Lord Darnley, the second husband of Mary, Queen of Scots, was murdered in 1567. His relationship with Mary had deteriorated, largely through differences of religion, and she was suspected of complicity in the killing. He was the father of James I of England, the VI of Scotland.




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Lord Henry Darnley (1545-1567)

Darnley's mother was Margaret Douglas, granddaughter of Henry VII, and his family, as Stuarts, had aspirations to the Scottish throne as well as the English. Darnley had met Mary 'Queen of Scots' in France after the funeral of her first husband, Francis II, and wanted to join her in Scotland. Queen Elizabeth, her cousin, knew this but did not prevent it and soon after Darnley's arrival there Mary made him Earl of Ross, then Duke of Albany. They were married in 1565.

Darnley, though very attractive, was also lazy, arrogant and a drunkard. There was strong opposition to the match from all concerned including the Scottish Protestants, English Privy Council and other claimants to the throne.

Darnley showed his true colours less than a year later by being involved in the murder of Riccio, Mary's secretary, and then compromising his accomplices, who retaliated by producing written evidence of Darnley's own complicity. Soon after, Mary had a son James, who was eventually to inherit both the Scottish and English thrones. Worse was to follow because when Mary was away, their house was blown up and Darnley was found strangled in the garden. The cover-up continued when the trial of the main suspect, the Earl of Bothwell, proved to be a farce. When Mary then married Bothwell a few months later, this proved too much for the Scottish nobles who rose, defeated Mary, Bothwell and her supporters and forced her to abdicate in favour of her son, James. Mary fled to England and spent the rest of her life in prison.

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