Mary Queen of Scots Influence

Mary Stuart, later known as Mary Queen of Scots was born on December 8, 1542 at Linlithgow Palace, the only daughter of her parents James V of Scotland and Mary of Guise. Mary’s father died only six days following her birth, so as an infant she became Queen of Scotland. In 1548, Mary was sent to France for her protection against the English. At the age of fifteen, Mary married Dauphin Francis who would later become Francis II in 1559 in return crowning Mary the Queen of France, and also the Queen of Scotland. During the time of Mary’s marriage to Francis, she was considered an ideal beauty with reddish golden hair, slender figure, and favored music and poetry. Mary claimed throne to England based on the fact that she was a granddaughter of Margaret Tudor, but the English still considered Elizabeth as their heir, supporting the Protestant reformation in Scotland and England. (Lewis) After the death of her husband Francis II on December 5, 1560, his mother Catherine de Medici was left to rule. Mary lost her power to rule so she decided to return to Scotland to rule as queen, arriving in the middle of the Protestant Reformation. (BBC)
Mary’s arrival to Scotland was viewed as a threat to Queen Elizabeth and her return in Scotland brought upon a new claim of Catholic influence. Mary was religiously Catholic and had plans of reestablishing the old religion in a highly Protestant country. Mary had several negotiations for her next marriage, but had hopes for having an alliance with Spain through a Catholic marriage with Don Carlos, the son of Philip II. Upon refusal of her marriage, Mary decided to throw out political matter and marry out of love, to her first cousin Lord Darnley. The marriage to Lord Darnley in July of 1565 started the disastrous series of events that antagonized the power of Scotland and the disapproval of marrying another Tudor relative by Elizabeth. As the result of her marriage, the Protestant lords supported by Queen Elizabeth, raised a