In my end is my beginning
Queen Mary I of Scotland

Mary, Queen of Scots (Mary Stuart) was born on December 8, 1542 at Linlithgow Palace. Her father was King James V. She became queen at six-days-old after the death of her father. Mary was crowned Queen of Scotland at Stirling Castle on September 9, 1543. Until she came of age to rule, James Hamilton originally acted as regent in her stead; in 1554, after much manoeuvring Mary's mother Mary took over as regent. Mary was promised to Edward, son of Henry VIII shortly after her coronation as part of the Treaties of Greenwich; when the treaty fell apart, so did the promised marriage. Mary was sent to live in France in 1548 and she lived there for the next thirteen years.

In 1558, Mary married the dauphin Francois in Notre Dame Cathedral; Francois became King Francis II of France in 1559. If Mary died during the marriage, Scotland would be under French rule. However, Francois died in 1560. His mother made sure that Mary did not remain queen. Mary returned to Scotland in 1561 and married her cousin Henry Stuart. When Henry died of strangulation in 1567 she married James Hepburn. He was believed to have been part of the group that had murdered her previous husband. There is evidence that she was pressured to marry Hepburn; it has been suggested he raped her, and the marriage was a Protestant ceremony while Mary was a devout Catholic. The marriage, among other things, led to Mary eventually being imprisoned at Lochleven Castle; she was forced to abdicate her throne to her son, James (born on June 19, 1566).

Mary fled to England. Queen Elizabeth I had her imprisoned since she felt that Mary was a direct threat to her rule; many Catholics considered Mary to be the rightful ruler of England and Scotland. In 1586, Mary was put on trial for plotting to kill Elizabeth. After a brief trial that was basically decided before it began, Mary was found guilty and sentenced to die. She did not find out when she was to be executed until the day before and she was not allowed to meet with a priest the night before being executed. She was beheaded in the Great Hall of Fotheringhay Castle. Mary's execution made her a sympathetic figure to many people, especially the Catholic nations of Europe where she was considered to be a martyr.

Mary's son became King James VI of England and Scotland after the death of Elizabeth I in 1603.