Mary Stuart Queen Of SCOTS

Female 1542 - 1587  (44 years)


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  • Name Mary Stuart Queen Of SCOTS  [1
    Birth 08 Dec 1542  Linlithgow Palace, Linlithgow, West Lothian Find all individuals with events at this location  [1
    Gender Female 
    Fact 09 Sep 1543  Crowned Queen of Scotland in the Chapel Royal at Stirling Castle Find all individuals with events at this location  [1
    Name Mary I Of Scotland  [1
    Death 08 Feb 1587  [1
    Cause: beheaded 
    Notes 
    • Princess Mary Stuart was born at Linlithgow Palace, Linlithgow, West Lothian, on December 7 or December 8, 1542 to King James V of Scotland and his French wife, Mary of Guise. In Falkland Palace, Fife, her father heard of the birth and prophesied, "The devil go with it! It came with a lass, it will pass with a lass!" James truly believed that Mary's birth marked the end of the Stuarts' reign over Scotland. Instead, through Mary's son, it was the beginning of their reign over both the Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England.

      The six-day-old Mary became Queen of Scotland when her father died at the age of thirty, probably from cholera, although his contemporaries believed his death to have been caused by grief over the Scots' loss to the English at the Battle of Solway Moss. James Hamilton, 2nd Earl of Arran was the next in line for the throne after Mary; he acted as regent for Mary until 1554, when he was succeeded by the Queen's mother, who continued as regent until her death in 1560.

      In July 1543, when Mary was six months old, the Treaties of Greenwich promised Mary to be married to Edward, son of King Henry VIII of England in 1552, and for their heirs to inherit the Kingdoms of Scotland and England. Mary's mother was strongly opposed to the proposition, and she hid with Mary two months later in Stirling Castle, where preparations were made for Mary's coronation.

      When Mary was only nine months old she was crowned Queen of Scotland in the Chapel Royal at Stirling Castle on September 9, 1543. Because the Queen was an infant and the ceremony unique, Mary's coronation was the talk of Europe. Mary was dressed in heavy regal robes in miniature. A crimson velvet mantle, with a train furred with ermine, was fastened around her tiny neck. A jeweled satin gown, with long hanging sleeves, enveloped the infant, who could sit up but not walk. She was carried by Lord Livingston in solemn procession to the Chapel Royal. Inside, Lord Livingston brought Mary forward to the altar, put her gently in the throne set up there, and stood by holding her to keep her from rolling off.

      Quickly, Cardinal David Beaton put the Coronation Oath to her, which Lord Livingston answered for her. The Cardinal immediately unfastened Mary's heavy robes and began anointing her with the holy oil. When the chilly air struck her, she began to cry. The Earl of Lennox (whose son Henry, Lord Darnley, later became Mary's 2nd husband) brought forward the Sceptre and placed it in her baby hand. Then the Sword of State was presented by the Earl of Argyll, and the Cardinal performed the ceremony of girding the three-foot sword to the tiny body.

      Then, the Earl of Arran carried the Crown. Holding it gently, Cardinal Beaton lowered it onto the child's head, where it rested on a circlet of velvet. The Cardinal steadied the crown and Lord Livingston held her body straight as the Earls of Lennox and Arran kissed her cheek in fealty, followed by the rest of the prelates and peers who knelt before her and, placing their hands on her crown, swore allegiance to her.
    Person ID I48766  Main Tree
    Last Modified 24 Oct 2019 

    Father James V King Of SCOTLAND,   b. 10 Apr 1512, Linlithgow Palace, West Lothian Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 14 Dec 1542 (Age 30 years) 
    Relationship Birth 
    Mother Marie Of GUISE,   b. 22 Nov 1515, Bar-le-Duc, Lorraine Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 11 Jun 1560, Edinburgh Castle Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 44 years) 
    Relationship Birth 
    Marriage 18 May 1538  Notre-Dame de Paris Find all individuals with events at this location  [1
    Family ID F18479  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family 1 Francis II King Of FRANCE,   b. 19 Jan 1544   d. 05 Dec 1560 (Age 16 years) 
    Marriage 24 Apr 1558  Notre-Dame de Paris Find all individuals with events at this location  [1
    Family ID F18476  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family 2 Henry Stuart Lord DARNLEY   d. Feb 1567 
    Marriage 29 Jul 1565  Palace of Holyroodhouse Find all individuals with events at this location  [1
    Children 
     1. James I (Stuart) King of SCOTLAND,   b. 19 Jun 1566, Edinburgh Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 27 Mar 1625, Hertfordshire Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 58 years)  [Birth]
    Family ID F18477  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family 3 4th Earl of Bothwell James HEPBURN   d. 1578, Imprisoned in Denmark Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Marriage 15 May 1567  Palace of Holyroodhouse Find all individuals with events at this location  [1
    Children 
     1. Child HEPBURN,   b. Between 18 and 24 Jul 1567   d. Between 18 and 24 Jul 1567 (Age 0 years)  [Natural]
     2. Child HEPBURN,   b. Between 18 and 24 Jul 1567   d. Between 18 and 24 Jul 1567 (Age 0 years)  [Natural]
    Family ID F18478  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  • Event Map
    Link to Google MapsBirth - 08 Dec 1542 - Linlithgow Palace, Linlithgow, West Lothian Link to Google Earth
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  • Sources 
    1. [S03581] Wikipedia Encyclopedia.