Mary’s Minority:1542-1548

Hawick High School

Intermediate History

We Are Learning To:

Find out: Who governed Scotland when Mary became QueenHow and why Henry VIII interfered in Scottish affairsHow and why the marriage treaty between England and Scotland was signedWhy the marriage treaty was broken

Why the English invasions of Scotland (known as ‘The Rough Wooing’) took placeHow successful the "Rough Wooing" wasWhat the relationship between Mary, Queen of Scots and the throne of England wasHow and why the marriage treaty with France was reached

Mary of Guise

Mary’s mother, Mary of Guise, was the daughter of a French duke.

King Henry VIII of England and King James V of Scotland wanted to marry her.

Cardinal Beaton convinced the French that she should marry James instead of Henry.

Mary and James were married in 1538.

Their daughter, Mary, was born in December 1542.

James V died just six days later.

The baby Mary became Queen of Scots.

Who Controls Scotland?

In 1543 Mary became the infant Queen of Scotland.

Scotland was caught in the middle of a deadly struggle between England and France.

Scots also argued amongst themselves – who was to run the country for the baby queen?

For security reasons, Mary was sent to the safety of the French court. Mary, aged 9, © Bibliothèque

Nationale, Paris

England v France with Scotland as in the middleHenry the VIII was the King of England. Henry II was the King of France. Since the 13th century, Scotland had been an ally of France and an enemy of England. England feared Scotland being used as a base by the French for a military invasion. France found Scotland to be a useful ally when waging war against the English.By the 1530's, England was a Protestant country and was therefore a religious enemy of France (a Catholic country). Scotland, a Catholic nation, was caught in the middle of a tussle between two super-powers.

The Earl of Arran v Cardinal Beaton

Two Scottish factions fought for control:

One faction was led by the Earl of Arran, head of the powerful Hamilton family and an ally of Henry VIII. Arran was Protestant and was next in line to the Scottish throne. The other was headed by Cardinal David Beaton, the Scottish Chancellor under James V, head of the Scottish Catholic Church and an ally of France.

The Scottish Parliament decided:

Arran would be Governor of Scotland until Mary Queen of Scots was 12 years old. Scots could read the English language Bible. To discuss an English Marriage (Henry VIII wanted the infant Mary to marry his son, Edward.)

The Treaty of Greenwich, 1543

The Scots agreed that Mary Queen of Scots would marry Henry VIII’s son, Edward.

Scotland and England would stay separate countries after the marriage.

Henry VIII demanded the end of the Auld Alliance between Scotland and France.

Breaking the Treaty of Greenwich

The Scots soon had doubts about the treaty with England:

They worried about Scottish independence.They feared the power of the pro-English noble faction in Scotland. Arran decided to switch sides. He dropped his support for Henry VIII and the Protestants. He gave his support to Cardinal Beaton and Mary of Guise.

The Scottish Parliament cancelled the treaty:

The arranged marriage between Mary and Edward was broken.

They named Mary of Guise and Cardinal Beaton as Arran’s advisors.

They renewed the Auld Alliance with France.

Henry VIII was furious with the Scots.

Mary’s Minority:1542-1560

Between 1544 and 1548, English forces set about destroying Scotland. To keep her safe, young Queen Mary was sent to France.During her years in France, Scotland went through a slow but dramatic change. Pro-French, Catholic Scotland became Protestant and an ally of the Auld Enemy, England.Choose a key event from the next slide to find out more.

Mary’s Minority:1542-1560

This is the story of a power

struggle between two

powerful enemies, France

and England,with Scotland

as the prize.

Click on the key event to

find out more.

The ‘Rough Wooing’: 1544-48

England's Henry VIII attempted to bully the Scots into marrying Mary to his son, Edward.Protestant England felt trapped by its Catholic neighbours, France and Scotland. Henry feared that Scotland could be used by France to invade England. If he could control Scotland, he could make it Protestant and protect England.

The ‘Rough Wooing’: 1544-48

For France, Scotland was an important ally in its wars against England.

It was desperate to secure this alliance by controlling Scotland.

Henry II of France, © Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris

The ‘Rough Wooing’: 1544-48

Both kings had young sons, and both wanted them to marry Mary, the infant Queen of Scotland. Whoever married her would control Scotland.Mary's family history is key to understanding her importance.

Click on the picture to learn more.

Holyrood

Two superpowers were determined to marry Mary to their princes and control Scotland. The Scots had the option of being controlled by their ally France, or their enemy England. As English forces attacked Scotland, Mary was sent to France to keep her safe. English army

Mary had a strong claim to the English throne through her grandmother, who was Henry VIII sister. The English feared that if she fell into French hands, the French could claim the throne of England on her behalf. English armies invaded to try and stop this from happening. Go to the next slide to find out more.

Holyrood

English army

Mary versus Elizabeth (The Importance of Being Mary)

Mary had a strong claim to the throne of England. Her grandfather was married to the sister of Henry VIII. Mary was a legitimate relative of Henry VIII. Because Mary was Catholic, the French wanted her to be the Queen of England.

Elizabeth I was the Queen of England (click here to find out more)

She was a daughter of Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn.

Importantly, many Catholics saw this second marriage as illegal.

In this case, Protestant Elizabeth was illegitimate and so was not the true Queen of England.

The ‘Rough Wooing’: 1544-48

Henry VIII was furious with the Scots for breaking the treaty:

He sent his soldiers to attack and burn towns in the south of Scotland. This was called “The Rough Wooing” because the English king used violence to try to force the marriage to happen. The attacks continued after Henry VIII’s death in 1546. The English defeated the Scots at the battle of Pinkie and moved into southern Scotland.

The ‘Rough Wooing’: 1544-48

Mary of Guise asked the King of France for help:

In 1548 Scotland and France signed the Treaty of Haddington.

France would send troops to defend Scotland.

In return, Mary Queen of Scots would go to France. She would be brought up at the court of the King of France and marry his son Francis, the Dauphin.

‘Rough Wooing’: summary

Death of James V left Mary as an infant queen. This provided an opportunity for England and France, as well as rival Scottish factions, to control Scotland.Henry VIII of England wanted Mary to marry his son, Edward. Henry II of France wanted Mary to marry his son, Francis.Henry VIII tried to intimidate the Scots into a marriage alliance by sending his armies to repeatedly attack Scotland. Edinburgh was burned and many Border abbeys were destroyed. The Scots signed a treaty with France in an effort to rid themselves of the English.

Mary’s move to France

Mary Queen of Scots left Scotland for France in 1548: She was just six years old. Mary of Guise became the “Regent” and ruled Scotland in her daughter’s name. Under Mary of Guise, the Scottish government became strongly pro-French.Mary of Guise wanted Scotland to remain a Catholic country. She relied on Cardinal Beaton and the French for support.