Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots, was the only daughter of James V of Scotland and Mary of Guise. Born in Linlithgow Palace, she became queen when only a week old. All the more important years of her early life were spent in France. In 1558, she married the Dauphin. On the death of
Queen Mary I of England, she claimed the English crown on the grounds of the illegitimacy of
Elizabeth I. The death of her husband in 1560 led to her return to Scotland. She tried to become a friend of Elizabeth, in the hopes of being designated as her successor.
Instead, she married Lord Darnley. Darnley was probably involved in the conspiracy to murder Mary's advisor Rizzio, and was later murdered himself. Afterwards, Mary married Bothwell, who was deeply implicated in Darnley's murder, and the Protestant leaders took arms against her. She was ultimately defeated and fled to England. Elizabeth I, realizing the danger that Mary represented, kept her prisoner in the Tower of London. She was executed on February 8, 1587.
