Editing David Rizzio (section)

==Aftermath==
[[File:The Murder of David Rizzio.jpg|thumb|''[[The Murder of David Rizzio]]'' by [[William Allan (painter)|William Allan]], 1833]]
Immediately after the murder Mary was able to speak to Lord Darnley, and may have convinced him they were both in danger and captives in the palace. The guard around her was relaxed and at midnight the next day they escaped and she rode behind [[Arthur Erskine of Blackgrange]], master of her stable, to [[Seton Palace]] and then to safety at [[Dunbar Castle]].<ref>M. S. Giuseppi, ''HMC Salisbury Hatfield'', vol. 16 (London, 1933), pp. 17-18.</ref> An English servant of Lord Darnley, [[Anthony Standen (spy)|Anthony Standen]], later claimed to have accompanied the queen with [[John Stewart of Traquair|John Stewart]] of [[Traquair]] and his brother [[William Stewart of Caverston|William Stewart]].<ref>Joseph Stevenson, ''The History of Mary Stewart: From the Murder of Riccio Until Her Flight Into England by Claude Nau'' (Edinburgh, 1883), pp. ciii, 11, 16, 227.</ref><ref>M. S. Giuseppi, ''HMC Salisbury Hatfield'', vol. 16 (London, 1933), pp. 17-18.</ref> Mary returned to Edinburgh with her supporters, and took up lodgings on the [[Royal Mile]] rather than return to the palace. On 21 March she had Darnley declared innocent of the murder.<ref>Thomas Wright, ''Queen Elizabeth and her Times'', vol. 1 (London, 1838), pp. 230-1.</ref>

[[Robert Melville, 1st Lord Melville|Robert Melville]] arrived in Edinburgh from London and reported back to Elizabeth and [[William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley|Cecil]] on the aftermath of the murder. He noted that [[Regent Morton|Morton]], [[Patrick Ruthven, 3rd Lord Ruthven|Lord Ruthven]], [[Patrick Lindsay, 6th Lord Lindsay|Lord Lindsay]], [[William Maitland of Lethington]], the [[Lord Clerk Register|Clerk Register]] [[James Balfour, Lord Pittendreich|James Balfour]], the [[Lord Justice Clerk]] John Bellenden (whose brother was alleged to have pointed a gun at the queen), and some gentlemen of Lothian, who were all suspected of having knowledge of the plan had fled.<ref>''Calendar State Papers Scotland'', vol. 2 (Edinburgh, 1900), 267, 272, 274-5.</ref>

[[William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley]] and a French diplomat, [[Paul de Foix]] discussed the news. De Foix seems at first to have been misled about the events, thinking that Darnley had killed Rizzio because he found such a lowly servant having an adulterous relationship with Mary, an idea not present in the reports of the murder.<ref>[[John Hosack]], ''Mary, Queen of Scots, and her Accusers'', 2 (Edinburgh: Blackwood, 1874), pp. 78–80: Allan Crosbie, ''Calendar State Papers Foreign, 1566–1568'' (London, 1871), xi, 37 no. 217.</ref>

Rizzio's brother, Joseph, arrived in Scotland with [[Michel de Castelnau]] and was appointed secretary in David's place by 25 April 1566. Joseph and an Italian colleague, Joseph Lutyni, had some trouble over coins taken from the queen's purse, and in April 1567 he was accused and acquitted with Bothwell of Darnley's murder.<ref>''Calendar State Papers Scotland'', vol. 2 (Edinburgh, 1900), 276, 311, 320.</ref>