Birth of Mary Stuart ~ Queen of Scots
Mary Queen of Scots has long been portrayed as the tragic and beautiful cousin of Queen Elizabeth I.
Born on 8th December 1542, she ruled with her heart, and her disastrous marriage choices left her without a country.
Mary was forced to abdicate her Scottish throne to her infant son, and live out the rest of her life as an imprisoned guest in England.
However, her desire to rule both Scotland and England would cost her life.
Her desire did eventually come to pass, when her son James inherited both thrones.
Her story has been told in a number of ways, from Vanessa Redgrave’s Oscar-nominated portrayal in the 1971 film, the CW series Reign with Adelaide Kane, and the 2018 movie starring Saoirse Ronan in the title role.
Here are some facts about Mary that you might or might not know.
MARY BECAME QUEEN OF SCOTLAND WHEN SHE WAS 6 DAYS OLD.
Mary was the daughter of James V of Scotland and his second wife, Mary of Guise.
James was also a young monarch, becoming king at just 17 months old, when his father was killed in battle.
On 14th December 1542, at age 30, he died “of no discernable cause,”
Mary’s birth came just six days before her fathers death.
Mary became queen immediately, making Mary Queen of Scots one of the youngest Monarchs.
MARY SPENT 10 YEARS AT THE FRENCH COURT.
In exchange for French assistance against the English, Mary was promised in marriage to Francis ~ Dauphin of France.
Five-year-old Mary sailed to France accompanied by her own little court.
This included two lords, two half-brothers, and four other Marys, little girls her own age who hailed from the four noblest families in Scotland.
At the French court, Mary was raised in luxury, and became a favorite.
Mary was raised alongside the many children of King Henry and his wife, Catherine de’ Medici.
MARY CHANGED THE SPELLING OF THE FAMILY NAME.
In 1558, sometime before her marriage to Francis, Mary changed the spelling of her surname from Stewart to Stuart.
This was supposedly done to make it easier for the French to pronounce.
MARY WAS FLUENT IN LATIN.
She was also fluent in French and the Scots dialect of the Lowlands, and was proficient in Italian, Spanish, and Greek.
SHE WAS VERY TALL.
In an age when a woman was considered tall if she reached 5 feet 4 inches, Mary finally grew to almost 6 feet, often listed as being 5 feet 11 inches.
BUCKING TRADITION, SHE WORE WHITE FOR HER FIRST WEDDING.
Mary chose a white gown for her Notre Dame wedding to Francis II.
White was considered a color of mourning at the time, but Mary loved the shade ~ and how it looked against her pale skin and striking red hair.
MARY LOVED GOLF.
Golfers worldwide revere St. Andrews Golf Course in Scotland, as the “Cathedral of Golf.”
It’s considered the oldest golf course in the world, and Mary had a vacation cottage there, and played the game often.
She had likely learned the game as a child in France.
SHE USED TO WASH HER FACE IN WHITE WINE.
In the 16th century, it was fashionable for those who could afford it, to bathe in white wine.
Mary had incredibly fair skin, and the antiseptic properties of white wine essentially worked as a toner.
During her long imprisonment in England, the Earl of Shrewsbury, to whom she had been entrusted, was known to complain about the costs of her beauty routines.
ELIZABETH I WAS GODMOTHER TO MARY’S SON.
Elizabeth was James’ godmother, and on her deathbed she ‘named’ him as her successor, with a wave of her hand.
He became James VI of Scotland and I of England ~ and the first monarch to jointly rule the sovereign states ~ known as the Union of the Crowns.
HER PET TERRIER WAS HIDING UNDER HER SKIRTS AT HER EXECUTION.
Mary was convicted of conspiring to kill her cousin, Elizabeth…..
On 8th February 1587, at the age of 44, she approached the block, cast off her black gown to reveal a red dress underneath, the shade of Catholic martyrdom.
She had her neck hacked at least three times by the fumbling exEcutioner, who then dropped her head when he grabbed it by the wig.
But as devastating as that entire episode was for everyone in attendance, what happened next made an awful situation even worse.
Mary’s pet terrier had sneaked onto the stage and hidden itself in the folds of her petticoat.
When detected, it ran about wailing miserably and lay down in the widening pool of blood, between her severed head and shoulders.
MARY, QUEEN OF SCOTS IS BURIED AT WESTMINSTER ABBEY, RIGHT NEXT TO ELIZABETH I.
Though they never met in person, despite all their correspondence, Mary and Elizabeth’s tombs are now side by side in Westminster Abbey’s Lady Chapel.
Following Mary’s exEcution, Elizabeth ignored her request to be buried in France, and had her interred at Peterborough Cathedral in a Protestant ceremony.
Twenty-five years later in 1621, Mary’s son James had her body reinterred at Westminster.
And though her tomb is next to her rival cousin’s, they are separated by a nave.
Even in death, their crypts aren’t quite in view of each other.