Mary, Queen of Scots – Renaissance and Reformation

                                The Reformation

Renaissance and Reformation. This period was marked by great upheavals and a transformation of Scotland in several  differing ways. The upheavals really got going on the death of King James V (1513 – 1542) and the accession of his infant daughter Mary. This led to intermittent English invasions by Henry VIII of which the largest was in 1547, leading to the major Scottish defeat at the Battle of Pinkie in that year.

                                       French Intervention

The following years led to the arrival of large numbers of French forces. They were controlled by  James V’s queen the the capable French-born Marie de Guise . She ruled as Queen Regent up to her death in 1560. Under her rule her opponents in Scotland were consistently defeated. It was only her death and an invasion by an English army in 1560 that prevented her ultimate victory However these events prevented this victory over what became known as the Lords of the Congregation.

                                         The Treaty of Edinburgh

By an agreement known as the Treaty of Edinburgh both the French and English armies agreed to leave. Thus setting the scene for the most famous and most disastrous Stewart monarch in history. Namely Mary Queen of Scots. It was in her reign that the name Stewart was changed to Stuart to help French pronunciation as they did not have the letter w. At first successful she threw her initial advantage away through making a disastrous marriage to Henry Lord Darnley.

                                            The Fall of Mary Queen of Scots

The rest of her story is well-known through its use in many plays, films and television productions. Suffice to say that with her final defeat and flight in 1568. The victory of the Protestant Reformation in Scotland was confirmed. As was the accession of her infant son King James VI who was to rule between 1567 and 1625.