Today in 1571 Scotland saw the Creeping Parliament. This was part of the civil war that consumed Scotland after Mary Queen of Scots abdicated, and her son was still very young.
After James Hamilton, who supported Mary, killed Regent Moray in 1570, Elizabeth I sent an army north to Scotland to help sort out the mess. Elizabeth helped James’ grandfather, the Earl of Lennox (Darnley’s father) to gain control and rule the country. He was at odds with nearly half the country who still supported Mary, and today Lenox held his Parliament in Edinburgh, called the Creeping Parliament, because the attendants had to creep past the supporters of Mary. The Queen’s supporters had captured the castle, and were shooting at anyone who tried to go in.
At the same time, Mary’s supporters had their own parliament in Edinburgh where they were trying to restore her to the throne. Both parliaments adjourned until a later date, and Scotland continued to fight over who would rule for several more years.
That’s your Tudor Minute for today. Remember you can dive deeper into life in 16th century England through the Renaissance English History Podcast at englandcast.com where there is an episode on Mary Queen of Scots, and James I.
Suggested links:
Episode 29: Mary Queen of Scots
Episode 085: Tudor Times on Mary Queen of Scots
Episode 49: Tudor Times talks about James I of England
From the Shop:
The Mary Queen of Scots “No More Tears Now” quote shirt
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Heather Teysko is the creator, writer, and producer of The Renaissance English History Podcast,  one of the longest running indie history podcasts, going since 2009. She's been writing about history online for over 25 years, since her first site on Colonial American history became number one in history on Yahoo in 1998. She writes books, created the original Tudor Planner (a yearly diary filled with Tudor history) and in 2019 created the world's first Tudorcon (you can "attend" online this year!). She has been passionate about Tudor England since she first read Alison Weir's The Six Wives of Henry VIII 20 years ago, and subsequently moved to London after college to spend her time immersed in Tudor history.