In my End is my Beginning: Mary, Queen of Scots and the Scottish Reformation
Abstract
Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots, led a life marked by religious turmoil and personal tragedy starting with the death of her father, James V of Scots, when she was just six days old. The Stuart family, as well as most of Scotland, were devout Catholics at the time of Mary’s birth in 1542. In fact, just a few months prior her father had been warring with England under Henry VIII who sought to get Scotland to follow his footsteps and leave Papal authority behind. At the age of six in 1548, Mary was sent to France as the betrothed to the then Dauphin, Francis, and for her own protection in a time of rapid religious change. This begs the question, then, to what extent did the Scottish Reformation impact the Catholic Mary’s life and fate after her return to Scotland in 1560? Pulling information from primary sources such as Love “Letters of Mary, Queen of Scots to the Earl of Bothwell” and “The Trial of Mary, Queen of Scots” and secondary sources such as “The History of the Reformation in Scotland” by John Knox, I will build upon the narrative of Mary’s life and death specifically through the lens of religious turmoil and reform. Analysing not only her interaction with the Protestants of the time but also of the Catholics who were upset by her decision to not put a stop to the Reformation, it becomes obvious that Mary’s fate was not only impacted by said Reformation but set in stone from the moment she remarried and chose the Catholic noble Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, due to the Protestant fear of a relentless Catholic dynasty should Mary succeed her cousin, Elizabeth I, on the English throne.
Start Time
15-4-2026 9:00 AM
End Time
15-4-2026 10:00 AM
Room Number
272
Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Presentation Subtype
Research-in-Progress
Presentation Category
Social Sciences
Faculty Mentor
Rankin John
In my End is my Beginning: Mary, Queen of Scots and the Scottish Reformation
272
Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots, led a life marked by religious turmoil and personal tragedy starting with the death of her father, James V of Scots, when she was just six days old. The Stuart family, as well as most of Scotland, were devout Catholics at the time of Mary’s birth in 1542. In fact, just a few months prior her father had been warring with England under Henry VIII who sought to get Scotland to follow his footsteps and leave Papal authority behind. At the age of six in 1548, Mary was sent to France as the betrothed to the then Dauphin, Francis, and for her own protection in a time of rapid religious change. This begs the question, then, to what extent did the Scottish Reformation impact the Catholic Mary’s life and fate after her return to Scotland in 1560? Pulling information from primary sources such as Love “Letters of Mary, Queen of Scots to the Earl of Bothwell” and “The Trial of Mary, Queen of Scots” and secondary sources such as “The History of the Reformation in Scotland” by John Knox, I will build upon the narrative of Mary’s life and death specifically through the lens of religious turmoil and reform. Analysing not only her interaction with the Protestants of the time but also of the Catholics who were upset by her decision to not put a stop to the Reformation, it becomes obvious that Mary’s fate was not only impacted by said Reformation but set in stone from the moment she remarried and chose the Catholic noble Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, due to the Protestant fear of a relentless Catholic dynasty should Mary succeed her cousin, Elizabeth I, on the English throne.
