( Mary Stuart 1542–87)
the queen of Scotland from 1542 to 1567. She was the daughter of King James V of Scotland and the cousin of Queen Elizabeth I , and became queen of Scotland shortly after her birth. She did not rule Scotland until 1561 and was instead brought up in France, where she was queen briefly in 1559. She was a Roman Catholic, and after her return to Scotland became involved in religious disputes with Scottish Protestants. In 1567 she was forced to give up power in favour of her son James VI (later King James I of England), and moved to England where she was held as a prisoner. In the years that followed there were several attempts by Catholic groups to make her queen of England in place of Elizabeth I, and Elizabeth finally ordered Mary’s head to be cut off. Her adventures, love affairs and three marriages have been the subject of many books, plays and films.
See also Bothwell , Darnley .