![]() Mary married the handsome Darnley recklessly for love. It was Mary’s second marriage in July 1565 to her cousin Henry Stewart (Stuart), earl of Darnley, son of Matthew Stewart, 4th earl of Lennox, that started the fatal train of events culminating in her destruction. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Nor were all the Scots averse to the spectacle of a pretty young queen creating a graceful court life and enjoying her progresses round the country. Nevertheless, for the first years of her rule, Mary managed well, with the aid of her natural half-brother James, earl of Moray, and helped in particular by her policy of religious tolerance. Most difficult of all were the Scottish nobles factious and turbulent after a series of royal minorities, they cared more for private feuds and self-aggrandizement than support of the crown. While Mary herself was a Roman Catholic, the official religion of Scotland had been reformed to Protestantism in her absence, and she thus represented to many, including the leading Calvinist preacher John Knox, a foreign queen of an alien religion. She refused to acknowledge Mary as her heiress, however much Mary, nothing if not royal by temperament, prized her English rights. Mary’s former pretensions to the English throne had incurred Elizabeth’s hostility. Returning to Scotland in August 1561, Mary discovered that her sheltered French upbringing had made her ill-equipped to cope with the series of problems now facing her. Although it was a political match aimed at the union of France and Scotland, Mary was sincerely fond of her boy husband, though the marriage was probably never consummated. French now became her first language, and indeed in every other way Mary grew into a Frenchwoman rather than a Scot.īy her remarkable beauty, with her tall, slender figure (she was about 5 feet 11 inches), her red-gold hair and amber-coloured eyes, and her taste for music and poetry, Mary summed up the contemporary ideal of the Renaissance princess at the time of her marriage to Francis, eldest son of Henry and Catherine, in April 1558. Despite a charmed childhood of much luxury, including frequent hunting and dancing (at both of which she excelled), Mary’s education was not neglected, and she was taught Latin, Italian, Spanish, and some Greek. There she was brought up at the court of King Henry II and his queen Catherine de Médicis with their own large family, assisted by relations on her mother’s side, the powerful Guises. Her mother saw to it that Mary was sent to France at age five. Although Mary’s great-uncle King Henry VIII of England made an unsuccessful effort to secure control of her (Mary inherited Tudor blood through her grandmother, a sister of Henry VIII), the regency of the kingdom was settled in favour of her mother. The death of her father six days after her birth left Mary as queen of Scotland in her own right. Mary Stuart was the only child of King James V of Scotland and his French wife, Mary of Guise. Her unwise marital and political actions provoked rebellion among the Scottish nobles, forcing her to flee to England, where she was eventually beheaded as a Roman Catholic threat to the English throne. Mary, byname Mary, Queen of Scots, original name Mary Stuart or Mary Stewart, (born December 8, 1542, Linlithgow Palace, West Lothian, Scotland-died February 8, 1587, Fotheringhay Castle, Northamptonshire, England), queen of Scotland (1542–67) and queen consort of France (1559–60). Know about the famous rivalry between Queen Elizabeth and Mary, Queen of Scots as portrayed by two actresses See all videos for this article SpaceNext50 Britannica presents SpaceNext50, From the race to the Moon to space stewardship, we explore a wide range of subjects that feed our curiosity about space!.Learn about the major environmental problems facing our planet and what can be done about them! Saving Earth Britannica Presents Earth’s To-Do List for the 21st Century. ![]() 100 Women Britannica celebrates the centennial of the Nineteenth Amendment, highlighting suffragists and history-making politicians.COVID-19 Portal While this global health crisis continues to evolve, it can be useful to look to past pandemics to better understand how to respond today.Student Portal Britannica is the ultimate student resource for key school subjects like history, government, literature, and more.This Time in History In these videos, find out what happened this month (or any month!) in history.#WTFact Videos In #WTFact Britannica shares some of the most bizarre facts we can find. ![]()
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