Mary Queen of Scots, A Chronology

1542
8 December; Mary Stuart is born in Linlithgow Palace
14 December; James V, King of Scots, Mary’s Father, dies at 31
 
1543
Mary Crowned Queen of Scots
 
1547
January; King Henry VIII of England dies
March; King Francis I of France dies
September; Scots defeated by English forces
New French King, Henry II, sends troops and money to Scotland
Mary is betrothed to Henry II’s heir Francis, dauphin of France
 
1548
August; Mary sent to France; Mary aged 5
 
1550
Mary’s mother, Marie of Guise, visits her in France
 
1554
Mary of Guise is officially named regent in Scotland
 
1558
15 year old Mary marries 14 year old Francis dauphin of France
Queen Mary I of England (Bloody Mary) dies and Elizabeth Tudor becomes Queen
 
1559
Death of King Henry II of France; Francis and Mary are crowned King and Queen of France
 
1560
June; Marie of Guise passes away in Scotland
December; Mary’s husband, Francis, passes away
 
1561
Mary returns to Scotland; Mary aged 18
 
1562
Mary’s northern campaign and visit to Inverness; Mary aged 19
 
1563
Mary visits Inveraray, Dunure Castle, Dumfries, and Peebles; Mary aged 20
 
1564
Mary hunts near Blair Atholl, Tayside; Mary aged 21
 
1565
Mary marries her 19 year old cousin Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley; Mary aged 22
 
1566
Mary’s secretary, David Riccio is murdered
Mary’s first child born (James later King of Scotland and England); Mary aged 23
 
1567
Mary’s husband Lord Darnley is murdered
Mary weds James Hepburn, the 30 year old Earl of Bothwell
The Carberry Hill confrontation
Mary is imprisoned in Lochlevin Castle, Scotland
Mary’s 1 year old son James is crowned as James VI of Scotland
Mary either miscarries or has a stillborn baby while in prison at Lochlevin; Mary aged 24
 
1568
Mary escapes Lochlevin; Battle of Lanside, Glasgow
Mary flees to England; Mary aged 25
 
1568 to 1587
Mary is held captive in various English prison castles; Mary aged 25-44
 
1569
Elizabeth exonerates Mary from the charges made against her; Mary aged 26
 
1578
Mary’s third husband, the Earl of Bothwell, aged 41, dies in a prison in Denmark; Mary aged 35
 
1580
Mary writes Essay on Adversity in prison; Mary aged 37
 
1586
The Babbington Plot is executed and fails
Mary is tried for conspiring to kill Elizabeth; Mary aged 43
 
1587
On February 8, Mary is executed for treason in Fotheringhay Castle, Northamptonshire
 
1603
Queen Elizabeth I dies in March and Mary’s son James VI of Scotland becomes James I of England. He is the first King of both Scotland and England. He moves his mother’s body to Westminster Abbey and has a grand monument built.