Today in history, nine month old Mary Stuart (also spelt
Stewart) would be crowned Queen of Scotland at Stirling Castle in 1543. She
would become known as Mary, Queen of Scots. She became queen at 6 days old when
her father, King James, died in December 1542. She was also the great-niece of
King Henry VIII of England, as her paternal grandmother of Margaret Tudor. This
made her cousin to Queen Elizabeth I and a claim to the English crown. The
House of Stuart gained the throne by marriage of Marjorie Bruce, daughter of
Robert the Bruce to Walter Stewart, 6th High Steward of Scotland. She would be
a tragic victim in the political games of the 16th century as many
would see her as the only legitimate claim to the English and Scottish crowns.
Mary was born on the 8th or 9th of
December at Linlithgow, Scotland. She was said to be born prematurely and was
the only legitimate child to survive King James. Scotland would be ruled by
regents until Mary became of age. She was first betrothed to King Henry VIII’s
son, Edward, in order to untie Scotland and England. This fell through as the
pro-Catholic, pro-France agenda rose to power in the Scottish regency. For her
safety, Mary would grow up in her mother’s native France in King Henry II’s
court. Marriage agreement would be made for Mary and King Henry II’s son,
Francis. Mary was said to be vivacious, beautiful and clever. She was the
favorite with everyone and was an accomplished student. She would be fluent in
French, Spanish, Italian, Latin and Greek. She was tall woman at 5 feet 11
inches. She and Francis II would be married in 1558 and would remain so until
his death in December 1560.
Mary would return to Scotland in 1561 where she married her
first cousin, Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley in 1565. They would have one son,
James, on June 19, 1566. The marriage was strained after Darnley demanded a
crown equal to Mary’s and he would rule in the event of her death. She refused.
Darnley would later be murdered in February 1567 when his residence was
destroyed by an explosion and he was would found in the garden. Mary was
rumored to have had a hand in Darnley’s murder but there was no proof. She
would marry James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell in 1567, who was
rumored to be the man to actually kill Darnley. Her marriage to Bothwell would
be unpopular and she would be forced to abdicate her crown in favor of her
one-year old son, James.
Mary would raise an army in order to fight James Stewart, 1st
Earl of Moray, for her throne. She had expected her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I
to support her. Instead, she would be taken to Bolton Castle where she begin a
series of house arrests. Evidence, known as the Casket Letters, would serve as
proof of Mary’s involvement in Darnley’s murder. Eight letters, love sonnets
and two marriage contracts portrayed the conspiracy. Many biographers and
historians believe the letters were complete forgeries or were pieces of other
letters to create incriminating passages. The letters, according to historians,
were poorly written for someone of Mary’s education. On August 11, 1586, she
would be arrested as her letters were confiscated and revealed a plot to
assassinate Elizabeth, Mary would be convicted on October 25 and sentenced to
death. However, Elizabeth would be hesitate to order her execution as killing a
queen would set a dangerous precedent and she feared retaliation from Mary’s
son, James. February 1, 1587, her death warrant would be signed and she would
be beheaded on February 8, 1587 at the age of 44.
Mary’s son would become King James VI of Scotland and James
I of England. He would inherit the throne in 1603 upon the death of Elizabeth
I. James had his mother reinterred in Westminster Abbey opposite Elizabeth’s
tomb. Mary would be the tragic figure who could not cope with the demands
placed on her. She would be a pawn in the hands of scheming men. There is no
concrete proof that she was guilty of anything she was accused of. One theory
is Bothwell killed Darnley in order to marry her and did so without Mary’s
knowledge. She remains a popular image of a heroic victim.
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