December 14, 1542, after the death of King James V of Scotland Stewart, the new ruler of the country was declared his daughter Maria, who was not even a week old. At the age of 6 years old girl, is intended wife Dauphin Francis, son of King Henry II, was sent to France.
February 24, 1558 the wedding of Mary Stuart, he converted to Catholicism and the French dauphin. Shortly before it ascended to the English throne, Elizabeth I, her great-aunt, which declared it their sacred duty to join Scotland to the British possessions. But the young Stewart, who knew that Elizabeth by the rules of the Catholic Church was considered illegitimate, while, as Mary herself was the granddaughter of King Henry II of England, Tudor, declared itself the sole legitimate Queen of England.
Avoid war for the throne allowed the demise of the French king, has made Mary and her 16-year-old wife of Francis rightful rulers of France. However, a year later he died, and Francis, it meant the end of the reign of Mary.
Back in Scotland, Mary was between two fires: the Protestants demanded it immediately renounce Catholicism, and supporters of the French want lush balls, despite the mourning. In addition to all this, her former guardian, senile, is attached to her to marry him. Participants in the hand and heart of Mary was enough among the kings, but she did not want to remarry for the sake of political reasons.
In 1565, in Scotland showed up 19-year-old handsome cousin of Queen Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley. Fell in love with the queen soon went with him down the aisle, but soon realized her mistake: a man of the near crazy, does not possess special strengths and moral principles, Darnley preferred to pay attention to anyone, but not lawful wife. Not once convicted of treason, he regularly rolled Mary jealousy. The only way for a Catholic Queen, who wore a heart child, the faith which forbids divorce, was simply to ignore the hateful husband. In retaliation, Darnley, gathered around him a coalition of disaffected policies Stewart Lord, killed in front of his pregnant wife by her personal secretary and friend David Riccio. Rejecting the attempt at reconciliation on the part of the queen and not even being on the christening of his son James VI, Darnley, get a taste of power, finally imagines himself worthy of the Scottish throne.
In this difficult period Mary caught up feeling the first advisor and commander of James Hepburn, Earl Bosuelskomu. Being married to a beautiful woman, maid of honor, the relationship with the Queen he perceived as a purely physical attraction. She, to his dismay, was in love so passionately, that, forgetting decorum, did not want to part with it for a minute, showered him with gifts and poems dedicated to him. Keep such a man as Boswell, could only crown.
February 10, 1567 in his home was stabbed husband of the Queen, and already occurred May 15 wedding Dowager Queen and Count Bosuelskogo. Protestant opposition, like the rest of Scotland perturbed by this unforgivable act of the queen, the queen locked in a castle on a remote island. Maria has not managed to escape, but was able to organize a flight Boswell, who was soon arrested in Denmark. After some time, bribing guards, Queen broke out of prison and had the imprudence to ask for protection from Queen Elizabeth. Despite the fact that there was no clear evidence of involvement in the death of Stewart Darnley, Mary was imprisoned. As many as 18 poor woman spent alone in harsh conditions, with no hope of a fair trial and investigation. Once in one of her letters to find mention of the upcoming plot against Elizabeth, 44-year-old Queen of Scots was sentenced to death and cut off her head.
Over the years, her son, who became King of Scotland and England united, reburied the remains of his mother in Westminster Abbey.