, whose revenues were all seized by the forces of the French Revolution, would have been exposed to the greatest distress. The French Revolution (1789–1799 was a period of political and social upheaval in the History of France, during which the French governmental structure previously an

The cardinal desired to requite this service by the bequest of what he considered so valuable. According to a note on the plate, the veil is eighty-nine English inches long and forty-three broad, so that it seems to have been rather a kind of shawl or scarf than a veil. Melville in his Memoirs, which Schiller had read, speaks of a handkerchief belonging to the queen, which she gave away before her death, and Schiller founds upon this anecdote the well-known words of the farewell scene, addressed to Hannah Kennedy.

"Accept this handkerchief! with my own hand
For thee I've work'd it in my hours of sadness
And interwoven with my scalding tears:
With this thou'lt bind my eyes. "

Privy Council of Mary, Queen of Scots, 1561

(appointed September 6, 1561 following Mary's return to Scotland from France)

Ancestry

In culture

Fiction

Theatre

Schiller's Mary Stuart (cover of the 1959 English-language edition).
Schiller's Mary Stuart (cover of the 1959 English-language edition). Mary Stuart (Maria Stuart is a play by Friedrich Schiller based on the life of Mary I of Scotland.

Poetry

The 1596 edition of Edmund Spenser's Faerie Queene includes an allegorical representation of the trial of Mary Stuart (Book 5, Canto ix, stanzas 36-50). Bremen (ˈbʁeːmən is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany (official name Stadtgemeinde Bremen / City Municipality of Bremen Edmund Spenser (c 1552 &ndash 13 January, 1599) was an important English Poet and Poet Laureate best known for The The Faerie Queene is an English epic poem by Edmund Spenser, published first in three books in 1590 and later in six books in 1596 Mary Stuart is represented by Duessa and Elizabeth is figured by Mercilla. The allegory dwells on Elizabeth's reluctance to condemn Mary. Elizabeth's delay of three months before agreeing to have Mary executed is represented by a gap of three stanzas at the end of Canto ix. [12] Mercilla's judgment and Duessa's execution do not actually occur until the beginning of the next Canto (x. 1-4)

In Nobel laureate Joseph Brodsky's 20 sonnets to Mary Stuart (in Russian) the poet addresses her as an interlocutor. The Nobel Prize (Nobelpriset (Nobelprisen is a Swedish prize established in the 1895 will of Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel; it was first awarded in Peace, Literature Joseph Brodsky ( May 24, 1940 — January 28, 1996) born Iosif Aleksandrovich Brodsky (Иосиф Александрович Бродский Russian ( transliteration:,) is the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages

Music

Film

Television

Other

Historical biography and analysis

Popular fiction and drama

See also

References

  1. ^ History of the Monarchy > The Stewarts > Mary, Queen of Scots
  2. ^ The "Rough Wooings": Mary, Queen of Scots 1542-1551 (East Linton 2000) Marcus Merriman, ISBN 1-86232-090-X
  3. ^ Lady Antonia Fraser "Mary,Queen of Scots"
  4. ^ Guy, John, My Heart is my Own, London, Fourth Estate, 2004, ISBN 0-00-71930-8:47
  5. ^ About Scotland
  6. ^ Mary Stuart by Stefan Zweig
  7. ^ Thomas Bromley. Nigel Tranter was a Scottish author who wrote many novels based on actual historical events and characters Nigel Tranter OBE ( November 23, 1909 – January 9, 2000) was a Scottish Historian and Author. Margaret George (born in 1943 is an American Historian and Historical novelist writing historical biographies Reay Tannahill (died November 2, 2007) was a Scottish Historian and Novelist, best known perhaps for two Non-fiction bestsellers Elizabeth I is a 2005 British Television Miniseries directed by Tom Hooper. The Rising of the North or Revolt of the Northern Earls was an unsuccessful uprising against Elizabeth I of England in 1569 by Catholics of The Act Anent the demission of the Crown in favour of our Sovereign Lord and his Majesty’s Coronation was an Act of the Parliament of Scotland passed in 1567 Westminster Abbey.
  8. ^ a b c d e The Execution of Mary Queen of Scots. tudorhistory. org.
  9. ^ For a modern discussion of this see the essay in, "Death, the Scaffold and the Stage…" in "Christopher Marlowe and English Renaissance Culture", by Darryll Grantley, Ashgate Publishing (May 25, 1999).
  10. ^ stv News report, February 2008: Purchase of Mary Queen of Scots' Death Warrant
  11. ^ GUY, John. My Heart is My Own, 2005.
  12. ^ The Faerie Queene. Ed. A. C. Hamilton. Harlow, UK: Longman, 2001, p. 577 n.

External links


Mary I of Scotland
Born: 8 December 1542 Died: 8 February 1587
Regnal titles
Preceded by
James V		 Queen of Scots
December 14, 1542 – July 24, 1567		 Succeeded by
James VI
Scottish royalty
Preceded by
James Hamilton, 2nd Earl of Arran		 Heir to the Scottish throne
as heiress presumptive
8 December - 14 December, 1542		 Succeeded by
James Hamilton, 2nd Earl of Arran
French royalty
Preceded by
Catherine de' Medici		 Dauphine of France
April 24, 1558 – July 10, 1559		 Succeeded by
Maria Anna of Bavaria
Queen of France
July 10, 1559 – December 5, 1560		 Succeeded by
Elisabeth of Austria
English royalty
Preceded by
Lady Elizabeth Tudor. The House of Stuart or Stewart was a Royal house of the Kingdom of Scotland, later also of the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of James V (10 April 1512 &ndash 14 December 1542 was King of Scots from 9 September 1513 until his death The monarch of Scotland was the Head of state of the Kingdom of Scotland. Events 1287 - St Lucia's flood: The Zuider Zee sea wall in the Netherlands collapses killing over 50000 people Events 1132 - Battle of Nocera between Ranulf II of Alife and Roger II of Sicily. James VI and I (19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625 was King of Scotland as James VI, and King of England and King of Ireland as James The monarch of Scotland was the Head of state of the Kingdom of Scotland. James Hamilton Duke of Châtellerault and 2nd Earl of Arran (c List of heirs of Scotland details those people who have been either Heir apparent or Heir presumptive to the Kingdom of Scotland, according to the rules An heir presumptive is the person provisionally scheduled to inherit a throne peerage or other hereditary honor but whose position can be displaced by the birth of an Heir apparent James Hamilton Duke of Châtellerault and 2nd Earl of Arran (c List of Queens and Empresses of France Wikipedia_talkFeatured_lists#Proposed_change_to_all_featured_lists for an explanation of this and other inclusion tags below Catherine de' Medici (April 13 1519 &ndash January 5 1589 was born in Florence, Italy as Caterina Maria Romula di Lorenzo de' Medici. The Dauphin of France (Dauphin de France—strictly Dauphin of Viennois ( Dauphin de Viennois)—was the title given to the Heir apparent of the Events 1479 BC - Thutmose III ascends to the throne of Egypt, although power effectively shifts to Hatshepsut (according to Events 48 BC - Battle of Dyrrhachium, Julius Caesar barely avoids a catastrophic defeat to Pompey in Macedonia. See also List of French monarchs This is a list of the women who have been Queens consort or Empresses consort of the realm of France. Events 48 BC - Battle of Dyrrhachium, Julius Caesar barely avoids a catastrophic defeat to Pompey in Macedonia. Events 63 BC - Cicero reads the last of his Catiline Orations. The Kings of Wessex, who conquered Kent and Sussex from Mercia in 825 became increasingly dominant over the other kingdoms of England during Never designated a heir. 		Potential Heir to the English and Irish Thrones
by cognatic primogeniture
17 November 1558 - 8 February 1587		 Succeeded by
James VI of Scotland
Peerage of Scotland
Preceded by
Jean Gordon		 Countess of Bothwell
24 July 1567 - 14 April 1578		 Succeeded by
Forfeit
Persondata
NAME Mary I of Scotland
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION Scottish monarch
DATE OF BIRTH December 8, 1542
PLACE OF BIRTH Linlithgow Palace, West Lothian
DATE OF DEATH February 8, 1587
PLACE OF DEATH Fotheringhay Castle, Northamptonshire

This is a list of the individuals who were at any given time considered the next in line to inherit the thrones of England Great Britain or the United Kingdom should the incumbent monarch Primogeniture is the Common law right of the Firstborn son to inherit the entire estate, to the exclusion of younger siblings Events 284 - Diocletian is proclaimed emperor by his soldiers Events 421 - Constantius III becomes co- Emperor of the Western Roman Empire. James VI and I (19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625 was King of Scotland as James VI, and King of England and King of Ireland as James The Peerage of Scotland is the division of the British Peerage for those peers created in the Kingdom of Scotland before 1707. The title Earl of Bothwell has been created twice in the Peerage of Scotland. Events 1132 - Battle of Nocera between Ranulf II of Alife and Roger II of Sicily. Events 43 BC - Battle of Forum Gallorum: Mark Antony, besieging Julius Caesar 's assassin Decimus Junius Brutus in Events 1609 - Biblioteca Ambrosiana opens its reading room the second public library of Europe. The ruins of Linlithgow Palace are situated in the town of Linlithgow, West Lothian, Scotland, 15 miles west of Edinburgh. West Lothian ( Lodainn an Iar in Gaelic) is one of the 32 unitary Council areas in Scotland, and a Lieutenancy area. Events 421 - Constantius III becomes co- Emperor of the Western Roman Empire. Fotheringhay Castle was in the Village of Fotheringhay some 3½ miles (6 km to the north of the Market town of Oundle, Northamptonshire Northamptonshire (or archaically the County of Northampton; abbreviated Northants
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