|Mary, Queen of Scots (1542-1587) Mary, Queen of Scots is an
enigma, to say the least. Her guilt or innocence in the murder
of her husband has been debated for centuries. As many
historians point out, every argument in favor of her innocence
can be countered by one against. Most of the calumnies heaped
against her in her own lifetime were the work of Scots scholar
George Buchanan. Mary was born at Linlithgow in 1542, the
daughter of James V and Mary de Guise (who had been courted by
Henry VIII of England). The princess became queen at the age of
six days upon the death of her father. At age six, Mary was
betrothed to Henry VIII's son, the ill-fated Edward, but with
what results history will never disclose, the proposed union was
nullified by a pro-French and Roman Catholic faction. The ire of
the English king, exemplified by the period of invasions of his
Scottish neighbours known as "the rough wooing," resulted in the
defeat of the Scots at Pinkie (1547) and Mary's being sent to
France. In 1558, now a beauti