The Return of the Queen - Mary Queen of Scots
- Drummond Scottish Tours
- 6 days ago
- 2 min read
Updated: 10 hours ago
On this day in 1561 our most famous queen returned to our shores after a thirteen year absence, only to find a much-changed nation, politically, but most importantly, religiously.
Mary Queen of Scots was famously Catholic. Her French mother Mary de Guise had rejected the advances of the Queen’s great uncle, the formidable Henry VIII of England, soon after the Mary's birth in 1542.
Betrothed to Francois, the French Dauphin, instead of Henry’s planned marriage to his own son Edward, Scotland would pay the price for rejecting Henry’s betrothal and therefore his Protestant Anglican church.
The ‘rough wooing’ would see Scotland burn and the five-year-old Mary secreted from our shores to safety, and a Catholic upbringing in France.
And so, on her return thirteen years later, had Scotland stayed true to Catholicism, as the French had hoped?
Scotland had not, and with the mass having been very recently abolished by the Scottish Parliament, Mary was surely on shaky ground as she arrived in Leith with her French retinue to take her crown.
Would Mary try to re-establish her faith in her homeland through blood and fear, as the European Catholic monarchs expected? Or would she plot a different course, perhaps with an eye on what she thought a bigger prize…
The turbulent and short reign of Mary Queen of Scots had begun…
If Mary’s story captivates you, join us for a private, immersive journey through the places that shaped her life in Scotland. Our bespoke, custom made tours will bring her world vividly to life with tales rich in history, atmosphere, and the enduring presence of a queen who refused to be forgotten.
Contact us today and we'll create a bespoke Mary Queen of Scots tour just for you.
