Mary Stewart was born December 8, 1542 at Linlithgow Palace to King James V of Scotland and his French wife Mary of Guise. Six days after her birth, her father suffered a nervous collapse after defeat at the Battle of Solway Moss and died. As the only surviving legitimate child, Mary was crowned Queen of Scots on Sept 9, 1543.
Henry VIII, King of England, proposed that England and Scotland should be united through the marriage of Mary to his son Edward. Initially, they agreed. Cardinal Beaton rose to power and pushed a pro-Catholic and French agenda. Henry wanted to break alliance with France and the papacy and began arresting Scottish ships heading for France, claiming that they were not allowed to trade there. This angered the people and the marriage proposal was rejected. Henry responded with his "rough wooing" to impose the marriage. He raided Scottish and French territory until 1551. Mary of Guise turned to the French for help. French King Henry II proposed the marriage of Mary to his 3 year old son to unite France and Scotland. She agreed. Mary was sent to France at the age of 5. She became known in France as Marie Stuart instead of Mary Stewart. April 24, 1558, she married the Dauphin Francis at Notre Dame in Paris.
After Mary I of England died, Henry II of France proclaimed that his son and Mary were the king and queen of England. Mary was next in line to the English throne after her father's cousin Elizabeth I. Many Catholics believed that since Elizabeth was illegitimate (they believed that Henry's marriage to Anne Boleyn was illegal), Mary was the rightful heir. The last will & testament of Henry VIII excluded the Stuarts from succeeding to the English throne. When the Dauphin's father died, Mary became the Queen consort of France and the Dauphin became King Francis II.
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