Mary, Queen of Scots

Mary I, commonly known as Mary, Queen of Scots, reigned over Scotland from 1542 to 1567. Born into turmoil, she became queen as an infant following the death of her father, James V. Due to her youth, her early reign was overseen by regents and marked by power struggles, religious upheavals, and the Rough Wooing by England. Raised in the French court, she married the Dauphin of France, strengthening the Franco-Scottish alliance, but was widowed young and returned to a Scotland divided by religious conflict. Her personal life, including her marriage to Lord Darnley and her alleged involvement in his murder, coupled with her marriage to James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell, led to political and religious unrest. Forced to abdicate in favor of her infant son, James VI, Mary sought refuge in England. However, perceived as a Catholic threat to the English throne, she was imprisoned by her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I, and eventually executed in 1587, cementing her legacy as one of history's most enigmatic and tragic monarchs.