Mary, Queen of Scots (born as Mary Stewart and known in French as Marie Stuart; 8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587) is Scottish queen regnant from 14 December 1542 to 24 July 1567.

In the lists of Scottish sovereigns, she is recognized as Mary I, and is hence sometimes confused with Mary I of England.

Her great-great-granddaughter is Mary II of England and Scotland.

She is the only surviving legitimate child of King James V. She is six days old when her father dies and she is crowned nine months later.

In 1558, she marries Francis, Dauphin of France, who ascends the French throne as Francis II in 1559.

Mary is not Queen of France for long; she is widowed on 5 December 1560.

After her husband's death, Mary returns to Scotland, arriving in Leith on 19 August 1561.

Four years later, she marries her first cousin, Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley.

Their union is unhappy and in February 1567, there is a huge explosion at their house, and Darnley is found dead, apparently strangled, in the garden.

She soon marries James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell, who is generally believed to be Darnley's murderer.

Following an uprising against the couple, Mary is imprisoned in Loch Leven Castle on 15 June and forced to abdicate in favor of her one-year-old son, James VI.

After an unsuccessful attempt to regain the throne, Mary flees to England seeking protection from her first cousin once removed, Queen Elizabeth I, whose kingdom she hopes to inherit.

Elizabeth orders her arrest because of the threat presented by Mary, who has previously claimed Elizabeth's throne as her own and is considered the legitimate sovereign of England by many English Catholics, including participants in the Rising of the North.

After 19 years in custody in a number of castles and manor houses in England, she is tried and executed for treason for her involvement in three plots to assassinate Elizabeth.