Mary Queen of Scots

• 1542 December 8th -- born, daughter of James V and Mary of Lorraine (daughter of the Duke of Guise)

6 days later:

• 1542 December 14th -- succeeds to Scots throne, on death of her father.

• 1543 -- crowned queen, at Stirling.

• 1547 -- betrothed to the heir to the French crown, the dauphin Francis.

• 1547 -- left Scotland, to be brought up in France, by the Guise family, and to avoid her being seized by the English, who wished her to marry the English prince Edward.

• 1548 -- formal marriage contract between Mary and Francis agreed.

• 1558 -- marries Francis, becomes Queen Consort of France.

• 1560 -- Francis dies; succeeded by his brother Charles; the Guise family fall from power.

• 1563 -- Elizabeth of England offers Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, as a husband, and to be King of Scotland (Dudley was a Protestant, and someone the English believed they could control)

• 1565, July -- marries Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, a half-cousin (and a Catholic).

• 1567, February -- Darnley assassinated

• 1567, June -- a son, James, is born to Mary.

• 1567 -- Rizzio is murdered in her presence. Mary seized by James, 4th Earl of Boswell, and forced to marry him.

• 1567 -- imprisoned and forced to abdicate; her infant son is declared King James VI

• 1568, May -- escapes from prison

• 1568 -- crosses the border to England, is arrsted and imprisoned and held in various castles.

• 1586 -- imprisoned in Fotheringay Castle

• 1587 -- After becoming implicated in an English-organised plot, ostensibly to have the Duke of Guise invade England in her interests, Mary was given a show trial before the Court of Star Chamber (at which she was not allowed to know the details of the evidence raised against her) and was then executed by order of Elizabeth.