Today is the birthday of Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley, who was the grandson of Margaret Tudor by her second husband, Archibald Douglas. While he had a claim to both the English and Scottish thrones, he is most remembered for being the second husband of Mary, Queen of Scots, and then being murdered, thus setting into play the chaos that led to Mary’s fleeing Scotland. It’s difficult to find anyone who has anything good to say about Henry. His marriage to Mary, Queen of Scots, was estranged, and he treated her very badly. He was upset that he wasn’t given the crown matrimonial, and then he helped assassinate her secretary. But his son James VI would rule Scotland, and become James I of England.
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.
Suggested links:
Episode 085: Tudor Times on Mary Queen of Scots
Episode 29: Mary Queen of Scots
From my shop:
Mary Queen of Scots Collection
Featuring: Mary Queen of Scots Coffee, Because Mug
Note: All products are made on-demand and can take a few weeks to ship.
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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.