Born in December 1542, in Linlithgow Palace. Mary was the only child of James V of Scotland and his French wife, Mary of Guise. James V died when Mary was only six days old, she was the last of the Scottish line.
But for England, Mary was the solution to a serious problem. Henry VIII had fallen out with other European countries when he broke away from the church. England was at the mercy of invasion. Henry was worried invading fleets would land in Scotland and from there, proceed into northern England.
Ever the strategist, Henry decided to kill off any threat of this by marrying Mary to his own son Edward. Allying Scotland with England. A group of Scottish nobles signed the marriage treaty on Mary's behalf, but Mary's guardians backed out. Bringing Scotland and England to the brink of war.
The Rough Wooing
Henry, on hearing the news, decided on a new tactic. He sent a huge English army to invade southern Scotland. Soldiers burnt and murdered their way through southern Scotland. Edinburgh took two days to burn. It became known as the Rough Wooing.
But Scotland turned to their oldest ally: France. The French king, Henri would send troops to Scotland but on the condition that Mary would marry his own son Francis. Mary fled to the Loire valley in France where she was treated like one of the family.
Mary received a Renaissance education- literature, rhetoric, music and she shone brightly through them all. Tall, elegant and charming ,Mary was being groomed for spectacular things. Not only was Mary in line to the French and Scottish throne, but she was only fourth in line to the English throne.
After the deaths of both Edward and Mary Tudor, Mary, in French eyes, became the perfect heir.Elizabeth Tudor was claiming the throne, but Elizabeth had been born eight months after her parents wedding. To Mary, this meant Elizabeth was not only illegitimate to her parents but also to the throne.
Mary's French family convinced and encouraged Mary to dream of the English throne. A Catholic Empire that would stretch from Scotland in the north, to France in the south.
Protestant Reformation
But Elizabeth, English, Protestant and Tudor, took the crown and soon the certainty of her own French crown was under threat. The Protestant Reformation was coming, sweeping across Europe. It promised to get rid of Catholic monarchs, like Mary and Francis II.
In 1559, a few months into her reign. A group of rebels stormed the chateau at Amboise and tried to capture the king. The attempt failed and the rebels were put to death. A few months later, Francis died from an ear infection. A widow at eighteen, Mary looked to home.
But the Reformation had spread to Scotland and the Scottish church had swiftly gone over to the new religion. Mary was regarded with suspicion by the Protestant subjects. But Mary accepted the Protestant-led government and initially ruled in moderation.
In 1565, Mary married her cousin the Earl of Darnley. The relationship soured quickly particularly after the murder of Mary's secretary, David Rizzio, by Darnley and a group of nobles. Darnley and Mary's son James was born in June 1566. In February 1567, the house where Darnley was staying, blew up and he was killed. Three months later Mary married the Earl of Bothwell, the chief suspect on Darnley's murder.
This turned the Scottish nobility against Mary. Bothwell was exiled and Mary was forced to abdicate in July 1567. Mary fled to England seeking refuge with her cousin Queen Elizabeth. But Mary had a strong claim to the English throne and posed a threat to Elizabeth. So Elizabeth had her imprisoned.
Over the next nineteen years Mary became the focus of numerous plots aimed to kill Elizabeth and put Mary on the throne. It was the discovery in 1586 of the Babington plot that convinced Elizabeth that while she lived, Mary would always be a danger.
Mary was tried and condemned to death in October 1586, she was executed on 8th February 1587. Her son James was to succeed Elizabeth in 1603.
Mary's life was a constant power struggle between three nations: Scotland, England and France. She began life with a promising start, the thrones of all three nations in her grasp but ended her life a prisoner of the Protestant Reformation.
Source:
www.bbc.co.uk
Aimi Persand - I am a freelance writer whose interests include literature, travelling and history, although not necessarily in that order. When I am not ...
