Mariya Stuart Queen of Scots, beheaded Date of Birth: 12.1542Год Country: Great Britain

Biography of Mary Stuart

Mary Stuart was born in December 1542. A few days after her birth, her father passed away, and she became the Queen of Scotland. At the age of six, she was sent to France to be raised as the future wife of the heir. She was educated at the French court and married Francis, who became the King of France when she was only 15 years old. She was the Queen of France for a year until her husband's death, after which she returned to Scotland as a widow at the age of 18.

At the age of 22, Mary married Henry Darnley, but their marriage quickly fell apart. Darnley plotted revenge against her by murdering her secretary, David Riccio, whom rumors claimed was her lover. Just three months after Riccio's murder, Mary gave birth to her son, who would later become King James I of England and Scotland.

James Hepburn, the Earl of Bothwell, emerged as Mary's favorite and lover, and eventually became her third husband, after disposing of his predecessor. However, this caused uproar among the Scottish lords, who overthrew Mary and imprisoned her in a castle on an island. Bothwell fled to Denmark but was later arrested. The Scottish and English Queen, Elizabeth, demanded his extradition, but he died in captivity after ten years.

Mary managed to escape from captivity with the help of young Lord Douglas, who might have hoped to marry her. Within a week, she had gathered an army of six thousand soldiers. However, her army was defeated, and she fled on horseback. After a three-day ride, she reached the Solway Firth, crossed it in a fishing boat, and landed on English soil.

This put Queen Elizabeth, her cousin, in a difficult position. On one hand, Mary was of royal blood, but on the other, she was a rival who claimed the English throne. Elizabeth was reluctant to allow her into her court, considering the circumstances. Sending her back to Europe was also dangerous, considering her claims and support from France. Moreover, there were religious conflicts, as Mary was a devout Catholic, while Protestantism prevailed in England.

Although there were no legal grounds to keep Mary under arrest, she was effectively detained. Initially, her confinement was relatively lenient, but it became stricter over time. A decree was issued stating that Mary would remain in "honorable captivity" until she was cleared of the accusations against her. Secretly, they promised to release her if she renounced her claim to the Scottish throne. However, she replied, "I would rather die than agree to it, and my last words will be the words of the Queen of Scotland."

For the next 18 years, Mary sought support in France and Spain, organized conspiracies, and engaged in secret correspondence, which was well-known to English intelligence and Elizabeth. Eventually, they obtained a letter in which Mary agreed to the assassination of the English queen by the conspirators, revealing her criminal intent. The conspirators were executed, and shortly thereafter, Mary Stuart herself was executed at the age of 44 in 1587.