- Wikipedia

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For other people called Mary, Queen of Scots, see Mary, Queen of Scots (disambiguation).

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Mary
Portrait of Mary at about 17 years old, c. 1558\u20131560
Queen of Scotland
Reign	14 December 1542 \u2013 24 July 1567
Coronation	9 September 1543
Predecessor	James V
Successor	James VI
Regents	\n See list \n James Hamilton, 2nd Earl of Arran (1542\u20131554)\n Mary of Guise (1554\u20131560) \n
Queen consort of France
Tenure	10 July 1559 \u2013 5 December 1560

Born	8 December 1542 Linlithgow Palace, Linlithgow, Scotland
Died	8 February 1587 (aged 44)^[1] Fotheringhay Castle, Northamptonshire, England
Burial	30 July 1587 Peterborough Cathedral 28 October 1612 Westminster Abbey
Spouses	\n \n Francis II of France \n (m. 1558; died 1560) \n \n Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley \n (m. 1565; died 1567) \n \n James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell \n (m. 1567; died 1578) \n
Issue	James VI and I
House	Stuart
Father	James V of Scotland
Mother	Mary of Guise
Religion	Roman Catholicism
Signature	$\"Mary's$

Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 \u2013 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart^[2] or Mary I of Scotland,^[3] was Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567.\n

The only surviving legitimate child of James V of Scotland, Mary was six days old when her father died and she inherited the throne. During her childhood, Scotland was governed by regents, first by the heir to the throne, James Hamilton, Earl of Arran, and then by her mother, Mary of Guise. In 1548, she was betrothed to Francis, the Dauphin of France, and was sent to be brought up in France, where she would be safe from invading English forces during the Rough Wooing. Mary married Francis in 1558, becoming queen consort of France from his accession in 1559 until his death in December 1560. Widowed, Mary returned to Scotland in August 1561. The tense religious and political climate following the Scottish Reformation that Mary encountered on her return to Scotland was further agitated by prominent Scots such as John Knox, who openly questioned whether her subjects had a duty to obey her. The early years of her personal rule were marked by pragmatism, tolerance, and moderation. She issued a proclamation accepting the religious settlement in Scotland as she had found it upon her return, retained advisers such as James Stewart, Earl of Moray (her illegitimate half-brother), and William Maitland of Lethington, and governed as the Catholic monarch of a Protestant kingdom.\n

Mary married her half-cousin Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, in 1565; in 1566 they had a son, James. However, their marriage soured after Darnley orchestrated the murder of Mary's Italian secretary and close friend David Rizzio. In February 1567, Darnley's residence was destroyed by an explosion, and he was found murdered in the nearby garden. James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell, was generally believed to have orchestrated Darnley's death, but he was acquitted of the charge in April 1567 and in the following month he married Mary. Following an uprising against the couple, Mary was imprisoned in Lochleven Castle. On 24 July 1567, she was forced to abdicate in favour of her one-year-old son James VI. After an unsuccessful attempt to regain the throne, she fled southward seeking the protection of her first cousin once removed, Elizabeth I of England.\n

As a great-granddaughter of Henry VII of England, Mary had once claimed Elizabeth's throne as her own and was considered the legitimate sovereign of England by many English Catholics, including participants in a rebellion known as the Rising of the North. Perceiving Mary as a threat, Elizabeth had her confined in various castles and manor houses in the interior of England. After eighteen-and-a-half years in captivity, Mary was found guilty of plotting to assassinate Elizabeth in 1586 and was beheaded the following year at Fotheringhay Castle. Mary's life and execution established her in popular culture as a romanticised historical character.\n

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Regnal titles\n
Mary, Queen of Scots House of Stuart Born: 8 December 1542 Died: 8 February 1587\n
Preceded by James V \n	Queen of Scotland 1542\u20131567\n	Succeeded by James VI \n
French royalty\n
Preceded by Catherine de' Medici \n	Queen consort of France 1559\u20131560\n	Vacant Title next held by Elisabeth of Austria \n

v t e Pictish and Scottish monarchs
Monarchs of the Picts (traditional)	\n Drest I \n Talorc I \n Nechtan I \n Drest II \n Galan Erilich \n Drest III \n Drest IV \n Gartnait I \n Cailtram \n Talorc II \n Drest V \n Galam Cennalath \n Bridei I \n Gartnait II \n Nechtan II \n Cinioch \n Gartnait III \n Bridei II \n Talorc III \n Talorgan I \n Gartnait IV \n Drest VI \n Bridei III \n Taran \n Bridei IV \n Nechtan III \n Drest VII \n Alp\u00edn I \n \u00d3engus I \n Bridei V \n Ciniod I \n Alp\u00edn II \n Talorgan II \n Drest VIII \n Conall \n Constantine (I) \n \u00d3engus II \n Drest IX \n Uuen \n Uurad \n Bridei VI \n Ciniod II \n Bridei VII \n Drest X \n
Monarchs of the Scots (traditional)	\n Kenneth I MacAlpin \n Donald I \n Constantine I (II) \n \u00c1ed \n Giric \n Eochaid (uncertain) \n Donald II \n Constantine II (III) \n Malcolm I \n Indulf \n Dub \n Cuil\u00e9n \n Amla\u00edb \n Kenneth II \n Constantine III (IV) \n Kenneth III \n Malcolm II \n Duncan I \n Macbeth \n Lulach \n Malcolm III Canmore \n Donald III \n Duncan II \n Donald III \n Edgar \n Alexander I \n David I \n Malcolm IV \n William I the Lion \n Alexander II \n Alexander III \n Margaret \n First Interregnum \n John \n Second Interregnum \n Robert I \n David II \n Robert II \n Robert III \n James I \n James II \n James III \n James IV \n James V \n Mary \n James VI¹ \n Charles I¹ \n Charles II¹ \n James VII¹ \n Mary II¹ \n William II¹ \n Anne¹ \n
\n ¹ also monarch of England and Ireland. \n

v t e Royal consorts of France
\n List of Frankish queens \n List of French royal consorts \n
Merovingians (509\u2013751)	\n Clotilde \n Ultragotha \n Guntheuc \n Radegund \n Ingund \n Aregund \n Ingoberga \n Merofleda \n Marcovefa \n Theudechild \n Austregilde \n Audovera \n Galswintha \n Fredegund \n Brunhilda of Austrasia \n Bertrude \n Sichilde \n Gomentrude \n Nanthild \n Ragintrudis \n Wulfefundis \n Bertechildis \n Balthild of Chelles \n Bilichild \n Chrothildis \n
Carolingians, Robertians and Bosonids (751\u2013987)	\n Bertrada of Laon \n Gerberga \n Desiderata of the Lombards \n Hildegard \n Fastrada \n Luitgard \n Ermengarde of Hesbaye \n Judith of Bavaria \n Ermentrude of Orl\u00e9ans \n Richilde of Provence \n Adelaide of Paris \n Richardis \n Th\u00e9odrate of Troyes^R \n Frederuna \n Eadgifu of Wessex \n Beatrice of Vermandois^R \n Emma of France^B \n Gerberga of Saxony \n Emma of Italy \n
House of Capet (987\u20131328)	\n Adelaide of Aquitaine \n Rozala of Italy \n Bertha of Burgundy \n Constance of Arles \n Matilda of Frisia \n Anne of Kiev \n Bertha of Holland \n Bertrade of Montfort \n Adelaide of Maurienne \n Eleanor of Aquitaine \n Constance of Castile \n Adela of Champagne \n Isabella of Hainault \n Ingeborg of Denmark \n Agnes of Merania \n Blanche of Castile \n Margaret of Provence \n Isabella of Aragon \n Marie of Brabant \n Joan I of Navarre \n Margaret of Burgundy \n Clementia of Hungary \n Joan II of Burgundy \n Blanche of Burgundy \n Marie of Luxembourg \n Joan of \u00c9vreux \n
House of Valois (1328\u20131589)	\n Joan of Burgundy \n Blanche of Navarre \n Joan I of Auvergne \n Joanna of Bourbon \n Isabeau of Bavaria \n Marie of Anjou \n Charlotte of Savoy \n Anne of Brittany \n Joan of France \n Mary Tudor \n Claude of France \n Eleanor of Austria \n Catherine de' Medici \n Mary I of Scotland \n Elisabeth of Austria \n Louise of Lorraine \n
House of Lancaster (1422\u20131453)	\n Margaret of Anjou \n
House of Bourbon (1589\u20131792)	\n Margaret of Valois \n Marie de' Medici \n Anne of Austria \n Maria Theresa of Spain \n Marie Leszczy\u0144ska \n Marie Antoinette \n
House of Bonaparte (1804\u20131814; 1815)	\n Jos\u00e9phine de Beauharnais \n Marie Louise \n
House of Bourbon (1814\u20131815; 1815\u20131830)	\n Marie Jos\u00e9phine of Savoy \n Marie-Th\u00e9r\u00e8se \n
House of Orl\u00e9ans (1830\u20131848)	\n Maria Amalia of Naples and Sicily \n
House of Bonaparte (1852\u20131870)	\n Eug\u00e9nie de Montijo \n
Consorts to debatable or disputed rulers are in italics.

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Childhood and early reign

Treaty of Greenwich

Life in France

Claim to the English throne

Return to Scotland

Marriage to Lord Darnley

Murder of Darnley

Imprisonment in Scotland and abdication

Escape and imprisonment in England

Casket letters

Plots

Trial

Execution

Legacy

Genealogical chart

See also

References

Sources

Further reading

External links

Mary, Queen of Scots

Media collections