Today in 1560, Mary, Queen of Scots, became a widow for the first time when her husband, King Francis II of France, died, age 16. He died of an infection from his ear, and his brother Charles succeeded him as King, and their mother, Catherine de Medici, became regent. The situation affected the status of Mary, who was the dowager Queen, but as there was no official role for her, and she wasn’t pregnant with a French heir, she went back to Scotland to rule a land she hadn’t lived in since she was a baby. Her mother had died in the meantime, too, so she really had no idea what kind of a lion’s den she was headed back to. Imagine how differently it would have turned out for Mary had Francis lived.
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
Mary Queen of Scots’ Cipher, and the art of hiding messages
Episode 29: Mary Queen of Scots
From my shop:
Mary Queen of Scots Collection
“No More Tears Now, I will think upon revenge,” Mary Queen of Scots 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.