Editing Mary, Queen of Scots (section)

== Childhood and early reign ==

[[File:Linlithgow Palace NW 03.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Both Mary and her father [[James V of Scotland|King James V]] were born at [[Linlithgow Palace]] in [[West Lothian]], Scotland.<ref>{{Harvnb|Fraser|1994|p=14}}</ref>]]

Mary was born on 8 December 1542<ref>Bishop [[John Lesley]] said Mary was born on the 7th, but Mary and [[John Knox]] claimed the 8th, which was the [[feast day]] of the [[Feast of the Immaculate Conception|Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary]] ({{Harvnb|Fraser|1994|p=13}}; {{Harvnb|Wormald|1988|p=11}}).</ref> at [[Linlithgow Palace]], Scotland, to King [[James V]] and his French second wife, [[Mary of Guise]]. She was said to have been born prematurely and was the only legitimate child of James to survive him.<ref>{{Harvnb|Fraser|1994|p=13}}</ref> She was the great-granddaughter of King [[Henry VII of England]] through her paternal grandmother, [[Margaret Tudor]]. Margaret was [[Henry VIII]]'s older sister so Mary was Henry VIII's great-niece. On 14 December, six days after her birth, she became [[List of Scottish monarchs|Queen of Scotland]] when her father died, perhaps from the effects of a nervous collapse following the [[Battle of Solway Moss]]<ref>{{Harvnb|Fraser|1994|p=11}}; {{Harvnb|Wormald|1988|p=46}}</ref> or from drinking contaminated water while on campaign.<ref>{{Harvnb|Guy|2004|p=16}}</ref>

A popular tale, first recorded by [[John Knox]], states that James, upon hearing on his deathbed that his wife had given birth to a daughter, ruefully exclaimed, "It cam wi' a lass and it will 	[[wikt:gang#Scots|gang]] wi' a lass!"<ref>This version is taken from [[Robert Lindsay of Pitscottie]]'s ''The History of Scotland from 21 February 1436 to March 1565'' written in the 1570s. The phrase was first recorded by [[John Knox]] in the 1560s as "The devil go with it! It will end as it began: it came from a woman, and it will end in a woman" ({{Harvnb|Wormald|1988|pp=11–12}}).</ref> His [[House of Stuart]] had gained the throne of Scotland in the 14th century through "a lass"—via the marriage of [[Marjorie Bruce]], daughter of [[Robert the Bruce]], to [[Walter Stewart, 6th High Steward of Scotland]]—and it would be lost from his family "wi' a lass". This legendary statement came true much later—not through Mary, but through her great-great-granddaughter [[Anne, Queen of Great Britain]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Fraser|1994|p=12}}; {{Harvnb|Wormald|1988|p=11}}</ref>

Mary was christened at the nearby [[St Michael's Parish Church, Linlithgow|Church of St Michael]] shortly after she was born.<ref>{{Harvnb|Fraser|1994|p=12}}; {{Harvnb|Guy|2004|p=17}}</ref> Rumours spread that she was weak and frail,<ref>{{Harvnb|Fraser|1994|p=13}}; {{Harvnb|Guy|2004|p=17}}</ref> but an English diplomat, [[Ralph Sadler]], saw the infant at Linlithgow Palace in March 1543, unwrapped by her nurse [[Jean Sinclair]], and wrote, "it is as goodly a child as I have seen of her age, and as like to live."<ref>Sadler to Henry VIII, 23 March 1543, quoted in {{Harvnb|Clifford|1809|p=88}}; {{Harvnb|Fraser|1994|p=18}}; {{Harvnb|Guy|2004|p=22}}; {{Harvnb|Wormald|1988|p=43}}</ref>

As Mary was an infant when she inherited the throne, Scotland was ruled by regents until she became an adult. From the outset, there were two claims to the regency: one from the Catholic [[Cardinal Beaton]], and the other from the Protestant [[James Hamilton, 2nd Earl of Arran|Earl of Arran]], who was next in line to the throne. Beaton's claim was based on a version of the king's [[will (law)|will]] that his opponents dismissed as a forgery.<ref>{{Harvnb|Fraser|1994|p=15}}; [[John Knox]] claimed the king had signed a blank sheet of paper that Beaton had then filled in, while Arran claimed that Beaton had taken the dying king's hand in his own and traced out the signature ({{Harvnb|Wormald|1988|pp=46–47}}). The disputed will is printed in {{cite book |author=Historical Manuscripts Commission |year=1887 |title=The Manuscripts of the Duke of Hamilton, KT |chapter=Eleventh Report, Appendix, Part VI |publisher=Her Majesty's Stationery Office |location=London |pages=205, 219–220}}</ref> Arran, with the support of his friends and relations, became the regent until 1554 when Mary's mother managed to remove and succeed him.<ref>{{Harvnb|Fraser|1994|pp=17, 60}}; {{Harvnb|Guy|2004|pp=20, 60}}; {{Harvnb|Wormald|1988|pp=49–50}}</ref>

=== Treaty of Greenwich ===

[[File:Scottish 22 shillings coin 1553.jpg|thumb|[[Scottish coinage|Gold coin]] (22 Shillings) of 1553: obverse, [[coat of arms of Scotland]]; reverse, [[royal monogram]]]]

Henry VIII of England took the opportunity of the regency to propose marriage between Mary and his own son and heir, [[Edward VI of England|Edward]], hoping for a union of Scotland and England. On 1 July 1543, when Mary was six months old, the [[Treaty of Greenwich]] was signed, which promised that, at the age of ten, Mary would marry Edward and move to England, where Henry could oversee her upbringing.<ref>{{Harvnb|Fraser|1994|pp=17–18}};{{Harvnb|Wormald|1988|p=55}}</ref><ref name="Weirp8"/> The treaty provided that the two countries would remain legally separate and, if the couple failed to have children, the temporary union would dissolve.<ref>{{Harvnb|Fraser|1994|p=18}}; {{Harvnb|Guy|2004|p=25}}; {{Harvnb|Wormald|1988|p=55}}</ref>  Cardinal Beaton rose to power again and began to push a pro-Catholic pro-French agenda, angering Henry, who wanted to break the [[Auld Alliance|Scottish alliance with France]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Fraser|1994|p=19}}</ref><ref name="Weirp8"/>

Beaton wanted to move Mary away from the coast to the safety of [[Stirling Castle]]. Regent Arran resisted the move but backed down when Beaton's [[Secret Bond|armed supporters gathered at Linlithgow]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Fraser|1994|pp=19–20}}</ref> The [[Matthew Stuart, 4th Earl of Lennox|Earl of Lennox]] escorted Mary and her mother to [[Stirling]] on 27 July 1543 with 3,500 armed men.<ref>{{Harvnb|Guy|2004|p=26}}</ref> Mary was [[Coronation of Mary, Queen of Scots|crowned]] in the castle chapel on 9 September 1543,<ref>{{Harvnb|Fraser|1994|p=21}}; {{Harvnb|Guy|2004|p=27}}</ref><ref name="Weirp8">{{Harvnb|Weir|2008|p=8}}</ref> with "such solemnity as they do use in this country, which is not very costly", according to the report of Ralph Sadler and [[Berwick Pursuivant|Henry Ray]].<ref>Sadler to Henry VIII, 11 September 1543, quoted in {{Harvnb|Clifford|1809|p=289}}; {{Harvnb|Fraser|1994|p=21}}</ref>

Shortly before Mary's coronation, Henry arrested Scottish merchants headed for France and impounded their goods. The arrests caused anger in Scotland, and Arran joined Beaton and became a Catholic.<ref>{{Harvnb|Fraser|1994|pp=20–21}}</ref> The Treaty of Greenwich was rejected by the [[Parliament of Scotland]] in December.<ref>{{Harvnb|Fraser|1994|p=22}}; {{Harvnb|Guy|2004|p=32}}; {{Harvnb|Wormald|1988|p=58}}</ref> The rejection of the marriage treaty and the renewal of the alliance between France and Scotland prompted Henry's "[[Rough Wooing]]", a military campaign designed to impose the marriage of Mary to his son. English forces mounted a series of raids on Scottish and French territory.<ref>{{Harvnb|Wormald|1988|pp=58–59}}</ref> In May 1544, the English [[Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset|Earl of Hertford]] (later [[Duke of Somerset]]) raided Edinburgh, and the Scots took Mary to [[Dunkeld]] for safety.<ref>{{Harvnb|Fraser|1994|pp=23–24}}; {{Harvnb|Guy|2004|pp=33–34}}</ref>

In May 1546, Beaton was murdered by Protestant [[laird]]s,<ref>{{Harvnb|Fraser|1994|p=26}}; {{Harvnb|Guy|2004|p=36}}; {{Harvnb|Wormald|1988|p=59}}</ref> and on 10 September 1547, nine months after the death of Henry VIII, the Scots suffered a heavy defeat at the [[Battle of Pinkie]]. Mary's guardians, fearful for her safety, sent her to [[Inchmahome Priory]] for no more than three weeks and turned to the French for help.<ref>{{Harvnb|Fraser|1994|pp=29–30}}; {{Harvnb|Weir|2008|p=10}}; {{Harvnb|Wormald|1988|p=61}}</ref>

King [[Henry II of France]] proposed to unite France and Scotland by marrying the young queen to his three-year-old son, the [[Dauphin of France|Dauphin]] [[Francis II of France|Francis]]. On the promise of French military help and a French dukedom for himself, Arran agreed to the marriage.<ref>{{Harvnb|Weir|2008|pp=10–11}}</ref> In February 1548, Mary was moved, again for her safety, to [[Dumbarton Castle]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Fraser|1994|p=30}}; {{Harvnb|Weir|2008|p=11}}; {{Harvnb|Wormald|1988|p=61}}</ref> The English left a trail of devastation behind them once more and seized the strategic town of [[Haddington, East Lothian|Haddington]]. In June, the much-awaited French help arrived at [[Leith]] to [[Siege of Haddington|besiege and ultimately take Haddington]]. On 7 July 1548, a Scottish Parliament held at a nunnery near the town agreed to [[Treaty of Haddington|the French marriage treaty]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Guy|2004|pp=40–41}}; {{Harvnb|Wormald|1988|p=62}}</ref>

=== Life in France ===

With her marriage agreement in place, five-year-old Mary was sent to France to spend the next thirteen years at the French court. The French fleet sent by Henry II, commanded by [[Nicolas de Villegagnon]], sailed with Mary from [[Dumbarton]] on 7 August 1548 and arrived a week or more later at [[Roscoff]] or [[Saint-Pol-de-Léon]] in [[Brittany]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Guy|2004|pp=41–42}}; "[[Jean de St Mauris|St Mauris]] to [[Mary of Hungary (governor of the Netherlands)|the Queen Dowager]]", 25 August 1548, quoted in {{cite book |title=Calendar of State Papers, Spain: Volume IX: 1547–1549 |publisher=Her Majesty's Stationery Office |year=1912 |editor1-last=Hume |editor1-first=Martin A. S. |editor1-link=Martin Sharp (journalist) |location=London |page=577 |chapter=Appendix: Miscellaneous 1548 |editor2-last=Tyler |editor2-first=Royall |editor2-link=Royall Tyler (historian) |chapter-url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/cal-state-papers/spain/vol9/pp531-581}}; {{cite journal |author=Lord Guthrie |year=1907 |title=Mary Stuart and Roscoff |url=http://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/catalogue/adsdata/arch-352-1/dissemination/pdf/vol_042/42_013_018.pdf |journal=Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland |volume=42 |pages=13–18}}</ref>

Mary was accompanied by her own court including two illegitimate half-brothers, and the "four Marys" (four girls her own age, all named Mary), who were the daughters of some of the noblest families in Scotland: [[Mary Beaton|Beaton]], [[Mary Seton|Seton]], [[Mary Fleming|Fleming]], and [[Mary Livingston|Livingston]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Fraser|1994|pp=31–32}}</ref> [[Lady Janet Stewart|Janet, Lady Fleming]], who was Mary Fleming's mother and James V's half-sister, was appointed governess.<ref>{{Harvnb|Fraser|1994|pp=31–32}}; {{Harvnb|Guy|2004|p=43}}</ref> When Lady Fleming left France in 1551, she was succeeded by a French governess, [[Françoise de Paroy]].

[[File:BnF, NAL 83, folio 154 v - Francis II and Mary, Queen of Scots.jpg|thumb|upright|Mary and [[Francis II of France|Francis]] in [[Catherine de' Medici]]'s [[book of hours]], {{circa}} 1574. {{Lang|fr|[[Bibliothèque nationale de France]]|italic=no}}, Paris.]]

Vivacious, beautiful, and clever (according to contemporary accounts), Mary had a promising childhood.<ref>{{Harvnb|Fraser|1994|pp=36, 44–45, 50}}</ref> At the French court, she was a favourite with many people, except Henry II's wife [[Catherine de' Medici]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Weir|2008|p=12}}; {{Harvnb|Wormald|1988|p=77}}; Catherine's dislike of Mary became apparent only after Henry II's death ({{Harvnb|Fraser|1994|pp=102–103, 115–116, 119}}; {{Harvnb|Guy|2004|p=46}}). Catherine's interests competed with those of the Guise family, and there may have been an element of jealousy or rivalry between the two queens ({{Harvnb|Donaldson|1974|pp=50–51}}; {{Harvnb|Fraser|1994|pp=102–103, 116, 119}}).</ref> Mary learned to play [[lute]] and [[virginals]], was competent in prose, poetry, horsemanship, falconry, and needlework, and was taught French, Italian, [[Latin]], Spanish, and [[Greek language|Greek]], in addition to her native [[Scots language|Scots]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Fraser|1994|pp=178–182}}; {{Harvnb|Guy|2004|pp=71–80}}; {{Harvnb|Weir|2008|p=13}}</ref> Jehan Paulle, a ''balladin'', taught her to dance.<ref>[[Margaret M. McGowan]], ''Dance in the Renaissance: European Fashion, French Obsession'' (Yale, 2008), p. 152.</ref> Her future sister-in-law, [[Elisabeth of Valois]], became a close friend of whom Mary "retained nostalgic memories in later life".<ref>{{Harvnb|Fraser|1994|p=43}}</ref> Mary's maternal grandmother, [[Antoinette de Bourbon]], was another strong influence on her childhood<ref>{{Harvnb|Fraser|1994|p=37}}; {{Harvnb|Wormald|1988|p=80}}</ref> and acted as one of her principal advisors.<ref>{{Harvnb|Wormald|1988|p=80}}</ref>

Portraits of Mary show that she had a small, oval-shaped head, a long, graceful neck, bright auburn hair, hazel-brown eyes, under heavy lowered eyelids and finely arched brows, smooth pale skin, a high forehead, and regular, firm features. She was considered a pretty child and later, as a woman, strikingly attractive.<ref>{{Harvnb|Fraser|1994|pp=39–40, 43, 75–80}}; {{Harvnb|Weir|2008|p=30}}</ref> At some point in her infancy or childhood, she caught [[smallpox]], but it did not mark her features.<ref>{{Harvnb|Fraser|1994|p=62}}; {{Harvnb|Guy|2004|p=67}}</ref>

Mary was eloquent, and especially tall by 16th-century standards (she attained an adult height of 5 feet 11 inches or 1.80 m);<ref>{{Harvnb|Fraser|1994|p=76}}</ref> while Henry II's son and heir, Francis, stuttered and was unusually short. Henry commented: "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".<ref>{{Harvnb|Guy|2004|pp=47–48}}</ref> On 4 April 1558, Mary signed a secret agreement bequeathing Scotland and her claim to England to the French crown if she died without issue.<ref>{{Harvnb|Guy|2004|pp=90–91}}; {{Harvnb|Weir|2008|p=17}}; {{Harvnb|Wormald|1988|p=21}}</ref> Twenty days later, [[Wedding of Mary, Queen of Scots, and Francis, Dauphin of France|she married the Dauphin]] at [[Notre Dame de Paris]], and he became king consort of Scotland.<ref>{{cite book |url=http://special-1.bl.uk/treasures/festivalbooks/BookDetails.aspx?strFest=0021 |author=Anonymous |title=Discours du grand et magnifique triumphe faict au mariage du tresnoble & magnifique Prince Francois de Valois Roy Dauphin, filz aisné du tres-chrestien Roy de France Henry II du nom & de treshaulte & vertueuse Princesse madame Marie d'Estreuart Roine d'Escosse |year=1558 |location=Paris |publisher=Annet Briere |language=fr |access-date=9 June 2010 |archive-date=14 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151214223317/http://special-1.bl.uk/treasures/festivalbooks/BookDetails.aspx?strFest=0021 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UYVCAAAAcAAJ |author=Teulet, Alexandre |title=Relations politiques de la France et de l'Espagne avec l'Écosse au XVIe siècle |volume=1 |year=1862 |pages=302–311 |publisher=Renouard |location=Paris |language=fr}}</ref>

=== Claim to the English throne ===

[[File:Royal Arms of the Kingdom of Scotland (1559).svg|thumb|upright|Coat of arms sent from France in July 1559.<ref>{{cite web |title=Elizabeth and Mary, Royal Cousins, Rival Queens: Curators' Picks |date=8 October 2021 |access-date=4 February 2022 |website=British Library |url=https://blogs.bl.uk/digitisedmanuscripts/2021/10/elizabeth-and-mary-royal-cousins-rival-queens-curators-picks.html}}</ref> [[Dexter and sinister|Sinister]]: Mary's arms as Queen of Scotland quartered with the arms of England, reflecting her claim to the English throne. Dexter: Francis's arms as Dauphin of France and king consort of Scotland, with an [[Escutcheon (heraldry)#Inescutcheon|inescutcheon]] of England.]]

In November 1558, [[Henry VIII]]'s elder daughter, [[Mary I of England]], was succeeded by her only surviving sibling, [[Elizabeth I]]. Under the [[Third Succession Act]], passed in 1543 by the [[Parliament of England]], Elizabeth was recognised as her sister's heir, and Henry VIII's [[last will and testament]] had excluded the Stuarts from succeeding to the English throne. Yet, in the eyes of many Catholics, Elizabeth was illegitimate and Mary Stuart was the rightful queen of England, as the senior surviving legitimate descendant of [[Henry VII of England|Henry VII]] through her grandmother, [[Margaret Tudor]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Fraser|1994|p=83}}; {{Harvnb|Weir|2008|p=18}}</ref> Henry II of France proclaimed his eldest son and daughter-in-law king and queen of England. In France, the [[royal arms of England]] were [[Quartering (heraldry)|quartered]] with those of Francis and Mary.<ref>{{Harvnb|Fraser|1994|p=83}}; {{Harvnb|Guy|2004|pp=95–96}}; {{Harvnb|Weir|2008|p=18}}; {{Harvnb|Wormald|1988|p=21}}</ref> Mary's claim to the English throne was a perennial sticking point between her and Elizabeth.<ref>{{Harvnb|Fraser|1994|p=85}}; {{Harvnb|Weir|2008|p=18}}</ref>

When Henry II died on 10 July 1559, from injuries sustained in a [[joust]], fifteen-year-old Francis and sixteen-year-old Mary became king and queen of France.<ref>{{Harvnb|Fraser|1994|pp=86–88}}; {{Harvnb|Guy|2004|p=100}}; {{Harvnb|Weir|2008|p=19}}; {{Harvnb|Wormald|1988|p=93}}</ref> Two of the Queen's uncles, the [[Francis, Duke of Guise|Duke of Guise]] and the [[Charles, Cardinal of Lorraine|Cardinal of Lorraine]], were now dominant in French politics,<ref>{{Harvnb|Fraser|1994|p=88}}; {{Harvnb|Wormald|1988|pp=80, 93}}</ref> enjoying an ascendancy called by some historians ''la tyrannie Guisienne''.<ref>{{cite book |last=Thompson |first=James |author-link=James Westfall Thompson |title=The Wars of Religion in France |year=1909 |publisher=University of Chicago Press |location=Chicago |page=22 |isbn=978-1-4179-7435-1}}</ref>

In Scotland, the power of the Protestant [[Lords of the Congregation]] was rising at the expense of Mary's mother, who maintained effective control only through the use of French troops.<ref>{{Harvnb|Fraser|1994|pp=96–97}}; {{Harvnb|Guy|2004|pp=108–109}}; {{Harvnb|Weir|2008|p=14}}; {{Harvnb|Wormald|1988|pp=94–100}}</ref> In early 1560, the Protestant lords [[Treaty of Berwick (1560)|invited English troops into Scotland]] in an attempt to secure Protestantism. A [[Huguenot]] uprising in France, the [[Tumult of Amboise]], made it impossible for the French to send further support.<ref>{{Harvnb|Fraser|1994|p=97}}; {{Harvnb|Wormald|1988|p=100}}</ref> Instead, the Guise brothers sent ambassadors to negotiate a settlement.<ref>{{Harvnb|Wormald|1988|pp=100–101}}</ref> On 11 June 1560, their sister, Mary's mother, died, and so the question of future Franco-Scots relations was a pressing one. Under the terms of the [[Treaty of Edinburgh]], signed by Mary's representatives on 6 July 1560, France and England undertook to withdraw troops from Scotland. France recognised Elizabeth's right to rule England, but the seventeen-year-old Mary, still in France and grieving for her mother, refused to ratify the treaty.<ref>{{Harvnb|Fraser|1994|pp=97–101}}; {{Harvnb|Guy|2004|pp=114–115}}; {{Harvnb|Weir|2008|p=20}}; {{Harvnb|Wormald|1988|pp=102–103}}</ref>