1542: Mary’s birth
Mary’s father was King James V of Scotland and her mother was Mary of Guise. They had two sons but both died in infancy within hours of each other in 1541, before Mary was born.
After defeat at the Battle of Solway Moss in November 1542, James returned to Falkland Palace in Fife and went to bed with a high fever. On 8 December, a message came from Linlithgow Palace that his wife had given birth to a daughter instead of the hoped-for son. James believed that the Stuart dynasty was at an end – he feared that a woman could not rule his nation.
King James V died six days later and baby Mary became Queen of Scotland.
1543: The ‘Rough Wooing’
Both Protestant England and Catholic France wanted Mary to marry a royal from their country in order to gain control over Scotland. Mary’s great-uncle, Henry VIII, arranged for Mary to marry his son Edward, hoping that this would unite Scotland and England. However, many Scots opposed this treaty and broke the agreement. Henry was furious and sent his army to attack Scotland. The ‘courtship’ became known as the ‘Rough Wooing’.
