Happy Birthday, Mary Queen of Scots!
Hey, this is Heather from the Renaissance English History Podcast, and this is your Tudor Minute for December 8.
It’s been a week of Mary, Queen of Scots, and that’s set to continue today, as it’s her birthday. She was born in 1542, the daughter of James V of Scotland, and his wife Marie of Guise, from France. She became Queen when she was only 8 days old, when her father died, and was crowned Queen when she wasn’t even a year old. At first it seemed like a marriage into England would be good for both countries, as Henry VIII’s son Edward was a likely match.
But Marie of Guise wanted a French alliance, and wound up pulling back from an alliance with England. Thus began the Rough Wooing where England thought they could force Mary to marry Edward. When she was five, Mary was sent to France to be educated with the family of her future husband, Francis. When Francis died in 1560, Mary went back to Scotland, a land she hadn’t seen in over a decade. Things went disastrously for her, and she wound up abdicating to her young son James, and fleeing to England. Of course that didn’t work out either, and she was implicated in several attempts to overthrow Elizabeth, and was eventually beheaded in 1587.
That’s your Tudor Minute for today. Remember you can dive deeper into life in 16th century England through the Renaissance English History Podcast at englandcast.com where there are several episodes on Mary Queen of Scots.
Links:
Episode 085: Tudor Times on Mary Queen of Scots
Throwback Episode 29: Mary Queen of Scots