In 1547 an English invasion led to the military occupation of the country. By 1548, the Scottish were actively seeking French aid and betrothed their young queen to the French dauphin Francis, the son of Henry II, on the condition that Henry send an army to Scotland to drive the English out. French troops arrived in Scotland and the 5year old queen left to spend the next 13 years in France. Mary soon learned to speak in French, which became the language of her choice for the rest of her life. Her education taught her to sing, play the flute and dance gracefully. She spoke and read in six different languages. Mary also had to change the spelling of her last name to Stuart because at the time the French did not have a w in their alphabet. In April 1558 Mary married Francis at Notre Dame Cathedral.

thin months, international events changed Mary Stuart’s life dramatically. On November 17, 1558, the queen of England, Mary I (Tudor), died and was succeeded by her Protestant half-sister Elizabeth I. As granddaughter of Margaret Tudor, Mary Stuart was next heir according to the English throne and the eyes of Catholic Europe on the grounds that Elizabeth was illegitimate. In July 1559, Mary and Francis assumed the royal titles of King and Queen of France since Henry II had died. Her happiness was short, after she learned the death of her mother in June 1560. Six months later, her husband King Francis II was also dead. Mary was devastated and extremely depressed. In spite of these personal tragedies, Mary chose to return to Scotland although it was a different country from the one she had left 13 years ago. In Mary’s absence the Protestant party had gained power in Scotland by abolishing the authority of the pope and forbidding the celebration of the Mass.

In 1586, Mary’s fate was sealed with the discovery of a plot with her Catholic friends to escape, assassinate the Queen Elizabeth and take the English throne. Although she defended herself well, she was found guilty of treason and sentenced

Some topics in this essay:
Mary English, France Mary, Francis II, Queen Scots, English Parliament, Rizzio March, Casket Letters, Henry II, Elizabeth English, Kirk O’Field, english throne, mary queen scots, darnley killing, david rizzio, mary guise, france mary, james vi, king scotland, mary queen, queen scots, throne mary,