Scottish Blog

Mary I of Scotland

(December 8, 1542 – February 8, 1587)

Mary Queen of Scots- Early Years

Undoubtedly, any thorough investigation of Scotland’s history or even your Clan history will have at least a mention of Mary Stuart. Her popularity supersedes that of any other Scottish monarch, largely due to the uniqueness and tragedy of her life.

From the very beginning, the life of Mary Stuart was an extraordinary one. Born on the 8th of December 1542 to KingJames V of Scotland and his French wife, Marie de Guise, two weeks after the Scottish defeat at the hand s of the English at Solway Moss. Six days later, her father James V died probably from cholera and Mary became Queen. This in itself was not wholly unusual in European history, yet the difference that Mary Stuart posed was that she was female. Thus as was normal at the time was subject to much attention regarding her future marriage, as her husband would become the King of Scotland. This fact, combined with the political turmoil of the time was the beginning which led to the rest of Mary Stuart tragic life.

When Mary Stuart was six months old, the Treaties of Greenwich was signed, which promised that Mary would be married to Edward, son of King Henry VIII, at the age of ten.

Not long after the signing of the treaty, Mary Stuart and her mother went into hiding at Stirling Castle. It also came to be the place where Mary Stuart was crowned.

On the 9th September 1543, Mary Stuart was crowned Queen of Scotland. The Greenwich Treatise soon broke down, under the strenuous and in the eyes of the Scots, unjust, demands of Henry VIII. The treaty was broken by the end of 1543.

King Henry VIII attempted to “woo” the young Queen by force. This consisted of years of raids and attacks on Scotland. Once even coming so close as to even force Mary Stuart and her guardian into hiding (once again at Stirling Castle).

After this point Mary Stuart’s life took a different direction when she left Scotland. I will cover this in my next article, along with the rest of her life.