Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley: Difference between revisions

Henry Stuart
Henry Stuart
King consort of Scots; Duke of Albany
Tenure	26 July 1565 – 10 February 1567
Spouse	Mary, Queen of Scots
Issue	James VI
House	House of Stuart
Father	Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox
Mother	Margaret Douglas

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Henry Stuart, Duke of Albany (7 December 1545 – 10 February 1567), commonly known as Lord Darnley and king consort of Scotland, was the first cousin and second husband of Mary, Queen of Scots, and the father of her son James VI, who also succeeded Elizabeth I of England as James I of England.

Early life

Darnley was born in 1545, at Temple Newsam, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, the son of the 4th Earl of Lennox, and his wife, Margaret Douglas. He was related to his future wife in at least three ways: they shared a grandmother in Margaret Tudor, putting both Mary and Darnley high in the line of succession for the English throne; Darnley was a descendant of a daughter of James II of Scotland and thus also in line for the throne of Scotland; and Darnley's family surname was due to a much more ancient connection to his male-line ancestor, Alexander Stewart, 4th High Steward of Scotland.

On their marriage, which took place 29 July 1565 in the chapel of Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, Darnley was given the title of King of Scots, but he was a king consort only, with no royal powers.

Estrangement

His marriage to Mary, Queen of Scots, was a disaster. Darnley was much younger than Mary and not particularly mature for a 19-year-old. He possessed a fondness for cross-dressing.^{[citation needed]}He was unpopular with the other nobles and had a mean and violent streak. Within a short time, Mary became pregnant, but Darnley grew more and more demanding. His jealousy of Mary's private secretary, David Rizzio, culminated in the bloody murder of the latter by Darnley and a group of his supporters, in the presence of the queen herself at Holyrood Palace. Archibald Douglas, Parson of Douglas subsequently secured pardons for all those involved.

Following the birth of their son, the future James VI, the succession was more secure; in late 1566 and early 1567, Darnley and Mary appeared to be close to reconciliation, as she was often seen visiting his chambers. But Darnley was unpopular and petulant and offended many who should have been his natural supporters. On 10 February 1567, the bodies of Darnley and his servant at the time were discovered in the gardens of the Hamiltons' house, Kirk o' Field, Edinburgh, where they had been staying. A violent explosion had occurred that night at the house, but the evidence pointed to Darnley escaping attempted assassination, only to be murdered when he got outside.

Aftermath

Suspicion fell on James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell and his supporters, notably Archibald Douglas, Parson of Douglas whose shoes were found at the scene, and upon Mary herself. Bothwell later abducted Mary, and held her for a week, at the end of which she agreed to marry him, under duress or desperation (Mary's power as a lone Queen was not respected, and Bothwell had proven himself loyal to Scotland for the past 10 years). There was also speculation that Bothwell had raped Mary, giving her no choice but to marry him. Darnley's death was a key event in the downward spiral that led to her loss of the Scottish crown.

Titles, styles, honours and arms

Titles and styles

7 December 1545–15 May 1565: The Hon Henry Stuart, called Lord Darnley
15 May–20 July 1565: The Rt Hon The Earl of Ross
20–28 July 1565: His Grace The Duke of Albany
28 July 1565–10 February 1567: His Grace The King

At his death, Henry's full style was likely His Grace, Henry Stuart, King of Scots, Duke of Albany, Earl of Ross, Lord Ardmannoch.

Ancestry

Matthew Stewart, 2nd Earl of Lennox

John Stewart, 3rd Earl of Lennox

Elizabeth Hamilton

Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox

John Stewart, 1st Earl of Atholl

Elisabeth Stewart

Eleanor Sinclair

Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley

George Douglas, Master of Angus

Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus

Elizabeth Drummond

References

Darnley: A Life of Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, Consort of Mary Queen of Scots by Caroline Bingham
Mary, Queen of Scots and the Murder of Lord Darnley by Alison Weir

Scottish royalty
Preceded by Francis II of France	King consort of Scots 1565 – 1567	Succeeded by The Earl of Bothwell
Peerage of Scotland
New creation	Duke of Albany 4th creation 1565 – 1567	Succeeded by Prince James, Duke of Rothesay later became James VI
New creation	Earl of Ross 1565 – 1567

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 ==Estrangement==
-His marriage to Mary, Queen of Scots, was a disaster. Darnley was younger than Mary and not particularly mature for a 19-year-old. He possessed a fondness for cross-dressing. He was unpopular with the other nobles and had a mean and violent streak. Within a short time, Mary became pregnant, but Darnley grew more and more demanding. His jealousy of Mary's private secretary, [[David Rizzio]], culminated in the bloody murder of the latter by Darnley and a group of his supporters, in the presence of the queen herself at Holyrood Palace. [[Archibald Douglas, Parson of Douglas]] subsequently secured pardons for all those involved.
+His marriage to Mary, Queen of Scots, was a disaster. Darnley was much younger than Mary and not particularly mature for a 19-year-old. He possessed a fondness for cross-dressing.{{source_needed}}He was unpopular with the other nobles and had a mean and violent streak. Within a short time, Mary became pregnant, but Darnley grew more and more demanding. His jealousy of Mary's private secretary, [[David Rizzio]], culminated in the bloody murder of the latter by Darnley and a group of his supporters, in the presence of the queen herself at Holyrood Palace. [[Archibald Douglas, Parson of Douglas]] subsequently secured pardons for all those involved.
 Following the birth of their son, the future [[James VI of Scotland|James VI]], the succession was more secure; in late 1566 and early 1567, Darnley and Mary appeared to be close to reconciliation, as she was often seen visiting his chambers. But Darnley was unpopular and petulant and offended many who should have been his natural supporters. On [[10 February]] [[1567]], the bodies of Darnley and his servant at the time were discovered in the gardens of the Hamiltons' house, [[Kirk o' Field]], [[Edinburgh]], where they had been staying. A violent explosion had occurred that night at the house, but the evidence pointed to Darnley escaping attempted assassination, only to be murdered when he got outside.