History UsefulNotes / MaryOfScotland

She subsequently married chief conspirator James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell and one of the few Scottish lords with a consistent record of supporting Mary and her mother. He had famously abducted her. [[QuestionableConsent Whether or not Mary and Bothwell planned the abduction so they could get married, or whether Bothwell kidnapped and went so far as to]] ''[[QuestionableConsent rape]]'' [[QuestionableConsent the queen to]] ''[[QuestionableConsent force]]'' [[QuestionableConsent her to marry him, was hotly debated then and still is now]].[[/note]]A man at Mary’s court had previously bragged about plans to rape Mary so that she would marry him and make him King of Scots.[[/note]] Many historians, however, do believe that she was forced into the marriage; notably, she miscarried twins whose gestation indicated that they would have been conceived during the time of her abduction, despite her protestation that they could only have been conceived after the marriage took place.

She subsequently married chief conspirator James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell and one of the few Scottish lords with a consistent record of supporting Mary and her mother. He had famously abducted her. [[QuestionableConsent Whether or not Mary and Bothwell planned the abduction so they could get married, or whether Bothwell kidnapped and went so far as to]] ''[[QuestionableConsent rape]]'' [[QuestionableConsent the queen to]] ''[[QuestionableConsent force]]'' [[QuestionableConsent her to marry him, was hotly debated then and still is now]].[[/Note]]A man at Mary’s court had previously bragged about plans to rape Mary so that she would marry him and make him King of Scots.[[/Note]] Many historians, however, do believe that she was forced into the marriage; notably, she miscarried twins whose gestation indicated that they would have been conceived during the time of her abduction, despite her protestation that they could only have been conceived after the marriage took place.

As Mary was only a baby, she needed a regent. Her first regent was James Hamilton, the Earl of Arran, who was Protestant. Arran had been heir to the Scottish throne before Mary’s birth. However, he was unpopular with Catholics. Though he was originally supported by Protestants, they came to despise him when he agreed with UsefulNotes/HenryVIII that Mary (who was 6 months old) should marry Henry’s 6 year old son, Edward, which would unite England and Scotland and give the English control of Scotland. Mary’s mother, Marie of Guise, was very against the betrothal and the engagement was broken off, and Henry VIII declared war on Scotland. Marie of Guise eventually assumed the Regency of the kingdom, but with the war, her daughter had to be sent to a number of different castles to avoid being murdered. Marie (a devout Catholic) arranged for her daughter to be betrothed to Francis, the Dauphin (heir) of France. 5 year old Mary was sent to France to marry the 4 year old Dauphin, where she became popular at the French court. Her future father-in-law, King Henri II of France adored her and Mary became best friends with her future sisters-in-law, Elisabeth and Claude of France. Mary was also close with her Fiancé and they often played together. They were raised more like siblings than betrothed, but were very much in love. Mary had four ladies-in-waiting, all named Mary as well. Her governess, Janet Fleming, was the mother of Mary Fleming, and Queen Mary liked her. However, Janet was sent back to Scotland in disgrace when she became pregnant with King Henri’s child.

Popular opinion blamed Mary. While she was certainly not there for the actual murder, many believed she had authorized it. This is at best unlikely; Mary may have disdained her husband as much as she had once been attracted to him, but she knew that continuing the marriage was still her best chance at the English throne. Their united position gave them an advantage over other potential claimants, and for that if nothing else he was more valuable to her alive. Darnley was still her husband and the father of her only child, and with her romantic nature Mary may have even harbored some hope of the marriage improving. The chief pieces of "evidence" against her were the so-called Casket Letters - letters found [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin in a casket]] and purported to have been written by Mary herself, ordering the murder. Modern historians, with their access to greater technology, have examined the surviving letters and generally believe them to have been forgeries. (Ironically, it's the opinion of at least some modern medical historians that Darnley's syphilis treatment was less than effective, and he likely would have died of the illness within a year or two anyway.)

She subsequently married chief conspirator James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell and one of the few Scottish lords with a consistent record of supporting Mary and her mother. He had famously abducted her. [[QuestionableConsent Whether or not Mary and Bothwell planned the abduction so they could get married, or whether Bothwell kidnapped and went so far as to]] ''[[QuestionableConsent rape]]'' [[QuestionableConsent the queen to]] ''[[QuestionableConsent force]]'' [[QuestionableConsent her to marry him, was hotly debated then and still is now]]. Many historians, however, do believe that she was forced into the marriage; notably, she miscarried twins whose gestation indicated that they would have been conceived during the time of her abduction, despite her protestation that they could only have been conceived after the marriage took place.

Darnley was being treated for syphilis at the time. Eventually, he and Mary attempted a reconciliation; Darnley recognized that Mary was the only one who could protect him from his enemies, and Mary that she had no honorable way to end her marriage. To that end, he was brought to the Old Provost's Lodging at Kirk O'Field. It blew up in February 1567, while Mary and most of her lords were at a wedding party after spending the day with Darnley. Darnley himself apparently escaped the explosion, as he was subsequently found strangled in the garden, with no marks on his body at all. Darnley was due to complete his treatment the next day and subsequently resume cohabitation with his wife.

Popular opinion blamed Mary. While she was certainly not there for the actual murder, many believed she had authorized it. This is at best unlikely; Mary may have disdained her husband as much as she had once been attracted to him, but she knew that continuing the marriage was still her best chance at the English throne. Their united position gave them an advantage over other potential claimants, and for that if nothing else he was more valuable to her alive. Darnley was still her husband and the father of her only child, and with her romantic nature Mary may have even harbored some hope of the marriage improving. The chief pieces of "evidence" against her were the so-called Casket Letters - letters found [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin in a casket]] and purported to have been written by Mary herself, ordering the murder. Modern historians, with their access to greater technology, have examined the surviving letters and generally believe them to have been falsified. (Ironically, it's the opinion of at least some modern medical historians that Darnley's syphilis treatment was less than effective, and he likely would have died of the illness within a year or two anyway.)

Mary's people were glad enough to get her back, but the new obstacle before her was that she was and remained staunchly Roman Catholic, and this was an unpopular stance in a country that had adopted the Calvinist form of Protestantism, mostly among the nobility. Mary was successful at first, due in no small part to the advice and support of her illegitimate half-brother James, the Earl of Moray. She was very charismatic and capable of winning the common subjects to her side when need be; she was also regarded as extremely attractive, with red hair and fair skin, and unusually tall for the time period (almost six feet). Unfortunately, she became infatuated with her half-cousin, Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, a fellow Catholic from [[OopNorth Leeds]] and, like her, a claimant to the throne of England.[[note]]Mary and Henry were both grandchildren of Margaret Tudor, daughter of Henry VII, and derived their claims from her. Mary's father and Henry's mother had been half-siblings.[[/note]] and married him in 1564, against the wishes of Elizabeth I[[note]]Maybe - there is a school of thought that Elizabeth deliberately put Darnley in Mary's path because she knew just how obnoxious he was[[/note]] and, more importantly, against the advice of every responsible member of the Scottish government. The marriage was a bitter failure -- by nearly all accounts, Darnley was both vicious and effeminate, while Mary was widely accused of luxury and adultery. She might have been at least somewhat guilty of the former charge, but most historians agree she was probably innocent of the latter, though Darnley himself engaged in adulterous activities. Her supposed affair partner was her Italian secretary and court musician, David Rizzio, whom Darnley (in league with the Protestant Scots lords) murdered in the pregnant Queen's presence in 1566. The couple separated after the birth of their son James, and Darnley took refuge from his numerous enemies with his father.

As Mary was only a baby, she needed a regent. Her first regent was James Hamilton, the Earl of Arran, who was Protestant. Arran had been heir to the Scottish throne before Mary’s birth. However, he was unpopular with Catholics. Though he was originally supported by Protestants, they came to despise him when he agreed with UsefulNotes/HenryVIII that Mary (who was 6 months old) should marry Henry’s 6 year old son, Edward, which would unite England and Scotland and give the English control of Scotland. Mary’s mother, Marie of Guise, was very against the betrothal and the engagement was broken off, and Henry VIII declared war on Scotland. Marie of Guise eventually assumed the Regency of the kingdom, but with the war, her daughter had to be sent to a number of different castles to avoid being murdered. Marie (a devout Catholic) arranged for her daughter to be betrothed to Francis, the Dauphin (heir) of France. 5 year old Mary was sent to France to marry the 4 year old Dauphin, where she became popular at the French court. Her future father-in-law, King Henri II of France adored her and Mary became best friends with her future sisters-in-law, Elisabeth and Claude of France. Mary was also close with her Fiancé and they often played together. They were raised more like siblings than betrothed, but were very much in love. Mary had four ladies-in-waiting, all named Mary as well. Her governess, Janet Fleming, was the mother of Mary Fleming, and Queen Mary liked her. However, Janet was sent back to Scotland in disgrace when she became pregnant with King Henri’s child. When Mary was 15 and Francis was 14 in 1558, they were married and Mary was declared Dauphine of France. In 1559, Francis’s father was in a jousting accident and developed an infection, which killed him. Francis was crowned Francis II and he and Mary were thus the joint rulers of France and Scotland. By all contemporary accounts, theirs was a PerfectlyArrangedMarriage and they adored one another, but Francis tragically died at the age of 16 from an ear infection. Mary was kept in confinement to see if she was pregnant, but it soon became clear she wasn’t. Mary’s 10 year old brother-in-law, Charles XI, was crowned and Mary’s mother-in-law, UsefulNotes/CatherinedeMedici (who had never particularly liked Mary) sent her back to Scotland.

Mary was inconsolable following Francois's death. She solaced herself somewhat by writing poetry, and her ''[[http://www.marie-stuart.co.uk/poetry.htm#Ode Ode to Francis II]]'' makes it clear just how deeply she had loved her husband and lifelong companion and how much she was grieving. The death of her mother, just months before that of her husband, only added to her pain. As she and her mother-in-law Catherine de Medici were not on the best of terms, once the forty days of formal mourning were complete and it was confirmed that Mary was not pregnant with a Dauphin, she returned to her native Scotland.

As Mary was only a baby, she needed a regent. Her first regent was James Hamilton, the Earl of Arran, who was Protestant. Arran had been heir to the Scottish throne before Mary’s birth. However, he was unpopular with Catholics. Though he was originally supported by Protestants, they came to despise him when he agreed with UsefulNotes/HenryVIII that Mary (who was 6 months old) should marry Henry’s 6 year old son, Edward, which would unite England and Scotland and give the English control of Scotland. Mary’s mother, Marie of Guise, was very against the betrothal and the engagement was broken off, and Henry VIII declared war on Scotland. Marie of Guise eventually assumed the Regency of the kingdom and arranged her marriage to Francis, the Dauphin (heir) of France. In 1559 he succeeded his father as Francois II; he and Mary were thus the joint rulers of France and Scotland. By all contemporary accounts, theirs was a PerfectlyArrangedMarriage and they adored one another, but Francois tragically died at the age of 16 from a cerebral abscess.

As Mary was only a baby, she needed a regent. Her first regent was James Hamilton, the Earl of Arran, who was Protestant. Arran had been heir to the Scottish throne before Mary’s birth. However, he was unpopular with Catholics. Though he was originally supported by Protestants, they came to despise him when he agreed with UsefulNotes/HenryVIII that Mary (who was 6 months old) should marry Henry’s 6 year old son, Edward, which would unite England and Scotland and give the English control of Scotland. Marie of Guise, assumed the Regency of the kingdom and arranged her marriage to Francois, heir to the throne of France. In 1559 he succeeded his father as Francois II; he and Mary were thus the joint rulers of France and Scotland. By all contemporary accounts, theirs was a PerfectlyArrangedMarriage and they adored one another, but Francois tragically died at the age of 16 from a cerebral abscess.

Mary I (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587) of UsefulNotes/TheHouseOfStuart, popularly known as '''Mary, Queen of Scots''', Queen of Scotland from 1542 to her forced abdication in 1567. She was the only surviving legitimate child of King James V. Because Mary was only six days old when her father, King James V, died, her mother, Marie of Guise, assumed the Regency of the kingdom and arranged her marriage to Francois, heir to the throne of France. In 1559 he succeeded his father as Francois II; he and Mary were thus the joint rulers of France and Scotland. By all contemporary accounts, theirs was a PerfectlyArrangedMarriage and they adored one another, but Francois tragically died at the age of 16 from a cerebral abscess.

It was the Earl of Shrewsbury, who had long since grown rather fond of his longtime ward, who had to break the news to Mary that Elizabeth had at last ordered her execution. She took it very calmly, thanking him for it, and spent her final hours preparing to leave a world which, she said, she was eager to depart. She wrote out a will, leaving generous bequests to her personal servants and a few others, and also penned a final letter to her former brother-in-law, the King of France. Her final words, as she placed her head on the block, are recorded to have been "O God, into Thy hands I commend my spirit."

* Mary appears in a vision in Sir Creator/ArthurConanDoyle's short story, "The Silver Mirror".

Mary's people were glad enough to get her back, but the new obstacle before her was that she was and remained staunchly Roman Catholic, and this was an unpopular stance in a country that had adopted the Calvinist form of Protestantism, mostly among the nobility. Mary was successful at first, due in no small part to the advice and support of her illegitimate half-brother James, the Earl of Moray. She was very charismatic and capable of winning the common subjects to her side when need be; she was also regarded as extremely attractive, with red hair and fair skin, and unusually tall for the time period (almost six feet). Unfortunately, she became infatuated with her half-cousin, Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, a fellow Catholic from [[OopNorth Leeds]] and, like her, a claimant to the throne of England.[[note]]Mary and Henry were both grandchildren of Margaret Tudor, daughter of Henry VII, and derived their claims from her. Mary's father and Henry's mother had been half-siblings.[[/note]] and married him in 1564, against the wishes of Elizabeth I[[note]]Maybe - there is a school of thought that Elizabeth deliberately put Darnley in Mary's path because she knew just how obnoxious he was[[/note]] and, more importantly, against the advice of every responsible member of the Scottish government. The marriage was a bitter failure -- by nearly all accounts, Darnley was both vicious and effeminate, while Mary was widely accused of luxury and adultery. She might have been at least somewhat guilty of the former charge, but most historians agree she was probably innocent of the latter. Her supposed affair partner was her Italian secretary and court musician, David Rizzio, whom Darnley (in league with the Protestant Scots lords) murdered in the pregnant Queen's presence in 1566. The couple separated after the birth of James I, and Darnley took refuge from his numerous enemies with his father.

Darnley was being treated for syphilis at the time. When he and Mary attempted a reconciliation -- Darnley recognizing that Mary was the only one who could protect him from his enemies and Mary that she had no honorable way to end her marriage -- he was brought to the Old Provost's Lodging at Kirk O'Field. It blew up in February 1567, while Mary and most of her lords were at a wedding party after spending the day with Darnley. Darnley himself apparently escaped the explosion, as he was subsequently found strangled in the garden, with no marks on his body at all. Darnley was due to complete his treatment the next day and subsequently resume cohabitation with his wife.

Popular opinion blamed Mary. She was certainly not there for the actual murder, having been very publicly present at the marriage celebration of another noble, but many believed she had authorized it. This is at best unlikely; Mary may have disdained her husband as much as she had once been attracted to him, but she knew that continuing the marriage was still her best chance at the English throne. Their united position gave them an advantage over other potential claimants, and for that if nothing else he was more valuable to her alive. Darnley was still her husband and the father of her only child, and with her romantic nature Mary may have even harbored some hope of the marriage improving. The chief "evidence" against her were the so-called Casket Letters - letters found [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin in a casket]] and purported to have been written by Mary herself, ordering the murder. Modern historians, with their access to greater technology, have examined the surviving letters and generally believe them to have been falsified.

The resulting rebellion ended with Bothwell fleeing the country[[labelnote:*]]to Norway, where he was subsequently arrested by his estranged first wife, a Danish-Norwegian noble, and spent the rest of his life imprisoned in Denmark[[/labelnote]] and Mary imprisoned in Loch Leven Castle. She was forced to abdicate the throne in favor of her son, the one-year-old James VI (later James I of England); and after an unsuccessful attempt to regain the throne, she fled to England, seeking protection from her cousin, [[UsefulNotes/ElizabethI Queen Elizabeth I of England]]. Elizabeth, however, ordered her arrest, as she and her Protestant councilors (not entirely unjustifiably) considered Mary a focus for Catholic conspiracies against her rule.

Elizabeth wasn't completely unsympathetic to Mary's plight. They were among the only surviving members of UsefulNotes/TheHouseOfTudor, they were both anointed queens, and likely Elizabeth did feel sorry for Mary - twice widowed, kept away from her only child, unable to either live free in Scotland or return to the France of her happy childhood. Mary was "jailed" in a series of castles and manor houses under the supervision of the Earl of Shrewsbury, one of Elizabeth's most loyal courtiers, and she was given many luxuries not normally afforded to prisoners, like exercise, fresh air, good food, and whatever visitors she chose to entertain. She wrote more poetry, published collections of which still exist today, and excelled at needlework, with some pieces surviving in museums. A few attempts to have the two queens meet were arranged, but they never came to fruition, though they did correspond occasionally and Mary sent Elizabeth gifts of her handiwork from time to time. After nearly twenty years of this hospitable imprisonment (Elizabeth was notably hesitant to condemn her), Mary was tried and executed for treason on the grounds of conspiracy to assassinate Elizabeth and place herself on the throne of England. It remains questionable whether Mary herself was actually involved in the Babington plot or if she was just an innocent figurehead, but Elizabeth was taking no chances.

Rather infamously, [[UndignifiedDeath it took three chops to do the deed. And when the executioner lifted the severed head, it fell out of the red wig she was wearing. It then looked like her body was moving, and people thought she was refusing to die, only for Mary’s pet dog to run out of Mary’s skirts and start howling by Mary’s severed head.]] Mary's last request was to have her body returned to France and entombed with that of her beloved first husband, but Elizabeth refused to honor this. Later, after her son inherited Elizabeth's throne, he gave his mother an elegant tomb in Westminster Abbey.

After her husband's death, Mary returned to Scotland, where her Roman Catholicism made her unpopular in a country that had adopted the Calvinist form of Protestantism, mostly among the nobility. Mary was successful at first, due in no small part to the advice and support of her illegitimate half-brother James, the Earl of Moray. She was also very charismatic and capable of winning the common subjects to her side when need be. Unfortunately she became infatuated with her half-cousin, Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, a fellow Catholic from [[OopNorth Leeds]] and, like her, a claimant to the throne of England.[[note]]Mary and Henry were both grandchildren of Margaret Tudor, daughter of Henry VII, and derived their claims from her. Mary's father and Henry's mother had been half-siblings.[[/note]] and married him in 1564 against the wishes of Elizabeth I and more importantly against the advice of every responsible member of the Scottish government. The marriage was a bitter failure -- by nearly all accounts, Darnley was both vicious and effeminate, while Mary was widely accused of luxury and adultery, supposedly with her Italian secretary and court musician, David Rizzio, whom Darnley (in league with the Protestant Scots lords) murdered in the Queen's presence in 1566. The couple separated after the birth of James I and Darnley took refuge from his numerous enemies with his father.

Darnley was being treated for syphilis at the time. When he and Mary attempted a reconciliation -- Darnley recognizing that Mary was the only one who could protect him from his enemies and Mary that she had no honorable way to end her marriage -- he was brought to the Old Provost's Lodging at Kirk O'Field. It blew up in February 1567, while Mary and most of her lords were at a wedding party after spending the day with Darnley. Darnley himself apparently escaped the explosion, as he was subsequently found strangled in the garden, with no marks on his body at all. Darnley was due to complete his treatment the next day and subsequently resume cohabitation with the queen.

Popular opinion blamed Mary. She subsequently married chief conspirator James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell and one of the few Scottish lords with a consistent record of supporting Mary and her mother. He had famously abducted her. [[QuestionableConsent Whether or not Mary and Bothwell planned the abduction so they could get married, or whether Bothwell kidnapped and went so far as to]] ''[[QuestionableConsent rape]]'' [[QuestionableConsent the queen to]] ''[[QuestionableConsent force]]'' [[QuestionableConsent her to marry him was hotly debated then and still is now]]. Many historians, however, do believe that she was forced into the marriage; notably, she miscarried twins whose gestation indicated that they would have been conceived during the time of her abduction.

The resulting rebellion ended with Bothwell fleeing the country[[labelnote:*]]to Norway, subsequently being arrested by his estranged first wife, a Danish-Norwegian noble, and spending the rest of his life imprisoned in Denmark[[/labelnote]] and Mary imprisoned in Loch Leven Castle. She was forced to abdicate the throne in favor of her son, the one-year-old, James VI (later James I of England) and after an unsuccessful attempt to regain the throne, she fled to England seeking protection from her cousin, [[UsefulNotes/ElizabethI Queen Elizabeth I of England]]. Elizabeth, however, ordered her arrest, as she and her Protestant councilors (not entirely unjustifiably) considered Mary a focus for Catholic conspiracies against her rule. Elizabeth wasn't completely unsympathetic, though; Mary was "jailed" in a series of castles and manor houses under the supervision of one of Elizabeth's most loyal courtiers, and she was given many luxuries not normally afforded to prisoners. A few attempts to have the two queens meet were arranged, but they never came to fruition. After nearly twenty years of this hospitable imprisonment (Elizabeth was notably hesitant to condemn her), Mary was tried and executed for treason on the grounds of conspiracy to assassinate Elizabeth and place herself on the throne of England. It remains questionable whether Mary herself was actually involved in the Babington plot or if she was just an innocent figurehead, but Elizabeth was taking no chances.

* Creator/TheCW series ''{{Series/Reign}}'' centers around her, albeit her life story is heavily fictionalized. She is portrayed by Creator/AdelaideKane.

Mary I (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587) of UsefulNotes/TheHouseOfStuart, popularly known as '''Mary, Queen of Scots''', Queen of Scotland from 1542 to her forced abdication in 1567. She was the only surviving legitimate child of King James V. Because Mary was only six days old when her father, King James V, died, her mother, Marie of Guise, assumed the Regency of the kingdom and arranged her marriage to Francis, heir to the throne of France, who was crowned as Francis II in 1559, only to die the next year.

After Francis's death, Mary returned to Scotland, where her Roman Catholicism made her unpopular in a country that had adopted the Calvinist form of Protestantism. Mostly among the nobility. Mary was successful at first, due in no small part to the advice and support of her illegitimate half brother the Earl of Moray. She was also very charismatic and capable of winning the common subjects to her side when need be. Unfortunately she became infatuated with her first cousin, Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, a fellow Catholic from [[OopNorth Leeds]] and, like her, a claimant to the throne of England, and married him in 1564 against the wishes of Elizabeth I and more importantly against the advice of every responsible member of the Scottish government. The marriage was a bitter failure -- by nearly all accounts, Darnley was both vicious and effeminate, while Mary was widely accused of luxury and adultery, supposedly with her Italian secretary and court musician, David Rizzio, whom Darnley (in league with the Protestant Scots lords) murdered in the Queen's presence in 1566. The couple separated after the birth of James I and Darnley took refuge from his numerous enemies with his father.

Darnley was being treated for syphilis at the time. When he and Mary attempted a reconciliation -- Darnley recognizing Mary was the only one who could protect him from his enemies and Mary that she had no honorable way to end her marriage -- he was brought to the Old Provost's Lodging at Kirk O'Field. It blew up in February 1567, while Mary and most of her lords were at a wedding party after spending the day with Darnley. Darnley himself apparently escaped the explosion, as he was subsequently found strangled in the garden, with no marks on his body at all. Darnley was due to complete his treatment the next day and subsequently resume cohabitation with the queen.

Popular opinion blamed Mary. She subsequently married chief conspirator James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell and one of the few Scottish lords with a consistent record of supporting Mary and her mother. He had famously abducted her. [[QuestionableConsent Whether or not Mary and Bothwell planned the abduction so they could get married, or whether Bothwell kidnapped and went so far as to]] ''[[QuestionableConsent rape]]'' [[QuestionableConsent the queen to]] ''[[QuestionableConsent force]]'' [[QuestionableConsent her to marry him was hotly debated then and still is now]].

The resulting rebellion ended with Bothwell fleeing the country[[labelnote:*]]to Norway, subsequently being arrested by his estranged first wife; a Danish-Norwegian noble, and spending the rest of his life imprisoned in Denmark[[/labelnote]] and Mary imprisoned in Loch Leven Castle. She was forced to abdicate the throne in favor of her son, the one-year-old, James VI (later James I of England) and after an unsuccessful attempt to regain the throne she fled to England seeking protection from her cousin, [[UsefulNotes/ElizabethI Queen Elizabeth I of England]]. Elizabeth, however, ordered her arrest, as she and her Protestant councilors (not entirely unjustifiably) considered Mary a focus for Catholic conspiracies against her rule. After nearly twenty years of imprisonment (Elizabeth was notably hesitant to condemn her), she was tried and executed for treason on the grounds of conspiracy to assassinate Elizabeth and place herself on the throne of England. Rather infamously, [[UndignifiedDeath it took three chops to do the deed. And when the executioner lifted the severed head, it fell out of the red wig she was wearing. It then looked like her body was moving, and people thought she was refusing to die, only for Mary’s pet dog to run out of Mary’s skirts and start howling by Mary’s severed head.]]

* She meets UsefulNotes/ElizabethI in the Elizabeth mini-series, starring Creator/HelenMirren. She is portrayed by Barbara Flynn with a French accent.
* Creator/TheCW series ''{{Series/Reign}}'' centers around her. She is portrayed by Creator/AdelaideKane.

[[/folder]]

* Around the middle Baroque era, Mary's story seemed to grip many Italian composers who depicted her as a tragic martyr--notably, Giacomo Carissimi, who wrote the cantata ''Lamento della Regina Maria Stuarda'' (''Ferma Lascia Ch'Io Parli'').

The resulting rebellion ended with Bothwell fleeing the country[[labelnote:*]]to Norway, subsequently being arrested by his estranged first wife; a Danish-Norwegian noble, and spending the rest of his life imprisoned in Denmark[[/labelnote]] and Mary imprisoned in Loch Leven Castle. She was forced to abdicate the throne in favor of her son, the one-year-old, James VI (later James I of England) and after an unsuccessful attempt to regain the throne she fled to England seeking protection from her cousin, [[UsefulNotes/ElizabethI Queen Elizabeth I of England]]. Elizabeth, however, ordered her arrest, as she and her Protestant councilors (not entirely unjustifiably) considered Mary a focus for Catholic conspiracies against her rule. After nearly twenty years of imprisonment (Elizabeth was notably hesitant to condemn her), she was tried and executed for treason on the grounds of conspiracy to assassinate Elizabeth and place herself on the throne of England. Rather infamously, [[UndignifiedDeath it took three chops to do the deed. And when the executioner lifted the severed head, it fell out of the red wig she was wearing. It then looked like her body was moving, and people thought she was refusing to die, only for Mary’s pet dog to run out of Mary’s skirts and howling by Mary’s severed head.]]

The resulting rebellion ended with Bothwell fleeing the country[[labelnote:*]]to Norway, subsequently being arrested by his estranged first wife; a Danish-Norwegian noble, and spending the rest of his life imprisoned in Denmark[[/labelnote]] and Mary imprisoned in Loch Leven Castle. She was forced to abdicate the throne in favor of her son, the one-year-old, James VI (later James I of England) and after an unsuccessful attempt to regain the throne she fled to England seeking protection from her cousin, [[UsefulNotes/ElizabethI Queen Elizabeth I of England]]. Elizabeth, however, ordered her arrest, as she and her Protestant councilors (not entirely unjustifiably) considered Mary a focus for Catholic conspiracies against her rule. After nearly twenty years of imprisonment (Elizabeth was notably hesitant to condemn her), she was tried and executed for treason on the grounds of conspiracy to assassinate Elizabeth and place herself on the throne of England. Rather infamously, [[UndignifiedDeath it took three chops to do the deed. And when the executioner lifted the severed head, it fell out of the wig she was wearing.]]

The resulting rebellion ended with Bothwell fleeing the country[[labelnote:*]]to Norway, subsequently being arrested by his estranged first wife; a Danish-Norwegian noble, and spending the rest of his life imprisoned in Denmark[[/labelnote]] and Mary imprisoned in Loch Leven Castle. She was forced to abdicate the throne in favor of her son, the one-year-old, James VI (later James I of England) and after an unsuccessful attempt to regain the throne she fled to England seeking protection from her cousin, [[UsefulNotes/ElizabethI Queen Elizabeth I of England]]. Elizabeth, however, ordered her arrest, as she and her Protestant councilors (not entirely unjustifiably) considered Mary a focus for Catholic conspiracies against her rule. After nearly twenty years of imprisonment (Elizabeth was notably hesitant to condemn her), she was tried and executed for treason on the grounds of conspiracy to assassinate Elizabeth and place herself on the throne of England. Rather infamously, [[UndignifiedDeath it took two chops to do the deed. And when the executioner lifted the severed head, it fell out of the wig she was wearing.]]

Mary I (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587) of UsefulNotes/TheHouseOfStuart, popularly known as '''Mary, Queen of Scots''', Queen of Scotland from 1542 to her forced abdication in 1567. She was the only surviving legitimate child of King James V. Because Mary was only six days old when her father, King James V, died, her mother, Mary of Guise, assumed the Regency of the kingdom and arranged her marriage to Francis, heir to the throne of France, who was crowned as Francis II in 1559, only to die the next year.

* In 1971 film ''Film/MaryQueenOfScots'', she was portrayed by Creator/VanessaRedgrave.

The resulting rebellion ended with Bothwell fleeing the country[[labelnote:*]]to Norway, subsequently being arrested by his estranged first wife; a Danish-Norwegian noble, and spending the rest of his life imprisoned in Denmark[[/labelnote]] and Mary imprisoned in Loch Leven Castle. She was forced to abdicate the throne in favor of her son, the one-year-old, James VI (later James I of England) and after an unsuccessful attempt to regain the throne she fled to England seeking protection from her cousin, [[UsefulNotes/ElizabethI Queen Elizabeth I of England]]. Elizabeth, however, ordered her arrest, as she and her Protestant councilors (not entirely unjustifiably) considered Mary a focus for Catholic conspiracies against her rule. After nearly twenty years of imprisonment (Elizabeth was notably hesitant to condemn her), she was tried and executed for treason on the grounds of conspiracy to assassinate Elizabeth and place herself on the throne of England.

* Part 1 of the mini-series ''Gunpowder, Treason and Plot'' shows her rise and fall. She is executed at the beginning of part 2.

Popular opinion blamed Mary. She subsequently married chief conspirator James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell and one of the few Scottish lords with a consistent record of supporting Mary and her mother. She had no choice: he famously abducted and raped her, and there was no way honorable way around it. Whether or not Mary and Bothwell planned the whole thing so they could get married, or whether Bothwell kidnapped and raped the queen to ''force'' her to marry him was hotly debated then and now.

* Samantha Morton plays her in ''[[Film/{{Elizabeth}} Elizabeth: The Golden Age]]'' (2007). Morton uses a Scottish accent (in reality Mary wouldn't have had one due to being raised in France).

* The CW series ''{{Series/Reign}}'' centers around her.

The resulting rebellion ended with Bothwell fleeing the country and Mary imprisoned in Loch Leven Castle. She was forced to abdicate the throne in favor of her son, the one-year-old, James VI (later James I of England) and after an unsuccessful attempt to regain the throne she fled to England seeking protection from her cousin, [[UsefulNotes/ElizabethI Queen Elizabeth I of England]]. Elizabeth, however, ordered her arrest, as she and her Protestant councilors (not entirely unjustifiably) considered Mary a focus for Catholic conspiracies against her rule. After nearly twenty years of imprisonment (Elizabeth was notably hesitant to condemn her), she was tried and executed for treason on the grounds of conspiracy to assassinate Elizabeth and place herself on the throne of England.

* In 1971 film ''Film/MaryQueenOfScots'' she was portrayed by Creator/VanessaRedgrave.
* Creator/KatharineHepburn plays her in John Ford's 1936 film, ''Film/MaryOfScotland''.
* Samantha Morton plays her in ''Film/{{Elizabeth}}: The Golden Age''. Morton uses a Scottish accent (in reality Mary wouldn't have had one due to being raised in France).
* The 1895 silent film ''The Execution of Mary, Queen of Scots'' features an uncredited actress as Mary in a short that basically consists of Mary being led to the scaffold and having her head chopped off (with a rather gory special effect for the day). Viewers in 1895 weren't that much into films with actual stories.
* Creator/SaoirseRonan portrays her in ''[[Film/MaryQueenOfScots2018 Mary, Queen of Scots]]'' (2018), opposing Creator/MargotRobbie as Elizabeth I.