Mary Queen of Scots was the only living (legitimate) child of King James V of Scotland when he died, leaving the throne to her at the ripe old age of 6 days – talk about a steep learning curb! Spending her childhood and girlhood mostly in France while Scotland was under regent rule, Mary married the Dauphin Francis of France and was briefly Queen Consort of France until his death. Returning to Scotland as widow and being installed as Catholic queen of a largely Protestant Scotland in 1561, Mary married Lord Darnley in 1565. This, however, was an unhappy marriage (producing one son, James), and Darnley was found murdered in the garden of his home after it was destroyed by an explosion in 1567. Suspicion fell on Mary, especially after she married the Earl of Bothwell shortly afterward, who was largely believed to have been responsible for Darnley’s murder. Mary was then imprisoned by the Protestant lords and forced to abdicate her throne to her son, who, not quite as precocious as his mother at these things, was an old guy of one year. Seeking refuge from her cousin, Elizabeth I of England, Mary was shuttled from castle to castle while in custody until, at the age of 44, she was executed for the crime of plotting to assassinate Elizabeth.
