Mary, Queen of Scots

Timeline

1. 1551–1558French court · Île-de-FranceAround 1551 Mary received a humanist education in France, growing up alongside the French dauphin François. Fluent in French and court etiquette, she was seen as a symbol of the Franco-Scottish alliance. She married François in April 1558, and after Elizabeth I ascended the English throne the same year, Mary also laid claim to the English succession.
2. 1559–1560Paris · Île-de-FranceAfter Henry II died in 1559, François II succeeded and Mary became Queen of France, jointly influencing court politics with Queen Mother Catherine de' Medici and the Guise family. François II died young in 1560, leaving Mary widowed; the Treaty of Edinburgh was signed the same year, France withdrew its troops from Scotland, and Mary lost the protection of the French court, facing the choice of returning to rule Scotland.