From Return to Deposition: Mary, Darnley and Scotland, 1562–1567

Abstract

In 1562 and 1563, the English were not the only subjects attempting to force an answer to the question of succession upon their queen. The Scots also wanted Mary to make a decision about matrimony and securing the Scottish throne, as succession in the northern kingdom was almost as hazy as in its southern neighbour. The next in line to the throne were the Duke of Châtelherault and his son the Earl of Arran, a man on the verge of madness, who believed that he should marry the widowed queen and begin to rule on his own. Mary recognized his madness and refused to consider his attempt to woo her, looking instead to foreign princes. Following the Arran family was the Duke of Lennox, husband to Mary’s half-aunt, Margaret, and the father of the man whom Mary did decide to wed in 1565. Though the question of succession was the same for the English and the Scots in the early 1560s, the Scottish queen appeared more desirous in answering that question herself than did her English cousin.